I always leave my long range hunting rigs dirty so I know where the cold bore shot is going to go. I was wandering if it will be ok to fire a shot of Blackhorn 209, just before entering the backcountry for up to 10 days, and not clean it? Does anyone have any experience with this? With my Savage MLII the clean cold bore is not too far out of the group but it is generally noticeable.
Blackhorn 209 question
- Thread starter FURMAN
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ENCORE
Well-Known Member
I've been shooting BH209 since I could get my hands on it. Absolutely love it too. I hunt just about exclusively with the muzz and if not the muzz, its a 1881 Marlin 40-60 but, even that's rare. I've also had stainless barrels since I bought the first Knight that I could get my hands on back in the day.
I always and without fail......... shoot two fully loaded rounds out of the muzz at the backstop, then load it for hunting and it remains loaded. Here in MI, that's from Nov 15th until Jan 1st. I've left every one of my rifles loaded and a couple years, for the entire season (being picky on what I shoot or wanted to shoot). I've yet to have a single problem with mositure or issues with the barrel/breech. I will admit though, that I've been caught in some pretty heavy all day rains, after which when the day is done, I'll fire the round and just load it back up after wipeing it down.
You could just put a small piece of electrical tape over the end, which will keep heavy moisture out (Kinda like a Shockey thing). I just never bring my rifle into a warm garage, house or cabin. I'll leave the case outside and let it be cold all day then, if I decide to bring the rifle into the garage, I put it inside the case and bring it in. It won't get that immediate blast of warm air and moisture form. Doing with it in the case, the case itself protects it and it won't cause moisture. Just keep a rag with your preference of oil on it, to wipe down the exposed parts. IMO.... you're good to go. I have no hesitation myself.
NOTE: When T/C came out with the Encore rifles, I've shot nothing but Encores or Pro Hunters since.
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FrontierGander
Well-Known Member
fouling attracts moisture and moisture causes rust. Fire your fouling shot and just use a DRY patch and push that down the bore to remove the heavier amounts of fouling and you should be fine. You can darn near clean bh209 fouling with just dry patches.
All out guns shoot the same POI on a clean bore, so that's how we hunt.
All out guns shoot the same POI on a clean bore, so that's how we hunt.
Crop Damage
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I would agree with encore, you can leave it loaded and fouled the whole season with no problems at all. I do. The two fouling shots are important, I have missed deer when I forgot to dirty it up. Blackhorn is great powder.
Ive used the BH 209 for 4 yrs. Its the best powder around!! There are a few drawbacks but nothing major. I have seen on a perfectly clean bore it can take up to three shots before it comes to where its zeroed. After loading to hunt I like to shoot and reload after 5 days. It wont make a difference inside 150 yrds but I am set up to shoot up to 425 yrds with my Encore Pro Hunter. Magnum primers are best!!! Never had a problem with moister or misfires. I do take precautions on rainy days.
Ive checked several different guns for clean bore POI difference and can't find it with BH 209. Make sure you have a problem before you try to solve it by fouling the bore.
I believe the folks that say it makes a difference but it doesn't in my guns.
I believe the folks that say it makes a difference but it doesn't in my guns.
ENCORE
Well-Known Member
That's the fun with muzzleloaders. Each one of them may have their own quirks. Some never change POI, clean or fouled, where others require fouling. Many have speculated at to what may cause the event, with some thinking its related to the lubricant used after cleaning. I've tried many different lubricants, yet I still end up with the same results.
This is a target shot specifically as an example of what happens with a clean bore from my Pro Hunter... This would be a major problem, if my first shot was 200 yds
