Blackhorn 209 in Black powder cartridges

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I was perusing the powder list at my local club and came across a powder made by Western Powders called Blackhorn 209. It was manufactured for in-line muzzleloaders that use a #209 shotgun primer as the ignition source. I don't really have any interest in modern-style muzzleloaders, but what caught my eye were the words : "Excellent for Black Powder Cartridges".

Thing is, I'm embarking into that very realm when I purchased a fine old Danish 1858 Rolling block. It was re-chambered for 45-70 (sort of). In the near future I'm planning to do BP cartridge match shooting. This also means load development. Given that the Remington rolling block action is robust, but certainly not a robust as a modern action, I'm inclined to stick with Black powder or GASP something pryodex ish.

Anyone ever use this powder for a BPCR?

Western claims minimal fouling and a lack of sensitivity to atmospheric conditions. This sound pretty good to me.. Load sheet gives both 18K PSI loads and 24K PSI loads. Their loads use a wad card over the powder and a Federal 215 Magnum primer. The 215 primer is infamously hard to get and expensive, So I'll try the stock of Winchester large mag primers I have first.

Thanks for your input....
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Re: Blackhorn 209 in Black powder cartridges

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Buck13 wrote:Is this stuff as corrosive or dirty as real blackpowder?

I'm almost tempted to load some .357s and shoot them through my Rossi 92. The octagonal barrel would seem period-correct with BP, but the stainless steel would not.
I don't know about the corrosive part, but it does burn clean according to Western. Since it is not hygroscopic, that might mean less corrosive, since that is what BP is.

Trail boss is becoming my go-to powder for light pistol caliber loads in .32 H&R and .38 special/357. If you haven't tried it give it a whirl. I like it because it meters well and you can easily see the charge in a deep narrow case like the 32 H&R.




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Bleeding Heart Liberal with Second Amendment Benefits.
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Re: Blackhorn 209 in Black powder cartridges

9
Buck13 wrote:Is this stuff as corrosive or dirty as real blackpowder?

I'm almost tempted to load some .357s and shoot them through my Rossi 92. The octagonal barrel would seem period-correct with BP, but the stainless steel would not.
I don't know about the corrosive part, but it does burn clean according to Western. Since it is not hygroscopic, that might mean less corrosive, since that is what BP is.

Trail boss is becoming my go-to powder for light pistol caliber loads in .32 H&R and .38 special/357. If you haven't tried it give it a whirl. I like it because it meters well and you can easily see the charge in a deep narrow case like the 32 H&R.




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Re: Blackhorn 209 in Black powder cartridges

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Blackhorn is not corrosive. It leaves very little residue in my inline muzzle loader. The biggest issue I noticed in my .44 was unburt powder in the barrel. It is I think a pretty safe and good BP substitute. It gives much better accuracy and less residue than Pyrodex, 777, etc. it cleans up easily with standard solvent. I just use CLP now to clean my ML, like the rest of my guns.
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Re: Blackhorn 209 in Black powder cartridges

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Marlene wrote: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:52 pm I wouldn't put blackhorn in that little revolver.
Any specific reason for that? They seem to have a fair amount of load data for old BP revolver calibers
http://www.blackhorn209.com/wp-content/ ... gedata.pdf

Does it develop too much pressure for something like the Iver? It looks like it's more energetic, so would need a smaller charge, but the pressure curve would be the most concerning with an old piece of pot metal, yeah?
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
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Re: Blackhorn 209 in Black powder cartridges

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Just that it seems to have more energy. It's designed around modern muzzle loaders, which can take a lot more than BP. Just erring on the side of caution for such a weak old gun.

As far as corrosion is concerned, it's not the kind of vicious that Pyrodex is, but if you leave it dirty after shooting (I'm sure it could wait til you got home) it definitely can turn a bright bore dark.
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Re: Blackhorn 209 in Black powder cartridges

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drigeba wrote: Fri Jul 06, 2018 9:24 pm Trail boss is becoming my go-to powder for light pistol caliber loads in .32 H&R and .38 special/357. If you haven't tried it give it a whirl. I like it because it meters well and you can easily see the charge in a deep narrow case like the 32 H&R.
I have a couple of little bottles of TB. Among other things, I've used it to make some EXTREMELY light .38s: 75 grain wadcutter at about 500 fps from a 4" or 6" revolver. They're like shooting a SV .22LR, except much smokier. Not something I'd trust in a 24" barrel rifle!
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Re: Blackhorn 209 in Black powder cartridges

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Marlene wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 10:12 am As far as corrosion is concerned, it's not the kind of vicious that Pyrodex is, but if you leave it dirty after shooting (I'm sure it could wait til you got home) it definitely can turn a bright bore dark.
Good to know. My attitude toward cleaning is *very* cavalier. Probably not something I could be trusted with beyond one shooting session, so I'd only use this if I could find someone local who wanted to sell me an ounce from their stash.
IMR4227: Zero to 900 in 0.001 seconds

I'm only killing paper and my self-esteem.

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