Load the rifle for hunting.

[Daryl]

I do as DP for hunting. A wipe with a dry patch - make sure the vent is open, no oil in the vent and I wipe the pan out and the flint with a dry flannel patch.  A dry patch or wad is loaded between the powder and patched ball to prevent fouling any of the charge from a lubed patch.  Make certain the flint is scary sharp - freshly knapped.
 
Make sure you know where the 'first' shot goes - every time.  In both my present barrels, the first shot strikes about 1" to 1 1/4" low  of the main group at 50 yards.  On a deer at that range - no problem - at 100 yards, high chest hold will work.  At 25 to 30 yards, of course, there's hardly any change in POI.

As Dan & Tom noted, some guns lose accuracy with anything between the powder and ball - both mine do, but the difference is minimal and of no concern on big game. Some guns don't care at all. 

As Tom implyed, accuracy can be improved in some guns if loaded with too-thin patches - this was one gun writer's savior - he used wasp nests.  The 'paper' 'barrier' helped with his accuracy & increased his velocity as he never really learned to use a tight combo that actually sealed the bore. All these methods should be tried - it's called experimentation. While one experiments, one learns his or her rifle - practise with a goal is never wasted.

[tg]

This season my gun was loaded for 5 weeks, some days it drizzled a bit some days there was a light rain for periods, at days end I would wipe down the outside of the barrel after first removing the lock, wipng the inlet and barrel near vent with a dry rag, and sticking feather in vent then wiping barrel with wd40 rag and runing a lightly oiled patch down barrel to ball followed by dry patch, then the wood got a good wipe down with dry rags, furniture gets the same as the outside of barrel, I have used this rountine for several tears and have yet to have a pfffft boom or wores yet a pfffffffft no boom, I usually put the gun in my gun room till the next day, this room is not as cold as outside but not as warm as the rest of the house, I have kept a gun loaded for up to 7weeks and it still fired, if I really get drenched I will shoot the gun and start from scratch, I have never put tape over the muzzle or a dam of wax on the barrel at the lock, I do use  cowsknee at times but generaly keep the lock tucked under the sleeve/cape of my shirt, I suspect many missfires whether the gun has been unloaded or not are a result of not getting a complete cleaning and drying from the begining, or carrying the gun in a fashion that allows moisture to get where it don't belong, just my thoughts on the subject from the soggy Pacific N.W.

[northmn]

Wonder if that same treatment works with a cap gun?  Dry wipe the bore then clean out the vent system with pipe cleaners?. Then load,  No popped caps.

DP

[karwelis]

 Bringing a barrel charged firearm home in the car,  or in the house,  isn't comfortable for me. 

i dont get this, all this trouble. pull the ball, save the powder, i dont get it. when i go out i hunt with a clean barrel, if i dont get anything i fire the round. after all they put you in jail for having a loaded weapon in your vehical, and hills and dirt dont care if you shoot them

karwelis

[Daryl]

Here it isn't loaded unless it's primed or has a cap on the nipple.

[t.caster]

I load with a clean barrel, seams like my best shot is a clean barrel shot, never been one to fowl it first. I usually leave it loaded all weekend if I don't get a shot. I will either pull it or shoot it out on Sunday night depending on how I feel about it at the time.
Now about safely storing a loaded rifle...I empty the pan and put a dry patch over the pan and close it or sometimes put a toothpick in the vent. With a crowned vent I seldom have trouble removing the pick and breakoff is non-existant. Now here's something everyone should do....I made a file card sign to hang off the rr end that says:
DANGER -  LOADED GUN - CAUTION!
This is because of my bad memory and for the wife to see if she decides to move it. I generally leave out in the garage overnight, if the grandkids aren't around, or locked in the safe if they are. Either way, the sign goes on as soon as I come in!
Good hunting to all!

[Daryl]

Taylor puts a strip of masking tape over the frizzen's face - an automatic 'sign' that the gun has a charge in it.  The masking tape is a positive indicator of a 'charged' gun.  For cap-guns - a nipple cover of leather or some other material  between the hammer and nipple suffices. That is what I used.  There was never a cover over an empty gun. Another way to to put a piece of making tape over the trigger guard covering the trigger/s from both sides or from one side.

 As noted previously, I've left my 14 bore loaded and on pegs over the mantle (back when it was legal not to have them locked up) for 3 or 4 months. When capped and fires- no hang and dead centre hit as it if had been freshly loaded.

[bs2]

I would like to know how do you load your rifles for hunting (first load)?
I mean, do you foul the barrel and then load it or start with a clean dry barrel?.
I have never hunt exclusively with muzzleloader yet but I will try soon.
How much time do you have the rifle loaded during hunting season?
Thanks
Martin

My first load in a clean barrel is a tight one, with a thick lubed patch.......to keep from blowing holes in the first shot........because of a small spot of rifling chatter in one grove, I use a .024 lubed canvas patch. The ball is .725 and the bore is .729........groves are .012-.013 deep...............I have to pound it in, but ........all shots after word can be with ticking.......and no blown holes

The quickest follow up shot is with one of Daryl's paper cartridge balls......less than 15 second ever fumbling with the 'cap' .................in good conditions, reloads in under 10 sec.

On my test from last year..........the first tight shot is dead on a 75 yds.[clean barrel]........the second, a paper patched ball...2" right.................the third 1" right...............4th........4"s right of dead center, no cleaning between shots..............all from the bench with open sights...........I do use a hooded front pin.

Bruce

[Daryl]

Sounds reasonable Bruce, considering the land trouble, but I'm puzzled as to the impact changes.  I used a cap-disk made of two pieces of heavy leather. The cap holding piece is punched all the way through, around the perifery - cap size - and slit to the outside. This 'disk' is sewn to a second piece of the same material,  about 3/16" thick. This backing gives something to push against to cap the nipple.  The ones I had held 24 caps. When hunting, I'd keep it full so anywhere around the edge held a live cap. Using this 'capper' I could load a ctg., cap and fire inside 8 seconds.

 Practise will improve your times even more, Bruce although you're doing very well indeed, way ahead of the militaries who used very loose fitting ctgs - American and English, who were only required to fire 3 shots per min.

[R. Hare]

Hi Daryl,

I'm a bit puzzled.  You mention Taylor from time to time.
Is this Maurice? and if so, Is he still in Kiwiland?
Long shot maybe, but had to ask!

Re. a loaded gun, I put paper in the pan and half-close the steel over it, and leave the ramrod in the bore.............an old but instanty reccognisable sign.

Cheers,

Richard.

[Daryl]

Taylor- is D.Taylor Sapergia - my brother Although his old mind might wonder at times, he's right here in Prince George, BC- not NewZealand.

[tg]

"i dont get this, all this trouble. pull the ball, save the powder, i dont get it."

Here it is not illeagal to carry a flinter in the vehicle if loaded but rendered unfireable, I don't clean every day  because I try to duplicate the experience as it was done in the mid 1700's and leaving a gun loaded for a period of time is one way to do this as is a plain hole and no liner and priming and chargeing from the same horn, using modern style sights and bullets and on and on, I try to avoid as many of the modern "shortcuts" as possible, just my level of interest in the hoby, not better no worse than others do just how I try to capture a bit of the past, and allways done with the utmost regards to safety.

[Dphariss]

"i dont get this, all this trouble. pull the ball, save the powder, i dont get it."

Here it is not illeagal to carry a flinter in the vehicle if loaded but rendered unfireable, I don't clean every day  because I try to duplicate the experience as it was done in the mid 1700's and leaving a gun loaded for a period of time is one way to do this as is a plain hole and no liner and priming and chargeing from the same horn, using modern style sights and bullets and on and on, I try to avoid as many of the modern "shortcuts" as possible, just my level of interest in the hoby, not better no worse than others do just how I try to capture a bit of the past, and allways done with the utmost regards to safety.

Could you get around this with a CCW?
Where I live one can carry a loaded firearm in a vehicle.
Its not concealed unless on your person.
Oregon has apparently been infected by being too close to Cal.

Dan

[northmn]

State laws vary.  In Minnesota you can uncap or deprime a flintlock for transport, but you also have to case the thing.  The MNDNR is absolutely death on "road hunting".  Even put out phony deer and grouse to catch people at it.   

DP

[Dphariss]

State laws vary.  In Minnesota you can uncap or deprime a flintlock for transport, but you also have to case the thing.  The MNDNR is absolutely death on "road hunting".  Even put out phony deer and grouse to catch people at it.   

DP

In Montana it is illegal to shoot a fake animal, forget the exact wording. They use mechanical elk and probably deer here...

In AK my dad tells me that you can shoot so long as you are out of the vehicle and off the travelled portion of the road. In MT the whole right of way is off limits.

Dan

[Daryl]

Major roads here are off limits for shotguns on the right of way, only ditches OK - rifle discharge has to be 1/4 mile from the centreline. Rural (non paved) roads are open for any shooting except onto private land without permission.

[tg]

"Could you get around this with a CCW?'

I think so, my experience with putting loaded flinter came about in a rather informal talk with a game worden when I put the long rifle in the front of the truck he said he would like to see it rendered so it would not fire, which I do anyway, it may well have been his own thoughts rather than a section from a law book

[B.Habermehl]

Here in Pa you are leagle for transport if you remove the priming or cap. It is further suggested that you plug the touch hole with a tooth pick. Casing the arm is not required but is suggested

[Roger Fisher]

Taylor- is D.Taylor Sapergia - my brother Although his old mind might wonder at times, he's right here in Prince George, BC- not NewZealand.

Now then Daryl - he is thinking of Maurice Taylor via N Zealand (and a couple or three other lands!!!)  He makes or at least handles the fancy punches!
Real skinny peaked looking wears a kilt blonde (kinda) with a dirty blonde gray beard.
Married aJersey gal least for a while..