# How long can you leave black powder in your Muzzleloader?



## radiohead (Apr 11, 2006)

On Sunday morning when I went hunting I dropped a few pellets of black powder and a bullet into the barrel and loaded them in.
Did not shoot anything Sunday, but planned to go back out MOnday so I left them all in.
Didn't make it out Monday, and forgot I had everything still in there.
Planning on going out tomorrow. At this point should I remove everything and clean out the barrel or is it OK?


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

Unless you take the gun into the house if it is cold, you can leave the gun loaded up for the entire season if you want. I do this every year and never had a misfire or hangfire. As long as the gun is not allowed to condense everything should be okay. Many will tell you that it is not good for the gun but my experience says different. I never unload my gun unless I shoot it and then I unload it dry at the end of the season if I haven't shot it. Makes clean-up a snap. Some folks shoot the gun to unload it after every hunt but this is not neccessary. Wastes ammo and powder and makes clean-up mandatory. I leave my gun locked in the back of my truck in the garage. It stays there for the duration of the season. No problems ever in 10+ years.


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## radiohead (Apr 11, 2006)

I did bring the gun into the house after hunting Sunday but it wasn't terribly cold out either.


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

radiohead said:


> I did bring the gun into the house after hunting Sunday but it wasn't terribly cold out either.


I should still be okay, as long as the gun didn't sweat from being inside. The best thing is to leave it outside, whether in your vehicle or in your garage. Keep the gun the same temp as outside and you will be good to go.


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## sempergumbie6570 (Sep 7, 2009)

I leave my gun loaded all the time during the hunting season. As long as i dont shoot it off it stays in my truck. My brother takes his gun inside the house whenever he getst down with hunting for the day. No matter how cold it is outside, and he doesnt have any problems in it going off. But me personaly i leave my in my truck. But if you have the electric ignition one then you have to unlload it everyday before you can even transport it. For the electric muzzeloader is always loaded if the gun powder and rounds are in it. But if you dont have the one that is electric start your fine. You can leave it load all season long. When i get down with the season i shoot mine off. But I may not this year. I hope this helps you out.


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## BallsRdragn (Jul 21, 2005)

I leave it loaded, I always leave it in the truck or the garage. I never take it in the house unless I want to clean it. 

In the early season I would say if it's 40's or higher you could have it in the house. If your not sure... why chance it? Shoot, clean & put in a fresh powder & bullet. What if that buck of a lifetime comes out in front of you and your muzzle loader goes...... PPuuuufffff Pluuuunk Shhhhhh


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## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

I loaded my 700ML in Nov 2008 and intentionally left the charge in the bore until this year. I fired the charge off in Sep 2009 and still drilled a bullseye at 70 yards.

The charge sat in the rifle for approximately 10 months. Between using the ML during the regular firearm season and during the muzzleloader season, the ML was thermal cycled about 20 times which involved moving from outside weather (sometimes rain/snow) to my heated basement. For what it's worth, I do cover the muzzle after I load my rifle with a strip of black electrical tape.

I had zero problems with the bore rusting and ignition was immediate when I fired the rifle in September.


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## agross (Jan 18, 2009)

leave mine loaded for as long as it takes to shoot the next deer, i just keep it outside down in the barn, haven't had any misfires yet


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## ds541 (Dec 3, 2004)

the big issue is temp change,load it and keep it in the garage,barn etc.and you'll be fine.


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## ibthetrout (Sep 24, 2003)

I have left my charge in from one year to the next and like above fired it off before the next season and haven't had an issue. In fact I am going to shoot of last years round this weekend and then resight the gun since I bought new powder and bullets.


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## fulldraw (Nov 20, 2002)

I would not recommend this if you are going to be using true Black Powder, because black powder can be corrosive to metal. But with pyrodex which is more stable than black powder and less corrosive you should be fine but I wouldn't do it. It like leaving a loaded gun lying around. But like others have mentioned leave it as the same temperature for the full time don't let condensation to build on the barrel once that happens you risk of a mis-fire from happening increases.


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## Doeboy (Oct 20, 2005)

I too leave my powder in and lock in the grage or in my spare vehicle i just lightly oil the surface and wipe her down and leave it standing up and out of the gun case till the season is over, it has never missfire yet!


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## foxfire69 (Sep 10, 2006)

ibthetrout said:


> I have left my charge in from one year to the next and like above fired it off before the next season and haven't had an issue. In fact I am going to shoot of last years round this weekend and then resight the gun since I bought new powder and bullets.


I'll second that!! I've been doing it for over thirty years!! I've had some anxious moments wondering in the past whether I would have a hang fire or corrosion issues! I've not been able to validate that post regarding "Shelf Life" of Powder and looked at some new Pyrodex today that I didn't see a date on the container...Hmmm?? Follow the advise given in all these posts regarding temp. changes! I remove and recharge the ignition port with a few grains of "Fresh" powder periodically though!!


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## oaks (Feb 10, 2002)

For saftey reasons only, regardless of whatever firearm I use. I unload it. I've never seen or heard of anyone being shot with an unloaded gun.
Oaks:


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## huntnfish2 (Jul 19, 2009)

For the past 25 years, I have left mine loaded (with the cap off) and in the trunk during the season----never had a problem. If its been raining or really nasty, I usually take it in and clean it, but more for the sake of cleaning the gun rather than dumping the powder.


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## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

foxfire69 said:


> I've not been able to validate that post regarding "Shelf Life" of Powder and looked at some new Pyrodex today that I didn't see a date on the container...Hmmm??


With regard to Pyrodex, that is a new one to me. I purchased several 1lb containers of loose Pyrodex RS about a decade ago when I originally purchased my inline ML and I am still working off that stock. I still have 1 unopened can and about 1/3 of another that is in the works of being used. Zero problems to date.

IMHO, if you keep the powder in a sealed container and don't expose it to temperature and humidity swings or extremes, I don't think there is much to worry about. I have heard of a company (Hodgdon?) that has something like an 80+ year old can of Unique (or whatever the powder is) and they still load and test fire a shell every now and again and it's not far off performance from fresh powder just manufactured to the same spec. Smokeless and BP substitutes are pretty stable from a chemical standpoint.

If a powder company did issue a shelf life for it's product, I'd be a bit skeptical as to whether the recommendation was legitimate or a ploy to sell more powder...

As for the notes about a charge in a ML being a 'loaded firearm', technically yes but legally no. So long as the cap is removed from the nipple, an inline is considered unloaded.


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## Deercamp (May 19, 2008)

I am fairly new to hunting with a ML and greatly appreciate this post as it has answered many of the same questions I had regarding leaving a ML loaded throughout the season.

Personally, I would never leave my ML "charged" or loaded for that matter once the season was over with. It only takes a sec to unload it and a few minutes to clean. To me, that is worth the peace of mind.


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