Weapon safety - unloading for the evening back at camp??

[frankinaustin]

Howdy everyone....
When I go on hunting trips with a standard center fire rifle, I unload my rifle when I come back to camp. Safety first, you know. What's the standard safety protocol for ML rifles?

Example: day 1, I sit out under a tree all day and see a bunch nothing, head back to camp for evening. What do I do with the charged, loaded weapon? How does a hunter make a ML safe for hunt camp?

Really looking for real world experience - i.e., what do you do?

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I would remove the ignition source and leave the charge and projectile in the rifle. Firing the rifle to make it safe is a PITA.

Alternatively, if you just want the barrel/bore cleared, there is a device that uses a CO2 cartridge to simply blow the powder and ball out of the rifle without actually firing it.

 

[ENCORE]

Remove the ignition source. NOTE..... in some states that have a set specific hunting start and stop times, carrying a rifle back to camp with the ignition source in the rifle (or chamber), could very well get the hunter a ticket.

 

[Waynzee]

Remove the ignition source. NOTE..... in some states that have a set specific hunting start and stop times, carrying a rifle back to camp with the ignition source in the rifle (or chamber), could very well get the hunter a ticket.

+1 Agree with Encore

 

[J E Custom]

The best thing to do is fire the weapon before you go back to camp because you are already in a safe place to shoot, the weapon should be made safe before heading back to camp. (You should never un-load any weapon in a camp or a vehicle where there are more people in case of an accidental discharge)

Leaving black powder over night can cause miss fires when you least want a failure. And a good cleaning after the hunt/firing is always a good idea.

I use a finger glove (It looks like a condom) over the barrel even in good weather to prevent moisture from getting to the powder, and a rubber cap over the primer nipple until I am ready to fire then it is removed and the percussion cap is inserted.

NOTE: The finger glove can be shot through without any effect on accuracy so it stays on for the hunt.

The good thing about loading in the morning (Where it is safe) is that you know you have all of the components for that second shot if you need it.

I used to try to leave the powder in for a couple of days in good weather but after having a hissing miss fire and the bullet puke out on the ground 10 feet in front of me, then having a nice buck look at me like I was stupid, I started unloading every night with the muzzleloader and have not had a misfire since.

Muzzle loaders can give you problems as it is, so don't increase the odds of a problem. just keep your powder dry by starting with a fresh charge every day.

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

 

[ENCORE]

In-line rifles and traditional rifles are different animals IMO. Same with some of the different propellants.

 

[JOHNNIE WALKER]

Laws differ per state. But I usually just remove the primer, and call it good. You can also pull the breech plug and push out the charge. Shooting the rifle makes a lot of noise, and can attract attention, and then requires cleaning. No primer, no fire, at least in my mind. I've left smoke poles charged for weeks at a time, in all types of conditions. The old Hawken percussion rifle used to give me fits, but I don't think I've ever had a problem with the inline. Back in September, on day 4 of my elk hunt, after 2 days of hunting in rain, it made a nice boom that sent a 300 gr Thor though a bull at 100yds. I charged it when I set up camp, and touched her off when the elk was lined up.
If it were me, I'd just pull the primer and call it good.

 

[kraigwy]

I'm of the "removal of the ignition source" crowd. However I use an inline and I don't like leaving a BP charge in my rifle, so I remove the breach plug and poke out the powder and bullet. The next morning I'll reload it when I start hunting with a fresh powder charge.

 

[ATH]

Remove the ignition source. Without it, the greatest danger is in double loading, not that it will go off in camp.

Unless the gun was wet with rain, with modern subs, I would not worry about the charge. 25 years hunting with MLs and I never had one fail to go bang because I left a charge in and removed the ignition source. But like I said if the gun was wet with rain I shot it empty and reloaded, and typically would fire every 3-4 days and put in a fresh load.

 

[Str8shooterTX]

As I use Blackhorn 209 powder and it's not hydroscopic, I just pull the primer on my inline. Now if you are using a powder that readily changes it's ability to fire going from cold to hot to cold again(condensation) fire it and reload the next day.
As has been stated, I also use the little finger/barrel condoms and they work great.

 

[Ninner]

I pull the primer and throw it in the safe (very Dry). Usually leave it loaded until I shoot a deer or the season is over. Been doing it like this for 5 years and no problem so far. CVA Optima 90 gr Pyrodex and a 260 gr sabot. Anyone having misfire problems likely has excess oil in the barrel. IMHO

 

[Greyfox]

I also leave the my ML charged and remove the primer, or powder in the pan of my flintlocks. In camp/home I cork the barrel and put a plastic cap on the nipple, or plug the flash hole with the flintlocks to keep any moisture out. This also serves as an indicator that the rifle is charged since ai will keep the charge in for the season. I will not leave a previously fired/fouled rifle charged, removing the charge and doing a thorough cleaning at the end of the day. Been practicing this for 40 years with no issues.

 

[ShootnMathews]

If I'm at the camp with adults I simply pull the primer and store it in a dry corner of the camp. Usually in an area mildly close to a heat source. Now let me clarify that I'm not saying I store it beside a fire. But what I mean is there is a radius of air around the heat source that will be more dry than away from the heat. I store the gun within that radius of dry air as opposed to in the damp air. This just reduces the chance of the charge absorbing moisture. And it is always far enough away from the heat that the gun never gets warm.

If I'm at a camp with kids I will take the breech plug out and drop the charge out also. The next morning I will use my rod to push the bullet towards the muzzle a few inches, pour another charge in the breech and screw in the breech plug, then reseat the bullet back tight on the new charge.

My traditional guns I just remove the primer and make sure no kids have access to the gun or primers.

If I'm on a multiple day hunt I will use the method above to change charges every other day or every third day depending on what conditions have been.

My traditional guns I do not hunt in the rain with and I leave them loaded the full week of season here (6 days) and have never had one not go off except when my dad left one loaded for about 2 months. Then I snapped two #11 caps on it, removed the nipple and put a tiny pinch of dry powder in the nipple hole,then put the nipple back in it and it fired just fine.