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Interesting read on leaving your muzz loaded...

guitarzan said:
I guess I'll be the odd duck. I rarely leave mine loaded for more than a week, but I only hunt weekends. I don't shoot it to unload it though, I push the bullet out through the breech. It's a little messy since I use Blackhorn, but most of the powder is salvageable and so is the bullet. My thought process is that a replacement muzzleloader is expensive and all I'm out is a little time and a little powder. I'm in the car biz, so to me it's like changing your oil and filter in your truck--sure you can change your oil every 10,000 miles, but what are the long term effects? There's also a thread somewhere I just read, about some people that left their gun loaded and then had to deal with a pitted barrel.......I just prefer to air on the side of caution.
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I'm with you.

I also use Blackhorn and I rarely leave my gun loaded for more than a day at a time. It's a TC Encore and would never pit or anything but I am usually just concerned about misfires, moisture in the powder, if its still shooting on, etc. After I am done hunting, I shoot it off at the target range behind the house and make sure its still good, clean it, and let it sit until I go out again. Honestly, I feel that the longer I leave it loaded and unattended the less confidence I have knowing it is dry, clean, and shooting straight. And actually I love looking down the barrel of a clean gun, that's all the confidence I need. Sidenote: Anyone that leaves a gun (any gun) loaded for a month or more without cleaning it should be charged for gun cruelty.
 
ia_buck said:
i leave mine loaded from opening day of late muzzle to the day after the last day of season.. i keep in the truck .... then i clean it right after i unloaded it even if i dont shot it
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You might try shooting it instead of just unloading it. Unless you leave your gun in the bed of the truck; there really isn't any difference from the heat in the cab and the heat in your house. It was probably 12 to 15 years ago when i figured i would leave my prized muzzleloader out in the cold cab of my truck loaded so i wouldn't have to keep reloading and cleaning it. It was loaded from Dec. 20th until i pulled the trigger on a very nice 10 pt. on Jan. 2nd. I actually attempted to shoot the gun twice with with no success. I took the gun home and pulled the breech only to see the powder caked around the touch hole. Many people will just say i didn't fire a cap before loading, but that wouldn't be true. I've been hunting with muzzleloaders for almost 40 years. I'll never leave a gun loaded for more than 3 days since that happened to me.
 
Shovelbuck said:
What????? Is that gun mystical or something? All guns can pit under the right circumstances.
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HAHA, it must be. I have a TC pro hunter and I would definately agree with you shovel. Any gun will pit if not taken care of properly! Also I have to add that each muzzleloader is unique in that some shoot well with a clean barrel and some shoot well with "dirty" barrel. Mine is a perfect example of this, it will throw the first shot 6-8 inches high through a clean barrel every time and then proceed to drive tack every shot after that. I personally spit shine mine in the offseason, but take it to the range in cold weather shoot it and then leave it loaded for season. I have had this gun for over 3 years and have not had a problem doing this yet. I never take the gun inside during season, and never allow it to get warm. Although I don't find it necessary to unload your muzzleloader every time you hunt I do agree that certain steps need to be taken to ensure that your gun doesn't see moisture.
 
Ah, you got me. I meant its mystical, it will never pit in a days time. :way:
 
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Well guys......my flintlock .62 had been loaded all this month and I touched it off this morning. No delay, no hangfire, and it shot center.:way:
 
I leave mine (Knight original DISC) loaded for 2-3 days during early muzzle. After that I shoot and reload mainly out of paranoia. Only ever had one hang fire and I'm entirely sure it was due to a wet primer. Walked through some tall wet grass and my cloth possibles pouch got damp with primers inside. Lesson learned, I now keep extra primers in a ziplock bag. Discs don't help when the primer itself gets wet. :D
 
I am really paranoid right now too. Last year shot black horn late muzz with no issues. Early muzz this year, two hang fires however it was raining those days. Late muzz this year so far, no issues. My dad's knight KP-1 misfired early and late season so far. He is doing everything the same but is having issues. I have had mine loaded since Monday and in the cold but I am going to shoot after my morning hunt next Wednesday. I also think I am going back to triple seven. I don't see any benefits to blackhorn 209 at all except less smoke.
 
Liv4Rut said:
I am really paranoid right now too. Last year shot black horn late muzz with no issues. Early muzz this year, two hang fires however it was raining those days. Late muzz this year so far, no issues. My dad's knight KP-1 misfired early and late season so far. He is doing everything the same but is having issues. I have had mine loaded since Monday and in the cold but I am going to shoot after my morning hunt next Wednesday. I also think I am going back to triple seven. I don't see any benefits to blackhorn 209 at all except less smoke.
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You said it there Liv:way: While I may seem to advocate leaving a muzzleloader loaded, I'm by no means telling people that's what they need to do.If a person has even a doubt in the back of his mind that the gun might misfire, then by all means, take the steps necessary to correct the situation. There's nothing worse than pulling the trigger and wondering if it's going to fire correctly. Having total confidence in your set up, no matter what path a person chooses is 90 percent of the game.

Good luck.
 
Liv4Rut said:
I am really paranoid right now too. Last year shot black horn late muzz with no issues. Early muzz this year, two hang fires however it was raining those days. Late muzz this year so far, no issues. My dad's knight KP-1 misfired early and late season so far. He is doing everything the same but is having issues. I have had mine loaded since Monday and in the cold but I am going to shoot after my morning hunt next Wednesday. I also think I am going back to triple seven. I don't see any benefits to blackhorn 209 at all except less smoke.
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I am going to try the Lehigh conversion for my Elite (works in the Extreme too). That along with the right primers and hopefully I can then count on the gun going bang 100% of the time when using BH209. One more test for me. Throwing away the red plastic primer jackets, regardless of the powder I use, will pay for the conversion. I'll let you know how it works in a few days. Can't offer any help for the KP1. The only pluses I see for the BH209 are easy or no swabbing between shots and easy breech plug removal.
 
I'm not a ML expert like SB. I'm not sure if this massive change in temperature lately & hunting with all sorts of fog and moisture could have any impact on my powder BUT I'm not taking any chances. Any time I'm in any iffy situation I've just decided to change my powder out- for my paranoia I just ease my mind by swapping out. These temp changes, moisture and fog will warrant a change.
 
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