hi guys; i have a question about muzzleloader hunting. what does most hunters do after a long day in the field hunting whitetail deer and no shots fired. does he go back to camp and just remove the primer for next days hunt or does he remove the charge too. ? thanks very munch L.M.930.
I hung my center fire rifles up for the most part, about twenty five years ago and went strictly muzzleloaders for hunting. I use muzzle loading shotguns to bird hunt and small game. I hunt and shoot muzzleloaders constantly. I learned the hard way that if I load the rifle in the morning it goes off during the day. If I store that rifle overnight in a shed, or vehicle, there is "always that chance" that the load could be compromised. I have had three misfires, I think, in all these years of hunting with muzzle loader. Each fail to fire was from a rifle that spend the night in the garage so the temperature would be the same.
To say everyone should unload at the end of the day, is impossible. I can not make that call. It depends on temperatures, humidity, weather experiences, ignition systems, and shooter experience. But I want to be sure my rifle will fire. So at the end of the day I take the rifle. pick out a spot back at the house on my range, and let fly. With the rifle empty, I will swab the bore clean, oil it, and treat it like a day on the range. The next morning I treat the rifle like its the first day headed out, and load it fresh. I refuse to have a trophy of a life time walk away because I was unwilling to take five minutes the night before to clear and clean. I want a fresh loaded rifle. I like that confidence it gives me that my rifle will fire.
I know there are people that go for months without clearing the load out. But to be honest, if I did that I would spend all day with that little thought... will this rifle fire when I need it to? You do what you want.