I have left my muzzleloader loaded for a year in my safe with triple 7. It went off the first shot. I usually pop about 5 caps off and run several patches down the bore before loading. The only time I've had problems was if I forgot to dry the bore before loading or wasn't using magnum #11 caps.
Loli have a inline,,,I use pellets, pyrodex, white hots , and Starfire,,,I have left it loaded for literally years,,,,it always goes off just like it was clean and fresh,,,, longest stretch was three years ,with some hunting in the rain and snow,,,,and yup it still went off
I use triple seven when I can find it. In my stainless steel Remington revolver replica, I left it loaded for two years. Took it out of the gun cabinet and all six rounds fired perfectly.
I carried a 44 pistol on my body for 6 years and then emptied it out. Black powder does not go bad. It stays volatile even if it gets wet. You dry it out and it's still volatile. I feel everything with wax. Forestore edge are carrying.
I have left FF triple 7 in my TC hawken for over a year before and the next fall when i drew a bead on a deer it fired just fine. Ive done that several times.
I loaded my percussion TC Hawken with Schuetzen 3F and a patched ball 80 hours before a doe presented a good shot for me. Powder burned great and she’s hanging from the gambrel right now.
I left a 130 gr charge with .662 ball in my 1777 charleville from hunting December 2021-August 2022. Plugged the flash hole with a tooth pic… fired like I’d loaded it that day….. love this channel! Keep up the great work!
It was 2f goex… point being if it’s dry and clean it will keep… all the powders will corrode or rather create optimal environment for oxidation when they are in their fired state with humidity moisture levels etc. my musket was dry and clean while loaded…. Unfired and dry during the unfruitful hunt. Then stored dry with a barrier in the flash hole
I know 777 is the powder of discussion but I believe it will keep just as well if a moisture barrier is used. Something as simple as a plastic bag held over the nipple by the hammer
If you leave a spent cap on the nipple one that is not badly deformed, you maintain safety and assist in the closed system of the patch and cap forming a closed system at each end of the powder charge. Running a wire vent pick through the nipple until you feel powder in the drum helps, if it feels a little crusty it is because the dew attack from sitting out, it is why a rifle laid prone as opposed to leaning is less affected by dew sliding down the barrel to your charge. And nothing wrong with taking some grease or tallow from the final meal of the day and giving the rifle a rub down, including running a greased patch to the top of you load.
I repeated this test for 4 days here in Arizona, 3 days of rain. I loaded the CVA Optima v2 209 breechplug with 100 grains of triple 7 3 f on 1/21/24, a Barnes spitfire 250 grain bullet with a blue sabot. I plugged the primer hole with a qtip in plastic and closed it up. Today on 1/25/24 I set up the chronograph, primed it with a Cheddite primer and sighted at a target at 23 yards. It went off immediately ( not slow, no hang). The velocity 2002 fps. I cleaned it and tested the same charge with “blackmz” (now shooters world black) same bullet/primer. Velocity 2038fps. Did it again with a 250 hornady sst red sabot 2042fps. I now keep fired primers to fill the primer hole in case I need to leave it overnight. It was a close distance but all looked good into a ragged hole with different bullets and powder. Just my little experiment. Thanks Ethan for all you do.
Just putting this out there. Over the years I've used black powder, pyrodex, and triple seven. I've found the triple seven the easiest clean up. I think it is a little more finicky in firing after leaving it in the barrel than the other two. But, depending on weather conditions, I've had the same problems with the other two. Best thing to do, after leaving the gun sitting a day or two is to screw out the nipple and put a very small amount of powder under the nipple and before the main powder charge and 99 point 9 the gun is going to fire the first time you pull the trigger. But be prepared for a slow firing. What you're going to get is a clatch boom like a slow firing flintlock. But be prepared, hold steady and it will go off. I have no idea whether this is considered safe or not. All I can tell you is that I have done this many many times and have even killed a deer or two with a gun handled this way. Incidentally, I prefer a side lock and an old fashioned cap to a modern inline with the shotgun cap. Properly treated I've found the old sidelocks more dependable. I've hunted all day in rainy conditions with a thin baggy rubber banded loosely over the muzzle and another taped over the lock and nipple. I have yet to see my old muzzle loader not able to fire when I got home. I can't say the same about my inline.
@@leecrumble3921 thing about the inlines and sabots though is that they are deadly accurate and 100 grains over a 50 caliber sabot and at close range would take down just about anything in N America and most of Africa. They are devastating.
Great video again sir, I shoot triple 7 in my percussion guns, revolvers, etc. I never had any issue with “regular” CCI caps. I keep my BP for my flintlocks. I went elk hunting back home in Wyoming in 2020. I loaded 100 grains of Swiss 2F in my .54 caliber Early Virginia flintlock. I loaded it opening morning… chased elk around for 3 days, snow, dry, more snow and had a cow walk out at 47 yards and with a fresh 3-4 grain charge of Swiss 0B in the pan… she fired right away and dropped that caw in her tracks.
FREIND CAME OVER with TC .50, unfired, he tried 6 #11s no joy. I stuck the bore, it was in fact loaded. Changed the nipple to a Mag Spark from Warren Custom Out door and as i expected 209 primer did the job. I have these on both my TC Hawkin and Renagade. Never a pro blem, and i leave weapon loaded all season, or until i get my deer. However, i double patch, i place a couple layers of paper wasp nest over the muzzle under the lubed pillow ticking patch.
My experience says that if you keep your powder dry, even if its loaded in a fire arm, and left sitting, it will work 99.9% of the time. I think a little comon sense here is the key. Humidity is a major factor. Were i hunting, i would make a fresh load before i went out.
I've been a muzzle loader hunting for over 2 decades. Started with a earlier CVA, whiterifle tominator, TC firehawk, TC encore. I have left muzzleloaders loaded with triple7 for a year and when the muzzle loader restarted in the next season went and shot a load and killed deer. Never had to do this silly stuff of plugging the hole, etc......I just close the action with no musketcap or 209, And I install on of my barrel condom as reminding that it's charged. And yes I used to do all of this in hot humid area like Florida.
I found removing the nipple adding a little powder in the touch hole replacing the nipple (use a pipe cleaner when adding powder) ensured ignition. Or suffer hang fires.
Excellent comment! I learned this the hard way years ago and now do just what you say here. It amazed me early on that perfect loading of the powder does not mean some will go sideways 90 deg into the breech plug and get under the nipple in the touch hole. Great advice and great videos Thanks!
Never knew anyone would think this WAS a problem over that short a period. I have seen 3 .44 cap and ball revolvers stored for 2.5 years in ambient northern humidity that fired perfectly. Two were capped and had triple 7. One WASN'T capped and had 3f. All 18 shots went boom, and the 18 shot group was 3.5 inches at 20 yards.
You have an interesting channel, Ethan. It has been several years since I've deer hunted with a ML but back when I did, I often left it loaded ALL season. When finally discharged, it did so on the first pop. I dont recall ever having a misfire or hangfire. Actually have a friend who left his loaded for months. Fired right off. I should add that we lived (I moved) in Indiana, so similar weather experiences to yours in this video. And we only used black powder. We both experienced difficulties regardless of weather with BP substitutes. Anyway, just MHO & experiences.
I've used a rubber cap from automobile grease fittings over my nipple fitting. Remove the cap then slide the rubber boot over the nipple for overnight storage. Keeps and moisture out.
I leave the 777 charge in mine for multiple weeks, and never even considered it would be a problem, and it wasn't been so far, but this makes me wonder if I'm pushing my luck
I use 3f 777 in a percussion hawken and never have issues but I also tap and shake my gun with the barrel up and the stock angled to try and get the powder drum under the nipple full before i do any tamping or projectile loading. This greatly reduces the chance of a hang fire. If I'm hunting I always remove the nipple after loading just to make sure it's full underneath. If for some reason it isn't ill add a pinch of powder. I started using 3f because I had some left over from a cap and ball and it seemed easier to ignite and a little hotter of a charge so I kept using it
3 or 4 years ago I and a few friends went to do some target plinking out in the So Cal desert and after 5 or 6 shots using Hodgdon FFFG , the nipple on my Italian replica Kentucky Long Rifle got clogged up. the rifle would not discharge and after 3 caps, I put the fully loaded (45gr FFFG with a 125gr .440ball MINUS the cap) rifle away since I did not have any way to clear the nipple in the field. Long story short, I stored the rifle in the garage in its case for about 3 years before I remembered the issue. I cleaned out the nipple and went out in back, put a cap on and fired into the ground. It worked as if I had just loaded it .
I have enjoyed your tests. I have done these same ones during hunting season, what I have found is your cap means more than anything. Thanks for all your work and information.
When leaving a muzzeloading rifle loaded for a few days it’s best to use primer caps. This require changing the Mille for the primer calls. Fires hotter and more reliable. Using good powder helps
When I started muzzleloader hunting I thought that Pyrodex would be best in my sidelock. Black powder is all I use now. Black powder is not any harder to clean and it ignites much better.
I've had mine loaded since 2016 (6 years) when I caught alpha-gal from a tick bite and was no longer able to eat venison. Lost interest in hunting. .. I think it'll go off just fine...😆
For $4.99 I ordered 144 small finger cots from Walmart, they fit nice & snug over the muzzle of my Knight Mountaineer. I hope that does the trick during the upcoming deer season. I am also keeping the rifle (loaded, no primer) in the case until I get to my blind as I got permission to walk thru a neighbor's no hunting allowed property to access my property from the back side. Thanks for the info on this channel, prior to this year the last time I shot a muzzle loader was the early 90's.
They work but they tear easily and kept pulling off the muzzle when I pulled the rifle out of the gun case, also had to pull the end of the ramrod out to put them on. Not sure if I will use them for this years ML season or not. @@fergotti
@michaelswitzer218 wonder if you could just tape ithe barrel and shoot as if wasn't there. Backpack hunters do this with rifles. Looking to get in ML and wondered if I could just leave the weapon in my stand.
I have thought about just using electrical tape. This year due to low acorn numbers on the back side of the property my blind is only 100 yd from the road & I'm not going walking around in any weather until later in the season.@@fergotti
years ago I had a T C Hawkins Think was 54 cal. At the time I lived in a cabin. Heaps of weather changes. I always unscrewed the nipple and dumped out the little powder that was in the nipple chamber. Always replaced a greased patch over nipple where the cap would sit. A few days later I would remove the patch from the nipple unscrew the nipple, ad a pinch of fresh powder, replace the nipple. Ad a cap and Boom every time!
I’ve used both percussion caplocks and inlines extensively. I personally wouldn’t use T7 with a caplock as it is harder to light than Pyrodex. I hate Pyrodex, but it goes bang with the No. 11s. Reserve the T7 for your inlines.
You can fire more shots without having to clean between shots, compared to black powder. I live in an area where we haven't had a vendor for black powder since pre-covid, so we have to use it.
Every load of triple 7 I have ever shot with # 10 or 11 caps, Winchester, remington, CCI standard, and magnum with 3 types of nipples had zero failures even after 2yrs storage loaded. @ValcoBayrunner
I was loaded with 3 tripple 7 pellets and a 300 grain shock wave. I sure it sealed the bore and it was in my safe the hole time. I clean mine after each 10 day season and remove the charge. Zero issues
I have been hunting 30 years with muzzleloader shot guns and rifles ,leaving them loaded all season long and confident they're going to fire with first pull of the trigger .after loading a clean and well dryed gun i load then remove nipple make shur its hole is clear and put a few granules of power in nipple receiver and replace the nipple, i never use caps before loading a gun that may be loaded for weeks as the caps are corrosive . Have had no problems with this method afters years of use. Good luck shoot something with a muzzleloader and you will be hooked!
I've used triple 7 , and I prefer white hots, hands down, keep it loaded for 9 day season,-0- problems, I always apply masking tape over my barrel end.no problem.
Out of my traditional cap locks, only a few will reliably touch off 777. My .32 squirrel and my sxs shotgun do ok with it. The rest hate it....and that's not leaving them sit for 7 days heh. I've shot 777 for years in an old Elkhorn CVA and a few pistols tho. The elkhorn would fire after a year with 777 , I'm almost positive lol. Also Idaho doesn't have 95% humidity tho😳
Triple 7 is great powder but it takes a hot spark to get it going. I use 4ffff black powder as a starter. I use 1-2 full plungers from my pan charger flask. Down the barrel first and then my charge of triple 7 FF. I do this for my percussion or flintlock guns. You want that gun to go off in front of that deer or whatever. Because it take a lot to set triple 7 off they can carry it in the department stores. Keep your gun and powder dry.
@@tedpfenninger4972 I have been doing this for years. Just remember triple 7 is way more power. This duplex load works well in the PA pellet and the ultra light . Reduce you load by 20% A load of 77.7 gr by weight is 110 gr by volume in a black powder measure. That is my max load . For my ultralight. I only buy 4 ffff black which goes a long way. Triple 7 I can find in any of the big box stores. Keep your fingers and toes and your powder dry
My first year muzzleloader hunting i left my muzzleloader loaded for a few days and it didn't fire when I needed it too. After that experience I fire it at the end of every day hunting
Try it with a clean nipple do not fire a cap and then load it, you started with a dirty nipple. After you clean your muzzleloader make sure your barrel is clean and dry. super hot water with dish soap and a goog brush, rinch with super hot water, turn the barrel upside down and let dry ,in the summer I lay mine in the sun. After taking a patch with a little wonder lube or whatever you use (very little) barely dampen your patch, little goes a long way, this is just to keep the barrel from rust only. Do not bang or slam your ram rod down hard to wear your powder sits, it could cause a greasy oily build up, and too much can be pushed up in your side lock and nipple area I run a dry patch down the barrel 4 or 5 times before I load, like some of the others have said I have left my loaded for months in a good dry place. Take this and weed through it, and use what you can , I'm not a know it all ,or an expert. this is my routine, and works for me. I really enjoy your videos
Leave mine loaded for two weeks or so.... usually (but NOT always...) Usually I shoot the load after two weeks, and then reload it...for another two weeks. Ive left then loaded for 8 or 9 months and shot them later. It went off, but the shot dropped about 3" at 100 yards.
Yes it is perfectly fine ..I have leaded mine for early season and never fire it until late season..works every time just leave the loaded rifle outside in the cold
I've left triple fffg goex for over 2 years, all I did was removed the nipple put a little powder in , replaced the nipple, ignition, bang, fire!! Just don't let it get cold then hot to many times. It'll be fine.
If you season your bore ,I put a 54 cal tc barrel on a h&a receiver last year have not poured water down it yet mirror mop your bore one time a month real bp run a pick in the hole never failed me ill swim the river with my shat grow up.
I used to cut a piece of 1/8 inch gas hose that goes on a weed eater and press it down over my cap and nipple to keep it water proof during rainy deer hunting days and it works very well never had a miss fire . I would keep a few pieces of that yellow green color hose cut to length and in my cap can and I still use them till this very day . Keep her dry and she will fire!
PS. And with the piece of gas line hose your cap want fall off or get damp or wet! Give it a try and I believe you will be very happy to have a cap and nipple seal you can count on!
I borrowed a Lyman gpr from a friend. Before loading. I checked the barrel length inside and out. This told me it was probably loaded. I checked with the owner and he had no idea when or what was loaded. He assumed a patched rb. It fired on the second cap. Seemed like a solid shot and hit the 25 yd target. He didn't know if it was bp or pyrodex. Could've been loaded for a year or two.
I bought a box of triple 7 pellets when Gander Mountain was going out of business, about 8 years ago. The box was sealed in a plastic wrap. Took it out this year, first load shot well, after that, it was all downhil. Shots sounded like a bottle rocket. Box was dated for 2014.
I've had mine loaded with T7 since 2016. This was the year I found out I had Alpha-gal syndrome caught from a tick bite and I could no longer eat venison. I was so upset and lost interest in hunting for a long time. Recently a colleague has shown interest in hunting so I'm planning to go this year. I'm going to take this muzzleloader out and hunt with it since he'll have his own gun. Since my rifle is fully sealed with piezoelectric ignition I think I have a good chance of it going off. I'll report back soon! Thanks to your channel for re-peaking my interest a bit.
Never an issue with my triple seven pellets and 209 ignition. I leave it in all season and even an entire year once, shot fine. Loose powder & caps? I do know my dad’s hawken misfires allot and my Kentucky rifle is yet to misfire. This is something I’ll be experimenting with my Kentucky.
The first muzzleloader I got is a CVA Staghorn. It was a birthday present from my wife. That was back around 2000/2001. My tradition has always been that if I don't shoot it during deer season, I let it sit until New Years Eve and shoot it at midnight. It has fired the first time every time. That is having it loaded with Pyrodex. I live in Indiana just like you.[ Greene county]. I think my wife regrets buying me that muzzleloader since now, I have more of them than she can count. LOL I prefer the older style muzzleloaders over the newer modern type ones [ I only own 3 of the modern ones.]. Right now the majority of what I have are Cap and Ball revolvers along with percussion and flintlock pistols. The past few years I've concentrated on getting rifles and shotguns to even things out a bit. Recently I added a Traditions 69cal. "Old Ironsides" cannon kit to the mix. I saw your video on putting one together 3 days after I got it. I saved the video so I can refer to it as I'm putting it together. Yours has become my favorite muzzleloading channel on UA-cam. Keep up the good work and keep them videos coming. Maybe one day we can get together and spend the day shooting. Plus I know that you would probably share some of your knowledge and advice [Which would be invaluable to get}
I bought a CVA in-line from a guy I worked with. He told me he had hunted with it 4 seasons prior, and supposedly left it in his garage since then. Gave him $75 for it sight unseen, because I thought the barrel was probably rusted badly. Of course it was loaded (with an unfired 209 in place to boot) when I picked it up. Instead of pulling the breach plug, I figured I'd at least try and see if it would light off. Installed a primer (I think I tossed the installed one at his house when I picked it up) and she went boom...maybe the slightest hint of a hangfire. I couldn't believe that the pyrodex pellets were still good after sitting for ~4 years in a non-climate controlled garage. Barrel had some pitting, especially in front of the breach plug (which was an absolute chore to remove). But otherwise it was still completely serviceable. I ended up stubbing the barrel and making it into a 16" .38 special, but I absolutely could have hunted with that rifle after cleaning it up. Now maybe the guy HAD shot the thing in the proceeding years after that hunt and forgot about it. I don't know to be honest. But he did give me the pyrodex/bullet 'kit' that he bought with the rifle with 2 of the 5 pellet/bullet sleeves unused. I'm guessing he only fired that rifle twice to sight it in, loaded up for muzzleloader season and it sat loaded until I bought it. On the other hand, I've had swiss fail to ignite on the first cap on a foggy morning before...so I don't know there are any hard and fast rules when it comes to BP and moisture ingress.
Well I think that was a honest test you just made and I'm glad to see you done it with Triple 7. If you remember any of the comments that I had left before I loaded up on triple seven in the beginning before I knew anything about black powder and I still don't know that much about it but it's spring now and it's time to get cracking. Thank you for this video it spelled out a lot for me. Keep ye powder dry!
I had left 777 pellets in my inline, overnight. Twice or both times had a shot on a deer, snap, only the 209 primmer snapped. Pulled the plug, those pellets were mush. Didn’t/wont do that again. My traditionals I use BP, Goex then, I shoot it at the end of the day. I have used Pyrodex, and 777 in my cap locks just for target shooting though. Thanks for doing these tests
It would have been interesting, for comparison's sake, to see a few firings using the same setup fired immediately after loading, just to see if it normally took multiple attempts to ignite the powder.
if you pop a cap or two, then load bout 40 grains of black powder and shoot it up in the air it will dry everything out in the barrel and it will shoot every time. dont leave it outside because black powder draws moister out of the air if its damp. also never lay your gun on the ground if your climbing your tree and pulling your gun up with a rope. lean it against a log or something where the breach is not in contact with anything. its best to dry your gun out every morning before you go hunting nomatter wat the conditions are. and if its raining keep a piece of leather over your hammer. ive hunted all my life with black powder guns. keep your powder dry and watch your top notch.
I've been leaving 777 loaded in my muzzleloader for weeks at a time waiting on that right buck to show up. It always fires with no issues. I typically will unload it after a month, which is rare. I pull the breach plug and dump the powder out the back. Push the saboted projectile out the front and brush out any powder residue. I reload with fresh powder.
This is a test in this rifle with a number 11 percussion cap..and he probably leaving it out side for days...your talking about a in line with a 209 primer..a 209 primer is 5x more powerful than a number 11
I've left T7 for weeks. Remove cap and crush a piece of aluminum foil over nipple and good to go! Keep dry and a constant temp as best as possible, it ain't science!
Should check ball seating after having just the cap go off , a fired cap can move the ball down the barrel creating barrel obstruction , of course you wait a few minutes before checking ball seating .safety first and always .
Leaving it "overnight" WHERE? On the porch? In the cabin? (Who would leave a rifle, in real life, outside on a porch, other than a "woke Sally"? LOL! I've done this just like the mountain men did and have had no issues. They covered their "lock" area with oiled deer/elk skins, tightly drawn/tied (quick release knots) and depended on those single shots with their very life on a moments notice. (Enemies, Griz, etc.) There is NO WAY, they changed their powder every morning. Yet they "had it down", to where they knew how to care for, and carry their "smoke poles". (Same with those Civil War soldiers and their early Colts and Remington pistols). Keep your vids coming.
Popping a cap clears the nipple of any lube-typically, I wouldnt call it clearing the bore. Plus, I leave the hammer on half cock to allow air to escape from the barrel as a tight fitting bullet patched or otherwise to firmly sit on the power charge allowing air to escape from the nipple.
Never used t7. Use Buckhorn and pyrodex. I've left both type of muzzle loader load for up to 7 days. Usually shoot out at 4 or 5 day. Always gone bang. BOTH are TC both have mint barrel. One is a 92 year the inline is I think 2014
Most modern caplock guns use the "drum" system, and this is the source of the odd misfire with subs. The drum system is used to facilitate the production of flintlock versions simply by deleting the drum and substitution a flint lock with integral pan. The drum is a much twistier path to the charge than is the case with a purpose built cap-lock where the nipple channel goes directly into the main charge area. That's where your misfires are happening. Have you tried making sure that the main charge is shaken well into the drum passage before loading the projectile? That would probably stop the misfires if you did that... when you load the powder, thump the barrel on the side to shake it into the drum..... work a try... 🙂 The drums work OK with real BP as it ignites at a dirty look, where the subs are much less flammable (hence can be transported like smokeless) but do need a really good flame to light them up. I have never popped caps to clear a gun before use in revolvers and caplock rifles.... never had a problem in 35 years.... I must say that I haven't used caplock rifles much...I'm a flintlock fan and for those subs are a non starter. I do use 777 occasionally in my percussion revolvers with complete success...never had a miss... but of course in a revolver it's "straight line' to the main charge. I have left a cylinder loaded and capped for over a year (with BP) and it functioned perfectly.....Done the same with 777 for a few months only... no problem.
I have to dispute your feelings on drum style caplocks, I have multiple that love the substitutes and reliably ignite the charge every time just like holy black. Been shooting pretty much nothing but substitutes for 20 years now since my local black powder supplier went under. Same when I taught for the BSA at camp Geronimo, had 20 rifles all fed with substitute black powder and all were reliable. I tend to lean towards people having issues being user related, not equipment.
If your going to leave, it be like that, I'd put a piece of tape over the end of the muzzle and the same at the nipple. That will keep any moisture from venting with temperature changes as it will expand and contract the air. Seal it. I've even left the tape on muzzle end while hunting in a snow storm with no ill effects. I do think it kicked a bit harder though but got a very large doe.
The only issue ive ever had with triple 7 is that it will pit the barrel if left in the barrel for extended period of time. This of course was from leaving it in until the following year.
I'm not trying to bug you on this (well, a little) but I really think that if you repeat these tests, but clean the rifle lastly with denatured alcohol, dry patches again, and allow to dry for an hour, you might be surprised at the results. And, don't pop any caps before loading, they will make fouling that will crud up the flash channels. Clean the nipple, and drum and flash channel with pipe cleaners and alcohol also. When leaving the gun over night, or days put a dry patch folded over between the nipple and hammer. I don't use 777, but I think that method will work as well with it as it does with black powder. I would also suggest a dry wool wad between the patched ball and powder, so that the lube from the patch does not contaminate any of the main charge. Okay, I love your videos, I'm a "fan", you are doing well, present well, speak well and all that. But really, most miss-fires are caused by the gun not being clean enough when loaded (left over moisture or cleaning solutions) and popping caps is not a "good thing". Thanks, that is all.
No bugging in a negative way taken. All these tests were done at the same time so they all followed the same parameters and processes. I’ll be sure to, as I hope others will, take your comments into consideration for my next outing! Thanks again!
I also use Triple 7 FFG but in a Traditions Buckstalker. I usually load it on opening day for Canadian Whitetail (the end of September to the beginning of December) and there`s been years that I didn`t get a deer until the end of the season. I've never had to unload my muzzleloader because of failure to fire which would be easy to do with a breach plug anyway. Also I`ve never had to use more than one 209 primer. Every time it goes click, it goes bang. That's roughly 10 weeks that it has the same charge in it and always works. Maybe the Breach plug has a more direct line of fire to the powder than a primer nipple does? Not sure, I've only ever used newer style muzzleloaders. It's interesting to see the different issues that different styles of firearms can have though.
ive left my muzzleloader loaded for 2 months and it still shot accurately to 130 yds and killed a deer. i use pellet style powder 150 grains.i sat thru several rain storms during that time also
I've had better luck using Remington caps with substitutes. Admittedly though I use Pyrodex far more than 777. Edit: From my limited experience with it the FFFG 777 is easier to ignite than the FFG.
iv left triple 7 in several of my cap and ball revolvers for 2 years or so.no problem going bang.no corrosion.but those revolvers more sealed then in a rifle.
While I applaud your efforts towards safety, I'll just say your FTF was because of that lack of nipple being covered. Had a revolver that was very reliable. Left it in the pickup uncapped for safety. Rainy, humid day. Capped it and zero ignition through 24 caps (4 x each). Only exposure to moisture was the humidity in the air. Placed in dry place for a week, and all six chambers fired without any difficulties. You described high humidity conditions, and you had an uncovered nipple. I'm actually surprised it went off on the third cap. Try again without any cap BUT with a covered nipple. I've also had a revolver fire reliably after a year stored loaded. Cover the nipple to block humidity, and you shouldn't have any problems.
just fired my CVA LRX with 100 grains by volume triple 7 powder that was in there for 7 days with a 209 cheddite primer fired first time its a dirty powder but no Blackhorn powder available anywhere near me in Canada and our muzzle loader season is in a couple of weeks .
Your results seem a little goofy to me. I'm wondering why you used an in-line for Blackhorn 209, but a sidelock for 777? Have you shot this rifle much with 777 at the range? How does it perform? I've had good luck shooting my TC Omega with loose 777 loaded as long as 2 weeks with no problems. I shot my deer this year on the second day of the season with the charge I loaded two days earlier. I also own a TC Renegade, but I only use black powder in it. That rifle has had hang fires with Pyrodex, and I've never considered trying 777 in it. Anyway, keep up the good work, I enjoy your channel.
down here the humidity is pretty bad. after a hunt I remove the cap and install a foam ear plug between the hammer and nipple. The orange plug lets me know the gun has a charge and to put a cap on before trying to shoot.
Triple 7 I believe was designed for inlines primarily. It takes more heat to ignite. I would like to see this test repeated with a musket nipple installed on that gun. That might just solve the ignition problem. I, stupidly, left a T/C New Englander loaded for a year with black powder. Primed with a musket cap, it hang fired causing me to miss a nice six point but it did fire. Do stupid things..pay the stupid tax..
Probably do better if you had som neoprene gasket materal u der the hammer that should make a good gasket an keep out condensation. Also maybe a little over ball Lambs tallow and Bees wax. That should gasket the ball to barrel interface.
You can leave black powder loaded in your Flintlock for a year in the barn after you forgot about it I can tell you that for sure. It fired on the first shot with the same priming powder that was already in it. It did pit the barrel unfortunately
The number 2 cylinder on my 1851 doesnt go off frequently. It sat for 2 weeks before I got out somewhere to fire it. Another cap and it fired. I use triple 7. I will check nipple. I leave it loaded while camping with caps on for 9-14 days. Thought about filling in the cap sucker.
I saw you on Townsends yesterday. Really good video. I’m really interested in muzzle loading as a traditional part of shooting, history etc… so can I ask your opinion on reasonably priced, good quality guns? I’m thinking of ones that use percussion caps and not flintlocks. By the way, wasn’t expecting such a modern type video. Thought it would just all be re-enactment stuff. Really informative for a newb.
Thank you Jim! I try to cover as many eras as I can. More history videos on the way for sure. For starting out, the Traditions muzzleloaders are really nice and accurate shooters. They are on the more affordable end. From there, Lyman, InvestArms are a bit nicer and more expensive. Pedersoli is considered the top of the contemporary production muzzleloaders. They are more historically accurate than many of the others I've mentioned and shoot just as good if not better. I hope this helps! Check out some of my Q&A Videos for some more in depth discussion. Please don't hesitate to reach out any time, I try to answer as many comments as I can
Hi Ethan, I use a spent .22 piece of brass on the nipple to keep out moisture along with a piece of cork in the barrel. I have left my cap lock loaded with real Black Powder for 6 days before getting a shot and hitting a doe. Just a fyi.
If my hunting trip is important to me and I only have one shot then I want my gun to fire when I pull the trigger. I would be pulling the ball and dumping the powder out AND swabbing the bore at the end of the day. The next day I would start the loading process over to ensure my gun will fire on the first pull of the trigger. I may only get one weekend to hunt and I want a gun that goes "BANG" on the first pull of the trigger.
I would never leave my gun loaded and take a chance of it not going off, to me that’s just being lazy. I always start the day of hunting with a fresh load and I have been doing that for forty years. Never had a misfire.✌️
I have left my muzzleloader loaded for a year in my safe with triple 7. It went off the first shot. I usually pop about 5 caps off and run several patches down the bore before loading. The only time I've had problems was if I forgot to dry the bore before loading or wasn't using magnum #11 caps.
Loli have a inline,,,I use pellets, pyrodex, white hots , and Starfire,,,I have left it loaded for literally years,,,,it always goes off just like it was clean and fresh,,,, longest stretch was three years ,with some hunting in the rain and snow,,,,and yup it still went off
I use triple seven when I can find it. In my stainless steel Remington revolver replica, I left it loaded for two years. Took it out of the gun cabinet and all six rounds fired perfectly.
I carried a 44 pistol on my body for 6 years and then emptied it out. Black powder does not go bad. It stays volatile even if it gets wet. You dry it out and it's still volatile.
I feel everything with wax. Forestore edge are carrying.
I have left FF triple 7 in my TC hawken for over a year before and the next fall when i drew a bead on a deer it fired just fine. Ive done that several times.
I loaded my percussion TC Hawken with Schuetzen 3F and a patched ball 80 hours before a doe presented a good shot for me. Powder burned great and she’s hanging from the gambrel right now.
I left a 130 gr charge with .662 ball in my 1777 charleville from hunting December 2021-August 2022. Plugged the flash hole with a tooth pic… fired like I’d loaded it that day….. love this channel! Keep up the great work!
That's great to hear! Thanks for watching!!
What powder?
I thought black powder is corrosive !
It was 2f goex… point being if it’s dry and clean it will keep… all the powders will corrode or rather create optimal environment for oxidation when they are in their fired state with humidity moisture levels etc. my musket was dry and clean while loaded…. Unfired and dry during the unfruitful hunt. Then stored dry with a barrier in the flash hole
I know 777 is the powder of discussion but I believe it will keep just as well if a moisture barrier is used. Something as simple as a plastic bag held over the nipple by the hammer
I've left my 44cal revolver loaded for months inside my house and truck never had a misfire with 3f 777 from NM
If you leave a spent cap on the nipple one that is not badly deformed, you maintain safety and assist in the closed system of the patch and cap forming a closed system at each end of the powder charge. Running a wire vent pick through the nipple until you feel powder in the drum helps, if it feels a little crusty it is because the dew attack from sitting out, it is why a rifle laid prone as opposed to leaning is less affected by dew sliding down the barrel to your charge. And nothing wrong with taking some grease or tallow from the final meal of the day and giving the rifle a rub down, including running a greased patch to the top of you load.
I agree, preventing moisture getting on your charge through the open nipple hole ..
I repeated this test for 4 days here in Arizona, 3 days of rain. I loaded the CVA Optima v2 209 breechplug with 100 grains of triple 7 3 f on 1/21/24, a Barnes spitfire 250 grain bullet with a blue sabot. I plugged the primer hole with a qtip in plastic and closed it up. Today on 1/25/24 I set up the chronograph, primed it with a Cheddite primer and sighted at a target at 23 yards. It went off immediately ( not slow, no hang). The velocity 2002 fps. I cleaned it and tested the same charge with “blackmz” (now shooters world black) same bullet/primer. Velocity 2038fps. Did it again with a 250 hornady sst red sabot 2042fps. I now keep fired primers to fill the primer hole in case I need to leave it overnight. It was a close distance but all looked good into a ragged hole with different bullets and powder. Just my little experiment. Thanks Ethan for all you do.
Just putting this out there. Over the years I've used black powder, pyrodex, and triple seven. I've found the triple seven the easiest clean up. I think it is a little more finicky in firing after leaving it in the barrel than the other two. But, depending on weather conditions, I've had the same problems with the other two. Best thing to do, after leaving the gun sitting a day or two is to screw out the nipple and put a very small amount of powder under the nipple and before the main powder charge and 99 point 9 the gun is going to fire the first time you pull the trigger. But be prepared for a slow firing. What you're going to get is a clatch boom like a slow firing flintlock. But be prepared, hold steady and it will go off. I have no idea whether this is considered safe or not. All I can tell you is that I have done this many many times and have even killed a deer or two with a gun handled this way. Incidentally, I prefer a side lock and an old fashioned cap to a modern inline with the shotgun cap. Properly treated I've found the old sidelocks more dependable. I've hunted all day in rainy conditions with a thin baggy rubber banded loosely over the muzzle and another taped over the lock and nipple. I have yet to see my old muzzle loader not able to fire when I got home. I can't say the same about my inline.
@@leecrumble3921 that's what I would think too. I can only report my experience.
@@leecrumble3921 thing about the inlines and sabots though is that they are deadly accurate and 100 grains over a 50 caliber sabot and at close range would take down just about anything in N America and most of Africa. They are devastating.
Great video again sir, I shoot triple 7 in my percussion guns, revolvers, etc. I never had any issue with “regular” CCI caps. I keep my BP for my flintlocks. I went elk hunting back home in Wyoming in 2020. I loaded 100 grains of Swiss 2F in my .54 caliber Early Virginia flintlock. I loaded it opening morning… chased elk around for 3 days, snow, dry, more snow and had a cow walk out at 47 yards and with a fresh 3-4 grain charge of Swiss 0B in the pan… she fired right away and dropped that caw in her tracks.
FREIND CAME OVER with TC .50, unfired, he tried 6 #11s no joy. I stuck the bore, it was in fact loaded. Changed the nipple to a Mag Spark from Warren Custom Out door and as i expected 209 primer did the job. I have these on both my TC Hawkin and Renagade. Never a pro
blem, and i leave weapon loaded all season, or until i get my deer. However, i double patch, i place a couple layers of paper wasp nest over the muzzle under the lubed pillow ticking patch.
My experience says that if you keep your powder dry, even if its loaded in a fire arm, and left sitting, it will work 99.9% of the time. I think a little comon sense here is the key. Humidity is a major factor. Were i hunting, i would make a fresh load before i went out.
I have a Diablo 12 GA pistol, had it loaded with triple 7 for 3 months, it shot just fine. Easy clean up.
I've been a muzzle loader hunting for over 2 decades. Started with a earlier CVA, whiterifle tominator, TC firehawk, TC encore. I have left muzzleloaders loaded with triple7 for a year and when the muzzle loader restarted in the next season went and shot a load and killed deer.
Never had to do this silly stuff of plugging the hole, etc......I just close the action with no musketcap or 209, And I install on of my barrel condom as reminding that it's charged.
And yes I used to do all of this in hot humid area like Florida.
I found removing the nipple adding a little powder in the touch hole replacing the nipple (use a pipe cleaner when adding powder) ensured ignition. Or suffer hang fires.
Excellent comment! I learned this the hard way years ago and now do just what you say here. It amazed me early on that perfect loading of the powder does not mean some will go sideways 90 deg into the breech plug and get under the nipple in the touch hole. Great advice and great videos Thanks!
Never knew anyone would think this WAS a problem over that short a period. I have seen 3 .44 cap and ball revolvers stored for 2.5 years in ambient northern humidity that fired perfectly. Two were capped and had triple 7. One WASN'T capped and had 3f. All 18 shots went boom, and the 18 shot group was 3.5 inches at 20 yards.
You have an interesting channel, Ethan. It has been several years since I've deer hunted with a ML but back when I did, I often left it loaded ALL season. When finally discharged, it did so on the first pop. I dont recall ever having a misfire or hangfire. Actually have a friend who left his loaded for months. Fired right off. I should add that we lived (I moved) in Indiana, so similar weather experiences to yours in this video. And we only used black powder. We both experienced difficulties regardless of weather with BP substitutes. Anyway, just MHO & experiences.
I've used a rubber cap from automobile grease fittings over my nipple fitting. Remove the cap then slide the rubber boot over the nipple for overnight storage. Keeps and moisture out.
I leave the 777 charge in mine for multiple weeks, and never even considered it would be a problem, and it wasn't been so far, but this makes me wonder if I'm pushing my luck
I use 3f 777 in a percussion hawken and never have issues but I also tap and shake my gun with the barrel up and the stock angled to try and get the powder drum under the nipple full before i do any tamping or projectile loading. This greatly reduces the chance of a hang fire. If I'm hunting I always remove the nipple after loading just to make sure it's full underneath. If for some reason it isn't ill add a pinch of powder. I started using 3f because I had some left over from a cap and ball and it seemed easier to ignite and a little hotter of a charge so I kept using it
Thanks for the hot tips!
3 or 4 years ago I and a few friends went to do some target plinking out in the So Cal desert and after 5 or 6 shots using Hodgdon FFFG , the nipple on my Italian replica Kentucky Long Rifle got clogged up. the rifle would not discharge and after 3 caps, I put the fully loaded (45gr FFFG with a 125gr .440ball MINUS the cap) rifle away since I did not have any way to clear the nipple in the field.
Long story short, I stored the rifle in the garage in its case for about 3 years before I remembered the issue. I cleaned out the nipple and went out in back, put a cap on and fired into the ground. It worked as if I had just loaded it .
I have enjoyed your tests. I have done these same ones during hunting season, what I have found is your cap means more than anything. Thanks for all your work and information.
Great tip. Some hotter caps would probably help!
@@ILoveMuzzleloading makes all the difference, RWS best i have ever used.
That makes sense. What capdo you recommend?
When leaving a muzzeloading rifle loaded for a few days it’s best to use primer caps. This require changing the Mille for the primer calls. Fires hotter and more reliable. Using good powder helps
When I started muzzleloader hunting I thought that Pyrodex would be best in my sidelock. Black powder is all I use now. Black powder is not any harder to clean and it ignites much better.
I just found your channel. Interesting tests.
Mine was loaded for 2 years with 777 and went off fine. I don't suggest that lol
I've had mine loaded since 2016 (6 years) when I caught alpha-gal from a tick bite and was no longer able to eat venison. Lost interest in hunting. .. I think it'll go off just fine...😆
For $4.99 I ordered 144 small finger cots from Walmart, they fit nice & snug over the muzzle of my Knight Mountaineer. I hope that does the trick during the upcoming deer season. I am also keeping the rifle (loaded, no primer) in the case until I get to my blind as I got permission to walk thru a neighbor's no hunting allowed property to access my property from the back side. Thanks for the info on this channel, prior to this year the last time I shot a muzzle loader was the early 90's.
Curious to know if this worked for you?
They work but they tear easily and kept pulling off the muzzle when I pulled the rifle out of the gun case, also had to pull the end of the ramrod out to put them on. Not sure if I will use them for this years ML season or not. @@fergotti
@michaelswitzer218 wonder if you could just tape ithe barrel and shoot as if wasn't there. Backpack hunters do this with rifles. Looking to get in ML and wondered if I could just leave the weapon in my stand.
I have thought about just using electrical tape. This year due to low acorn numbers on the back side of the property my blind is only 100 yd from the road & I'm not going walking around in any weather until later in the season.@@fergotti
@michaelswitzer218 well good luck to you! Hope you get a nice one. Pretty sure electrical tape will work fine.
years ago I had a T C Hawkins Think was 54 cal. At the time I lived in a cabin. Heaps of weather changes. I always unscrewed the nipple and dumped out the little powder that was in the nipple chamber. Always replaced a greased patch over nipple where the cap would sit. A few days later I would remove the patch from the nipple unscrew the nipple, ad a pinch of fresh powder, replace the nipple. Ad a cap and Boom every time!
I’ve used both percussion caplocks and inlines extensively. I personally wouldn’t use T7 with a caplock as it is harder to light than Pyrodex. I hate Pyrodex, but it goes bang with the No. 11s. Reserve the T7 for your inlines.
I refuse to use pyrodex. I feel it burns too hot, and still have to clean. So what is the point of using it?.
You can fire more shots without having to clean between shots, compared to black powder. I live in an area where we haven't had a vendor for black powder since pre-covid, so we have to use it.
Every load of triple 7 I have ever shot with # 10 or 11 caps, Winchester, remington, CCI standard, and magnum with 3 types of nipples had zero failures even after 2yrs storage loaded. @ValcoBayrunner
Many priceless comments on this chat makes this great site even better! Thanks!
I hope so. I’ve left mine loaded with a charge in for a whole year decades ago. I took it out to the range and hit a 1” Bullseye with it at 100 yards!
I was loaded with 3 tripple 7 pellets and a 300 grain shock wave. I sure it sealed the bore and it was in my safe the hole time. I clean mine after each 10 day season and remove the charge. Zero issues
I have been hunting 30 years with muzzleloader shot guns and rifles ,leaving them loaded all season long and confident they're going to fire with first pull of the trigger .after loading a clean and well dryed gun i load then remove nipple make shur its hole is clear and put a few granules of power in nipple receiver and replace the nipple, i never use caps before loading a gun that may be loaded for weeks as the caps are corrosive . Have had no problems with this method afters years of use. Good luck shoot something with a muzzleloader and you will be hooked!
I've used triple 7 , and I prefer white hots, hands down, keep it loaded for 9 day season,-0- problems, I always apply masking tape over my barrel end.no problem.
Out of my traditional cap locks, only a few will reliably touch off 777. My .32 squirrel and my sxs shotgun do ok with it. The rest hate it....and that's not leaving them sit for 7 days heh. I've shot 777 for years in an old Elkhorn CVA and a few pistols tho. The elkhorn would fire after a year with 777 , I'm almost positive lol. Also Idaho doesn't have 95% humidity tho😳
Triple 7 is great powder but it takes a hot spark to get it going. I use 4ffff black powder as a starter. I use 1-2 full plungers from my pan charger flask. Down the barrel first and then my charge of triple 7 FF. I do this for my percussion or flintlock guns. You want that gun to go off in front of that deer or whatever. Because it take a lot to set triple 7 off they can carry it in the department stores. Keep your gun and powder dry.
This seems like the obvious solution to me. Glad you included this.
@@tedpfenninger4972 I have been doing this for years. Just remember triple 7 is way more power. This duplex load works well in the PA pellet and the ultra light . Reduce you load by 20% A load of 77.7 gr by weight is 110 gr by volume in a black powder measure. That is my max load . For my ultralight. I only buy 4 ffff black which goes a long way. Triple 7 I can find in any of the big box stores. Keep your fingers and toes and your powder dry
My first year muzzleloader hunting i left my muzzleloader loaded for a few days and it didn't fire when I needed it too. After that experience I fire it at the end of every day hunting
I think that's a good plan
Try it with a clean nipple do not fire a cap and then load it, you started with a dirty nipple.
After you clean your muzzleloader make sure your barrel is clean and dry. super hot water with dish soap and a goog brush, rinch with super hot water, turn the barrel upside down and let dry ,in the summer I lay mine in the sun. After taking a patch with a little wonder lube or whatever you use (very little) barely dampen your patch, little goes a long way, this is just to keep the barrel from rust only. Do not bang or slam your ram rod down hard to wear your powder sits, it could cause a greasy oily build up, and too much can be pushed up in your side lock and nipple area I run a dry patch down the barrel 4 or 5 times before I load, like some of the others have said I have left my loaded for months in a good dry place. Take this and weed through it, and use what you can , I'm not a know it all ,or an expert. this is my routine, and works for me. I really enjoy your videos
Excellent demonstration Ethan. I'm in Washington state and a 777 guy. I got pretty much the same results. In foul weather I pull the ball every day.
Thanks Jack!
Leave mine loaded for two weeks or so.... usually (but NOT always...)
Usually I shoot the load after two weeks, and then reload it...for another two weeks.
Ive left then loaded for 8 or 9 months and shot them later.
It went off, but the shot dropped about 3" at 100 yards.
Yes it is perfectly fine ..I have leaded mine for early season and never fire it until late season..works every time just leave the loaded rifle outside in the cold
I've left triple fffg goex for over 2 years, all I did was removed the nipple put a little powder in , replaced the nipple, ignition, bang, fire!! Just don't let it get cold then hot to many times. It'll be fine.
If you season your bore ,I put a 54 cal tc barrel on a h&a receiver last year have not poured water down it yet mirror mop your bore one time a month real bp run a pick in the hole never failed me ill swim the river with my shat grow up.
I bought a 58cal. Hawkin that had been loaded for who knows how long . The patch was rusted to the bore. Thank goodness for fiberglass ramrods.
I used to cut a piece of 1/8 inch gas hose that goes on a weed eater and press it down over my cap and nipple to keep it water proof during rainy deer hunting days and it works very well never had a miss fire . I would keep a few pieces of that yellow green color hose cut to length and in my cap can and I still use them till this very day . Keep her dry and she will fire!
PS. And with the piece of gas line hose your cap want fall off or get damp or wet! Give it a try and I believe you will be very happy to have a cap and nipple seal you can count on!
I borrowed a Lyman gpr from a friend. Before loading. I checked the barrel length inside and out. This told me it was probably loaded. I checked with the owner and he had no idea when or what was loaded. He assumed a patched rb. It fired on the second cap. Seemed like a solid shot and hit the 25 yd target. He didn't know if it was bp or pyrodex. Could've been loaded for a year or two.
I bought a box of triple 7 pellets when Gander Mountain was going out of business, about 8 years ago. The box was sealed in a plastic wrap. Took it out this year, first load shot well, after that, it was all downhil. Shots sounded like a bottle rocket. Box was dated for 2014.
I've had mine loaded with T7 since 2016. This was the year I found out I had Alpha-gal syndrome caught from a tick bite and I could no longer eat venison. I was so upset and lost interest in hunting for a long time. Recently a colleague has shown interest in hunting so I'm planning to go this year. I'm going to take this muzzleloader out and hunt with it since he'll have his own gun. Since my rifle is fully sealed with piezoelectric ignition I think I have a good chance of it going off. I'll report back soon! Thanks to your channel for re-peaking my interest a bit.
How did it go?
@Cambpro it fired perfectly. I shot at a groundhog , missed though....
Never an issue with my triple seven pellets and 209 ignition. I leave it in all season and even an entire year once, shot fine. Loose powder & caps? I do know my dad’s hawken misfires allot and my Kentucky rifle is yet to misfire. This is something I’ll be experimenting with my Kentucky.
Good to hear, enjoy it!
The first muzzleloader I got is a CVA Staghorn. It was a birthday present from my wife. That was back around 2000/2001. My tradition has always been that if I don't shoot it during deer season, I let it sit until New Years Eve and shoot it at midnight. It has fired the first time every time. That is having it loaded with Pyrodex. I live in Indiana just like you.[ Greene county].
I think my wife regrets buying me that muzzleloader since now, I have more of them than she can count. LOL I prefer the older style muzzleloaders over the newer modern type ones [ I only own 3 of the modern ones.]. Right now the majority of what I have are Cap and Ball revolvers along with percussion and flintlock pistols. The past few years I've concentrated on getting rifles and shotguns to even things out a bit. Recently I added a Traditions 69cal. "Old Ironsides" cannon kit to the mix. I saw your video on putting one together 3 days after I got it. I saved the video so I can refer to it as I'm putting it together.
Yours has become my favorite muzzleloading channel on UA-cam. Keep up the good work and keep them videos coming. Maybe one day we can get together and spend the day shooting. Plus I know that you would probably share some of your knowledge and advice [Which would be invaluable to get}
I bought a CVA in-line from a guy I worked with. He told me he had hunted with it 4 seasons prior, and supposedly left it in his garage since then. Gave him $75 for it sight unseen, because I thought the barrel was probably rusted badly.
Of course it was loaded (with an unfired 209 in place to boot) when I picked it up. Instead of pulling the breach plug, I figured I'd at least try and see if it would light off. Installed a primer (I think I tossed the installed one at his house when I picked it up) and she went boom...maybe the slightest hint of a hangfire. I couldn't believe that the pyrodex pellets were still good after sitting for ~4 years in a non-climate controlled garage.
Barrel had some pitting, especially in front of the breach plug (which was an absolute chore to remove). But otherwise it was still completely serviceable. I ended up stubbing the barrel and making it into a 16" .38 special, but I absolutely could have hunted with that rifle after cleaning it up.
Now maybe the guy HAD shot the thing in the proceeding years after that hunt and forgot about it. I don't know to be honest. But he did give me the pyrodex/bullet 'kit' that he bought with the rifle with 2 of the 5 pellet/bullet sleeves unused. I'm guessing he only fired that rifle twice to sight it in, loaded up for muzzleloader season and it sat loaded until I bought it.
On the other hand, I've had swiss fail to ignite on the first cap on a foggy morning before...so I don't know there are any hard and fast rules when it comes to BP and moisture ingress.
Well I think that was a honest test you just made and I'm glad to see you done it with Triple 7. If you remember any of the comments that I had left before I loaded up on triple seven in the beginning before I knew anything about black powder and I still don't know that much about it but it's spring now and it's time to get cracking. Thank you for this video it spelled out a lot for me. Keep ye powder dry!
I've use triple 7 in brutal northern mn hunts left gun loaded overnight in cabin for 13 days it shot fine at the end -20 to -30 during day hunts
Wonderful!
Percussion caps in my Colt Walker were SO UNRELIABLE that i've switched many of my guns to 209 PRIMING!
I had left 777 pellets in my inline, overnight. Twice or both times had a shot on a deer, snap, only the 209 primmer snapped. Pulled the plug, those pellets were mush. Didn’t/wont do that again. My traditionals I use BP, Goex then, I shoot it at the end of the day. I have used Pyrodex, and 777 in my cap locks just for target shooting though. Thanks for doing these tests
I've heard triple 7 loses potency if not kept tightly sealed.
When I hunt in wet weather I take a birthday candle, drip the melted wax around the cap.
It would have been interesting, for comparison's sake, to see a few firings using the same setup fired immediately after loading, just to see if it normally took multiple attempts to ignite the powder.
Cousin left a load from one season to the next one. Went off!! No problem! CVA with 209. Good stuff.
Nice!
Waiting on the Pyrodex rs test 👍
With 209 primers
if you pop a cap or two, then load bout 40 grains of black powder and shoot it up in the air it will dry everything out in the barrel and it will shoot every time. dont leave it outside because black powder draws moister out of the air if its damp. also never lay your gun on the ground if your climbing your tree and pulling your gun up with a rope. lean it against a log or something where the breach is not in contact with anything. its best to dry your gun out every morning before you go hunting nomatter wat the conditions are. and if its raining keep a piece of leather over your hammer. ive hunted all my life with black powder guns. keep your powder dry and watch your top notch.
Ill suck up the expense and use BH 209. Ontario muzzleloader hunt is 7 days.
The TC inline fires no trouble
I've been leaving 777 loaded in my muzzleloader for weeks at a time waiting on that right buck to show up. It always fires with no issues. I typically will unload it after a month, which is rare. I pull the breach plug and dump the powder out the back. Push the saboted projectile out the front and brush out any powder residue. I reload with fresh powder.
This is a test in this rifle with a number 11 percussion cap..and he probably leaving it out side for days...your talking about a in line with a 209 primer..a 209 primer is 5x more powerful than a number 11
I've left T7 for weeks. Remove cap and crush a piece of aluminum foil over nipple and good to go! Keep dry and a constant temp as best as possible, it ain't science!
Should check ball seating after having just the cap go off , a fired cap can move the ball down the barrel creating barrel obstruction , of course you wait a few minutes before checking ball seating .safety first and always .
Great point!
Leaving it "overnight" WHERE? On the porch? In the cabin? (Who would leave a rifle, in real life, outside on a porch, other than a "woke Sally"? LOL!
I've done this just like the mountain men did and have had no issues. They covered their "lock" area with oiled deer/elk skins, tightly drawn/tied (quick release knots) and depended on those single shots with their very life on a moments notice. (Enemies, Griz, etc.) There is NO WAY, they changed their powder every morning. Yet they "had it down", to where they knew how to care for, and carry their "smoke poles". (Same with those Civil War soldiers and their early Colts and Remington pistols).
Keep your vids coming.
Popping a cap clears the nipple of any lube-typically, I wouldnt call it clearing the bore. Plus, I leave the hammer on half cock to allow air to escape from the barrel as a tight fitting bullet patched or otherwise to firmly sit on the power charge allowing air to escape from the nipple.
Never used t7. Use Buckhorn and pyrodex. I've left both type of muzzle loader load for up to 7 days. Usually shoot out at 4 or 5 day. Always gone bang. BOTH are TC both have mint barrel. One is a 92 year the inline is I think 2014
Warm house to cold could cause condensation...
I have always left my rifles loaded for a month and not a single misfire. I just do not use triple seven or pyrodex. It's black powder all the way.
Most modern caplock guns use the "drum" system, and this is the source of the odd misfire with subs. The drum system is used to facilitate the production of flintlock versions simply by deleting the drum and substitution a flint lock with integral pan. The drum is a much twistier path to the charge than is the case with a purpose built cap-lock where the nipple channel goes directly into the main charge area. That's where your misfires are happening. Have you tried making sure that the main charge is shaken well into the drum passage before loading the projectile? That would probably stop the misfires if you did that... when you load the powder, thump the barrel on the side to shake it into the drum..... work a try... 🙂
The drums work OK with real BP as it ignites at a dirty look, where the subs are much less flammable (hence can be transported like smokeless) but do need a really good flame to light them up. I have never popped caps to clear a gun before use in revolvers and caplock rifles.... never had a problem in 35 years.... I must say that I haven't used caplock rifles much...I'm a flintlock fan and for those subs are a non starter.
I do use 777 occasionally in my percussion revolvers with complete success...never had a miss... but of course in a revolver it's "straight line' to the main charge. I have left a cylinder loaded and capped for over a year (with BP) and it functioned perfectly.....Done the same with 777 for a few months only... no problem.
Yes. Don't pop caps! Just introduces more fouling, which attracts gunk.
I have to dispute your feelings on drum style caplocks, I have multiple that love the substitutes and reliably ignite the charge every time just like holy black. Been shooting pretty much nothing but substitutes for 20 years now since my local black powder supplier went under.
Same when I taught for the BSA at camp Geronimo, had 20 rifles all fed with substitute black powder and all were reliable.
I tend to lean towards people having issues being user related, not equipment.
If your going to leave, it be like that, I'd put a piece of tape over the end of the muzzle and the same at the nipple. That will keep any moisture from venting with temperature changes as it will expand and contract the air. Seal it. I've even left the tape on muzzle end while hunting in a snow storm with no ill effects. I do think it kicked a bit harder though but got a very large doe.
Definitely good solutions!
The only issue ive ever had with triple 7 is that it will pit the barrel if left in the barrel for extended period of time. This of course was from leaving it in until the following year.
I'm not trying to bug you on this (well, a little) but I really think that if you repeat these tests, but clean the rifle lastly with denatured alcohol, dry patches again, and allow to dry for an hour, you might be surprised at the results. And, don't pop any caps before loading, they will make fouling that will crud up the flash channels. Clean the nipple, and drum and flash channel with pipe cleaners and alcohol also. When leaving the gun over night, or days put a dry patch folded over between the nipple and hammer. I don't use 777, but I think that method will work as well with it as it does with black powder. I would also suggest a dry wool wad between the patched ball and powder, so that the lube from the patch does not contaminate any of the main charge. Okay, I love your videos, I'm a "fan", you are doing well, present well, speak well and all that. But really, most miss-fires are caused by the gun not being clean enough when loaded (left over moisture or cleaning solutions) and popping caps is not a "good thing". Thanks, that is all.
No bugging in a negative way taken. All these tests were done at the same time so they all followed the same parameters and processes. I’ll be sure to, as I hope others will, take your comments into consideration for my next outing! Thanks again!
I also use Triple 7 FFG but in a Traditions Buckstalker. I usually load it on opening day for Canadian Whitetail (the end of September to the beginning of December) and there`s been years that I didn`t get a deer until the end of the season. I've never had to unload my muzzleloader because of failure to fire which would be easy to do with a breach plug anyway. Also I`ve never had to use more than one 209 primer. Every time it goes click, it goes bang. That's roughly 10 weeks that it has the same charge in it and always works. Maybe the Breach plug has a more direct line of fire to the powder than a primer nipple does? Not sure, I've only ever used newer style muzzleloaders. It's interesting to see the different issues that different styles of firearms can have though.
Thank you for sharing!
ive left my muzzleloader loaded for 2 months and it still shot accurately to 130 yds and killed a deer. i use pellet style powder 150 grains.i sat thru several rain storms during that time also
Awesome!
I've had better luck using Remington caps with substitutes. Admittedly though I use Pyrodex far more than 777.
Edit: From my limited experience with it the FFFG 777 is easier to ignite than the FFG.
Thanks for sharing!
My experience has been the same. Your insight is appreciated. Thanks
iv left triple 7 in several of my cap and ball revolvers for 2 years or so.no problem going bang.no corrosion.but those revolvers more sealed then in a rifle.
Nice!
While I applaud your efforts towards safety, I'll just say your FTF was because of that lack of nipple being covered. Had a revolver that was very reliable. Left it in the pickup uncapped for safety. Rainy, humid day. Capped it and zero ignition through 24 caps (4 x each). Only exposure to moisture was the humidity in the air. Placed in dry place for a week, and all six chambers fired without any difficulties.
You described high humidity conditions, and you had an uncovered nipple. I'm actually surprised it went off on the third cap. Try again without any cap BUT with a covered nipple. I've also had a revolver fire reliably after a year stored loaded. Cover the nipple to block humidity, and you shouldn't have any problems.
Thank you!!
just fired my CVA LRX with 100 grains by volume triple 7 powder that was in there for 7 days with a 209 cheddite primer fired first time its a dirty powder but no Blackhorn powder available anywhere near me in Canada and our muzzle loader season is in a couple of weeks .
Best of luck this season Sean!
Your results seem a little goofy to me. I'm wondering why you used an in-line for Blackhorn 209, but a sidelock for 777? Have you shot this rifle much with 777 at the range? How does it perform? I've had good luck shooting my TC Omega with loose 777 loaded as long as 2 weeks with no problems. I shot my deer this year on the second day of the season with the charge I loaded two days earlier.
I also own a TC Renegade, but I only use black powder in it. That rifle has had hang fires with Pyrodex, and I've never considered trying 777 in it. Anyway, keep up the good work, I enjoy your channel.
down here the humidity is pretty bad. after a hunt I remove the cap and install a foam ear plug between the hammer and nipple. The orange plug lets me know the gun has a charge and to put a cap on before trying to shoot.
I like that! Clever!!
Triple 7 I believe was designed for inlines primarily. It takes more heat to ignite. I would like to see this test repeated with a musket nipple installed on that gun. That might just solve the ignition problem. I, stupidly, left a T/C New Englander loaded for a year with black powder. Primed with a musket cap, it hang fired causing me to miss a nice six point but it did fire. Do stupid things..pay the stupid tax..
You can leave it loaded indefinitely as long as no moisture gets to the powder, that's how long
Probably do better if you had som neoprene gasket materal u der the hammer that should make a good gasket an keep out condensation. Also maybe a little over ball Lambs tallow and Bees wax. That should gasket the ball to barrel interface.
I like Triple 7 in my inline rifle but haven't had much luck with it in side lock rifles and pistols.
It's much more popular in percussion guns, especially the cap and ball revolver crowd from what I can tell.
Triple 7 in the granular form is hydroscopic. I don’t know if their pellets are or not
You can leave black powder loaded in your Flintlock for a year in the barn after you forgot about it I can tell you that for sure. It fired on the first shot with the same priming powder that was already in it. It did pit the barrel unfortunately
The number 2 cylinder on my 1851 doesnt go off frequently. It sat for 2 weeks before I got out somewhere to fire it. Another cap and it fired. I use triple 7. I will check nipple. I leave it loaded while camping with caps on for 9-14 days. Thought about filling in the cap sucker.
I hunt Deer with a 54 cal 90 gr of Goex FF g for as long as PA has had a season for flintlock
That's awesome!
Good stuff, as always.
Triple 7 is great but I wouldn’t think about using it in a traditional gun. Only use it in my encore. Traditional guns only get real black powder.
Tape over end of the muzzle, good until next season.
I saw you on Townsends yesterday. Really good video. I’m really interested in muzzle loading as a traditional part of shooting, history etc… so can I ask your opinion on reasonably priced, good quality guns? I’m thinking of ones that use percussion caps and not flintlocks.
By the way, wasn’t expecting such a modern type video. Thought it would just all be re-enactment stuff. Really informative for a newb.
Thank you Jim! I try to cover as many eras as I can. More history videos on the way for sure.
For starting out, the Traditions muzzleloaders are really nice and accurate shooters. They are on the more affordable end. From there, Lyman, InvestArms are a bit nicer and more expensive. Pedersoli is considered the top of the contemporary production muzzleloaders. They are more historically accurate than many of the others I've mentioned and shoot just as good if not better.
I hope this helps! Check out some of my Q&A Videos for some more in depth discussion. Please don't hesitate to reach out any time, I try to answer as many comments as I can
@@ILoveMuzzleloading That’s awesome! Thanks! You just gained a subscriber
Yhey used to say that number 11 caps arent the best to use with Tripple Seven powder
I use a large rubber band and put it under the hammer to seal moisture out.
Great idea!
Hi Ethan, I use a spent .22 piece of brass on the nipple to keep out moisture along with a piece of cork in the barrel. I have left my cap lock loaded with real Black Powder for 6 days before getting a shot and hitting a doe. Just a fyi.
That's a great idea! Thank you!
If you left triple seven in your Accura and were using a 209 primer you'd have no problem with ignition.
I bet!
If my hunting trip is important to me and I only have one shot then I want my gun to fire when I pull the trigger. I would be pulling the ball and dumping the powder out AND swabbing the bore at the end of the day. The next day I would start the loading process over to ensure my gun will fire on the first pull of the trigger. I may only get one weekend to hunt and I want a gun that goes "BANG" on the first pull of the trigger.
I would never leave my gun loaded and take a chance of it not going off, to me that’s just being lazy. I always start the day of hunting with a fresh load and I have been doing that for forty years. Never had a misfire.✌️
There are recipes to make your own black powder. They’re pretty good I have used them before.