Load the rifle for hunting.

[beleg2]

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

[roundball]

Good gracious, as hard as I work to keep my rifles showroom clean, the last thing I'd want to do is shoot a fouling shot then go sit in the woods all day 

I always hunt with a clean barrel...and I sight them in that way so the first shot is always true.

I load fresh each time before I leave the house...then put a piece of tape over the vent to prevent even th remotest chance of an external ignition source finding its way in through the vent to the main charge.

If I haven't fired and don't need to clean the rifle, then I pull the load with a ball puller or blow it out with compressed air...wipe & relube the bore...rifle spends the night in the house getting warmed up and completely dry...then start the cycle again the next morning.

I know that some folks leave a ML loaded overnight with all sorts of ways to guarantee ignition the next day, but since missing a 6 pointer in the early 90's, I have never / will never rely on a ML that's been left loaded all night ever again...I fresh load every morning then I have zero worries.

It literally only takes about 60 seconds to pull a load and run a lubed patch downbore...and I save the pulled components for playing at the range.

[Jim Thomas]

Anyone ever place a plastic bag over the muzzle before using compressed air?   I've tried it.   I capture the ball, patch and the powder.    The powder I pour into a designated can that I use for plinking.   Seems to work just fine.

I do the same as roundball.  The charge quality from one day to the next is debatable, but safety isn't.   Bringing a barrel charged firearm home in the car,  or in the house,  isn't comfortable for me. 





 

 

[chapmans]

   Martin,
   I think you will love hunting with a muzzleloader, I've been doing it for 35 years!
   I start out by running a dry patch down the bore to get most of the oil out then I put another clean dry patch down and snap 3 or 4 caps (make sure the gun is not loaded) the patch will catch the oil that otherwise would be left in the bore, I then take that patch off and replace it with a clean one and push it down and snap one more cap, pull out the patch and inspect it for oil if it smears when you rub it there is still oil in the breech, if not you are ready to load. I load just like any other time except I use a greased patch (that I have sighted the gun in with) I have left my gun loaded for several weeks and have never had a missfire but I never take it in the warm house but leave it in my truck or in the shed or garage.
  The only missfire in 35 yrs was my son and it was an inline and the cap didn't go off but it did go off when a new cap was put on. I think the main reason people have problems is they don't get the breech dry.
  When I am done hunting for the day I let the hammer down on a piece of leather or a folded up cleaning patch to seal off the nipple.
  One year it rained everyday the first week of season and I shot and cleaned my gun every night and my friend did not he just put a folded up patch on the nipple and let the hammer down on it, when he shot it a week later it went off like he just loaded it!
 Regards, Steve C.

[Michigan Flinter]

 I run a couple of dry patches down the bore  , load with a bear grease beeswax mixture for lube  , at the end of the day brush out the pan and put a porcupine quill in the touch hole and leave it out in the barn where there is no heat.I have had it loaded for fourteen days one time and it went off as if it was just loaded .You want to pick the touch hole before you reprime .If the weather is bad wet snow or rain I use a cows knee and keep it under my jacket and check it real good at the end of the day and pull if needed.Track soup isn't that tasty .Just use common sence. Eric D. Lau Riverdale Mi

[James Rogers]

I hunt with a clean bore. That means you have to take some time to work up an accurate load for that clean bore though.   

[Scott Bumpus]

rb, what source of compressed air do you use?  I have never tried this but always meant to.  Will a normall air comressor at 150 psi do the trick?

[roundball]

Mine is a Sears Craftsman 6HP / 30gal tank, set at 140psi.

I have a couple of rifles which have patch ball combos a little too tight and I have to pull the ball first in those, then bloop out the powder & wad.

And to tell the truth, I've gradually accumulated extra ramrods over the years and have a few on hand so I usually just quickly pull the ball first and save them for range plinking...then just bloop the powder charge & wad out with air.

And in any case, I have to remove the vent liner (or nipple) for two reasons:
1) Can't enough air volume through the tiny holes of a vent or nipple;
2) Have to use a blount tapered rubber tip on the air hose to wedge into the seat for an air tight seal;

Now...what I think is even better news about using compressed air...the thing that puts air compressors to shame, and eliminates the need to remove the vent liner, is a CO2 Discharger...bought one this spring to have at the range in case "somebody else" should dry ball...and they are simply incredible.

The Flintlock adapter slides in through the vent hole and really blasts the load out so you always need to be aware of the muzzle's direction...bought mine at Cabelas, then bought a bulk pack of the large 14 gram cylinders on the Internet for a fraction of what Cabelas charges for theirs.  I shunned them for years as a gimmick...now wish I'd bought one years ago.

[beleg2]

Thank you all for your advises!!
So, dry and clean barrel for me.........
fortunatelly my rifles shoot first shot into the group.....

Thanks
Martin

[BuffaloGun]

I've always fired by charge at the end of the day, cleaned the bore and loaded fresh the next morning.
I agree about not wanting to transport and store a loaded weapon.
The one time I kept a flinter loaded over night and went back into the field the next day it ended poorly.
As I moved along a corn field I met a nice buck as he stepped out of the wood line and paused before he entered the corn.
I shouldered and squeezed the trigger and the microsecond delay on the stored charge was all he needed to keep his breakfest reservation.

[Dphariss]

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

Wash the oil out with alcohol, dry it, load it. I use Sperm Whale, Bear or Neatsfoot oil for patch lube.
Fouling collects moisture this promotes misfires and corrosion.

Dan

[BrownBear]

When sighting in a rifle, I do a "one shot group."  All sighting is done with a single shot from a clean barrel.  That way, when it's time to hunt I know it's right where I want it with a clean dry barrel.

[James Rogers]

By doing what Dan advises and getting the oil out of the bore, the first shot of a clean barrel is likely to be closer to those of the dirty bore. 

[William Worth]

When sighting in a rifle, I do a "one shot group."  All sighting is done with a single shot from a clean barrel.  That way, when it's time to hunt I know it's right where I want it with a clean dry barrel.

I agree with Brown Bear.  You need to know how the gun will shoot in the manner that it will be used. 

[Roger Fisher]

Thank you all for your advises!!
So, dry and clean barrel for me.........
fortunatelly my rifles shoot first shot into the group.....

Thanks
Martin

Let me suggest also one more important thing!   That leather holding the flint dries out over time and you should certainly change the leather and tighten the flint good and snug.  Could surely have a misfire due to a loose flint or a lost flint!!

[tg]

I load before leaving the house and may leave the gun loaded for several days/weeks if weather is not to bad, never had the gun fail to go off when needed, gun is stored in a secure place at home when loaded.....as fast as if freshly charged.

[William Worth]

I prep the bore with a wet wipe of whatever I'm going to use as a patch lube, followed by a dry wipe, followed by a shot of compressed air out the vent/nipple, then load when I get to the field.  Muttering the proper incantations is beneficial.

What I do with an unfired load at the end of the day just depends on what transpires (rain, fell in the creek, too lazy to do a complete clean at the end of the day, leave it loaded if it's been real dry and warm out, humid, whatever...).

[northmn]

I just tried wiping my flint shotgun out thoroughly and loading.  Carried it and left it overnight in the garage with a plug in th etouch hole.  Primed it and shot it the next day and it worked fine. It had a Nock breech so the wiping was a challenge. When I used to hunt with a percussion shotgun I found that if I shot it the barrel would not go off properly the next day.  Always unloaded them.  Use of Dan's alcohol method sounds best to me.

DP

[54ball]

 I practice with my guns both dirty and clean. To be honest they all hit pretty much the same in my experience.  You will, if you hunt long enough, get a chance for multiple shots. 
  You do not want a gun that is so dirty its impossible to load.  On the other hand do not get so over zealous in your cleaning that oil, water, or fouling blocking a nipple or vent ruins your shot. 

[roundball]

Not trying to suggest anyone do as I do...just wanted to explain another viewpoint about "transporting loaded MLs".

Before I leave for a hunt, I prep then load my Flintlock in the garage...I then lay a 1/2" strip of thick military OD no-residue masking tape across the pan, up over the vent & breechplug, and close the frizzen on it...then I cover the muzzle as well.
Two benefits:
1) There is no way for any moisture to get into the bore;
2) There is no way for an ignition source to get inside the bore;

Get to my location, peel off the tape and stick it on the stock opposite the lock;
For the trip home, dump the prime, peel off the tape, and secure the vent again;
Get home, pull the ball, pull the tape, blow out the powder, patch the bore.

Unless I'm overlooking something, I think that's pretty darn safe.

[m_bobey]

Hi everyone! I've been told to be safe on a flintlock to pull the ball to transport it because it can still spark, on a percussion gun just put a piece of leather or patch over the nipple then rest the hammer on it. I still always pull the ball and powder before i put it in the truck. I have another question, a friend i met at our club shoots, says he puts a thin felt wad over the powder so his patch lube don't get in his powder and foul it, he says he leaves his gun loaded the whole time he's hunting. He said he olny pulls the ball and powder if it's very rainy . I wondered if anyone else has used this method.  m_bobey

[BrownBear]

It's always either rainy or very humid here (right on the coast) so I always clear mine at days end, then reload in the morning.  Just my nature and the way I do checks and balances, but I'd do the same if I lived in the desert too.

[Dphariss]

Hi everyone! I've been told to be safe on a flintlock to pull the ball to transport it because it can still spark, on a percussion gun just put a piece of leather or patch over the nipple then rest the hammer on it. I still always pull the ball and powder before i put it in the truck. I have another question, a friend i met at our club shoots, says he puts a thin felt wad over the powder so his patch lube don't get in his powder and foul it, he says he leaves his gun loaded the whole time he's hunting. He said he olny pulls the ball and powder if it's very rainy . I wondered if anyone else has used this method.  m_bobey

I consider a capped then uncapped percussion the most dangerous of firearms the slightest amount of compound on the nipple that is then scratched, rubbed or otherwise disturbed can cause ignition of the main charge.
A flint gun with the cock down and the frizzen open is pretty safe.
Using a wad between the powder and ball causes accuracy problems in *some* rifles.
Dan

[keweenaw]

On a tight, greased patch you're very unlikely to get any dampness into the powder via the barrel.  The felt wads under the patched ball is more of a way to wipe the fouling down the barrel.  The wad will also help in preventing blown patches if you're using a relatively loose patch/ball combination.  On some rifles they help, on others they hurt and on some they don't make any difference. 

Tom

[northmn]

I have been experimenting this season and have found on three guns, a 40 a shotgun and a 54 that I only need to dry wipe with cleaning patches before loading.  Haven't had a misfire yet.  54 has been going off after keeping charge for a few days.  All are flintlocks.

DP