BH209 black Powder substitute

I’ve been burning some of this powder in the smoke poles this summer to see how well it performs for me in my toys and I think today’s range time has converted me. This morning I took my Accura V2 [relatively new] and Optima pistol to the club and played with some paper.

The picture is one of the targets from 100 yards. The rifle carries 3X6X40 optics. I had weighed loads of 77 grains of the 209 powder [equivalent to 110 grains of black powder or Pyrodex or Triple 7] under a green sabot holding a .430 diameter 300 grain XTP Hornady bullet. The top hole is the first of 5 shots thru a clean barrel. The next three shots went into the single hole right under the high hole. The hole to the left of the 3-holer I have no excuse for….maybe a puff of wind, or barrel heat, or a little flinch. The two black bands cover 2″ vertically so I am not going to worry about a fifth shot I won’t take anyway. lol

The Optima pistol has 2X7 optics on it and was shot at 50 yards. This gun saw 63 grains, weighed, of the BH209 powder [equivalent to 90 grains of black powder or Pyrodex or Triple 7] under a green sabot filled with a 240 grain .430 XTP bullet. The average group of five shots was slightly larger than the group #1 thru #4 bullet pattern shown here. Needless to say, I am happy.

I did notice that the 209 powder wants to heat the barrels up a little faster than even Triple 7, much faster than black powder or Pyrodex. Groups loosened up a bit when the heat came on. Not much, but noticeable. The Accura rifle has about 150-200 rounds down the tube now and is starting to show the accuracy its truly capable of. The pistol has had more range time and is fully shot-in. For both of these guns its just a matter of working in the 209 to find its happy place. My T/C Impact is a real charm with the 209 too, but the wind got a hold of the targets from it and the pistol when I was taking them down and made a mess of them. The target shown is one I am happy with though. Pretty much deer-ready now, but this shooting is too much fun..

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that’s what I run in my Accura too. Love the stuff, and that rifle. Makes it easy for family to know if I shoot too, be it in the MN shotgun or WI rifle, as my dad stated, when you hear a cannon go off it’s pretty easy to know who that was (doesn’t seem to be many others using mz’s in the area(s)).

I shoot the same setup out of my Accura too, seems like anything more than 80gr and the grouping start to suffer. I tried the powerbelts too, not bad groups but the xtp’s still are tighter. Took a deer at 80 yards and 15 yards last fall, both hit right where I aimed and complete pass through so no shortage of power. There are very few places that I hunt where a shot 100 yards or farther is even possible so not to concerned about the long range capabilities, but I suspect it would perform quite well.

This is the best powder I have ever used. My Optima with 100 grains of BH209 & 250 grain SST’s is a tack driver. This stuff is easy to use & easy to clean.

poomunk wrote:

seems like anything more than 80gr and the grouping start to suffer. I tried the powerbelts too, not bad groups but the xtp’s still are tighter.

Poomunk….I started at 80 grains measured [56 grains by actual weight] in the Accura using the 250 grain .452 XTP and did 3, 5 shot groups at 100 yards. Then I went to 85, then 90, then 95. then 100….all the way to the 120 grain max and just couldn’t get the bullets to track consistently. I back down to the 80 grains and started over with the 45 cal 300 grain pills and got much better accuracy. Next I started at 90 grains by measure and used a .44 cal 300 grain pill and things started to shape up a lot. Now I weigh the loads and am seeing very much tighter groups. The Optima pistol is rated for 100 grains [70 by actual weight of Blackhorn]. I’ve shot all kinds of powders and bullets from 240 to 300 grains in .45 and .44 caliber, but honestly with a 63 grain weighed charge of 209 under a green sabot and a .44 caliber 240 grain XTP things couldn’t be better for accuracy in the gun but it definitely is NOT a single hand shooter. At least not if you are smart. Recoil with this load is considerable. With a .45 grain .452 XTP it stops deer in a huge way.

Are you weighing the charges or using a volume measure? I weigh each charge simply because when I started using it I weighed each volume measure to be sure that by volume each charge was consistent with the other. They were not. The slightest tap or knock on the measure would settle the powder so one load of 110 grains by volume might weight the 77 grains and the next measure of 110 grains might weigh 74 grains or 78. I bought an electronic scale and weigh each charge now so I know that each on is the same as the next.

I tried Powerbelts a bunch f years back and after seeing them blow up on a shoulder hit on a deer I stopped shooting them. I use Hornady green sabots in both CVA guns with the two sizes of XTP bullets but in the T/C Impact I have to use a crush rib green sabot if I shoot the XTP .430 cal, 300 grain bullet. If I shoot a .452 cal, 300 grain bullet from the Impact I can use either a Hornady black sabot or the crush rib black if I am burning the 209 powder. The Impact has a tight barrel and second shots using black powder, Pyrodex or triple 7 is near impossible without taking time to damp patch the bore once or twice.

On a clean barrel and using the 209 powder the Impact will put the first shot right where its supposed to go while the CVA’s need a fouling shot it seems. Just little nuances between guns and makers and the 209 powder.

I’m hoping more 209 shooters are out there that will jump on this thread.

You’re talking Blackhorn right? Stuff is amazing. I didn’t read the directions when I first used it and was shooting 100 grains actual weight. I think based on their recommendation it is way to much but I have stuck with it and haven’t had any issues. I did over 100 rounds of testing last fall. Right now I’m shooting 250 grain Shockwaves. With a bad rest I shot a 3 inch group at 200 yards. I may test a heavier bullet and try to go for 300 thinking the heavier bullet will be more stable in the air. LOVE the stuff. So easy to clean.
DT

One thing I have learned through testing is that I need to run like 20 grains of powder with a patch through it to “prime” it after a cleaning. It has helped a lot with accuracy on my first shot. Not sure if it would be better to always shoot through a clean barrel and sight in that way but what I’m doing seems to work.
DT

I should add that I’m shooting a T/C pro hunter fx. Love the gun.
DT

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Grrrrr. I’ll try again.
DT

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DT….the 300 grain in 44 cal has a slightly better ballistic coefficient than a 45 caliber in 300 grain. Its a slightly longer pill and will stabilize better in a rifle barrel. My Optima pistol is only a 15″ barrel but its amazing how much better a 44 caliber 240 grain will be on paper than a .45 caliber of the same weight and identical powder charge.

I’ve been doing by volume, but next time I shoot it my scale will be with now.

I’ve never shot anything but BH out of the Acura so I really don’t have any comparison on it with pyrodex. Shot so well right out of the box that I never monkeyed with it.

I did my initial sight in using Pyrodex and t7 pellets just to find paper, then went to the 209 to develop things. I was advised to shoot the Accura enough to get the barrel “burned in” and am finding that the more I shot the 209 them more accurate the gun is getting so there must be some credence to the “shooting in” stuff.

The powder itself is great to work with and I have no intentions of going back to the pellets or other alternative powders.

I should add that’s mines a 50.
DT

Tom Sawvell wrote:

I did my initial sight in using Pyrodex and t7 pellets just to find paper, then went to the 209 to develop things. I was advised to shoot the Accura enough to get the barrel “burned in” and am finding that the more I shot the 209 them more accurate the gun is getting so there must be some credence to the “shooting in” stuff.

The powder itself is great to work with and I have no intentions of going back to the pellets or other alternative powders.

Sounds like my best grouping is yet to come then, I’ve maybe put 100 rounds through it.

Mine are all 50’s as well. I had a Winchester bolt .45 caliber that was 150 grain capable and used the 209 primers but it had bolt issues so I sold it. In many ways I wish I would have kept it especially now with this new powder. That Winnie was one accurate gun but the bolt liked to fall out in the field.