# Muzzleloader Accuracy & Cleaning w/ BH209



## BITE-ME (Sep 5, 2005)

Need some advice from those of you who have experience w/ BH209 powder...

I recently purchased the BH209 powder and will be making the switch over from 777 powder. I've read that the BH209 doesn't foul nearly as much as 777 and you don't need to clean it between shots for accuracy or ease of loading like you do with 777. 

1) Is this true and to what degree is it true/not true??? Do you have to clean the barrel every 3rd shot, 4th shot, 5th shot etc... to maintain accuracy?
2) What is your procedure at the range for sighting in a new load with BH209 & maintaining the best accuracy? What do you use for a quick swab at the range w/ BH209... Hoppes or other? I saw on the BH209 instructions that your not supposed to use water base BP solvents for clean-up, so the spit patch is out.

Any suggestions would be appreciated


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## BigV (Nov 11, 2004)

BITE-ME said:


> Need some advice from those of you who have experience w/ BH209 powder...
> 
> I recently purchased the BH209 powder and will be making the switch over from 777 powder. I've read that the BH209 doesn't foul nearly as much as 777 and you don't need to clean it between shots for accuracy or ease of loading like you do with 777.
> 
> ...


I have been using BH209 for almost 4 years now. 

BH 209 does not foul your barrel much at all. I have gone 20 to 25 shots and have never cleaned my gun at the range and each sabot loads as the first. 

Clean-up using and good conventional powder solvent. Hoppes #9 works well and I have used many other solvents with good results. I never liked using water on my BP gun(s) anyway. 

I have found that shooting with a clean barrel my gun shoot about 1" low right. After the first shot, my holes will touch at 50 yards and out to 100 yards I hold a 1 1/2" group all day. 
Do not use powerbelts as they do not seal the barrel well and the powder will not ignite properly. In addition, powerbelts are not bonded and will separate from the copper jacket at close range (out to about 60 yards) Choose a bullet that is either solid copper or lead with a bonded copper jacket. I use TC 250 grain bonded bullets with Harvester crush rib sabots and 72.5 weighed grains of BH209.

Sight in just as you would with any rifle. Take 3 shots and make an adjustment. 3 more, adjust again until you are satisfied. I set my zero at 1" high a 50 yards and hit dead on at 100. 

The biggest problem with BH209 is carbon build up in the flash hole on your breech plug. I use a 1/8" drill bit turned by had to clean the carbon as it is very hard. If you neglect to clean the carbon out, you will begin to have hang fires. Be sure to use standard shot shell primers. I use Winchester W209 primers with great success.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

The real benefit of a loose powder over a pellet is that you can fine tune your load for maximum accuracy from your individual gun.

Pick a starting point somewhere below the maximum load you want to shoot and work up in small increments shooting 3 shots groups with each different powder change. You will normally find one load that shoots much tighter groups than others.

As an example, lets say you wanted to shoot a load of 110 gr (volume equivalent). I would load up three loads at 95, three at 100, three at 105 and three at 110. I would shoot those loads, with a lot of time between shots to reduce heat buildup and determine which gave me the best accuracy. If it ended up being the 105, I might then try 102 and 107 and compare results and so on. I eventually would narrow down my powder charge.

If you change bullets you get to start all over again, but have a good idea of where to start.

BigV also makes a great point about the impact point on a clean barrel versus a fouled barrel. The difference with my knights was almost 4". I used to have to foul my barrel prior to hunting.

If you are trying to make sure that the barrel remains as consistent as possible throughout your testing just run a dry patch down the barrel every 3-5 shots if you want. If it gets really cruddy there is nothing wrong with running a VERY lightly moistened cleaning solvent patch down the barrel, followed by a dry patch. Just be careful not to bottom out and get it stuck, been there done that All you are doing is trying to keep fouling and loading pressure consistent so that your shots remain consistent.

I have only used the BH209 for one season in a MZ for my daughter-in-law but it was very clean burning compared to the T7 and Pyrodex select that I used to use.


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## FAB (May 26, 2013)

You will find significant differences between the powders you have been using and BH209. First and most apparent is the lack of smoke in your scope after the shot. You will actually be able to maintain your target as you do with smokeless. The fouling with BH 209 is light enough that the sabot of the next round actually pushes what light residue is there to the bottom with the round. I have placed the website for BH209 at the bottom of this post. Visit that site and I think it will answer most of your questions regarding BH209. And Lundy makes a good point in working up your loads. More is not always best. In my rifle 100 grains produces a better pattern of accuracy than 110 and 90 shows no noticeable degradation so I shoot 90, it's kinder to me and uses less powder. I sight at 1.5 inches high at 100 yards and puts me about 1 inch low at 200. Have killed 2 deer in excess of 250 and 1 at just over 300. You're gonna like this stuff. 


http://www.blackhorn209.com/


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Lundy said:


> The real benefit of a loose powder over a pellet is that you can fine tune your load for maximum accuracy from your individual gun.
> 
> Pick a starting point somewhere below the maximum load you want to shoot and work up in small increments shooting 3 shots groups with each different powder change. You will normally find one load that shoots much tighter groups than others.
> 
> ...


And you are not alone! I left a patch down the barrel and thought, no big deal, I'll just get it out with the patch puller. Go to my trusty kit and..."WHERE'S THE DAMN PATCH PULLER?"

As far as Powerbelts are concerned, they work great for my BIL out of a Traditions Vortek .50Cal. Very accurate and he's killed some awesome bucks with them. For me, with a Traditions Pursuit Pro .50 Cal., not so much! I couldn't get those things to group worth a damn. Loved how they slid down the barrel so easily, but the same thought occurred to me. What if they're not sealing the barrel? Went to Hornady XTP's and problem solved.


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## BITE-ME (Sep 5, 2005)

Thanks for the responses and suggestions

I intend too try and use the same load I was shooting, only with 100g of BH209 instead of the 777. I'll try shooting both clean & dirty and see what happens.

Fouling the barrel before shooting is a little foreign to me since I'm used to starting with a clean barrel and swabbing between every shot at the range when I used 777. However, based on your responses and others, it sounds like a fouled barrel is going to be the way to go.

Question - What is your preferred method for fouling the barrel before going hunting so you can avoid that possible flyer... Snap a few caps? Shoot a little loose powder? or do you shoot a complete load w/ a bullet? The reason I ask is I live in the burbs and taking a shot in the backyard the evening before you hunt is not an option, my neighbors already don't particularly like me. I typically can't make it to a gun range the day before and also don't want to be blasting off a shot beside the car and announcing myself right before I enter the woods.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

BH209 is much less corrosive than the T7 you were using.

I would try and shoot a load at the range sometime the week prior and leave it dirty until after the hunting trip.

Also, not all guns have a huge variance from clean to dirty. You really need to confirm what your is like on your next trip to the range. See where your fist shot goes as compared to the couple of following shots. If it is only a inch off at 100 and most of your shots are 100 and in, don't worry about it at all.

I made the switch to smokeless MZ to get away from the smoke and constant cleaning and more performance. I now check zero in November and clean once in January.

Hope you get a big one.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

The morning of the hunt I fire off a 209 primer and then load the Blackhorn. Been doing this for several years and it works for me.


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