WV Mountaineer

I leave mine in the cold garage overnite and then the next morning I fire a couple of caps and dry out the barrel with dry patches. Once I load it on opening day I leave it in the garage with no cap of course. Never had one fail to fire using this method.

WV Mountaineer

HEAD0001

I leave my rifle at the temperature I will be hunting at. I hunt a good bit in a heated blind. So there are times I have some condensation. And I do not like it at all.

I have a question for someone who says temperature variances are no big deal?? Does your barrel sweat and condensate on the outside?? But not on the inside?? I would imagine it condensates on the inside as well. And that is where youir powder is?? Correct?? Tom.

lemoyne

HEAD0001
Condensation comes from the moisture in the air, if seal up so there is no air circulation with little or no moisture inside whats going to condense? That's why cartridges don't have the problem. I have been hunting with muzzle loaders for 60 year and don't unload mine till I see a deer or the end of the season and in all that time I have had 1 misfire and that was because I got in a hurry and loaded a Hawken with out boiling all the oil out first. Lee

HEAD0001

I honestly do not know. That is why I put the question mark at the end of my comment. All I know for sure is that if I change the temperature on my rifle then the outside of the barrel condensates a lot. However I do not seal my barrel up. So that is a good point you made for sealing up the bore. And I have no way of checking the inside for condensation.

I normally leave my MZ inside my ground blind when I am done hunting for the day. And I normally leave my rifle loaded for up to 3 days. Then I pull the bulet and clean, then reload. All I know is I have never had a problem doing it this way.

The fellow who taught me how to hunt and shoot with my FL MZ told me to always leave my MZ outside, and never allow it to heat up during the hunting season. So maybe I was just blindly following what he said. I guess I may be guilty of that. But all I know for sure is this. If he was wrong, it would be this first time I know of him being wrong. He was really a great guy. Tom.

sproulman

i leave my hawkins loaded for entire season.

i have a gun case and i leave it in back of my truck, not in a heated front seat to woods each day i go.

i do wipe barrel down each day with oil rag and run a patch into barrel each day.

i also use a ballon in woods over my barrel to keep snow out or rain.

falcon

My muzzleloaders often stay loaded for weeks at a time. They also come into the house. One was loaded from June this year until about early October.It went boom when it was supposed to.

Kathwacckkk

I keep mine loaded (no primer) in the garage. I made the mistake two years by bringing my gun (no primer) into the house. I went out two days later and fired at a big doe. A half ignited charge came 15 yards out the barrel and was left smoking on the ground. The deer stuck around long enough for me to follow up with with a secondshot and fill the freezer, but I learned the lesson.
Everyone has seen the condensation form on the outside of the gun when bringing them into a warm house. It will form on the inside of the gun just the same. Therefore, I either unload and bring the gun in to be cleaned or leave it in the garage. Just not worth the chance. It is a terrible feeling sitting in a stand wondering if the gun will go off if the opportunity presents itself.

sproulman

LEAVE GUN IN TRUCK BED IN CASE TOO,NOT IN WARM HEATER BLOWING ON GUN IN FRONT SEAT.

IN A SUV ,LEAVE IT TOWARDS THE REAR NOT IN FRONT SEAT WITH HEAT HITTING IT.