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Muzzleloader Safety: Preventing Double Charges (Video Included)

Wade's World Hunting: “Did I ever remove the old charge from my muzzleloader?” Sooner or later virtually all muzzleloaders ask themselves this question. During hunting season, it’s a common practice to leave an unfired charge in the rifle from day to day. For safety purposes, the cap should be removed from the nipple after each hunt. Also, it’s not uncommon for hunters to leave an unfired charge in a muzzleloader from one season to the next. This practice is not recommended for safety purposes and also because of the likelihood of corrosion buildup. Then at the start of the next season, the question arises: “Did I remove the old charge after last year?” A new charge loaded on top of an old one can be extremely dangerous!

There’s an easy way to remove any doubt as to whether or not a muzzeloader has an old charge in the barrel. After loading the gun, run the ramrod down the barrel atop the charge. With the end of the ramrod resting on the bullet, mark the ramrod even with the end of the muzzle. Carve a notch or add a piece of tape to mark the spot.

Then, when the question “did I ever remove the old charge from my muzzleloader?” comes up, drop the ramrod down the barrel. If it goes past the mark, there is no charge in the barrel. But if the ramrod stops with the mark even with the end of the muzzle, a charge is in place and must be shot out or removed before loading a new charge.