[Kaptin]

This might be a stupid question, but how long can one expect to keep a cap and ball pistol loaded and still depend on it to do the job at hand? I mean like on the night stand or something not out in the weather every day.

Do you have to fire it and clean it every so often?

[Davyboy]

The old timers used to seal with bees wax or a mixture to protect load and would be left almost indefinately. The cap is purely depenent on dry storage

[Hawg]

As long as you want to.

[ALSGUN]

a little crisco and wax you could probably go swimmin

[canebrake]

I'd say as long as its loaded properly, the same amount of time as you keep your cartridge ammo.

[dunerunner]

Air and moisture will leak into the charge around the nipple and cap and eventually weaken the charge. I wouldn't keep a cap and ball revolver loaded more than a week in humidities above 30%.

Black powder also contains high amounts of sulfur which will produce sulfuric acid if exposed to moisture.

[Hawg]

Robert E. Lee's 51 Navy was fired 7 years after his death and all six rounds went off without a hitch. I found an original 58 Remington in an old dilapidated barn fully loaded. The powder was fine.

[skip]

I left my Ruger Old Army loaded for 2 1/2 years (cap, powder, wonder wad, ball) and it fired on all six with no problem. Checked the cylinder after cleaning and found no signs of damage.

[Jamesaritchie]

Originally Posted by Kaptin

This might be a stupid question, but how long can one expect to keep a cap and ball pistol loaded and still depend on it to do the job at hand? I mean like on the night stand or something not out in the weather every day.

Do you have to fire it and clean it every so often?

You often can leave then loaded indefinitely. I've seen one that fired after almost fifty years.

This does not mean it's a good idea. I've seen many others that were a complete mess because moisture got in and wasn't taken care of. You should always, without fail, clean any black powder firearm after firing, and when you're done for the day, why reload?

Moisture can get in, and if this happens it can ruin an otherwise fine day of hunting. It can also make a mess of the chambers of your firearm. Black powder does not behave well when wet, and even a tiny bit of moisture will rust and pit the chambers. Clean and store the firearm empty. You can reload when you're ready to fire it again.

[tiberius10721]

I leave my black powder revolver loaded for 2 or 3 months at a time in my night stand and have never had a problem . my 1858 uberti is my favorite pistol.