Leaving muzzleloader loader through season ?

[Ugly Sauce]

It’s my understanding that any black power firearm that requires an external means of ignition is not “loaded” if the source of ignition is removed, the proper term would be charged.
So with that in mind I wouldn’t think there would be any safety issues. In fact in my state one can transport such a fire arm legally.
The issue would be long term storage and it’s effect on the propellant. JMO.

Washington State has that same "technicality", if it's not primed it's not loaded. However, to my mind, the rifle is very much loaded. And as you know, a flintlock will often fire un-primed, if a spark finds it's way into the touch-hole. I've heard the odds are around one-in-twenty.

My family knows that if there's a wad of paper towel between the flint and pan, with the pan open and the cock resting on said wad, it's loaded. But, for sure, if I croak a Darwin-award contestant in the future could certainly fire the weapon "accidently" by just dry-firing the weapon with an empty pan.

I had a friend that used to clean his rifle by first popping a cap, and then cleaning it. One time he thought he had "fired the rifle into the crick bank" after hunting, but he hadn't. To not startle his family members he was in the habit of holding a rag over the muzzle when he popped the cap. Yep you guessed it. Blew off two of his fingers, and startled his family members. !!!

 

[hawg]

Truth. Possibly not true with substitute powders such as Pyrodex or 777. I personally would only trust real black powder...although I don't know if the substitutes will corrode or not.

Pyrodex wont. I was given a CVA Hawken that had been loaded for about 9 years. I capped it and fired it. There was no corrosion.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Good to know. I got a free TC Hawken, and the bore had like a baked on black substance that would not come off/out. Trust me, I tried everything and anything. It wasn't from black powder, as that will result in rust which is not hard to remove...just sometimes takes the rifling with it. I never did figure out what it was, or what had been done to it. Got a new ebay barrel for it and now it's all good. Got an early one with no "Black Powder Only" markings. Just: "Thompson Center" and ".50 caliber Hawken".

Black powder firearms...you never know how many previous owners were drunk monkeys. !!!!!

 

[whughett]

Washington State has that same "technicality", if it's not primed it's not loaded. However, to my mind, the rifle is very much loaded. And as you know, a flintlock will often fire un-primed, if a spark finds it's way into the touch-hole. I've heard the odds are around one-in-twenty.

My family knows that if there's a wad of paper towel between the flint and pan, with the pan open and the cock resting on said wad, it's loaded. But, for sure, if I croak a Darwin-award contestant in the future could certainly fire the weapon "accidently" by just dry-firing the weapon with an empty pan.

I had a friend that used to clean his rifle by first popping a cap, and then cleaning it. One time he thought he had "fired the rifle into the crick bank" after hunting, but he hadn't. To not startle his family members he was in the habit of holding a rag over the muzzle when he popped the cap. Yep you guessed it. Blew off two of his fingers, and startled his family members. !!!

As the saying goes “ you can’t fix stupid”.
I don’t own a flint lock but if I did and wanted to render it safe I’d remove the ignition source same as a cap lock or in line. That piece of flint do dismount does it not.
On occasion I’ll powder and ball a couple of my six shooters the day before range day, gives me a few more shots on a time limited range session. No cap so the gun is as about as useful as a base ball bat and just as safe.

 

[mcb]

I can confirm that my gun goes bang a year later. Unfortunately I missed the Buck.

 

[Mosin77]

I’d absolutely leave it loaded. There are only 3 problems which may occur.

1. someone doesn’t know it’s loaded and shoots it (possibly in unsafe manner.) This is easily prevented by not leaving a live cap on the nipple, or by making sure anyone who might be handling the gun knows there’s powder and ball in there.

2. You forget it’s loaded and double charge it. If you do this it’s your own problem. Could be remedied by a label on the gun?

3. Your charge somehow gets fouled with oil or moisture. Highly unlikely unless your unsuccessful first hunts are in a downpour.

IMO there’s no reason to pull or shoot the charge off unless you just want to. The gun should be perfectly fine loaded for several weeks, or even months. Black powder isn’t prone to causing rust until after it is fired, and even then, compared to old school corrosive primers, it’s pretty mild.

 

[J-Bar]

.

 

[Lyle]

I’d absolutely leave it loaded. There are only 3 problems which may occur.

1. someone doesn’t know it’s loaded and shoots it (possibly in unsafe manner.) This is easily prevented by not leaving a live cap on the nipple, or by making sure anyone who might be handling the gun knows there’s powder and ball in there.

2. You forget it’s loaded and double charge it. If you do this it’s your own problem. Could be remedied by a label on the gun?

3. Your charge somehow gets fouled with oil or moisture. Highly unlikely unless your unsuccessful first hunts are in a downpour.

IMO there’s no reason to pull or shoot the charge off unless you just want to. The gun should be perfectly fine loaded for several weeks, or even months. Black powder isn’t prone to causing rust until after it is fired, and even then, compared to old school corrosive primers, it’s pretty mild.

Fat fingers hit the wrong button.

 

[SixteenGauge]

I loaded my .45 Caliber Traditions evolution inline rifle in the first week of October this year, and had it loaded up until yesterday. It was also taken from the warm house out into the cold to hunt with and taken out on rainy days. When I got a shot at a deer with it yesterday, it went off instantaneously and hit exactly where I was aiming with no noticeable loss of power. The load was using 100 grains of Pyrodex RS powder