Blackhorn BH-209

[alan]

I would like to hear some range reports & any testing data/comparisons on this "New" powder/propellant. It supposedly does away with all the problems associated with 777 but there must be a downside.

[ncboman]

A good friend of mine shoots it and he loves it, repeatedly shooting with no ill effect regarding accuracy.

...the only bad thing I've heard about it is the price.

ncboman

[alan]

From what I've learned so far is it takes a 209 primer because it is hard to ignite. That may rule it out for me because I have a difficult time speed loading a 209 on my Knight because of the confined space. For that reason I installed musket cap which likely will not be hot enough.

[Rattus58]

From what I've learned so far is it takes a 209 primer because it is hard to ignite. That may rule it out for me because I have a difficult time speed loading a 209 on my Knight because of the confined space. For that reason I installed musket cap which likely will not be hot enough.

I'm not so sure about that.... musket caps are pretty hot and send a flame a long way.

Aloha... :cool:

[alan]

I would like to give it a try if I knew it would reliably ignite before I shell out the $$$. Has anyone tried BH-209 with musket caps?

[ncboman]

I'm gonna buy some of it before long and find out for sure before I go to changing my guns out. My friend says I'll throw all my 777 away. :rolleyes:

I'm going on both sides of the road on this. With one rifle I'm going with the BH 209 and with another rifle I'm going to black powder and bore butter. One of my boys likes the bp guns a good bit and I'm kinda checking the field out with him, see what he likes.

Heck, I may even eventually table these Knights and find a Sharps. :D

ncboman

[Twanger]

A BPCR sharps in 45-110 would be the nads!

Throw away my Triple-7? Well, that's what they said about Pyrodex when 777 came out, and what they said about black powder when Pyrodex came out.. :D

I still use Pyrodex pellets in the Encore, but may switch to 777 if a good long-range load can be found.

[Little Buck]

I shot some of the BH209 last year. Also did quite a bit of internet snooping on some of the dedicated ML forums to see what everyone was saying.

It is indeed difficult to ignite. I tried several different primers. None of the low power stuff like 777 or Kleenbore would set it off. I had best luck with Winchester 209's. I've heard that some people are also using magnum primers, but haven't tried that.

It's also rumored that ML's with longer breech plugs may have hangfire issues with it. I tried it in a G2 209x50 (which probably has the longest breech plug of any ML on the market). My first shot was a substantial hangfire. All others were instant ignition.

BH209 is not recommended for MLs that do not have sealed breeches either. But, I know that some are using it with no problems.

One of the other advantages is that there is no needed cleaning between shots. I also found this to be accurate. My 20th shot loaded as easily as my first each time I was out. That was with ZERO swabbing between shots.

Consistency also seemed to be great. It was very accurate in the three ML's I shot it in.

One of the downsides that has been noted on some of the other forums is that it will foul breech plugs with carbon to the point that they'll have to be replaced or you'll need to drill the flash hole out (similar to the vent liners with the Savage ML's). There's also some limited reports of flame etching on some breech plugs.

BH209 is also hotter than 777. IIRC the max. recommended load is 120 gr. That is supposed to be equivalent to 150 gr. of 777.

And lastly is the cost. That's already been pointed out.

To me, BH209 is a viable alternative for the hunter. That's the guy who shots probably less than a hundred shots a year. For the target shooters in the crowd that do way more than that, I think there are better options.

LB

[Rattus58]

Yer right... probably not fer me.... I shoot a pound of powder a day at the range... :)

Aloha... :cool:

[alan]

Can it be purchased via catalog/on-line? I have not seen it in any local dealers.

[Little Buck]

You can purchase it online, but you'll have to pay the haz-mat charges.
It would be much more economical to purchase several jugs of it if you do it this way.

Maybe you could get an order up with some of your buddies.

I forget what the haz-mat charge is right off the top of my head. I'm wanting to say $25 per box (of course the box could contain several jugs of powder). You can mix powder types also if you want something in addition to the BH209.

LB

[ncboman]

Bass Pro had it last fall up in Hampton, Va. My friend said he bought the last bottle so I didn't go a lookin. :o

Considering the hazmat crap, it's just as cheap for me to drive to get it.

I need lead shot more than anything but times are tight right now. :o

ncboman