I' m posting this question as a spinoff of another discussion in another thread.

It has come to my attention that the 209 primers we use, which are designed for shotgun shells, may be just too powerful for our application and result in increased fouling and a possible reduction in accuracy.

So the questions I have are as follows:

What brand of 209 primer, if any, are known to have the lowest power?

I currently have a box of Winchester 209 primers that say on the package that they are for muzzleloaders. Does this mean they are formulated differently or is this label simply a marketing ploy to get customers to not second-quess their compatability with 209 ignition systems?

Does anyone know of any plans by the major reloading supply manufacturers to produce truly muzzleloader specific 209 primers?

There is an article on Precision Rifle' s site about them experimenting with cut-down .22hornet brass loaded with small rifle primers, which are much less powerful than 209 primers, that fit into a modified T/C Encore breachplug. Their results seem to indicate that the small rifle primers create much less fouling and inprove accuracy. The guys at PR seem to think that 209 primers create flyers and larger groups because the blast of the primer is great enough to move the bullet/sabot off the charge before the powder is fully ignited. This reduces accuracy. It would be nice to have a reduded power 209 system, as Lord knows we don' t need yet another ignition system!

Mike