I guess most of you guys know I've never been a Blackhorn 209 fan. I bought a canister three years ago and didn't find it did anything I couldn't pretty much do as well with Triple Seven, Pyrodex or even GOEX.
Well, last weekend my brother in law showed up at the hunting lease with his first canister of BH, and shot some really nice groups with it in his Omega. I still had a little BH left in my three year old canister, so I decided to use it up in my X7 with 250 grain Deep Curls.
I took three shots with 100 grains. Recoil was "significant" with the little gun and the group was nothing special. Tried three with 90 grains and it was pretty much the same. I had just enough BH left for two 80 grain shots. Recoil was comfortable and those two hit the 100 yard target pretty close together.
Naturally, over the last week I got to wondering just how well that 80 grain load would do. So in a moment of weakness I stopped off at a local gun shop on my way to the lease Friday afternoon and dropped $30 plus tax for a canister of BH.
I shot twenty rounds this morning, ten with the 250 grain Deep Curls and ten with 300 grain SSTs. (forgot the 300 grains Deep Curls, which are what I really wanted to try.
Here are the targets.
Now I'm perfectly satisfied with those. But honestly, in this gun I can do just as well with any of the other powders. Though I have to admit not wiping between shots was a novelty and kind of nice.
Here's what the primers looked like (same as always, regardless of powder).
And here's what the breech looked like (again, same as always).
All in all, the remainder of my second canister of BH may last another three years. Of course, that could change if it really stacks the 300 grain Deep Curls when I get a chance to try them. (Or if they start putting 16 oz. of powder in that half full canister.)
