Blackhorn 209 year end shot
01-07-2014, 11:23 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Dark Side of the Moon
Posts: 406
Blackhorn 209 year end shot
This year I made the switch from T7 pellets to Blackhorn 209 100 grains, with 250 shockwave unbonded in the factory supplied black sabot and lighting off with FED 209A primers. I made the switch in both my Kodiak & Triumph due to the crud rung I experienced with T7 (more in the Kodiak then the Triumph).
I hunted this year with the Triumph and after missing a ten point in early December, I reloaded and connected on a doe a week and a half later. Between those times, I hunted in rain, sleet, snow, freezing tempuratures warming up to the mid 30's etc... I would simply put the gun in the case and leave it in my garage when I was done hunting. It fired perfectly and killed the doe.
After the doe, I dry swabbed the barrel and it looked so clean, I simply reloaded again and hunted to the end of the season. No shots since then, but all the conditions the same nasty weather conditions were present. This past weekend, I set out a 6" x 6" piece of pressure treated wood on a stump at 100 yards to unload the gun. I was aiming at a price sticker in the center of the board and hit 3/4" right and 1/2" high. Again, no hesitation or failure to fire. Cleaned the gun with Hoppes 9 and didnot notice any corrosion or other problems.
I have read so many posts about Blackhorn failing to fire that I had my concerns. Especially when I was one of the people who bought in to APP sticks only to get failure after failure. Overall I am extremely happy with this powder and the change to powder from pellets. I do not shoot enough to have price be a concern. If anyone is still on the fence about making the switch, I would recommend it, but make sure your breechplug can shoot the powder and you use the correct primers.
Just thought I would offer a field report and I will try and upload a picture of the wood block.
I hunted this year with the Triumph and after missing a ten point in early December, I reloaded and connected on a doe a week and a half later. Between those times, I hunted in rain, sleet, snow, freezing tempuratures warming up to the mid 30's etc... I would simply put the gun in the case and leave it in my garage when I was done hunting. It fired perfectly and killed the doe.
After the doe, I dry swabbed the barrel and it looked so clean, I simply reloaded again and hunted to the end of the season. No shots since then, but all the conditions the same nasty weather conditions were present. This past weekend, I set out a 6" x 6" piece of pressure treated wood on a stump at 100 yards to unload the gun. I was aiming at a price sticker in the center of the board and hit 3/4" right and 1/2" high. Again, no hesitation or failure to fire. Cleaned the gun with Hoppes 9 and didnot notice any corrosion or other problems.
I have read so many posts about Blackhorn failing to fire that I had my concerns. Especially when I was one of the people who bought in to APP sticks only to get failure after failure. Overall I am extremely happy with this powder and the change to powder from pellets. I do not shoot enough to have price be a concern. If anyone is still on the fence about making the switch, I would recommend it, but make sure your breechplug can shoot the powder and you use the correct primers.
Just thought I would offer a field report and I will try and upload a picture of the wood block.
01-08-2014, 06:59 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 1,068
I'm pretty sure my misfire was cold related. I've thought about it every which way I could and this is the best I could come up with... I think what happened is that I used a bullet/sabot that required a little less than medium pressure to load. (Sorry, don't know how to describe it) Once I got outside in below 0 temperatures the sabot shrunk up so the primer gasses were able to escape around it and not enough pressure to ignite the BH209. I don't really know for sure though. Either way that was the first FTF or misfire I've had.
01-10-2014, 06:00 AM
#9
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 472
Great report!!! I wasn't really on the fence but none the less had some reservations, your report really put me over the top. Like you I don't shoot enough for price to make a difference. In doing some reading I have found that using the correct primer can be the reason for misfires, I have had miss fires with trip 7, (several which were related to the gun, I sent it back to Knight & all is good) but I do believe a couple may have been powder related. let's face it, it happens, I've had it happen with shotgun shells. I am going to have to do some more reading though, as I don't fully understand this 1/8" drill bit thing?? Thanks again for a great write up.
01-10-2014, 06:32 AM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Rapid City, South Dakota
Posts: 3,732
The 1/8" drill is used to scrape, and remove the hard carbon that coat the wall of the flame channel, after shooting. The carbon build, will close the flame channel, and should be removed each time you clean the breech plug, by using the 1/8" drill. Some, including myself, use a 5/32" drill, because that happens to be the diameter of the flame channel in the breech plug i use.
