Muzzleloader Safety

[mxracer317]

Brand new to ML'n! Late season elk hunt in a few days.

Do y'all walk around with blackpowder and the bullet loaded, just not primer?

Wondering what is acceptable and not.

 

[Diablo]

If I’m hunting, the rifle is loaded and capped.

 

[Jnasa]

Brand new to ML'n! Late season elk hunt in a few days.

Do y'all walk around with blackpowder and the bullet loaded, just not primer?

Wondering what is acceptable and not.

Absolutely that is acceptable. Without the primer/Cap it can't go off. Always cap/prime after loading though.

I personally carry it with the cap on. It keeps moisture out of the nipple. With half @#)(# and practicing proper muzzle control it is safe. If you don't like that then you could try some wax paper or something to cover the nipple and only cap when you are ready.

 

[mxracer317]

Good to know. What do you do when you need to get back in the truck or its end of the day of the hunt but are going out again in the morning? I also shoot an inline.

 

[Jnasa]

Good to know. What do you do when you need to get back in the truck or its end of the day of the hunt but are going out again in the morning? I also shoot an inline.

I use both a traditional and an inline.

The old way was to fire the muzzleloader end of day to discharge. Then clean that night and load next day. You can also unload with a bullet puller. Remove the percussion cap or primer first. Then screw the bullet puller into the bullet and pull out. Then dump out the powder

With a inline you can just pull the cap/primer off. Remove the breech, pour powder out and push the bullet out with ram rod.

My Brother in law just removes the primer and leaves it loaded for the next day. Then puts the primer back in. He reuses that same bullet and charge until he shoots or his hunt is over. He says he has not had any issues.

I am not as confident in doing that for reliability but came from a traditional muzzleloader background.

 

[thomas89]

I am not as confident in doing that for reliability but came from a traditional muzzleloader background.

I do the same with my inline. Cheap insurance to reload either powder/pellets the next day.

For traditional I’ll leave my charge in until end of season and then shoot it.

The biggest thing with muzzleloaders that I’m careful of is not to have a bunch of temperature swings on the same powder charge. I think even that little bit of condensation build up makes a difference. I’ll leave it outside if it’s going to be cold and load it cold vs warm to cold and then load. Probably being extra cautious, but once you’ve had that misfire on a critter you’ll do whatever it takes to resolve that the next time.

 

[mxracer317]

I do the same with my inline. Cheap insurance to reload either powder/pellets the next day.

For traditional I’ll leave my charge in until end of season and then shoot it.

The biggest thing with muzzleloaders that I’m careful of is not to have a bunch of temperature swings on the same powder charge. I think even that little bit of condensation build up makes a difference. I’ll leave it outside if it’s going to be cold and load it cold vs warm to cold and then load. Probably being extra cautious, but once you’ve had that misfire on a critter you’ll do whatever it takes to resolve that the next time.

Wow. Didn't know that! Shooting BH209. Is it also susceptible temp swing issues?

Don't fully trust AI... but this is what ChatGPT says:

Blackhorn 209 is specifically designed to resist moisture​

Hodgdon states:


“Blackhorn 209 is virtually non-hygroscopic. Changes in temperature or humidity do not affect performance.”


That means the powder does not readily absorb atmospheric moisture, unlike traditional black powder substitutes.


However, non-hygroscopic doesn’t mean waterproof. Actual liquid condensation inside the barrel or breech can still create problems.

 

[mxracer317]

I use both a traditional and an inline.

The old way was to fire the muzzleloader end of day to discharge. Then clean that night and load next day. You can also unload with a bullet puller. Remove the percussion cap or primer first. Then screw the bullet puller into the bullet and pull out. Then dump out the powder

With a inline you can just pull the cap/primer off. Remove the breech, pour powder out and push the bullet out with ram rod.

My Brother in law just removes the primer and leaves it loaded for the next day. Then puts the primer back in. He reuses that same bullet and charge until he shoots or his hunt is over. He says he has not had any issues.

I am not as confident in doing that for reliability but came from a traditional muzzleloader background.

Using the puller would essentally trash the bullet... but opening the breach and dumping the powder gets messy with the powder sticking to the breach plug grease in the threads.

What do most people end up doing? Thanks for teaching me!

 

[Keep on]

Our inline season is one week only. I will remove the primer and keep the inline in the garage over night or days I'm not hunting to prevent temp swings and condensation, never had a fail to fire with the inline. Flint lock is a whole different story.