How long do you leave your powder and bullet in the gun

[sidewinder]

Will the pellets that got damp dry out ,so that they can atleast be shot at a target? Just asking...yeah i'm cheap. ~

those small packets that come with electronic devices will after several days wick moisture away from the pellets. put the pellets that came with the device into a ziplock bag along with the powder pellets and let them set. they will dry out and none worse for wear. i also keep several of these small pakets in my gun cabnit to help with moisture during the summer months when a/c is in use.

[Single_shot]

those small packets that come with electronic devices will after several days wick moisture away from the pellets. put the pellets that came with the device into a ziplock bag along with the powder pellets and let them set. they will dry out and none worse for wear. i also keep several of these small pakets in my gun cabnit to help with moisture during the summer months when a/c is in use.

Silica jell....I have some of those packets.I should be able to put them in a ziploc with uncooked white rice then also. I was more worried about it being no good.Thanks.

[bubba]

I would not trust them after they got damp.

[Single_shot]

I would not trust them after they got damp.

I won't use it for hunting....just for a target. I learned my lesson and will always use fresh. A shame to just throw it in the burn ring.

[bubba]

your choice.

[dbHunterNY]

i take it out at the end of each hunting day usually. i use 777 pellets which soak up water like a sponge.

[heatmizzer]

My son left a 100 grains of pellets and round in his ML for a year. he had forgot he loaded it. dumb. a#$. well any way he went to th range and put a dead nuts bullseye at 100 yards. gun was stored in a gun safe in the basement. I did not think it would fire. it did with out any delay..I will hunt 2 or 3 dry days before a clean and reload.

[rong]

i always leave it in during the season,unless very wet/rainy,also leave the gun in truck at nite for condensation issues,have seen where moving from cold hunt to warm truck to garage etc.. can cause problems.do start fresh for late season

[WNYBuckHunter]

Well, after my experience this year, Ill be taking the load out of my gun unless the temps stay very consistent. What I had happen was this...

Last Tuesday, temps were in the 30s in the morning when I shot a doe and then reloaded. Temps went up into the upper 40s through the day, then into the 20s at night. The next morning, temps stayed in the 20s and low 30s, then went up to the 50s that day. The gun stayed in my unheated garage or in the case in the back of my truck the entire time, and when I tried to fire at a buck on Wednesday, I had a misfire. I got lucky and was able to push out the load and get another one in there and still get the deer, but I will never leave the powder in my gun even between a morning and afternoon hunt again if the temps vary by more than 10 degrees in a day.

[Fletch]

If the temps stay fairly consistant and I leave my gun in the garage I will leave it loader for a few days then change out. I will push the sabot out swap and fresh load. I use electrical tape over the barrel.

Any time I have shot it after days I have never had an issue.

[Zhe Wiz]

Another Savage smokeless guy here. It gets loaded and kept that way until I shoot at a deer (or coyote).

Ahhh, one of the MANY joys of smokeless... :-)

[Gthphtm]

Sorry I typed it wrong,It should have been a piece of waxed bow String.As it does not get wet and let moisture in the nipple.

[Huntingbum]

I'm new to muzzleloading... another thing to worry about. oh great! but the joys are endless when it all comes together.

[nyantler]

I have misfired on 4 mature big bucks .. all chip shots at 40 yards or less...all are some of my best deer hunting stories and I can't help but laugh when I tell them..I have killed a few good bucks and many many does when the gun has decided to go off... sometimes the gun goes off the first day its loaded and some times it doesn't.. the same is true 9 days later.. and every day in between.. regardless of how careful you are to keep things dry it's gonnaa be a crap shoot with traditional equipment..unless the gun has been subjected to ran or a wet snow I leave the load in until I get a shot at a deer. Again, half the fun for me is the mystery of whether the gun will fire or not... and my flintlock is even more of a mystery, but still fun to me and sometimes make the best hunting stories.

Edited December 9, 2012 by nyantler

[bubba]

I left mine in until 4:21 PM today. Then I shot it off, and now I have to go clean it It has been loaded since early ml season here in mid October. It went off with no problems.

[covert]

I loaded mine on the first day of southern tier muzzleloader. I hunted with it every day; warm, cold, raining, snowing, dry; every night it came in the house and was stuck in the cabinet. This afternoon when I knew I was done hunting for the season I took aim, squeezed and BOOM. I have a stainless/syn NEF Huntsman .50 cal that after leaving it loaded the entire season with Pyrodex pellets (that people say I shouldn't use because they break apart and absorb moisture), Powerbelt bullets (that people tell me aren't accurate in the Huntsman) and a Swift straight 4 power scope. At 100 yds I drilled the target almost dead nuts in the center. MAN that thing has a nice trigger!

Edited December 18, 2012 by covert

[bubba]

they are a sweet gun.

[Renegade]

I was really amazed with my flintlock this year, I had the charge in the gun for 3 weeks and I wasn't sure if it was going to fire. It did with out delay. I always leave my muzzleloaders (Cap or flintlock) in the garage to stay cold and decrease the chance of condensation. With my flintlock I stick a feather in the touch hole.

Edited December 20, 2012 by Renegade

[sbuff]

Yes the NEF is a sweet gun but as for the PB, when it is pushed to hard it will fragment big time. They are either the most loved bullet or the most hated bullet. For me , I would never use them as their are far better choices out there.When I was new to the sport I shot them , after a few tests and some far smarter muzzle loader guys then me I switched.

[MountainHunter]

I only have a few years experience with a muzzleloader. I am not all that enthusiastic about the weapon, so I don't tweak much. I have a powder and bullet load that works and I stick with it. I think the longest I have ever had powder and bullet in the barrel is a week. When hunting I store the muzzleloader in our shed so there are not temperature swings that would cause condensation.

[tuckersdaddy]

time for im a dumb *** story. i hunted with a cheap walmart inline with scope i bought in 05. in 09 loaded it and hunted all season with no luck. in 2010 my buddy and i decided rustic would be more entertaining and i bought a hawkins copy cap and ball in a 54. with a very rough regular season we had we tried some new areas for muzzle loader. so i pulled my inline back out to take advantage of having a scope. opening morning we get to our new place. pulled the gun out and stuck the ramer in. good thing. it still had the load from 2010 in it. worst part was in the rush to get going that morning i left the breech plug wrench in the gun case. well nothing else to do but go hunting. after a day of the deer winning the game of hide and seek, we were walking out and a grouse jumped and landed about 50yrds ahead in an opening. yes i did and the gun fired. not only was i shocked it went off, but i wacked its noggin. so yes they will go off after near 3 seasons. not recommended but it was a tasty grouse.