Blackhorn 209 question

[ENCORE]

I used BH 209 for the first time this year on my elk hunt.I loaded 120 grains by volume behind a a Parker Match Hunter 275 and shot it out of a Rem. 700 custom I put together on a short action.Primer was a cci mag rifle seated in a cut off rifle case.Three shot clusters measured under 1 inch at 100 and accuracy was great out to 400.
On my hunt after passing up several nice bulls I put a 2 hour stalk on a good one laying in his bed.I took the shot at 336 yards and he never got up.I've got pictures ;but don't know how to post them.
I was really pleased with the BH 209 and if I ever draw this ML hunt again it is what I'll Shoot.If anyone would like to post the photos for me I can send by phone or email. Thanks Charles

Congrats! Sounds like an exciting hunt you had. GREAT shoot'n !! gun)

 

[jkupper]

I offered to help Charles by posting the picture of the elk that he shot in his previous post. Impressive animal!!! Great work Charles!

 

[ENCORE]

I offered to help Charles by posting the picture of the elk that he shot in his previous post. Impressive animal!!! Great work Charles!

Great! Thanks for posting his picture.

 

[charles bonner]

jkupper: thanks for posting my picture.The bull was taken in N.M. unit 17 which is a ML only unit.I was able to pass up several bulls before the stalk on this one and could have taken a 4 and a 5 on the way to him.He had 2 rag horns and to spike bedded close to him along with a bunch of cows.We spotted him at 10:30 A.M. and I touched the trigger at !2:36.I debated a long time on taking the shot and was about to walk when my hunting partner said"That's a big bull and you built this rifle for this very shot!""Now get down and shoot him"At the shot we both saw dust fly about 20' to the left and he said "reload Quick"!I told him if I had missed there was no need to reload as I could not shoot a better shot then that.We did reload and he grabbed the glasses and said where is the bull.I see the cows; but no bull.Then he started laughing.The bull had rolled over a half turn and was laying with his feet straight up in the air.Looked like a big turtle hung up on his shell!He was laying in the shade and we could not see the dust from the shot until it blew out of the shadows.
Sorry for the long post;but I'm still excited.Started deer hunting today-But it ain't elk hunting.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Very nice. We have an elk herd here but getting a permit is an exercise in futility and/or political correctness. I'm not patient or politically correct.

Deer however, are a tangible commodity, in fact, overpopulated so I'll be out next Friday with my smoke pole.

Got to go check on my bait piles now.....

 

[HighKnob]

Has anyone had problems with BH209 not have a very long shelf life? Seems one of our guys tried it and was in love until he loaded it the next year and it just barely popped. May have been something else though. It's been awhile. We still all shoot BP, so you know how contrary we are.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Like any single base/double base powder with nitrocellouse added, you have to keep it tightly sealed and dry or it looses it's 'foof'.

The easiest way to tell if it's viable is smell it. If it has a vinegar smell, it's good to go.

You can also tell by observing it as it pours. If it pours out without clumping, it's fine. If it clumps, can it.

I keep mine tightly sealed in a controlled atmosphere powder locker with the rest of my propellants.

By controlled atmosphere, I mean a tightly fitting rubber 'o' ringed lid and dessicant gel inside to absorb any moisture. If the gel turns purple, it's time to bake it in the oven. It needs to be milky clear.

 

[focker]

What do you think of BH209?

"If your gun doesn't light blackhorn 209, get one that does"--we say.

It is harder to light than other substitutes, but it is worth having a gun that does. It's the single biggest advancement in muzzleloading. Yes, I know that includes the inline from flinklock, the sabot, the 209, etc. My opinion, this is my favorite of the list.

Here's my experience with it regarding weight by volume and accuracy nodes. My Thompson Center measurer, the clear one with the funnel shaped top, throws about +- 2 grains. I have found that to be an intolerable amount, here's why:

I decided to treat my TC omega like a "real rifle" regarding accuracy. I decided this would be a worthwhile venture, as we have seen with shotgun(sabot) slugs, it might matter big time if your gun likes that slug, so the test was on.

I weighed charges from about 98-102 in .7gr increments. Yes, .7 gr increments. The weights are in the high 60's low 70's, which checking my notes was 7 or 300 magnum type numbers. Using that info, I hoped .7 gr would be the right amount. The five groups were fired in round robin fashion until all 5 targets, and therefor load, had a 3 shot group showing. The results were shocking. Same shooter, same gun, same powder, same bullet, same day. Only change was a powder charge from roughly 98-102 gr by volume. The best was a perfect clover leaf, the worst was a 4 inch horizontal spread(scatter node). Just like a "real rifle", arguably more pronounced.
Other details, TC omega, BH209, Hornady SST-ML hi speed lo drag, range 100yds.

The results were enough to warrant more testing to find a larger wider accuracy node. Cool, eh

 

[SidecarFlip]

What do you think of BH209?

"If your gun doesn't light blackhorn 209, get one that does"--we say.

It is harder to light than other substitutes, but it is worth having a gun that does. It's the single biggest advancement in muzzleloading. Yes, I know that includes the inline from flinklock, the sabot, the 209, etc. My opinion, this is my favorite of the list.

Any inline will ignite 209 so long as the primer ignition channel is a sufficiently large enough diameter....

Here's my experience with it regarding weight by volume and accuracy nodes. My Thompson Center measurer, the clear one with the funnel shaped top, throws about +- 2 grains. I have found that to be an intolerable amount, here's why:

I decided to treat my TC omega like a "real rifle" regarding accuracy. I decided this would be a worthwhile venture, as we have seen with shotgun(sabot) slugs, it might matter big time if your gun likes that slug, so the test was on.

I weighed charges from about 98-102 in .7gr increments. Yes, .7 gr increments. The weights are in the high 60's low 70's, which checking my notes was 7 or 300 magnum type numbers. Using that info, I hoped .7 gr would be the right amount. The five groups were fired in round robin fashion until all 5 targets, and therefor load, had a 3 shot group showing. The results were shocking. Same shooter, same gun, same powder, same bullet, same day. Only change was a powder charge from roughly 98-102 gr by volume. The best was a perfect clover leaf, the worst was a 4 inch horizontal spread(scatter node). Just like a "real rifle", arguably more pronounced.
Other details, TC omega, BH209, Hornady SST-ML hi speed lo drag, range 100yds.

The results were enough to warrant more testing to find a larger wider accuracy node. Cool, eh

Interesting.

 

[focker]

I should point out .7 was the conversion factor used for 1gr of volume converted to weight, if that wasn't obviouos.

Also I forgot to add the change in seemingly small increments being "more pronounced" than a real rifle were somewhat expected as anytime in a muzzleloader you change powder charge you also change......seating depth.
Darn, you say, I hate changing 2 variables at once. Me too, but can't help it. Just wanted to add that little bit of info, since the 2 things moving my rifles in and out of accurracy nodes are changed simultaneously in a muzzleloader.

Off to the range

 

[Brad615]

I'm new to mzl shooting so sorry if this is a dumb question but here it goes,
If it states blackhorn 120 v max = 84 grains max charge does that mean the most I should be weighing out on my balance scale is 84 grains?

 

[ENCORE]

I'm new to mzl shooting so sorry if this is a dumb question but here it goes,
If it states blackhorn 120 v max = 84 grains max charge does that mean the most I should be weighing out on my balance scale is 84 grains?

Absolutely YES, you're correct. 84grs WEIGHED is a max charge for production muzzleloaders.