Blackhorn 209 new black powder

[bowhunthard88]

I just realized that I directed my question to smokepoler when it should have been bowhunthard.
You mention that you have 19" of drop at 200 yards. That seems a bit much; at what range are you zero'd?

Zero @ 100 yds., 19.18" drop @ 200 yds. I'm shooting a relatively low velocity tho. I'm not shooting really far though, 300 yds. max. 67.27" drop @ 300 yds. I could realistically bump up the velocity and still obtain reasonable accuracy, but this is the absolute sweet spot for accuracy.

 

[meatyrem]

WRG or bowhunthard or anyone else that could be of some help. Im wondering what would cause a super sweet half inch group @ 100yds to open up to just over 2 inch at same range? My load- 120gr Blackhorn TC shockwave 200gr, winchester 209, TC prohunter. I did not change my load at all cuz I thought three shots cutting half inch holes was purdy darned good. Shot that well last year and the start of this year too, only when I took it out to double check my zero for the ML season did it change. It was a lot colder the last time too. I found an average 120 gr (volume) comes out to about 88gr wieghed on my scale. Could the cold affect the plastic sabots and not be as plyabe or load pressure. Also I noticed that the new boxes of sabots have a lighter color of blue than the old ones, could this be a problem too? Could my BH209 be getting old? Or could it be how tight I pack the bullet in the barrel? Thanks for any help, Meatyrem

 

[smokepoler]

WRG or bowhunthard or anyone else that could be of some help. Im wondering what would cause a super sweet half inch group @ 100yds to open up to just over 2 inch at same range? My load- 120gr Blackhorn TC shockwave 200gr, winchester 209, TC prohunter. I did not change my load at all cuz I thought three shots cutting half inch holes was purdy darned good. Shot that well last year and the start of this year too, only when I took it out to double check my zero for the ML season did it change. It was a lot colder the last time too. I found an average 120 gr (volume) comes out to about 88gr wieghed on my scale. Could the cold affect the plastic sabots and not be as plyabe or load pressure. Also I noticed that the new boxes of sabots have a lighter color of blue than the old ones, could this be a problem too? Could my BH209 be getting old? Or could it be how tight I pack the bullet in the barrel? Thanks for any help, Meatyrem

I would check all scope mounts and screws that hold the gun to the stock first. Also, what kind of scope? MLs don't like cheap scopes.

 

[meatyrem]

Smokepoler; I have the leupold ultimate slam 3-9x40 on leupold mounts and rings. And eerything was tightened with locktite too.

 

[smokepoler]

Smokepoler; I have the leupold ultimate slam 3-9x40 on leupold mounts and rings. And eerything was tightened with locktite too.

No questions on that setup. In fact, I'm using the same scope on my Knight. The only other things I can think of would be the age of the powder and the primers. I use the T7 pellets & found that old pellets don't shoot the same as fresh ones. Whether or not that's the case with BH209, I don't know. Might be worth a try to use a new batch of powder & primers & see if your results improve. Your reference to the sabot material being different might be a factor also. A call to TC tech support may clear up that issue if in fact they are using a different, softer material.

 

[meatyrem]

yes, everything is snug too.

 

[meatyrem]

The powder and the primers are what I used earlier this season and had no problems then. Maybe I started loading it tighter with more pressure as Im seating the bullet, as opposed to just stopping with the bullet snugging into the powder. I also swab the barrel after every shot just as I did when I was using t7. Three t7 pellets and 200gr shockwave win 209 was getting 1.5" groups@ 100 with an old encore. I shot my PH all last year getting .5" holes and the begining of this year too. I dont think a change in20 deg or so would change anything. Im thinking inconsistant seating pressure or the new (or at least looks different plastic sabots) may be it.

 

[smokepoler]

The powder and the primers are what I used earlier this season and had no problems then. Maybe I started loading it tighter with more pressure as Im seating the bullet, as opposed to just stopping with the bullet snugging into the powder. I also swab the barrel after every shot just as I did when I was using t7. Three t7 pellets and 200gr shockwave win 209 was getting 1.5" groups@ 100 with an old encore. I shot my PH all last year getting .5" holes and the begining of this year too. I dont think a change in20 deg or so would change anything. Im thinking inconsistant seating pressure or the new (or at least looks different plastic sabots) may be it.

I'm assuming you have your ramrod marked as to depth of seating and are seating to that mark. Other than the sabots, don't know what else other than the temps. Sometimes, it can help if someone else shoots the gun to see if the results are repeatable. As an aside most TCs shoot great with two T7 pellets, T7 primers and 250 gr shockwaves. IMHO the three pellet load is peddled just to sell more powder. With proper shot placement on deer, out to 200 yds, there's more than enough knockdown power with two pellets and a 250 grainer and accuracy is 100 percent better than the three pellet load.

 

[bowhunthard88]

WRG or bowhunthard or anyone else that could be of some help. Im wondering what would cause a super sweet half inch group @ 100yds to open up to just over 2 inch at same range? My load- 120gr Blackhorn TC shockwave 200gr, winchester 209, TC prohunter. I did not change my load at all cuz I thought three shots cutting half inch holes was purdy darned good. Shot that well last year and the start of this year too, only when I took it out to double check my zero for the ML season did it change. It was a lot colder the last time too. I found an average 120 gr (volume) comes out to about 88gr wieghed on my scale. Could the cold affect the plastic sabots and not be as plyabe or load pressure. Also I noticed that the new boxes of sabots have a lighter color of blue than the old ones, could this be a problem too? Could my BH209 be getting old? Or could it be how tight I pack the bullet in the barrel? Thanks for any help, Meatyrem

The [new] sabots could definitely be the issue (the age of the BH209 should not, especially if you used the same powder this year), I believe TC switched something in their SuperGlide sabots also. I am now using Hornady's version (same bullet, different sabot) with better results. You could try purchasing Hornady or M&P sabots and see how they shoot.

One other thing I would check is the hinge pin, make sure it is still installed properly and not rubbing on one side of the forend or the other.

Good luck, and let us know.

 

[bowhunthard88]

The powder and the primers are what I used earlier this season and had no problems then. Maybe I started loading it tighter with more pressure as Im seating the bullet, as opposed to just stopping with the bullet snugging into the powder. I also swab the barrel after every shot just as I did when I was using t7. Three t7 pellets and 200gr shockwave win 209 was getting 1.5" groups@ 100 with an old encore. I shot my PH all last year getting .5" holes and the begining of this year too. I dont think a change in20 deg or so would change anything. Im thinking inconsistant seating pressure or the new (or at least looks different plastic sabots) may be it.

I would also try not swabbing between shots, as this is the whole idea behind BH209.

 

[meatyrem]

I also tried not swabbing between shots because I figured what would it hurt and found no difference, slightly a little worse. I also recently came to that conclusion of trying hornadys sabots with the same bullets as you said they are the same bullet. It wasn't until after I had recently loaded it again and noticed the new sabots didn't take much effort at all to load down the barrel and seat it. The old bullets and sabots that I had from a couple years ago had a much more snug fit in the barrel and they shot much better( the .5 " groups ) that I was getting and only had about a handfull of them left until this year. I was also getting that accuracy by swabbing the barrel after every shot and because of that I didn't want to change anything. Thanks bowhunthard. I will try and get some of those hornady sabots and give them a try.

 

[LeadHead]

If you suspect a sabot problem, you might consider trying the Harvester crush rib sabots. They get great reviews from a lot of people and they've served me well, too. Grafs carries them for about $5-$6 per 50, IIRC.

 

[meatyrem]

Thanks to both, I'm thinking it would be wise I try that idea since I've noticed a change in sabots. The only sabots I found to this point that are fifty cal that are compatible with the forty cal 200gr is the MMP sabots from cabelas. I had seen some of the crush rib sabots but only the ones for the .50 cal with the .45 slug. Will report back as soon as I get results

 

[LeadHead]

Sorry, I missed the little detail that you were using a .40 cal. bullet. That does tend to limit your options.