Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders How Long will Powder keep in the Barrel?

So I have a load of BH209 in my new Rem Ultimate and I won't be hunting again until this coming weekend. Being new to the ML scene, is there any harm in leaving it loaded? of course I did remove the brass/primer from the chamber.

Thx

As long as it is warm and dry, I don't see a problem with leaving the gun loaded. I have never left mine loaded for more than a few days, but I have never had a problem with it not firing, nor had any evidence of corrosion.

I did a test one year by putting my muzzleloader away loaded. Two weeks before the next season I fired it and everything was fine. The bullet hit the 100 yard target where it was supposed to. This was a TC Omega. I had done the same thing with a Renegade several years earlier and had just a bit of hang fire.

I've got a 100 gr. by weight of 209 and a Parker 300 gr on top of it. I could not believe how well it shot with this load. I figured it would be ok, just wasn't sure. Appreciate the feedback.

I know nothing about that powder, but I have left pyrodex loaded in a clean rifle from one year to the next, with no problem. In fact the deer that I killed this year was with a load left in the rifle from last year. I do take the cap off and put a small piece of leather over the nipple and let the striker down to seal it. I do not leave one that has been shot and reloaded, loaded for long. miles

Last year I hunted with an inline. Loaded it in Nov with BH 209, never say anything during the ML season, so I left it in the safe loaded, flagged, but loaded. I finally took it to the range in Apr and shot it. Went off just fine, hit right where it was supposed to. And I lived in far SE Alabama, so it was very humid.

I should point out that all that I have done and would do, are inlines and not a sidelocks. miles

I left my gun outside in well below freezing temps for 2 days. On the 3rd day I shot a buck.

That was this season, using 2 777 pellets...

To the OP - IMLE, leaving the loaded muzzleloader outside, instead of bringing it in and warming it up, is key for winter temps.

Putting some tape on the muzzle will help keep moisture out of the barrel and away from the powder charge.

FWIW, a loaded sabot is not 100% waterproof. It will fully expand and seal the bore when it's fired but not until. I've checked this in my ML.

Yep. Done the same thing for years. Keeps my scope from fogging when I pull it out also. Which may not sound like much, but I shot a buck 10 min. after I pulled the rifle out of my Jeep. Were it fogged, no buck.....

BH209 is not particularly moisture sensitive, meaning it doesn't draw moisture when left out. As the name implies, BH209 isn't intended to be used in a muzzleloader that doesn't use a 209 shotshell primer. I also tend to leave my inline muzzleloader outside so that it is at ambient temperature when I leave. The exception is when it is wet. I bring it inside to dry out, mostly to prevent rust and to clean my scope lenses.

Well been keeping my T/C northwest explorer out in the Minnesota cold weather loaded.(it has an semi exposed 11 cap so one cannot use blackhorn) Read this post so after hunting to-nite decided to fire weapon. SNAP! No discharge! Sure glad the turty pointer had not walked by!

Angus, what powder did you use?

triple 7 ffg or fffg.(I am not sure which one)
gonna use a 22 ga hypodermic needle to clean out nipple and try to fire it tomorrow.

ahhh. Get some Goex black powder and that problem will be a thing of the past.

Put a strip of leather between the hammer and nipple and plug the bore with something to keep moisture out.

I'm with milespatton, I've done the same thing with pyrodex-no problem. It was with my sidelock. I just added alittle fresh power below the nipple, shot fine.

777 shoots good, but doesn't last long. When my last can is gone, I'm going back to Goex for my sidelocks.

Pappy 348
When you say 777 doesn't last long do you mean in a loaded barrel

My questions have been answered

I was talking about in the can, open or not.

Depending on the weather, I usually pull a load after a few days, just in case. Better to sacrifice a bullet than miss a shot.

As I said before, 777 shoots great, and I hit the crud ring with a brush or damp patch every few shots (number 11 ignition). I just can't trust it for very long. So for now, my plan is BH209 in the Knight, and FFG (maybe Old Eynsford) in the Greyhawk and the .45 Hawken, if I decide to keep it.

It just becomes a glorified storage container, and even with black powder, there are examples where guns have fired after decades of storage.

For safety, your factory ramrod should have grooves to mark and note at the muzzle face, when the gun is loaded and when the gun is empty. More than one person forgot they left a gun loaded, and then later added a second charge.

For short term performance during the hunting season, be aware of condensation. Having a gun outside in freezing temps, and then suddenly bringing the gun inside to warm temps, will condense the moisture within the air and have your gun looking like it took a dunk in the tub. Going back and forth like this can foul your charge with collected moisture. Though it has a top shelf breech and ignition system for sealing the charge, you still have an open fire channel with the case removed. Not sure if it would be wise to have a visibly marked dummy case to seal the breech when the gun is cased. Otherwise, it would not be as open as a caplock nipple, or a flintlock touch hole, but it would be open to collect moisture if ignition case were removed.

If the gun was kept cased in fairly consistent temps, then you should be okay, just monitor the gun for moisture. If the gun is seeing a huge temp swing, and you are seeing moisture collecting on the gun, then I'd probably play it safe and use a fresh charge the next hunting trip. It the gun is new to you, then I'd take advantage of the old load by firing on a target to test performance and practice. Then you will better learn the gun and can confirm or disporve any moisture issues.

My 777 FFF is eleven years old. No clumps in the jug and I'm taking it in the woods this weekend.

What is your issue with old 777 loose? Are you keeping it dry? Are you transporting the entire jug every time you leave home?

Just curious what your issues are and what do you consider 'old' 777?.

777 has a reputation for going bad and causing accuracy problems and in particular with pellets. I ran into this with 777 pellets that were a couple of years old. They were in the original boxes, kept inside my house, in a climate controlled environment with no exposure to excessive heat, cold, or humidity.

I wasn't getting the same consistent accuracy with the old pellets so I bought some new ones. Problem solved.

Loose 777 powder stored in the original container might not have the same issues but I don't know. I switched to loose BH209 and haven't any issues with "old" powder.



FWIW, I've never read a reasonable explanation why old 777 causes accuracy problems. It could be absorbing moisture, the solvents evaporating, or a chemical breakdown over time. I dunno.

777 loose should remain in a different moisture / aging discussion than pellets. My FFF works fine after 10-11 years of little or no use (per range work yesterday).

It's how you store it that matters-most. Must be kept tight-lid in a cool, dry place. I cannot use/trust pellets, having five MLs, all but (1) are sidehammers. Plus, I favor FFF powders over FF.

I had some 3F at least as old as yours, maybe a little older. It clumped. The 2F looked okay, but hung fire badly. It was a couple years old.

Both lots were kept in the original containers in the same place I keep all my other powder. I always keep powder tightly sealed in the original container, and have never had an issue with anything else.

BTW, if anyone uses those little condom-looking thingies to seal the muzzle of their guns against rain, Amazon sells them for about $5 a gross. Search "finger protectors". They even come in different sizes.

On this last hunt I had mine loaded all the from Friday night to Sunday the following weekend (8 DAYS) and took it out in the morning (anywhere from 0-20 F) and brought it back in the trailer at night (65 F) every day.

Anyway I didn't get a chance at one so I shot the load out of it on that Sunday before leaving camp and it went boom. I was wondering if the sweat might interfere with the load but she fired great, accuracy on the other hand, well I didn't hit the can and didn't go see where it hit.

hodgdon told me that 777 powder was 10 times more likely to draw moisture then pyrodex.

my triumph with blackhorn stays in my truck loaded for weeks at a time loaded. i've not had any problems.

hodgdon told me that 777 powder was 10 times more likely to draw moisture then pyrodex.

my triumph with blackhorn stays in my truck loaded for weeks at a time loaded. i've not had any problems.

Took you guys advice. Kept the triple 7 fresh protected cap and muzzle from rain. Last hour of season in the rain filled tag. The 460 grain no excuses 50 cal in front of 90 grains flag blew a hole as big as the sky! Once again thanks.