Unloading a Muzzleloader without firing it

[rugerla1]

I bought a used Black Knight (the original one so it's the older design) and it was still loaded. It's been that way for a couple of years I was told. Would it be safe to put a primer in and shoot it since it's been that long or is there a way to pull the bullet out safely?

[TripleDigitRide]

I'm no expert, but wouldn't the powder cause significant corrosion after a couple years? I don't think I'd risk attempting to shoot it out. 

[rugerla1]

I'm no expert, but wouldn't the powder cause significant corrosion after a couple years? I don't think I'd risk attempting to shoot it out.

That's what I was afraid of

[mikegideon]

I've known a few girls over the years that could unload that sucker in one good huff. :)

[enfield]

You'd use a ball-puller if the rifle doesn't have a removable breech plug.

[DaveS]

I have shot them after they stayed loaded well over a year, but publically, pull the breach plug and ram it out. If not, use a worm on the rammer and pull the ball. Or......tie the gun to a concrete block and fire it from a distance with cord.

 

I've not ever had a problem shooting MINE after extended periods of time.

 

Dave

[gregintenn]

Cap it and fire it or buy a worm type bullet puller (you'll need one sooner or later anyway).

[z0mbies fear me]

Would it be safe to put a primer in and shoot it?

If it were me I would not try to fire it mainly because I didn't load it. I just really don't have that much faith in other people.

[gregintenn]

I once fired a broken ramrod out of a muzzleloader. Unless I suspected the previous owner loaded it with smokeless powder, I wouldn't be worried about firing it.

[Will Carry]

I tied a muzzle loader to a tree once and tied a string to the trigger. It worked, no problems.

[TripleDigitRide]

For those who are more familiar with these, wouldn't there be severe corrosion of the barrel after being loaded for a couple years?

[1gewehr]

For those who are more familiar with these, wouldn't there be severe corrosion of the barrel after being loaded for a couple years?

 

Not necessarily.  Corrosion usually comes from moisture in the air, and if it is loaded, then there is no way for it to get into the powder.  The projectile will keep moist air from getting to it down the bore, and the cap should seal the breech.

 

If it were me, I'd still pull the ball and dump the powder.  You don't know if it has a double load, smokeless powder, or other major no-no.

[rugerla1]

Not necessarily.  Corrosion usually comes from moisture in the air, and if it is loaded, then there is no way for it to get into the powder.  The projectile will keep moist air from getting to it down the bore, and the cap should seal the breech.
 
If it were me, I'd still pull the ball and dump the powder.  You don't know if it has a double load, smokeless powder, or other major no-no.

Thank you. I didn't want to just go to the woods and think "what's the worst that could happen" because that's usually when you find out how bad it could have been. Thanks everyone.

[RED333]

Come down the road to Mt Juliet, I will fire it for ya.

[roverboy]

I agree with some of the others. Its way safer just to pull the load instead of firing it. There used to be a discharger that used a C02 cartridge. They worked pretty good.

[gregintenn]

For those who are more familiar with these, wouldn't there be severe corrosion of the barrel after being loaded for a couple years?

No. The powder doesn't cause corrosion. The salts left behind from most spent percussion caps and from burned black powder attract moisture, which in turn causes corrosion. You have to shoot it before it's a problem.

 

I don't expect everyone back in the blackpowder days unloaded their rifles and revolvers every night.

Edited January 26, 2014 by gregintenn

[DaveS]

I load mine the day before ML season and unload days or weeks afterwards (a year this time around) with no problems.

 

Dave

[enfield]

No. The powder doesn't cause corrosion. The salts left behind from most spent percussion caps and from burned black powder attract moisture, which in turn causes corrosion. You have to shoot it before it's a problem.

 

I don't expect everyone back in the blackpowder days unloaded their rifles and revolvers every night.

 

Reportedly, Bill Hickok did.  Fired his Navy Colts, cleaned and reloaded before bed.  :D

[ttocswob]

I bought two CVA's a couple of years ago at the 127 sale. Both were loaded. Cleared the in-line ok, bore was shiny new. The Bobcat, on the other hand - 3+ inches of ramrod indicated the a double load, no breech plug, of course. I pulled the first bullet, but broke an extractor in the other. So I flushed out the charge with water, let it dry, poured in a small charge of BP through the flash hole, and shot the whole mess out.

 

Ended up with 2 functional smoke poles for cheap. :)

[rugerla1]

I know it's an old thread but I got the bullet and powder out tonight. I cleaned it up good, well with Gun Scrubber, Rem Oil, and patches. I need to get a .50 cal brass brush. It actually cleaned up really good.

Edited November 3, 2014 by rugerla1

[rugerla1]

Here are some pictures of it right now.

 

 

 

 

 

[Wingshooter]

:up:

Looks like a good one. What scope are you going to put on it? I love bow hunting, but I'm looking forward to ML season!

[rugerla1]

:up:
Looks like a good one. What scope are you going to put on it? I love bow hunting, but I'm looking forward to ML season!

Thanks Batman! I don't have a scope for it so if worse came to worse I could use the irons. But Luke said he might have one I can borrow. Only issue is sighting it in before Saturday lol. Might be (cough cough) out of work one day this week :lol: Edited November 3, 2014 by rugerla1

[Lowpower]

I load mine the day before ML season and unload days or weeks afterwards (a year this time around) with no problems.

 

Dave

Dave,

 

There is one difference between the newly bought rifle of Rugerla and you. He didn't load his rifle but you loaded yours and you know exactly what's in it.

 

I picked up another rifle in Spokane in October. It was almost a match to my Pedersoli Flintlock except iso .50 cal it was .45 and caplock Pedersoli.

Before I plopped down the cash I took the ramrod out and stuck it down the barrel. Sure enough there was a load in it with about 6 inches of powder down that smoke pole. I took it over to one of my sisters kids house, pulled the breech plug and used a 135psi of air to pop the load out it it.  When we did it actually back flowed the powder out of the barrel, back thru the breech plug. I squirted a mess of WD-40 down the barrel and waited 15 min then out it popped.

 

I then thoroughly cleaned the rifle and found a rough spot right about where the ball and charge was sitting in the barrel. There was also a bit of rust in there which i think was because of accumulated moisture that got to the powder through the nipple. Some bore cleaner, lots of strokes up and down the barrel and some shooting and you'd never know the the barrel wasn't new. 

 

Nice pics of the new rifle! To me scopes are a different issue with Bp. Imho you buy a scope, any brand for your smoke pole and it's the luck of the draw when it's going to break. It might be the 5th shot or the 100th shot. Bp just seems to have a way with destroying perfectly good scopes. I tend to go with 

front globe and rear aperture which acts just like a scope without the magnification.

 

LP

Edited November 3, 2014 by Lowpower

[gregintenn]

On that rifle, you could have unscrewed the breech, and pushed out through the breech end,whatever was in there with your ramrod. Some models do not afford that luxury.

 

I often unload mind that way. As I shoot 777 pellets, and Powerbelt bullets, I can reload the same charge at a later date.

Edited November 3, 2014 by gregintenn