O/T any muzzler loader hunter here??

[old]

Ok I've done it a little bit but so far never shoot a deer, yet. The question is this. How long can you leave your smoke pole loaded before you have to shoot it and then reload?? I hate the idea of having to load it up each time I want to go out hunting then shoot if and reload again and again.
Thanks
Hobby farm

 

[BobInMN]

Old, I use to hunt with a muzzle loader a few years ago. I left mine loaded for days at a time. The only thing is you never want to take them from a cold invironment to a warm one. It will cause condensation in the barrel and foul the powder.

 

[Anonymous-0]

My brothers muzzle load. They use inline with pyrdex pellets. Unless they suspect a problem(such as rain while hunting) everything stays in the gun. Only one of them has had a problem. It was operater error not gun or powder related.

 

[Anonymous-0]

For practicle purposes you could leave it loaded all season if you kept it dry. Safety says unload everytime. PA says it's unlaoded so long as the primer/cap is removed or in a true smokepole the pan is empty(flintlock). My experience is with an inline. Its easy to breakdown and clean so I just fire it. you would definitly want to unload after a wet day afield. Good luck.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I shoot a knight with ss barrel using triple seven powder. I don't bring it in at night, leave it on four wheeler in locked shed. I leave it loaded till get a shot or end of season have never had a problem yet.

 

[Dave from MN]

Hunted with muzzleloader for years, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Bought regualr firearms this season as opposed to allseason, so I cant muzzleload this year. My Pa and his brothers started hunting with muzzleloaders in the late 80's, kinda got us kids hooked. Today just my Pa and I are the ones that ever go muzzleloader. Most uncles have passed on, most cousins hunt strictly regular firearms or have moved to the Minneapolis area and are too busy (doing what I dont know) to deer hunt. We use Hawken .50 caliber, use the ol "buffalo bullets"

 

[Goose]

I don't have a muzzlel loading rifle, but I do have a cap and ball six shooter, an exact replica of a 1851 Confederate Navy piece.

I've kept it in my shop and kept it loaded for sometimes a couple of weeks to a month with no problem.

Too bad it's not legal for deer hunting or I'd give it a try.

 

[mnjoe]

I've left mine loaded for 4 months. That is with a SS muzzleloader built by a guy from Redwood Falls MN. I use FFF Blackpowder from Switzlerland. My other hunters use 777 loose powder. We do not use pellets. Getting ready right now. Will be out tommorow with the rifle and pistol. Same guy built the 50 cal. pistol. We hope to get the big one which at ( this morning walked into my foodplots nose on the ground.

 

[old]

What Cal. is your pistal?? I have a 44cal walker I use as a side arm when hunting with my 50 cal smoke pole. In Missouri any thing over 40cal is legal so I carry them both so as to have a few more shoots if needed
Hobby farm

 

[dandeere]

Hey old, I put together Thomson Center 54 cal. Hawken kit back in seventies, plummed barrel and all. I just did not like being in the woods with people with more shells than brains, it seems generally to be a saner mentality of hunters with black powder. I shoot 110 grains double F and patched balls, iron sites and can cover 100 yard groups with off a rest with your hand. The last deer I shot was a doe ducking behind several trees, I aimed forever with that crow bar at her to move to get a clear shot. When I walked up to the spot the ball went threw a 4 inch ash sappling I did not see to the tracks with blood behind it. The deere lay fifty yards up the trail, I probabley would of missed if had not hit the tree! Good advice below, keep your powder dry. Mine will throw the first ball, I like to hunt with the second shot in the barrel. The colder it is the more the barrel fowles, three shots max at ten below zero. I leave charged the two weeks of season if dry, then do the hot water and Ivory soap cleaning. Good luck,, Dan

 

[Randy S.E.-MN]

I use my .54 Cal over-under and lyman .54 pistol for yet a third shot I get two hangfires...never happened yet though...Randy

 

[Nebraska Kirk]

I have a reproduction of a Kentucky long rifle, .50cal flintlock. I bought it from Cabela's a few years ago, I have taken it out deer hunting, but never got anything :-( I did leave it loaded for a few months one time and I had a hard time getting it to fire. So I just leave it empty and load the day I am going to use it.

I do have another blackpower rifle, a reproduction of the 1863 Sharps breech-loader, .54cal. I may try it out deer hunting this year

I also have 4 cap and ball pistols, all reproduction, a .44 walker, just like you, Old that thing is a beast! the 44 magnum of it's day

I also have an 1860 army model .44cal,

and two 1858 .44 Remington's, one made by Uberti and the other by Pietta.

I bought the Pietta made revolver from Cabelas about 10 years ago, it is the very first gun that I owned!


I would love to have a LeMat too! But $850?! Yikes! I should of bought one a few years ago when they were only $600!!

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have left my loaded for as long as a year and it fired.

I have a few from back in the 1800s and one of hose was loaded when I got it and had been for years.I pulled the ball,dumped the powder outthen touched a match to a small amount....... it flashed and I beleve the old gun would have fired with no problem had I done so!,

 

[Walt Davies]

With original Black powder you need to clean it out after every shooting so as to get all the salt peter out of it. But with the new stuff its not so bad and can be left in for months on end.

This is my favorite a Navy Arm (1851 Navy Colt)I bought in 1968 its a lot better than most of the new ones today.

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[old]

Walt, that gun looks a lot like my 44Cal. walker. I have yet to shoot any thing with it other then targets and air but maybe one of these days

 

[Hoss in Maine]

Old,Ive got a 50 hawken and leave it loaded all hunting season if i dont take a shot.Also got a 1858 remington I leave loaded year round.I use FFF and never had a problem going on 20 yrs now'Later Hoss

 

[Walt Davies]

Your Walker is the predecessor to my Navy Colt its an 1846 model highly used by the Texas Rangers. Always wanted one but never did get it.
Walt

 

[old]

Of course this ones a replaca but hey it works ok but still not sure what it might do as far a stopping a deer. Not sure the brand company that made it but it sure is a heavy little gun
Hobby farm

 

[8N'r--WI]

Old---I keep mine loaded during the whole season.

However, I do not bring the gun into the warm house when finished hunting each day, but keep it outside. This prevents any condensation buildup inside the barrel caused by the changing temperature.

Never had a problem with hangfires using traditional black powder and now Pyrodex pellets.

Tim

 

[scooter01922]

Been trying with my 45 cal CVA for a few years now...still no deer. Last year i started using "Jim Shockely"s gold" powder from American pioneer powder. Works real well and i can head to the range and get off a bunch of shots before i need to swab the barrel as long as i use the remington "kleenbore" primers. All the boom and smoke without having to clean between shots and apparently it"s non corrosive. Left it loaded for about 4 months in my somewhat humid house and still no problem.

 

[banjo]

Rich, As others have pointed out temperature changes cause the barrel to sweat inside and may cause it to hang fire or dud.

The #11 caps will be affected more than the musket caps and 209 shotgun primers. depending on which set up your is.

One thing i have done if it is wet out or damp i take a small peice of saran wrap and wrape it around the cap area under the hammer(so you can still cock it) if side lock.

It helps keep the moisture out and does not interfere with it firing.

I have shot several deer over the years with blackpowder rifles and i used pyrodex pistol powder in them. It is finer grained than the pyrodex rifle/shotgun and you would use 10% less charge with it.If you loaded 90gr of blackpowder or pyrodex rifle ,you would only use 80gr of the pistol pyrodex.It just seem to have a better ignition to me. I have used it behind some pretty heavy bullets and it always went all the way threw the deer. So if you are carring a side arm you can use the same powder in your rifle.

Right now i use an inline rifle and still only use 80 gr charge behind a 240 gr sabot. all i have ever used were 50 cal rifles.

Now it is up to you how often you discharge and reload. the dryer you can keep it the less i would change charges.

Not much real blackpowder is being used now a days but they still need cleaned good after season so the riflings wont corrode away. may not affect it for awhile but eventually the accuracy will be affected.

 

[old]

Sort of funny but I use FF powder in my rifle 90grains and FFF in my pistol 25 grains. I've had this powder for years and as little as I shot it will probably last a log time. After I do run out of the FF I may try the FFF in the rifle and see how it does. I don't have any place out side I can store the guns so I bring them in but also keep them in a hall way on top of a freezer so I think they stay pretty dry because of the freezer running for time to time
Hobby farm

 

[Idaho Ron]

I have three TC renegades I built. Two of them have 1-28 twist Stainless steel barrels. They have Lyman 57 sml peeps, Lyman 17AML globe front sights. They shoot 410 gr Hornady Great plains bullets and are sighted in out to 300 yards.

The last one is a TC Renegade with a 32" 1-18 twist .458 barrel. The rear sight is a Lyman 57 SML and the front sight is a Lee Shavers Globe sight with a Level. I shoot 475 gr Whitworth bullets in it.

Here is a couple of bucks I got with my 50 cal.

This is a buck I got a few years ago with my knight inline, I don't use it much any more.

I love deer hunting with my Muzzleloaders. Ron

 

[FarmallJoe]

I know guys that leave there muzzle loader loaded all season long. Remember if there is no primer on it isnt considered loaded so you can transport it in your truck legally