BH209 in the cold?
 

I'm going tomorrow (hopefully) to get the Pro Hunter sighted in. I'm going back and forth between Pyrodex and BH209. I would prefer to use BH, but I want to make sure it's reliable in the cold. I don't remember seeing a lot reports of it in the cold, good or bad.
Can anyone tell me how it ignites at sub zero temperatures?

Can't tell you about sub zero, but it works just fine in single digits for me. I use a Remington STS. But that being said, I only use BH in BPs that Western recomends.

BH ignites reliably in sub-zero weather.

Breech plug design is critical. The past 2 winters have seen me testing, testing, testing, and retesting BH in sub-zero cold. So many times my rifles were left loaded, uncleaned in the truck overnight in sub-zero weather. With the proper breech plug, i never experienced a delay, or a misfire. Normal shot gun primers are what was used.

What i found is the Omega plug is 100% reliable. Modified CVA plugs are 100% reliable, but OEM CVA plugs will experience delay, and misfire.
The plug in the Triumph is 99% reliable, but ever so seldom i had a delay. I believe the plug in the pro hunter is very similar to the Triumph plug, and as such should be very very reliable in sub-zero weather for igniting BH. I could make it 100% reliable, but now is not the time.

Don't buy into the malarky that you need to enlarge the flash hole and/or flash channel to improve ignition of BH. Nor do you need to use magnum primer.

My opinions are just that opinions, but they are based on burning a case or more of BH209 in sub-zero weather, not on what i have read.




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Kirby, it is my belief that cold weather even really cold weather effects BH-209 any worse than any smokeless powder. I do not believe it is the powder that might cause the problem.

I believe the problem exists in how cold the metal is in the ignition area. Often, and this has been my experiance, so much heat is lost by the ignition source in warming the metal on the way to the powder that enough heat does not arrive at the powder to ignite it in the cold barrel.

I hate to use Jim Shockey as an example.. but he has faced this same problem in some of the cold weather arctic type hunts that he does. His cure is that he wraps the breech area with a hand warmer while hunting. Not sure I would take it to this degree.. but I would certainly give consideration to heat loss due to being absorbed by surronding metal.

Using a hotter ignition source may solve a lot of the problems if there is a doubt and having a breech plug that will deliever the flash to the powder in a timely manner without obstruction is certainly important. Use a BP with a clean flash channel and have a breech plug that can breath and direct the bulk of the flash to the flash hole without delay.

Nothing replaces your own personal testing...

Just my thoughts...

Here's a good cold weather video testing BH209 in one of Ron's modified breechplugs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL8jN804Seg

Not me........just happened to find it on youtube

Thanks guys. I'll go ahead and sight in with BH209 this year. Hopefully in the winter I'll have time to play with it more.

Ron, how do you modify the Pro Hunter plug without enlarging the flash channel?

I did modify my Triumph Speed Breech just for that reason and the other obvious reasons...

First i would like to make it clear that i have fired my Triumph many many times in sub-zero weather with perfect results. A couple three times i noticed a slight delay. This delay was so short, i kinda think it didn't much affect the shot.











What i did to the Triumph plug is make the cavity on the end some deeper, so it was more like the Omega plug. This was done with a 82 degree 5/16" center drill. This destroyed the flash hole, so it had to be replaced using a vent liner. The flash hole diameter in the vent liner is the same as the flash hole in the new Triumph plug, which is 0.028" to 0.029".












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CVA OEM plugs work perfect without modification to the flash hole or channel. Proper head space adjustment is more important than a dished out plug face.

With my new Optima i had zero trouble firing BH209 with just my head space adjusted. Many many members on my forum run the head space adjustment on a factory plug since i taught them how to do it. I still prefer the 5/32" flash channel as i am mainly a target shooter and the dirtiness doesnt affect the group size as it used to on the factory 3mm flash channel.

Kirby

Because of the length of that breech plug and the 1/8" flash channel - it really could effect the ability of the primer to ignite BH in sub zero weather. And then again it might not but I have read of this problem with the Speed Breech.

Only you will know for sure when and if it happens - me I modified mine...