Anyone load the night before and leave in a locked place exposed to the cold?

[paraord]

Im going to take the .54 out in the morning and its going to be a balmy 33 degrees with snow expected by 7am.
This will be the first time I am REALLY taking out the .54 (going with the percussion cap renegade, not the flint lock renegade). Going with Pyrodex RS for the time being as I am sighted in dead on at 50 yards with it. Next time I have a little tiem to mess around I will adjust for a +2" @ 50 yards zero with FFg likely, but until then I know this works as is.

So does anyone load up the night before, and put it out in say the truck to let the temp equalize? Or the heck with it, load it up normal before heading to the field.

[country gent]

During muzzleloader season in Ohio my 50 cal renegade never left the truck. I fired a few rounds to check zero and cleaned it then another round to foul barrel and dry wiped. A day or 2 before season it then went in the truck. The evening before season opened I loaded it with the charge of Black Powder and patched round ball. no cap. I also put a red rubber band around the muzzle behind the front sight, This was to remind me there was powder and ball loaded already. When going out in the morning I capped the gun and was ready. In the evening the I removed the cap and back in the truck. Ohio law is that its not loaded till it has the cap in place. All season it stayed in the truck ( Farm truck that was in the barn) unless being used.

[M-Tecs]

Going from warm to cold is not a problem. Cold to warm causes condensation.

[johnson1942]

both ways work for us and we are doing both ways now. my guns are loaded in the house and my friends 2 are in the truck loaded for tomorrow. temps about the same here. we are useing blackhorn 209 powder and shotgun primers.

[country gent]

I started the rubber band after the second muzzle loader was brought to me double charged by accident, to have the loads pulled ad cleaned. All it does is signify there is a charge and ball loaded in the bore already. It comes off when I unload it and store it or ust shooting.

[Omnivore]

I've always loaded my cap lock Lyman rifle on the first outing of the season, and left it loaded until I get a deer. That could be up to two weeks. I take it out in the cold, and back into the house.

I've done this for years, and the only problem was when the rifle got rained on. The cap popped the next day while aiming at a deer, but the main charge failed to ignite. The look on the deer's face at fifteen yards or less was almost worth it. I didn't get a deer that year. Otherwise it's been out in zero degree weather and back in the house overnight, several days in a row and went boom perfectly. The only ingress point for moisture is through the nipple, so I guess if you're concerned about condensation then you can cover the nipple with plastic before you go inside. I've never had a problem leaving the nipple exposed though, except for that one season with the rain. Proper loading, meaning a dry flash channel free from oil or grease, and you'll be fine. I've also left a percussion revolver in the vehicle, in the cold, for weeks with no issues. I've also been out in light snowing conditions, then back inside, and out the next day with no problem. Pop a couple of caps and swab the breech chamber before loading; that's the main thing.

There's no reason to foul the bore before loading, so long as you've chosen your load and dialed in the sights for best accuracy and precision from a cold clean bore. A hunting rifle should always be at its best when shooting from a cold clean bore, unless maybe you're hunting a whole herd and will be shooting fifteen animals or something. I loaded my rifle last week, never fired it (got my deer with a pistol instead) and I don't have to worry about unloading or cleaning it until I feel like it, because the bore is clean. It could sit there with a charge in it until next season and I'd be confident it would fire perfectly. So it is that when verifying my sights before the season, I always clean between shots. I'll fire several shots, each from a cold clean bore. See? It's simple. Fouling shots are for modern repeaters using smokeless powder. I'm only taking one shot for the season. Two max, and that second shot will be at spitting distance because it's only for mercy, so it doesn't matter what my fouled bore zero might be.

The traditional method for ensuring whether your gun is loaded is to have your ram rod marked with a notch at the muzzle when it's loaded. If you haven't handled the rifle recently, you always drop the ram rod down the bore. If it hits lead and the notch lines up with the muzzle, it's loaded. If it drops down farther onto steel, it's empty. We shooters have been doing that for five near hundred years, since the advent of the firearm, because it works. You do that check every time, and you don't wonder. You know.

[hc18flyer]

I load mine the night before and cover the nipple with a folded patch. It sits in the cold pickup overnight . At the end of the weekend I fire it, travel home, where it gets a good cleaning. I haven't had a miss fire in 25 Years! Hot water, bore butter lubes, no oil, and a pipe cleaner for the nipple has always worked for me.Flyer

[OverMax]

Early morning of first days hunting (warm rifle) >loaded up indoors (kitchen). There after a days hunting. My loaded rifle hangs on a coat hook barrel up in a cold porch w/o its RWS #11 cap night after night all season long.
No substitute powders here. One loading of homemade corned 2-FF w/_ P/ ball usually> Rifle is sighted to 100 yards. A typical harvest shot for me is less than 50 yards away.

[tomme boy]

I have a couple guns that the first shot is WAY off. I always load up about 50 grs of powder and pop it off on the way to the places I hunt. When I get there I load up and the guns are dead on. Then they are left loaded.

[Edward]

My TC 54 stays loaded with 2F and a PRB the only thing I do is cover the muzzle with blue painters tape and I use a MagSpark (closed system) CCI 209 primer .Longest time loaded was two weeks and it was quick and accurate ,so I don't worry about shooting other than I want too!

[odfairfaxsub]

Loaded w primer out and a ear plug in its place and a balloon on end of barrel. I tested this out last year by leaving it loaded and seeing if it would go off. Every time it went off in this storage fashion. Keeping the gun outside protected from weather but not temp isn't going to effect the ignition process

[fastdadio]

Once loaded, I leave mine in the hard case out on the cold enclosed porch or in the truck. It always goes bang. The only time I do a maintenance check, fire, clean-reload is if I get rained on. I have left it loaded for a year at a time and it still fires puurfectly. I do use a small rifle magnum primer which adds to the moisture resistance factor.

[mooman76]

I load the morning of just like when I go practice shooting. Keeps my routine the same so I am confident it will fire. I leave it loaded though until I am done hunting unless I think the load is compromised due to weather. Then I shoot and reload.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I put black electrical tape over the muzzles of all my firearms when hunting or loaded - keeps out rain, snow, dirt if stumble - also keeps you from loading 2nd charge in muzzleloader. Does not affect 1st shot impact, I have tested this out to 250 yards.