Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders over night unloading??

I have a CVA Kodiak and will be using Triple 7 granular powder. Should I unload at the end of the day??? I have a 1/2 mile walk (15 minutes) and then will be stand hunting in a heated stand all day. This will take place on 11-29 to 12-14 in west central Minnesota. The outside temp could be single digets. What I would like to know should I keep the gun warm at night or leave it in the garage? Will the temp change from the walk to and from the stand have any effect on the powder and ignition??

I keep my barrel sealed with a bullet (sabot) in the front and a primer or DISC w/primer in the back at the breech plug. This way condensation won't get into the powder if I take it inside. It's better to leave it outside though IMO.

I never unload my muzzleloaders until the end of the season or when I shoot!

Load you rifle after it has been chilled cold and keep it cold until you fire it at hopefully at a nice buck.

Bringing your ML inside will cause the metal to "sweat" once it starts to warm-up at room or cabin temperature.

Doc

His problem is that he will be hunting in a heated blind all day.

However, I doubt that it will be anywhere as warm as the cabin. If it were me, I would leave the gun in the truck at night. Going from blind to outside to cabin would be more changes that could cause condensation.

If I have a week long hunt with 777, I usually leave it loaded for the week. If it rainey, etc. and the rifle gets wet, I may shoot, clean, reload a couple of times during the week.

I would also run a dry patch down in front of the bullet at least daily to dry any moisture out.

I normaly unload my Thompson at the start of the next season if I have not fired it. Every year it shoots fine nine months later. This year I just went hunting and killed a coyote opening day of deer season with a gun loaded last December. My hunting partner killed a nice eight point with his inline that was loaded two years ago. I use pyrodex and he is using Shockey Gold. miles

I use 777 in my flintlock, here in NE Pa where we can have a wide range of temps and humidity I never gave it a 2nd thought for just temp changes. If its raining or wet snow I'll get the charge out when I come home but that is because of having an open flash hole.

I guess I just don't understand today. When I hunt with my T/C Hawken, I use 100 grains of 2F black powder. I would NEVER think of leaving my rifle loaded at the end of the day. As soon as I'm done hunting, I shoot it. I completely break it down. Wash the barrel with boiling hot water and Ivory bar soap shavings. I get the barrel so hot you can't touch it. I put the barrel near the woodstove, muzzle down and let it dry. Then I use bore butter in the tube and wipe down the rest of the gun with #13. In the morning I dry fire it with 2 or 3 caps and then dump 20 or 30 grains of black with a piece of toilet paper ove the charge and ler her rip. Then I put in the 100 grains and my maxi-bullet and I'm good to go. I have never used any of the black powder substitiues. This is what I do with my sidehammer guns.

Now on the other hand I also own a Savage 10 MLll. In my opinion all the other in lines on the market can't compete with this one. It's accurate, huntable in a downpour, and I claened it LAST year. If you going to go with an inline, go all the way and go smokeless.

Now I'm going to pull my head into my shell to miss all the flack that's about to come my way!!!!!!

Same

I was thinking of going with Savage because of the smokeless capacity of it but then I belive some states requires black powder or a substatute --- no smokeless powder -- for the muzzleloader season.

With the likes of 777 your good all season. Umless moisture gets in. It is not corrosive like others.

I considered the savage too, but this year my state changed the primitive weapon season to include single shot 38 cal and above replicas. I bought a Knight KP1 in 444 cal and ditched the smokepole. To answer the original question I haven't shot out the day's load since I switched to an in-line about 10 years ago. No point in wasting powder and bullets when you can back 'em out by removing the breech plug.

You can shoot BP or subs in a Savage. Just don't try smokeless in others.

just why in the word would you leave a ML loaded for 9 months,thats crazy. just asking for problems.

i own a triumph,if the weather is dry it stays locked in my truck loaded. if we get alot of damp weather i will pull the breach dump the powder and put in new. i always make sure the bullet is re seated. i also will change the 209 ,they are cheap anyway.it no fun letting a big buck walk because of a gun that won't go off,been there and done that,it sucks.

The only reason I would unload/shoot off a load for overnight cleaning would be if I had already shot the gun and was NOT using the new Blackhorn 209. If I had shot the gun with the other stuff I would shoot it off at quiting time & give it a good cleaning. Other than that I would leave the gun charged & keep it cool like in a truck or shed if able.

If I fire it during the day it gets cleaned that night--other wise it stays loaded till the end of the season. BP is not nearly as corrosive till fired. Keep your bore lined with bore butter and the unfired powder will be good for a long time--even with the open flashhole on a flinter--when the powder is compressed it does not let much moisture in unless it is raining.

At the end of the day I put the rifle in a case and zip it shut and take it inside. It will warm slowly and not condensate and be ready for the next morning with no worries.