Hunting advice.

BuckshotBenny

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Messages
45
Hi guys,

I’m looking for some advice. Looks like there could be some rain on my hunt. How do you guys approach that with a muzzleloader? I’m using BH which I’ve heard you may not need to worry about moisture? Should I get a rifle cover?

Also- if I load the gun opening morning in my blind and don’t shoot, what do I do? Just leave it loaded? Fire it? Push the powder and bullet out?
 
BH209 will absorb moisture although maybe not as much as some other subs. I always tape the muzzle with duct tape or electrical tape (and shoot through it). As for the breech, if you’re in a blind and have a 209 in it it should be more than fine. You could put a spent 209 in it when not hunting if it makes you feel better. I never unload with BH209, I leave loaded the entire season unless for some reason you think some moisture got to the powder. If you are carrying in a downpour, I’ve seen guys completely cover the rifle with a plastic bag and tape it down.
 
BH209 will absorb moisture although maybe not as much as some other subs. I always tape the muzzle with duct tape or electrical tape (and shoot through it). As for the breech, if you’re in a blind and have a 209 in it it should be more than fine. You could put a spent 209 in it when not hunting if it makes you feel better. I never unload with BH209, I leave loaded the entire season unless for some reason you think some moisture got to the powder. If you are carrying in a downpour, I’ve seen guys completely cover the rifle with a plastic bag and tape it down.
^^^^^. This ^^^^^^
 
Good advice so far. Tape muzzle, most newer rifles have the priming system pretty well protected. I like to shoot my rifle every day or two depending on humidity and temp changes. Any condensation you feel on the outside of the metal barrel when you get in the warm truck or tent is also present on the inside of the barrel. Probably not critical with blackhorn but I still FEEL better keeping my barrel fouled the same as when shooting at the range and to replicate that I torch it off now and again and reload with fresh powder. Probably all in my head but works for me.
 
I went through a few days of wet snow and rain this season. Had barrel end taped with duct tape and gun in contractor bag. After 3 wet days I did remove breech plug, pushed out bullet and saved the bhorn powder, shot two caps to remove moisture and reloaded. Good to set mind at ease
 
Thanks for the replies. Is the reason for the tape to seal the barrel from moisture or to keep water from entering? Or maybe a little bit of both?

You can shoot right through the tape with no accuracy issues?
 
If you are lazy (like me) you can use these on the end of the muzzle.


If you do, apply a little oil on the end muzzle (outside) every few days or moisture collects under the “mitt” and can cause some rust on the outside of the barrel.

I also leave my muzzleloader in the truck instead of bringing inside. Changing the temp of the barrel can result in condensation forming inside the barrel.
 

I also have one of these. Don’t use it unless I expect a downpour but comes in handy sometimes.

I have left my gun loaded for 7-10 days of hunting many times and never had an issue. That said, this past week, due to rain, I got a little paranoid and shot my gun every 2-3 days and reloaded. It went bang instantly every time, so that was a waste of power and bullets. I use Blackhorn.
 
This NAMLH study is quite informative. BH209 generally won't draw moisture out of the air. However, it shows that direct moisture contact (i.e., water droplets) can have some impact on performance when reaching a certain level of wetness. I generally use reasonable precautions to keep my barrel dry in rainy weather, and I almost always go the entire hunt without loading a new charge, and I have never had problems.


Also from the BH209 website for what it's worth:
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1663862048694.png
 
Never had BH209 draw any moisture over the years i shot it.

No need to push a load out at the end of the day either.

Load it, keep it dry, wipe it down it the rifle gets damp from rain. Never had the need to tape a muzzle. Always figured that its easier to point the barrel at a slight downhill angle. I did some experimenting at 150 yards and covering the muzzle, showed it affected POI.

Keep it simple
 
This NAMLH study is quite informative. BH209 generally won't draw moisture out of the air. However, it shows that direct moisture contact (i.e., water droplets) can have some impact on performance when reaching a certain level of wetness. I generally use reasonable precautions to keep my barrel dry in rainy weather, and I almost always go the entire hunt without loading a new charge, and I have never had problems.


Also from the BH209 website for what it's worth:
View attachment 87810
View attachment 87811
Great article. Thanks for sharing that. My own testing shows that BH209 will absorb moisture from the air. Quite a bit actually. Enough to substantially change POI? Who knows.

I tested 100 grV of black powder, 777 and BH209. All absorbed moisture during a 48 hour exposure to very high humidity. The BH209 absorbed 2.28% of its weight in water:

The Schuetzen black absorbed the least water - increasing in weight by 1.8 gr (1.36%). The BH209 was in the middle with a gain of 2 grains (2.28 %). The 777 absorbed the most water - 3.8 grains (4.04%).
 
I went through a few hard rains this year on the muzzleloader hunt. After three days we shot the rifle for fun. It was a friend’s sons hunt using my rifle. I use a Talaric Safety Muzzle Cover (cut to fit in front of the sight. I like the visual of the orange and a little electric tape and I was good to go. I use a Arrowhead breech plug in my CVA and never really gave it a second thought. We shot so the kid could get more practice but the BH did fine in the rain with that set up.
 

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