cayugad

Blackhorn is a great powder without question. My concern is the price of course, but also the availability. I have to order it. While I would love to shoot it in my inlines, I just can not justify the cost.

Also a lot of my in lines are not made for Blackhorn 209. I learned this the hard way. I will stick with powder I can purchase locally and use in ALL my rifles for now. I just got a deal on some Triple Seven and Pyrodex RS. The local Wal Mart did not sell all their stock and had several cans on the shelf at a very reduced price. So of course it came home with me.

oldsmellhound

I personally don't see the need to switch. I have had great results with T7 - great accuracy, velocity and no crud ring problems. Cleanup is a piece of cake. But everyone's experience may vary. If I had major crud ring issues, I would consider switching. But I also can get T7 a LOT cheaper - like $14 for 16 oz during the after-season sales, as opposed to $30 for 10 oz BH209 locally. But again, if you don't shoot very much, it may not be a big issue. I don't shoot a lot now, but I'm still a cheap-o at heart .

MountainDevil54

lets put it this way... Its cheap for hunting use. For target range, use the cheaper stuff that you can get locally and save the can of BH209 for hunting season. Same goes with bullets.

rjhans53

I went threw 8 jugs last year in my knight extreemes. When I was done I decided that it didn't shoot any better than t7. I got a pair of lehigh Gen II breech plug's a month ago and thought I'd give it another go. Out of these guns with the lehigh plug, BH is outstanding. Shoots very well, no swabbing between shots, clean up is a breeze, yep in these guns with the way they are set up it is worth what it cost. Oh did I mention clover leafs all day long unless I mess up.

DougB.

You know I really get a kick out of all the comments about how much BH209 costs. Now don't get me wrong, I don't go "throwing" money around either, my wife might disagree! I was thinking about the hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars that sportsman much like myself spend on firearms, GPS's, hounds/field dogs, trucks, ATV's, vet bills, optics, field gear, hunting trips etc. Now there's the same people that fish, trap, shoot trap, play golf, go to sporting events, camp etc. Add up the investments/expenditures and try to convince me that the outdoors-men/women complaining about a $30.00 jug of powder have a justifiable complaint.

I don't complain about the cost.....nor should I. I enjoy the benefits and enjoy my hobbies. There is a price for everything.

Forgot to add........BH209 IS that much better!

lemoyne

DougB
I have to agree with that.
People spend 300 to 1200 dollars on a single gun and scope depending on the quality level they live at and the cry about the price of the best powder and go down and buy an other gun. I understand liking a different powder better, no problem buy what you like,but why cry about the price of what somebody else likes?

cayugad

I feel the cost complaint is very valid. It is not so much the cost of the powder but the fact for much less money, I can shoot Triple Seven or some other local powder, so no waiting for the mail man, the haz mat (which burns me for some reason) and I get the same kind of results in accuracy. Clean up never was an issue, nor was swabbing. Its part of the muzzle loader game. And when I shoot powder other them BlackHorn 209, it is cheaper to do. Any time I can save a buck it makes me happy.

What I personally get such a kick out of is how some of the people who entered the sport of muzzle loading want the rifle to act like a center fire. Shoot 200+ yards, no swabbing, no fouling, clean up is a breeze, these people would have been going crazy thirty years ago, when I was out there plugging away with a traditional rifle and round balls shooting Pyrodex RS or Black Powder.

And I am not saying one powder is better then the other. Or one philosophy of the sport is stronger then the other. If you like BlackHorn (and there is no reason you should not other then it is not sold locally) buy it, or what ever brand makes you happy and for what personal reason. If cost of product per shot is important to one person and not the other... then so be it. Also where and how I spend my sporting good dollars, for what ever reason, is my business. Do what makes you happy!!

Gm54-120

When my pay range time includes cleaning time, YES it is the best for me.

At my private range any powder will do since i allow more cool down time. I am also a guest at another "members only" range (pending acceptance) with no "by the hour" charges.

Many people at that range dont like a huge cloud of smoke drifting in front of them when i shoot. They dont mind if im using BH209 since it has a far smaller cloud than most powders and less smell.

Its all relative to my/your needs. If and when i can get it to leave little or no crud ring i will adjust my opinion. I do think T7 is a very good powder but i buy bulk (locally) when BH209 on sale for a similar price...excluding the weight difference.

I also prefer heavier bullets and BH209 is better for many of my really heavy bullets such as my 50-385gr Rem CLHP in my 54cals.

Since the GenII Lehigh release i can even ignite it reliably with Win T7 primers and get outstanding accuracy and its super clean in my Knights.

Im getting ready to give T7 another go since ive been using the Montana Extreme products and polished the bores (once in each) for a few months and want to see if it makes a T7 crud ring difference.

I actually think it may since cleanup of BH209 is now easier too since i started using their products and stopped using RemOil in the bore. I dont mind a quick swab between shots but a stuck jag or really hard ring is unacceptable for me.

This weekend im hoping to give T7 3FG another try in my 45s with some light weight bullets at my property where i have plenty of time for a proper test on my firing schedule. Plus it does seem to be better than BH209 with lighter bullets and loads.

Better and Best will always be "relative TO ME" and subject to change based on my needs. Keeping your options open never hurts....at least not much.

Semisane

Please explain to me why a 10 oz. jug of BH209 costs $30, but a 9 oz. jug of Trail Boss (newly developed a few years ago by IMR) cost $12.

flounder33

Because enough people are willing to pay the ridiculous price.