leaving load in rifle

[littlebull209338]

A few weeks ago some were debating how long you can leave a load in a ML. I decided to see if I left my TC Encore loaded for 8 days in a soft case in my pop-up blind if it would still fire.....The answer is yes and was right on target. I was using it as a back up to my new Traditions. Will be selling ALL of my hunting fishing equipment....Father Time has finally caught me...just when I was thinking I had a few years to hunt left....NO..I am done.

 

[Blank]

A couple years back, I left one of my rifles loaded with 100 gr Pyrodex "P" and a Powerbelt to see what the effects were. No cap on the nipple, but left the bolt down. Twelve months later I put a new RWS cap on it and it shot just fine. No change in ignition, or accuracy.

 

[txhunter58]

I would be worried about rust leaving one loaded that long with pyrodex

Sorry littlebull. Time catches us all eventually. Hope you had a good run

 

[littlebull209338]

I had Blackhorn 209 in the rifle and it was bone dry conditions...I should have drank/ate more of that stuff in my younger years ! Ha

 

[txhunter58]

I wouldn’t worry about Blackhorn. I normally leave my rifle loaded for my entire hunt if it is dry. But pyrodex on the other hand....

 

[FrontierGander]

as long as its not dirty, pyrodex is no problem. Left them loaded for a few months with RS and zero issues.

 

[Blank]

Guess I'd add the following info - This was a test for me only, in a stainless gun I wasn't worried about. Newly cleaned, unfired barrel and hadn't been carried in the field. We have very low humidity here in Eastern Idaho, and I wasn't worried at all. I would NOT do this with regular black powder, and would certainly never leave a fired rifle un-cleaned for any length of time.

 

[txhunter58]

And I would add the following info. I always hunted with a fouled barrel (fired a shot, then loaded for the hunt). My accuracy was always better that way. So, if I fired a fouling shot, then loaded for a hunt, I wouldn't want to leave it unfired and uncleaned for any length of time.

As stated, with a CLEAN barrel and dry powder load, no problem to leave it loaded

 

[elktaker]

I have had bh209 loaded in my safe for over a month with first round hits at 300 yards on steel. I typically clean my barrel, pop a primer or 2 in it and reload it and put it in my safe til the next range day or hunt. I also masking tape the barrel and brake to not accidently double load it and keeps dirt out.

Only issue I have had in the past was if you are in a place that has high humidity and your barrel is foul or you are use actual black powder vs bh209. The fouled powder even bh209 becomes almost like a paste (and it's corrosive) and affect accuracy as it affects the barrel. I have seen it in Ohio (where you never want to carry a fouled barrel very long) and I have seen in in Utah when I had a swamp cooler running in my house where my gun safe was.

Otherwise in Utah, I can leave BH209 in a clean or fouled barrel and have not seen any affects on accuracy. My friend has my custom muzzleloader now for the Utah buck hunt and it's been load for over 2 weeks prior to the hunt.

 

[Bluehair]

T-7 will last 51 weeks. I have proved it several times. I'm hardly concerned at all about BH209.

 

[elkassassin]

TESTING THE STAINLESS CVA ACCURA II & BH 209!!! | Muzzleloader Hunting

I Do My Own Testing on alot of Different Guns,Powders,Bullets & Etc! I Loaded This Stainless CVA ACCURA II in .50 Caliber with a POWERBELT 338 GR PLATINUM BULLET & 95 GRAINS of BH 209 3 Years ago to See what the BH 209 would do to the Barrel/Breech on This Gun! I Pushed the Load Out of The...

www.monstermuleys.info

 

[diablo]

I foul the barrel and leave a BH209 load in for days, weeks and sometimes up to a year. Zero issues but this is under dry conditions with the muzzle taped. I wouldn’t do this back East.

 

[Katoom]

I almost always discharge it at the end of the day. I will say that every time I have not done that, and stored it charged (uncapped) for a day, week, whatever, dry conditions or humid... it has always fired off fine. Not scientific but I feel like old charges generate more smoke, so maybe the burn characteristic is altered, who knows if that would affect accuracy at distance. I don’t want to find out on the shot of a lifetime.