Remove Bullet & Powder
 

Got a CVA ProMagnum it has powder (Blackhorn) and a bullet loaded, has been in for a couple years. Is the powder still good, Ok to shoot?

first question fior me would be why was it loaded for yrs??

any how, MY suggestion is call a good gun smith and have them safely remove thinsg for you
as after all the time that passed, not knowing how gun was stored, the powder can have gone bad for sure
and NO one here can tell you if its good or not, not knowing 100% of details on how it was store the entire time!

SOP< for safety reason, Contact a smith, let him know the issue and have them handle it for you safely!

I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a bullet/Blackhorn load that's been sitting in the bore for a few years any more than I would hesitate to shoot powder that's been stored in a container for years. The powder is either good or weakened, but not increased in power. Just be sure to check the bore to make sure the bullet is fully seated and everything is clean from the bullet to the muzzle. If the powder is so weakened that the bullet does not exit the muzzle (unlikely) pull the breech plug and push everything out.

The old guru has spoken!
My question is why loaded so long too? Did you inherit it or just didn't use it in that long a time?

As long as the bore is otherwise clear and the load in question is known for sure to be a safe load, there can be no harm in attempting to discharge it. Plan b would be to pull the breechplug and push the old load out. Either way be sure to very thoroughly clean the gun afterwards. Then get in the habit of unloading, one way or another...if you do not know when it will be used next.

For those of you that leave a gun loaded on a clean barrel (as I often do) keep in mind that you never know when you're suddenly going to the big deer woods in the sky. So do your survivors a favor and flag that gun in some way.

If I loaded it, I wouldn't hesitate to shoot it. But if it was unknown or someone I didn't trust I wouldn't.

-Jake

I will still stand by my suggestion, and my reasons will be, that folks that STORE powder do so in a place where powder is safe and not exposed to a lot of changes in temps and moisture issue's

folks that LOAD inlines and muzzle loaders(and I base this on yrs of dealing with customers in my gun shop)
have a tendency to not store guns as well as powder
I have seen many bring a COLD gun into a HOT room, and condensation can form and alter powder, they have possibly carried the gun in the raina nd snow and possibly got some water down the bore which again can effect powder

it can also cause action of corrosion like build up on the bullet in the bore!
I have seen loaded guns stored in barns, sheds, trucks, and all over again exposed to many weather like changes and humidity and ??
add in YRS of this, and that powder can be BAD , and firing it might just be a fizz and and just lodge the bullet in the bore in a different place

the SAFE and propper way IMO< is have a gun smith remove it safely
so OP doesn't have to experiment doing so themselves,a s its obvious to me they DON"T know how to, or wouldn't be asking here

folks with more experience maybe can handle doing so themselves.
but suggestion to a a new owner of a unknown gun storage or history,(and again possibly how or when loaded and with what 100% for sure that is) to just SHOOT IT, doesn't sound very safe to me!

and to the OP< how do you even know for 100% what powder is in the bore?? maybe this question should be answered here before we give suggestions on firing it too?

Thanks for the replies. The previous owner had loaded it and then put it in a locked gun cabinet. He decided he didn't want to hunt anymore, and gave it to me recently. He is of sound mind, so when he says it's 90 gr. of BH, I don't doubt him. Bore is clean (looked with a light).
Edit: I know how to remove the breech plug, and can push it through. I didn't know how stable BH was with age.

why not email Blackhorn and ask them, after all its there powder, or call them for maybe faster thoughts?

Just take the breech plug out and push it out the breech end . Probably a good idea to take a tooth pic or any pointy soft item yjat wont hurt the threads and scratch out most of the powder before pushing the load out. Thats just so it doesn't get compacted in the threads . Nothing is going to happen. Stick a dry breech brush in there and spin it around to take out any residual powder and then clean the gun. If I had to call a gunsmith every time to unload my muzzle loader , I would have to have him on speed dial on my phone . On any foggy , drizzly, rainy , and even high humidity day , I unload my gun that night . Easier to unload it than shooting it and have to do a full cleaning . Just push a couple dry patches through the barrel . The projectile is usually fine to use again .

Despite the claim that BH209 being easier to clean after shooting the gun , it absolutely can leave corrosion in the breech when left in a gun for years. I think even worse than any other propellant . It sucks up moisture like a sponge . Even through the primer hole and the breech threads on a foggy or drizzly day. I have heard of more misfires with BH209 than all the other powders combined . If you are going to use it , make sure you grease the breech plug threads before installing it back in the gun. Another thing you MUST use is magnum primers even if you have the correct 209 breech plug or you are risking a misfire . Like I said earlier , BH209 needs a flame thrower to ignite it .

How odd, i never had to use any grease on plugs shooting BH209. Never once and ive shot many bottles of it in no less than 5 rifles. Mostly Knight rifles. I also have zero misfires with a standard Win209. Shot them since 2009ish. Not one single fail to fire.

BH209 absorbs the least amount of moisture of ANY sub. Cant imagine where you are coming up with all this nonsense. Its a nitro based propellant with only a tiny fraction of organics added. Seriously where do you guys come up with this total nonsense?

The vast majority of BH209 failures are user error plain and simple. Such as the OP using it in a old model CVA. I will bet he never read the FAQ sheets on Westerns Blackhorn website of he would not be using it in that rifle. Ive shot several pounds of loose fitting conicals with a regular Win209 in my Knights. How is it i can do this without fail....easy i use a well designed plug that seals my primer. I keep the flash channel clean like the BH209 website says to do. It goes bang every single time even if left loaded for 2 months.

If i loaded the gun i will shoot it. If someone else loaded the gun, i'll down load it. Don't need the services of a so called "gunsmith".

Some of my muzzleloaders remain loaded for months. There's a rolled piece of paper stuck in the muzzle stating the rifle is loaded.

"Such as the OP using it in a old model CVA."
It's not a "old CVA". Was purchased new in 2008.

Well yeah its 2021 and plugs designed for BH209 were not even available in 2008. So yes its an OLD CVA. Its not a newer model (post 2010) with a Blackhorn209 breech plug. They dont even make a BH209 plug for that model.

Baloney, the first production run of Blackhorn 209 came out in early spring 2008.
Anyways Semisane was spot on. Could have shot it no problem. Before I removed the plug, I taped off the area where the hammer tilts down so no powder would get in that cavity. The powder poured out as if brand new. For those who say BH absorbs moisture like a sponge, well not in this case. Everything was cleaner than the board of health, zero corrosion. Attached are photos upon removing the plug, what a patch with a little bore cleaner on it looked like when it came out, and a picture of the plug. The threads of the plug had been teflon taped, came out like buttah. Thanks to those actually know for the advice, much appreciated.

NOT to make any wave here, but I think the point was/is, that they didn;t make a special breech plug fort this model CVA, , nothing to do with when blackghorn 209 was made, but about the breech plug only!
as not all inline guns have breech plugs made for the blackhorn powder!

, anyhow, , I'm glad it all worked out for you

mrbb, thank you. Inlines that took shotgun primers for ignition had aftermarket plugs for BH readily available right after it came out. There was a guy here, Ron I think was his name made them too. GM 54 made it sound like BH shouldn't be used in my ML, and posted as such. This ML has had dozens of rounds fired with BH, without a hiccup. I was a fan of Pyrodex and still use it, in my TC #11 percussion cap rifle, but I have been using BH in the shotgun primer powered inlines for many years. Thanks again gents, also hope those hunting, have much success.

NO problem, like I said glad your all good now

but I will add, I do know that when Blackhorn 209 first came out, they did NOT recommend it being used in many inlines, even one's that took 209 primers, I am NOT saying yours is one of them as I honestly don;t know what all ones could and could n;t use it
but I do know, there was info on the blackhorn web site when ti first came out stating NOT to use on certian guns
as I started using it when it first came out, and one of the inline I had wasn't approved for it, so I bought a new gun just to use it HAHA!
or that was my excuse any how to buy another one !!
I also never had issue's with BH 209 having mositure issue's
but we all can have different experiences, as thats just life, IMO
some like fords some like chevy's and so on<

Hello, earth to Smokey....Guess who tested the plugs Ron modified and tested until we found one that worked....ME, Ron and a couple other guys because sooooo many people had ignition issues with the OEM pre quick release plug. Why do you think CVA starting after 2010 offered 2 QRBPs? Here is a hint the OEM didnt work well with BH209 so they copied some things that worked on the ONLY plug what was 100% at that time....The T/C Omega plug. Two plugs were mostly used for early BH209 development. The T/C concave face Omega plug and the Savage MLII plug. No other plugs at that time were as dependable.

Secondly your naming of that CVA left something to be desired. You never said Optima Pro Magnum or whatever the actual model was. You were somewhat vague about that. Kinda hard to design a rifle for a powder that has not even come out yet huh? So tons of people were beating their heads against the wall trying to make it fire in some of the slam fire CVAs and/or rifles with a poor plug design. CVA tossed out words like Pro and Magnum on several models including rifles not well suited to BH209 at all. :poke:

I guess because I was using Rons plug(s) before BH came out is why I had no problem with it. It's all good now. Peace.
Edit: Is Ron still around?

Shoot it...........no worries