Is it OK to keep a BP weapon loaded when not in use?

Hawg Haggen:
That is a fantastic story, you found a loaded Remington in a barn!
Would you give us the details?
Was this gun from the Civil War?
 
Hawg Haggen:
That is a fantastic story, you found a loaded Remington in a barn!
Would you give us the details?
Was this gun from the Civil War?
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I was metal detecting on some property (with permission). There was an old house site and a dilapitaded barn. Wasn't digging much worthwhile so decided to explore the barn. It was hanging on a nail from a support beam with all six chambers loaded and capped.(the caps wouldn't fire)It was frozen but freed up fairly easy. Action was like new once it was freed up and oiled. Serial number dated it to 1862. It had a dovetailed silver front sight and the cylinder pin could be removed without dropping the lever. It also had the military inspectors cartouche on the grips. I've found several old guns, knives, bayonets etc. in old houses and barns. Yes I showed it to the property owner and he said he'd never seen it before and had been in the old barn several times when he first bought the property. He also said it was mine since I found it. He was planning on dozing the barn down, if I hadn't found it it would have been lost forever. It now resides in a gentlemans collection in NYC.
 
Thanks for that story Hawg Haggen.

The frontiersmen kept their gun loaded all the time. There was no telling when they needed it to defend themselves against man or beast. Remember, clean it before you load it.

BTW, I know one famous gun maker who keeps his smokepole loaded. It came in handy when his dog fought this 'coon. Darn 'coon bit the dog right through the nose too. He shot it and skinned it (the 'coon, not the dog).
 
4V50 Gary said:
Thanks for that story Hawg Haggen.

The frontiersmen kept their gun loaded all the time. There was no telling when they needed it to defend themselves against man or beast. Remember, clean it before you load it.

BTW, I know one famous gun maker who keeps his smokepole loaded. It came in handy when his dog fought this 'coon. Darn 'coon bit the dog right through the nose too. He shot it and skinned it (the 'coon, not the dog).
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You sure you haven't been keeping tabs on me?

Bout 20 years ago I was living in a Trailer in Prince George, Va. when a Coon found a hole in the floor that I didn't know about & was doing God only knows what in that room, well I let a chamber from my 1860 Army loose with Lead BB's take care of him & had to show the Sherrif what all the rucus was about & what made the mess when a neighbor call em.

.44 caliber 1860.
15gr. FFFG Goex.
15gr. Lead BB's.
12 feet.

A big mess on the floor & wall to clean up the next mornin.
 
Yes Gary I like to think of how the pioneers used their guns.
The frontiersman had to keep his rifle loaded at all times. For him, it was not a matter of missing a shot at a deer, it was a matter of life and death.
If the frontiersman was out in Indian territory and he casually discharged his rifle at sunset, it would signal the Indians as to his location, and he would be dead before dawn.
Moreover, the pioneer could not drive up to the gun shop and buy another pound of powder. Powder was scarce and expensive.
So he had to figure a way to keep his rifle, or pistol, loaded at all times and to fire it only when necessary.
 
Yes Raider, me & the revenooers are keeping tabs on you and when the jugs are about filled, we're coming to grab 'em all for ourselves. ;) Actually, the fellow I was writing about used an iron mounted southern rifle of his own build and not a revolver like you did.

You got that right Simonkenton. No unnecessary discharge of firearm and you had to keep it loaded all the time even when you stayed in a cabin. Going outside to take a leak in the morning was sometimes the last thing a feller did. One of the Wetzel boys and sister Susannah used to show a dummy figure before stepping outside of the cabin. The dummy was nailed but their lives were spared (and they killed one of their assailants too).
 
4V50 Gary said:
Yes Raider, me & the revenooers are keeping tabs on you and when the jugs are about filled, we're coming to grab 'em all for ourselves. Actually, the fellow I was writing about used an iron mounted southern rifle of his own build and not a revolver like you did.
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Well shoot come on in & sit a spell, we'll crack open a jug of some of the best sippin water & have a good time. ;)
 
Also I see guys are concerned about corrosion occurring in the loaded bp gun.
The frontiersman was more concerned about that than we are.
To us these guns are pretty toys. We buy them, shoot them at the range, hunt with them some. We play with them. If we don't get a deer with our Hawken, we just stop by the store and buy a pound of burger.
To the frontiersman the rifle was the focal point of his life. The rifle was probably the most valuable thing he owned. It was critical to him, every day, to provide food and self defense.
If he woke up one morning and his rifle or pistol had corroded to the point that they were unusable, he couldn't get out the Visa card and call Cabelas.
 
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