Muzzleloader Safety

[R.K.]

A few things, since I'm not that well versed in this topic, but very interested in building a traditional cap & ball some day.

Laramy "Sasquatch" Miller- lost a finger to a muzzleloader accident. Kept the gun loaded, with a cap on for moisture prevention, but carried it by the barrel over his shoulder. Hammer caught on some brush, released & fired, and he lost a finger. Could have gone much worse. Because of that little story, I wouldn't carry with a cap on a traditional ML due to the danger of a negligent discharge. I have carried a modern in-line on half-@#)(# with a primer seated, though, since the primer is held in place even at half-@#)(#.

If you fire your traditional ML each night, do you need to disassemble and clean it immediately before reloading for the next day? I thought the spent powder would cause corrosion in the bore pretty quick. And a corroded bore is nearly useless. Not sure what the daily care routine should look like for one of these.

 

[SerialScience]

If you fire your traditional ML each night, do you need to disassemble and clean it immediately before reloading for the next day? I thought the spent powder would cause corrosion in the bore pretty quick. And a corroded bore is nearly useless. Not sure what the daily care routine should look like for one of these.

Absolutely.

 

[BKN]

Good in depth look at leaving BH209 in for extended period

Can you leave Blackhorn 209 Loaded overnight? For a WEEK? | Muzzleloader Hunting Test — I Love Muzzleloading

Every year we are asked "Can I leave my muzzleloader loaded overnight?", "Do I need to unload my muzzleloader after hunting?", and "How long can I leave my muzzleloader loaded?". I'll be leaving my CVA Accura LR V2 loaded for 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days to compare the res

www.ilovemuzzleloading.com

May have done a similar test myself as I leave mine loaded for the season here. One of those were I thought I was going to go back out hunting but never did, then realized I needed to shoot to unload it but didn't have a convenient time. Ended up being quite a while... many months, shot went off like normal and hit where I was aiming.

Limited muzzleloading experience myself. Had one for 3 years and have only shot one deer with it. CVA Wolf with BH209.

One safety tip if you do plan on leaving powder/bullet in is make sure you do not double load your muzzleloader. I marked on my ramrod the height I should be at with powder and bullet in as an additional safety.

Anyone have experience on shelf life of an open can of BH209, and shelf life in the tubes?

 

[oxn939]

If you fire your traditional ML each night, do you need to disassemble and clean it immediately before reloading for the next day? I thought the spent powder would cause corrosion in the bore pretty quick. And a corroded bore is nearly useless.

1000%. Anyone who says leaving a muzzleloader fouled probably cannot see well enough to observe the damage happening to the bore and breech plug.

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 did an experiment this year, just so I'd have first hand eyes on instead of reading what the internet experts have to say. Loaded my rifle- CVA Wolf with 777- for the last weekend of Florida's blackpowder deer season, in February of 2026. Hunted with it, to include paddling about 6 miles through a swamp on a kayak. Left it. Moved across the US back to the mid Atlantic. Pulled it out in mid October, put one of the primers that had been living in the screw hole of the buttstock in. Bang. Immediate ignition, impact dead on.

Even if you hunt in humid environments or wet conditions, you'll probably be just fine leaving it loaded all season. I personally replace the charge if I've been out in a downpour, but that's just insurance more than anything.

 

[alanx]

worth checking your state's definition of "unloaded" too. in colorado it just means no cap on, but it's not the same everywhere, good luck on the elk

 

[David58]

I leave mine loaded, but the gun does not come into the tent. It stays in the truck at night, of course with no priming. Never have had a misfire.

David
ID

 

[jrabq]

A few things, since I'm not that well versed in this topic, but very interested in building a traditional cap & ball some day.

Laramy "Sasquatch" Miller- lost a finger to a muzzleloader accident. Kept the gun loaded, with a cap on for moisture prevention, but carried it by the barrel over his shoulder. Hammer caught on some brush, released & fired, and he lost a finger. Could have gone much worse. Because of that little story, I wouldn't carry with a cap on a traditional ML due to the danger of a negligent discharge. I have carried a modern in-line on half-@#)(# with a primer seated, though, since the primer is held in place even at half-@#)(#.

If you fire your traditional ML each night, do you need to disassemble and clean it immediately before reloading for the next day? I thought the spent powder would cause corrosion in the bore pretty quick. And a corroded bore is nearly useless. Not sure what the daily care routine should look like for one of these.

Several things in this post don't make sense to me.

1) Negligent discharge by Sasquatch, why was any part of his body in front of the muzzle? More like negligent following rules of gun safety (I don't know the details beyond what you said, maybe something else was going on). It also seems like you would need to be pulling the trigger unless there's a defect in the lock, simply pulling the hammer back should not cause the gun to fire, unless it wasn't at half-@#)(# to begin with, which would be dumb.

2) So you're OK carrying a "modern" gun half-@#)(#, but not traditional? What's the difference?

3) "since the primer is held in place even at half-@#)(#". Puzzled again, for every percussion cap gun I've had the cap is never fallen off, it's usually on there pretty tight. If for some reason it's loose you need a different nipple. I could see a musket cap maybe getting knocked off because it has the "flanges" around the base, but not a #11 cap.

And the whole corrosion issue is a dang good reason not to fire your gun every night, unless you're using BH209. But then you're wasting a lot of money.

 

[Hem]

Ive tried snapping the hammer on a cap before it reached half-kock. Unloaded, of course. Didn't have enough force.
But since the hammer on one of my traditionals will drop if jarred i only kock it when im about too shoot.
This little device was recommended to me recently, should arrive any day now from Dixie.