blackthorn 209 help

deputy338

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Joined
Jul 27, 2015
Messages
49
Location
Elk River, MN
either i am completely over thinking how to properly measure BH209 or I just have no clue. All the powder measurers i have seen available measure by grains. My fiance just got me my dream prohunter and i am really fearful of ruining it. please help! :confused:
 
Just use a regular black powder volume measure. Blackhorn does not recommend more than 120gr by volume. Accuracy sweet spot for most is 100-110gr by volume.
 
I go by volume, I shot 120grs last year but have backed off to 110 for this season with no noticeable loss in accuracy. I doubt I could go back to shooting pyrodex after BH209. It's just so much easier to clean.
 
Where legal my load is 110 grains of Blackhorn and the 250grain SST w/ Harvester sabot (black)...it'll shoot 1" groups all day long. In weapons restricted areas I'm using 100grains with 295 powerbelts which I find accurate but not my preferred.

Whatever you choose for a load use the hottest 209 primer you can like Federal 209 Magnum and stay away from "muzzleloader 209" primers as they are much too cold to get consistent ignition.
 
I feel a little bad, now after reading how simple it is. I plan on trying both blackthorn and IMR white hotz. Hopefully something either will show me some consistent groups.
 
Don't feel bad...better safe than sorry! I started shooting blackhorn and inlines a couple years ago after 20+ years of strictly only black powder in traditional muzzleloaders and I had to research the same thing. For ease you may find IMR white hots better but I feel like Blackhorn is a bit cleaner and offers ability to adjust your loads much easier.
 
I have always shot Triple 7 pellets until going on a hunt in Hawaii and knowing Blackhorn was the only thing I was going to be able to acquire there. Not only did it shoot well out of my rifle it was even cleaner than expected. I was able to shoot ten loads in a row with out any cleaning and there was no noticeable change in impact or difficulty loading. Shooting more than two rounds with Triple 7 would have required cleaning. I have a few pellets of Triple 7 and a pound of loose Triple 7 that I wont be needing now that I have switched to 209.

I measure by volume out of a powder measure. I do have some of the small pre-loadable BH209 tubes with measurements on the side, but I have found that they do not seem as accurate. They work great for fast reloads, but I do not trust the markings on the side.
 
For best accuracy better than minutes of deer. I volume measure 5 times each one I actually weigh and see what it is then take the average of the five. I do this with each new pound of BH209. My gun cuts holes at 100 yards doing this . 110 grains by volume is usually at that 76 grains weighed. I put each eighed charge into a vial. Started doing this a long time ago.
 
Here's my setup, some cheap tubes I got on ebay, color coded for powder or bullets+cap, all stuck into an MTM shotgun case.

Each charge is weighed on a cheap digital reloading scale.
IMG_20171129_212036655.jpg
 
I use 90gr (volume) of Blackhorn 209 and 250 gr Thor bullets. Works on everything from whitetail to elk.
 
Measuring by volume is best, i believe Blackhorn recommends not exceeding 120 grains, most front stuffers have a sweet spot between 100-110 grains! good luck!
 
I swung over to BH 209 a few years ago and "gave away" all my 777 pellets.
90 grains by volume and a Hornady Great Plains bullet (385 grain bore size lead bullet).
Redman...I would be interested in knowing if you used the THOR 'sample sizing pack" to test fit your bore?
As others have stated on another recent thread....this powder makes life much easier to clean and cleaning less often.

Merry Christmas to all...........10Dogs
 
I'm not sure why volume is preferred. Depending on how the grains settle you can easily be off by 5% or more in your loaders, I would guess. I wouldn't trust it for consistency.
 
77 grs by weight of bh and barnes 250 or 290 gr tez bullets work very well out of my cva accura v2
 

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