[jason7mm]

So i finally got a bottle of Blackhorn 209 powder. Went out yesterday to test.
I've got a Traditions Pursuit LT frontloader with a Bushnell Trophy XLT mounted on it.
This gun has been a struggle for the last 5 years... can not get a consistant group, EVER!
was at my last straw and figured i would try this powder, and if it still didn't work, I would have to sell off the gun.
first impression is that it doesn't even look like powder! more like little hollow cylinders of the exact same shap and length, and no dust or anything like that.
when loading, the bullet seats firmly, no crushing sensation.
first shot felt good.
I probably shot off about 20 rounds total (i had the scope off, and remounted it so had to bring it back in)
the last round went down the barrel as easily as the first, like the bottle claims.
I am now shooting sub 3" groups, never have i done this with my M/L, and am super happy!I feel like if i had more time to play with the powder charge, i could bring it in tighter, but just ran out of time.
This stuff did everything the bottle says it would, untill it came to cleaning.
Bottle says a couple patches with Hoppes #9 and done... it took about 15 patches at least (but still not a big deal)
the breach plug came out like i never took a single shot, and when inspecting the barrel when i got home, there was no sign of a "crud ring" just soot in the barrel.
just figured i would write this as i havn't seen anybody on here talk about this powder and must say i recomend it!
it was hard to find on the other hand! Cabela's was out, Wholesale doen't sell it, so i found some at Height's Archery on Portage (only had 2 bottles left) It is a little pricy, but still cheaper in comparison to preformed pellets!
I am looking forward to the M/L season more than i ever have!

 

[snomad]

Another week or two yet. Leaves are about 2/3 down out there. Had the trail cam out but it was set a little sensitive with all the leaf up still; 6200+ pics in 3 days and no deer! :iams: Filled an 8 gig card and killed 8 AA cells in 3 days!
When I run out of pellets and loose 777 I am going to try something cleaner too. If you shot 20 rounds and didn't clean at all it's got to be more consistent. With my older Remington I found as soon as I started to go past 90 grains of Pyrodex RS the groups started to open up. That is one advantage of loose powder over pellets, not to mention consistency of ignition. What charge of blackhorn were you using?

 

[Patty]

I just got my all my gear for Muzzle season... Trying 777 pellets, just for ease of use... Usually shoot loose powder for the reasons Snomad mentioned... Is the blackhorn the Goex stuff??? My brother tried some stuff from heights last year, but there was some mis communication about what breach plugs it could be used in (no good in the kind with a spring)...

 

[jondur]

I know I can't believe the big stores ran out. I need another bottle for a few tune up shots before ML opens. I use 100 grains with a 250 or 200 grain bullet. My Savage does well on that charge. No need to pour any more in the barrel.

 

[jason7mm]

I'm using 90 grains with a 300 Hornady SST, and my Pursuit seems to like the combo... like i said, if i had more time i would play with the charge a bit and see if i could tighten up even more... but sub 3" @ 100 is the tightest it's ever been so i'm thrilled right now. Ya Jan, not one swab in 20 shots... was seeing if the stuff was as good as it claims! it is!
Blackhorn 209 is made by Western Powders Patty

 

[snowshoe]

Too rich for me. I am still using up Goex 3f black powder, 100g of 3f behind a 250g smackdown bullet/sabot makes a 2" 3 shot group, swabing between shots.

 

[Patty]

Too rich for me. I am still using up Goex 3f black powder, 100g of 3f behind a 250g smackdown bullet/sabot makes a 2" 3 shot group, swabing between shots.

I got the 250gr smackdowns as well... Any expierience on deer with them??? I'm pretty sure they still are Hornady SST with Traditions name on them...

 

[snowshoe]

Took 2 whitetails last year with the 250 smackdown's. One was a big doe at 50 yards broadside, the bullet went right through with no evidence of expansion, only leaving the little plastic tip behind. The second was facing me at 50 yards so I put the bullet into it's neck just above the shoulders. The bullet again showed no expansion but left the little plastic tip behind just under the hide. I will not buy anymore, probably try a 250g XTP next.

 

[snomad]

Try the SST's. I recovered the bullet from a quartering front shot last year and it was a perfect mushroom. 250 grain, Easy Load Sabots, box of 20 from Hornady. I used to use the XTP pistol bullets in sabots but they just punched holes it seemed. Never did recover one of those bullets.

 

[Patty]

I don't know if they have changed the SST bullets at all, but there used to be terrible jacket separation... My brother uses the 300SST and on several of his kills we have found the copper jacket just under the hide on the entrance side... I have some 300SST and will try them too, whichever shoots best... Thats what I liked about the Precision rifle QT bullets, no jacket and beautiful performance... Recovered several bullets from quartering away shots that were perfect mushrooms... I should have weighed them to see what the actual weight retention was...

 

[BBW]

i got my first ml last year and shot a doe with 150 grains of 777 with a 300 grain sst and the exit hole was the size of my fist ( no bone just ribs ) but now i only go to 100 grain with 250 grain bullets i get good groups and cant wait to see the performance on game. I realized that shooting my ML at maximum pressures was a recipe for a deformed face so i left out 50 grains of powder and the groups dont seem to change. What do you experienced ML guys think about shooting at max load.

 

[jondur]

I'm no expert but I don't think they get any deader with the max load. I just used a recommended safe load of 100 grains and my sst bullet left a very small exit hole though the ribs - 35 yard shot, the deer did not go far either. I think it's all bullet placement and manageable recoil so you feel confident to squeeze the trigger without flinching. I will be trying out T/C 200 grain shockwave bullets this year (40 cal saboted bullet in a 50 cal gun). Shoots flat(er).

 

[BBW]

i shoot the 45 cal with a 50 cal sabot

 

[Patty]

i got my first ml last year and shot a doe with 150 grains of 777 with a 300 grain sst and the exit hole was the size of my fist ( no bone just ribs ) but now i only go to 100 grain with 250 grain bullets i get good groups and cant wait to see the performance on game. I realized that shooting my ML at maximum pressures was a recipe for a deformed face so i left out 50 grains of powder and the groups dont seem to change. What do you experienced ML guys think about shooting at max load.

I have shot 150gr of powder a couple times, it didn't help my groupings any... When I was using loose powder I shot 110gr of American pioneer behind a 250gr Precision Rifle bullet... Now it will be 100gr of 777... More powder doesn't kill them any deader!!!

 

[jason7mm]

using 300 SST this year, like what i'm seeing so far with the Blackhorn...
i have used precision years ago, my first deer ever was shot with them, back when Farmer Supply was on Nairn... i found fragments all over from hitting one rib, the buck only went about 60 yards, but didn't like how the bullet exploded

 

[sled-in]

Got a TC impact last year, started with 250grain XTP's and was using up my pirodex, I don't remember how much powder I used last season, I played a lot trying to bring my bullets down (8" high, rear sight as low as it could go) shimmed up the front sight finally and used 330grain precision hp. I was okay with it then, and shot a doe at about 100yds in the spine.

This year I scoped the gun, am using 777 loose powder and will try 250grain shock waves, I haven't tried any yet so I don't know how much powder I'll use.

Sometimes I think the big stores purposely don't carry the same components from year to year just so you have to try and build a new load every season, which means more wasted shots to sight in.

 

[Tailhunter]

I don't know if they have changed the SST bullets at all, but there used to be terrible jacket separation... My brother uses the 300SST and on several of his kills we have found the copper jacket just under the hide on the entrance side... I have some 300SST and will try them too, whichever shoots best... Thats what I liked about the Precision rifle QT bullets, no jacket and beautiful performance... Recovered several bullets from quartering away shots that were perfect mushrooms... I should have weighed them to see what the actual weight retention was...

I have had my muzzle loader for about 8 or 9 years, and I think I have been shooting the 250 gr sst's with 100 gr of powder right from the start, with the exception of one year when I tried the 240 gr XTP.
On one of the first years, I shot a doe at about 90 yds, just in front of the shoulder, and it came out just in front of the opposite rear leg. That one left the jacket just inside the skin on the exit hole. All the rounds have gone right through, some left a bit of jacket here and there, but mostly just red tips,lol. Most years the smoke pole ends up tagging my second deer also, and I have had nothing but good performance.
I want to try the 209 powder one day though, just hard to get in my area.

 

[Patty]

using 300 SST this year, like what i'm seeing so far with the Blackhorn...
i have used precision years ago, my first deer ever was shot with them, back when Farmer Supply was on Nairn... i found fragments all over from hitting one rib, the buck only went about 60 yards, but didn't like how the bullet exploded

I had an experience with the "dead Center" bullet from PR... Shot a buck in the shoulder, he went down hard got up and plowed into the bush... Figured it was a done deal, didn't reload the gun just walked in after him... Get there about ten minutes later and he is trying to stand up!!! I quickly reloaded and finished him with a neck shot... When we started skinning the deer I figured the bullet hit the shoulder blade and simply stopped... But when we were cutting off the front legs right in the joint I found bullet fragments, once all was said and done and the deer was completely skinned out I figured out what happened... The bullet hit the shoulder blade, slid down the INSIDE of the bone and stopped at the knee!!! We eventually got most of the bullet out of the bone and once we were cutting up the deer and got the meat off the shoulder we could see where it slid down and then penetrated the leg bone... It could have just been a freak incident, and I did shoot a doe later on that year behind the shoulder and had no problems with the bullet performance...

The 300SST is a great bullet and shoots well out of most guns, My brothers E-bolt will put three of them under an inch @100yds!!! And he hasn't seen jacket separation on the last couple deer he has taken with it... I think I'll try the blackhorn next year, maybe in a new gun!!! I like the not having to clean so often idea!!!

 

[canadian-ice]

I will now comment on Blackhorn 209 after checking my supply. All I can say is after more than 25 years of muzzleloading and trying every powder out there, at this time, there is no better powder for muzzleloading. Clean, no croud ring, shot after shot consistency, non corrosive, expensive but well worth it. Can't imagine a better black powder substitute.

 

[Tailhunter]

I will now comment on Blackhorn 209 after checking my supply. All I can say is after more than 25 years of muzzleloading and trying every powder out there, at this time, there is no better powder for muzzleloading. Clean, no croud ring, shot after shot consistency, non corrosive, expensive but well worth it. Can't imagine a better black powder substitute.

Crud ring is my biggest and only complaint with the 777 powder.