Muzzleloader in the Backcountry?

[Archery Athlete]

New to the muzzy game, picked up a used CVA wolf and have been loving it. Been out west several times chasing elk with the bow, but this will be my first year with the smoke pole. Currently running 80 grains by volume of T7 FFFG under a 270 grain Federal Bor-lock. Great accuracy and seems like decent enough power for an elk inside of 100.

Heres my question, whenever I go west I will generally hike in deep and stay for days on end, so what should I do with the charge inside of the gun? Definitely take out the primer at night in camp, however do I have to worry about the T7 not working properly after several days of sitting inside the barrel? Would it be better to load a fresh charge every day and waste the powder? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[Ron.C]

I used to hunt with an encore prohunter. Did a couple backpack goat hunts with it and a spring grizzly hunt where I packed in as well.

Powder was fine over a couple days on the spring griz hunt as the weather was dryer but no way I could keep it 100% dry on the wet goat hunts over multiple days.

Ended up removing the primer, sabot and powder each evening and swabbing the barrel to ensure no moisture remained, and would start of each morning with a fresh load (just to be sure).

I always taped my muzzle but it never took very much moisture to start turning777 into muck.

 

[ElDiablito]

No need to unload or do anything crazy. Load up and tape the muzzle with electrical or duct tape. Remove the primer at night. You can put a spent primer in at night if you really feel the need to keep the breech sealed.

I’ve hunted all over the lower 48, Alaska and Africa for dozens of species. I load my rifles and leave loaded for days or months (all fall). Never had an ignition issue. If for some reason, in really wet weather, if I suspected the powder got some moisture (this has never happened), I’d shoot it out (or pull the bullet annd dump the powder) and reload.

 

[Legend]

New to the muzzy game, picked up a used CVA wolf and have been loving it. Been out west several times chasing elk with the bow, but this will be my first year with the smoke pole. Currently running 80 grains by volume of T7 FFFG under a 270 grain Federal Bor-lock. Great accuracy and seems like decent enough power for an elk inside of 100.

Heres my question, whenever I go west I will generally hike in deep and stay for days on end, so what should I do with the charge inside of the gun? Definitely take out the primer at night in camp, however do I have to worry about the T7 not working properly after several days of sitting inside the barrel? Would it be better to load a fresh charge every day and waste the powder? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Don't load until it is time to stalk. And pull the bullet if you didn't take your shot.

And even with this approach we had a misfire this year at 15 yards on a bull. All the fun and no work.

 

[wowzers]

Six days of hunting last fall and I shot the bull with the powder I loaded on day 1. In hindsight I would probably reload every other day or especially after wet days.

 

[Kurts86]

I have generally unload every day or 2 at most by unscrewing the breachplug and brushing it all out. I also clean out the primer pocket and ignition channel with a drill bit and welding torch cleaner. I tape my muzzle during the hunt.

My experience is that understanding the nuances of your ignition system and adherence to discipline leads to a muzzleloader that goes off consistently.

 

[Jethro]

I would only shoot it off or pull charge if I felt something happened and moisture may have compromised the charge.

 

[Hackleback]

I picked up a CO2 unloader a long time ago, every 3-4 days I would unload, pop a couple caps and reload. there are several on the market, here is an example

B.I.D. Kit – RMC Ox-Yoke Muzzleloader Supplies

New design now allows you to use just one simple adapter for discharging and unloading of your flintlock, percussion side hammer, and break-action in-line muzzleloaders. Works on flint, #11 or musket nipples, and 209 shotgun primer muzzleloaders. Also use for safety to clear the barrel and...

rmcoxyoke.com

NOTE- the bullets DO come out rapidly, make sure it is pointed in a safe direction when unloading!!

 

[Bowhunter50]

Never done a multi day muzzle hunt. Question for the guys that empty their powder everyday, do you save the bullet and powder or throw it out?

 

[RockAndSage]

OP, I can't speak to modern muzzleloaders, in-lines, synthetic powders, etc, but I can speak with a lot of experience with traditional muzzleloaders using genuine black powder. Literally thousands of rounds of patched round-ball, covering over a decade when I was younger. This means the patch has a wet patch lube on it, too.

As long as you aren't getting rain directly into the nipple/flash hole, you can leave a percussion muzzleloader loaded for years and expect it to fire. I've personally seen a friend of the family fire all six rounds out of a Remington cap-and-ball that had been left loaded for something like 3 years. The chambers were sealed with lube at the front and with the tension-fit of the caps on the nipples, and it worked perfectly.

Granted, this was in Nevada, and may not work the same in the humidity of Georgia, but you did ask about a Western big game hunt. In camp or on a back-country hunt like you describe, the only thing I'd do would be to pull the cap off, and even then only as a safety measure. But once I loaded the charge and bullet, it stays loaded until I shoot it. If you're worried about an uncapped/unprimed rifle having the nipple or flash-hole exposed, you can rest the hammer down on a piece of leather to keep rain out of the nipple. Tape would probably work well too. Leaving a piece of leather over the capped nipple is also a safety measure for those in the field with a capped gun - the hammer is just resting on it on half-cock, and you just remove the leather when you cock the hammer to fire. The leather is enough of a cushion to keep a hammer-strike from igniting the cap.

Speaking of rain - if I were in a rainy environment, I'd be even more likely to leave the gun loaded, rather than try to load it in the rain. The powder is completely out of the weather inside that barrel, but pouring it in the rain? Priming or capping it in the rain? I'd load it at the tent or under a tree, and keep it loaded until I fired it at the animal, even days later. I've shot in pouring rain in a couple of competitions, and didn't have a single problem with misfires. The only thing I can remember doing differently is firing a couple of caps on an empty gun before the first shot to make sure the bore was dry of any moisture, which is exactly 1 cap more than I would normally shoot to make sure there was no oil in the nipple. Flintlocks can be a little more challenging to keep reliable in rain, but you can mitigate this if you know what you're doing.

Keep in mind with all of this, that the pioneers, mountain men, and natives who used these guns didn't walk around waiting to load their guns - they kept them primed in all conditions. And they'd leave them loaded for weeks or even months at a time - powder and shot were precious. When it got rainy, they'd simply cover the lock with a piece of leather or their clothing, and keep hunting or fighting. They were plenty reliable.

I grew up shooting these guns, and something I've noticed is that the hunting community who try their hand new with muzzleloaders tends to see them as extremely unreliable, finicky, etc. This is generally just a lack of experience, and hearing some horror stories, likely from similarly inexperienced shooters. They won't be any more finicky in the field than they are at the gun range during practice. They won't have ignition problems in the field that they don't have in practice. Fire a hundred rounds in practice, and you can use that data to figure out what that gun will do in the field.

With all this said, I do also have to suspect that all of what I've experienced with traditional muzzleloaders and their reliability is simply even better with modern guns, their actions, and their ignition systems. In terms of reliability, you'll be absolutely fine leaving the gun loaded on a multi-day hunt. Just take a couple of fouling shots on an empty gun with your primers/caps to make sure there's no oil down there, and then load it up for the duration of the hunt.

 

[rayporter]

tape it and dont worry. the primers will with stand some water and still fire. test it some time. i have dropped primers into my coffee in the morning and shot them after a week of rain.

 

[ElDiablito]

I grew up shooting these guns, and something I've noticed is that the hunting community who try their hand new with muzzleloaders tends to see them as extremely unreliable, finicky, etc. This is generally just a lack of experience, and hearing some horror stories, likely from similarly inexperienced shooters.

This!!!!!

 

[Rich M]

If it was raining heavy or the gun was covered in dew I'd change the load.

To change the load, take the breach plug out and push the bullet thru - easy, peasy. Then give it a dry swab or two and shoot a primer on an empty barrel, then reload.

We have a week-long ML season. Load it up the day before at home, then go hunt for a week. Will push the bullet thru as described if I don't shoot something. It's easier to clean if you aint shot it.

 

[Sundodger]

For my spot and stalk hunting trips, I have started not loading my muzzy until I am ready to stalk in to something. It's so rare I bump a deer, bear, or elk I would want to take traveling too and from glassing knobs.

 

[Hondo0925]

I’ve been going on backcountry muzzleloader hunts here in Colorado for the past 20 years and unless the weather looks a little sketchy (rain/snow) I load the day I leave or when I get to my camp.
The only time I have ever had an issue was last year in New Mexico. It rained for 3 days straight and was misty/foggy the whole hunt. Day 3 I shot the gun to clear it and it took 3 or 4 primers to go off.

 

[Mtns2hunt]

My TC encore frequently stays loaded for 4 or 5 days. Always goes off. However were I on a western hunt I would reload every morning. Why risk the chance it does not go off. I have been shooting muzel loaders over forty years. Have only had two misfires with modern inliners but at least a dozen with cap and ball.

 

[WesternMDShooter]

I would recommend shooting loose powder as well. I do a lot with muzzleloaders (build and shoot them) if you have a chrono and are bored one day do a velocity test between the two you’ll see the loose powder out preforms every time.

 

[FB Trout]

I’ve hunted with a TC Encore and more recently a CVA Paramount, both with Blackhorn 209 and sabots or swayed to bore bullets, hunting both deer and elk seasons, so often 3-4 weeks. No issues with depriming at night and simply leaving charg/bullet in place, in all sorts of weather. I do tape the muzzle, but never had a misfire.

 

[TCcowboy]

What RockandSage said. Wolf inline with T7 FFF, just remove primer and tape or put balloon over muzzle. I use Knights with full plastic jackets and have no issues leaving a load in even for several weeks.