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Blackhorn 209 Shelf Life!
Blackhorn 209 Before It Became Blackhorn 209...
The powder that many of us now know as Blackhorn 209 actually started life as "Silver Strike", due to the light silvery gray coloration of the first couple of prototype runs of the powder. The final pre-production run of the powder was actually a "salt and pepper" mix. And this was the first of the powder I had the opportunity to shoot and hunt with during early Fall 2007.
(The mixed coloration pre-production powder can be seen in the photo at right - compared to the all dark gray-black production run Blackhorn 209. Click on the photo to enlarge. Notice the tube-like grains of this cut extruded powder. Also, note the uniformity of the granules.)
The powder was developed by a firm, known as EXPRO TECHNOLOGIES, which was producing some of the IMR powder for Hodgdon. I first became aware of the project at the SHOT Show in January 2005, when three engineers from the firm had me sit down with them to outline all the qualities a modern black powder substitute should possess to be top performing and user friendly. The goal of the company was not to compromise and come out with a new powder/propellant that could be shot out of all muzzleloading guns. Their goal was to produce a powder/propellant especially for the new No. 209 primer ignition rifle models that were dominating the muzzleloading rifle market. (Note: The following year, EXPRO TECHNOLOGIES became the powder making division for General Dynamics, the world's largest munitions maker. And they continue to be the manufacturer of what we now know as Blackhorn 209.)
(The mixed coloration pre-production powder can be seen in the photo at right - compared to the all dark gray-black production run Blackhorn 209. Click on the photo to enlarge. Notice the tube-like grains of this cut extruded powder. Also, note the uniformity of the granules.)
The powder was developed by a firm, known as EXPRO TECHNOLOGIES, which was producing some of the IMR powder for Hodgdon. I first became aware of the project at the SHOT Show in January 2005, when three engineers from the firm had me sit down with them to outline all the qualities a modern black powder substitute should possess to be top performing and user friendly. The goal of the company was not to compromise and come out with a new powder/propellant that could be shot out of all muzzleloading guns. Their goal was to produce a powder/propellant especially for the new No. 209 primer ignition rifle models that were dominating the muzzleloading rifle market. (Note: The following year, EXPRO TECHNOLOGIES became the powder making division for General Dynamics, the world's largest munitions maker. And they continue to be the manufacturer of what we now know as Blackhorn 209.)
First Buck With Blackhorn 209...
Looking back at my very first shooting sessions with the mixed coloration powder that, at that time, was still designated "Silver Strike", I now realize that it was just a tad hotter than the all dark coloration Blackhorn 209 powder many of us are shooting today. Just before heading out on several back-to-back November and December deer hunts in 2007, I got in my first range time with the new powder - which the lead engineer had kept me updated on for almost two years. I was well aware of the velocities and accuracy he had been getting - and will be the first to admit that I thought much of it was just hype. I was wrong.
The first rifle I shot the powder out of was my favored .50 Knight Long Range Hunter. Up until that day, the ONLY powder I had shot out of the rifle had been Triple Seven, the vast majority of those shots with FFFg granulation. In fact, in just two years, I had logged right at 3,300 shots through the rifle. Just for comparison, I stoked the Long Range Hunter up with 110-grain volume measured charges of the new powder, and was surprised when it sent the saboted 260-grain Scorpion PT Gold across the screens of my old Shooting Chrony at a five-shot average velocity of 2,054 f.p.s. Even when I didn't factor out the highest and lowest readings, the velocity spread was just 9 f.p.s.! When I did take out the highest and lowest reading, the high-low deviation was only 5 f.p.s.!!!
Now, I had only been able to get my hands on about 3 pounds of the new, yet to be officially named, muzzleloader propellant. I burnt up about a pound of that shooting a variety of saboted bullets to check for accuracy...and to see what primers gave the best "sure-fire" ignition. One of the hardest "old habits" to break was wanting to wipe the bore between shots. Quite honestly, I found that doing so actually hampered accuracy some.
For my last hunt of the season, I had switched to the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold. With 110-grains of the powder, I was getting the bullet out of the 27-inch Knight/Green Mountain barrel at 1,984 f.p.s. On the third day of the hunt, while covering a long narrow draw that led down from heavy cover high upon an oak and cedar covered ridge to river-bottom hayfields, the buck in the photo at above left slowly made its way down the draw. I had plenty of time to take a laser rangefinder reading on a dead cottonwood I knew the buck would have to walk past - at 188 yards. And when the deer eased past the tree a few minutes later, I held the 200-yard cross-bar reticle of the Hi-Lux TB-ML scope a few inches below center of the chest cavity, and eased back on the trigger. Squarely hit through the facing shoulder and both lungs, the deer slowly walked another ten yards and went down. I found where the buck had been when I touched off the shot...and took a laser rangefinder reading on the brush blind I had built up on the side of the ridge - it was 186 yards away.
The first rifle I shot the powder out of was my favored .50 Knight Long Range Hunter. Up until that day, the ONLY powder I had shot out of the rifle had been Triple Seven, the vast majority of those shots with FFFg granulation. In fact, in just two years, I had logged right at 3,300 shots through the rifle. Just for comparison, I stoked the Long Range Hunter up with 110-grain volume measured charges of the new powder, and was surprised when it sent the saboted 260-grain Scorpion PT Gold across the screens of my old Shooting Chrony at a five-shot average velocity of 2,054 f.p.s. Even when I didn't factor out the highest and lowest readings, the velocity spread was just 9 f.p.s.! When I did take out the highest and lowest reading, the high-low deviation was only 5 f.p.s.!!!
Now, I had only been able to get my hands on about 3 pounds of the new, yet to be officially named, muzzleloader propellant. I burnt up about a pound of that shooting a variety of saboted bullets to check for accuracy...and to see what primers gave the best "sure-fire" ignition. One of the hardest "old habits" to break was wanting to wipe the bore between shots. Quite honestly, I found that doing so actually hampered accuracy some.
For my last hunt of the season, I had switched to the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold. With 110-grains of the powder, I was getting the bullet out of the 27-inch Knight/Green Mountain barrel at 1,984 f.p.s. On the third day of the hunt, while covering a long narrow draw that led down from heavy cover high upon an oak and cedar covered ridge to river-bottom hayfields, the buck in the photo at above left slowly made its way down the draw. I had plenty of time to take a laser rangefinder reading on a dead cottonwood I knew the buck would have to walk past - at 188 yards. And when the deer eased past the tree a few minutes later, I held the 200-yard cross-bar reticle of the Hi-Lux TB-ML scope a few inches below center of the chest cavity, and eased back on the trigger. Squarely hit through the facing shoulder and both lungs, the deer slowly walked another ten yards and went down. I found where the buck had been when I touched off the shot...and took a laser rangefinder reading on the brush blind I had built up on the side of the ridge - it was 186 yards away.
Developed Specifically For Today's No. 209 Primer Ignition Rifles...
Western Powders, of Miles City, Montana became the exclusive distributor of the powder, and in January 2008 had the powder maker change all of the granules to a dark gray-black color...and the powder was renamed Blackhorn 209. In April 2008, the powder and its packaging were ready for shipping.
Through February and March, I continued to shoot with what was offically Blackhorn 209. What I found was that in the final refinement of the powder, with the same 110-grain volume-measured charge behind the same saboted 260-grain bullet I had first shot with the mixed-coloration pre-production powder, my average velocity out of the Long Range Hunter was 2,039 f.p.s. - with a high-low deviation of only 11 f.p.s.
Shooting with a variety of No. 209 shotshell primers, I came to prefer the CCI 209M and the Federal 209A (both magnum primers). When Blackhorn 209 first hit dealers shelves, there were a few No. 209 primer ignition muzzleloaders on the market with breech plugs that were not exactly compatible with sure-fire 100-percent spontaneous ignition with the powder. Fortunately the folks at Western Powders have worked closely with in-line rifle makers and those problems are pretty much a thing of the past. Breech plugs with internal dimensions that better insure spontaneous ignition with the powder now allow the use of standard strength No. 209 primers. However, the special muzzleloader primers just don't deliver the flame and heat needed. During warm weather shooting, I've found a couple to give reasonably spontaneous ignition...but during really cold weather shooting sessions, I've experienced too many hang-fires with the muzzleloading primers (which were mostly developed for Triple Seven charges).
Through February and March, I continued to shoot with what was offically Blackhorn 209. What I found was that in the final refinement of the powder, with the same 110-grain volume-measured charge behind the same saboted 260-grain bullet I had first shot with the mixed-coloration pre-production powder, my average velocity out of the Long Range Hunter was 2,039 f.p.s. - with a high-low deviation of only 11 f.p.s.
Shooting with a variety of No. 209 shotshell primers, I came to prefer the CCI 209M and the Federal 209A (both magnum primers). When Blackhorn 209 first hit dealers shelves, there were a few No. 209 primer ignition muzzleloaders on the market with breech plugs that were not exactly compatible with sure-fire 100-percent spontaneous ignition with the powder. Fortunately the folks at Western Powders have worked closely with in-line rifle makers and those problems are pretty much a thing of the past. Breech plugs with internal dimensions that better insure spontaneous ignition with the powder now allow the use of standard strength No. 209 primers. However, the special muzzleloader primers just don't deliver the flame and heat needed. During warm weather shooting, I've found a couple to give reasonably spontaneous ignition...but during really cold weather shooting sessions, I've experienced too many hang-fires with the muzzleloading primers (which were mostly developed for Triple Seven charges).
So...How Does Blackhorn 209 Hold Up From One Season To The Next?
I had nearly a pound of the old pre-production mixed coloration "Silver Strike" on hand when I first thought of doing this report back in late summer 2011. The powder had been stored for 4 years in a garage that's not heated in the winter nor cooled in the summer. While I had fashioned a rubber seal for the inside of the lid, the canister...sitting on a shelf in my powder cabinet...had been subjected to summer temperatures near 100 degrees and winter temperatures as cold as -20 degrees. During a late September shooting session, I took the powder and the rifle I first shot it out of along to see how the powder had held up. Five shots with the 260-grain Scorpion PT Gold averaged 2,038 f.p.s. - for a loss of just 16 f.p.s..
What was most significant was that the five shots across the chronograph from high to low only varied 14 f.p.s. In fact, without doing a thing to the sighting of the scope, the load was printing in exactly the same spot as loads also shot that day with a newly opened bottle of Blackhorn 209. I was extremely impressed with the 1- to 1 1/4-inch groups shot that day using 4-year old powder.
Last December, I pulled out a canister of Blackhorn 209 that had been left over from the 2010 hunting seasons. There was just enough powder in the container to shoot around 20 shots. When shot across the chronograph in early December 2010, out of the Knight Long Range Hunter, 110-grains of the powder pushed the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold at an average of 1,972 f.p.s. The powder that remained in the canister which had been last opened a year earlier produced an average velocity of 1,968 f.p.s.
What was most significant was that the five shots across the chronograph from high to low only varied 14 f.p.s. In fact, without doing a thing to the sighting of the scope, the load was printing in exactly the same spot as loads also shot that day with a newly opened bottle of Blackhorn 209. I was extremely impressed with the 1- to 1 1/4-inch groups shot that day using 4-year old powder.
Last December, I pulled out a canister of Blackhorn 209 that had been left over from the 2010 hunting seasons. There was just enough powder in the container to shoot around 20 shots. When shot across the chronograph in early December 2010, out of the Knight Long Range Hunter, 110-grains of the powder pushed the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold at an average of 1,972 f.p.s. The powder that remained in the canister which had been last opened a year earlier produced an average velocity of 1,968 f.p.s.
Blackhorn 209 Raises The Bar On Muzzleloader Performance!!!
The fact that Blackhorn 209 has a nitrated cellulose base has been both a blessing and a problem for this remarkable new muzzleloader propellant. Unlike carbon based powders (i.e. Pyrodex, Triple Seven, American Pioneer Powder, Shockey's Gold, Black MZ), Blackhorn 209 IS NOT water soluable. In other words, the powder itself cannot be broken down by water (or excess moisture)...and the light fouling it leaves in the bore cannot be cleaned with water or a water-based cleaning solution.
On one very pleasant May afternoon, with the temperatures in the upper 50's, I poured a plastic 35mm film canister 3/4ths full of Blackhorn 209...then finished filling the container with water from my drinking bottle. I snapped on the cap, and set the canister aside while I shot for another half-hour. I then took four folds of very absorbent paper towels, then after I had drained as much of the water from the powder as I could...I then poured the wet granules onto the paper towels and patted all the moisture I could from the powder. Next, I spread the powder onto another two folds of paper towel and let it set on the hood of my truck for about an hour, moving it around with my fingers every 15 or so minutes. When the powder felt dry to the touch, I poured it back into a dry film canister...then poured it into my measure, set at 110-grains...leveled it off... poured it down the bore of my .50 Long Range Hunter...seated a saboted 300-grain Scoprion PT Gold over the charge...dropped a CCI 209M primer into action...took careful aim from my sandbag rest...and touched off the shot. The hole on the target was pretty much where the rifle had been printing most of the day. Two more loads, with powder straight from the nearly full bottle of Blackhorn 209, printed the following two shots about 3/4ths of an inch lower and maybe a half-inch to the right. All three shots were still inside of 1 1/4 inches center-to-center.
Now, try that with any other powder! My feelings are that since this powder is not water soluable, humidity is not really a big factor in its shelf life. With carbon-based powders, it most definitely is.
The down side of having a nitrated cellulose base (nitrocellulose) is that there are those who are afraid of Blackhorn 209's superiority...especially some who produce and market a competing powder. Claims have been made that Blackhorn 209 is a "smokeless powder"...since "smokeless powders" also have a nitrocellulose base. If that is all it take to make something a "smokeless powder", then we could simply grind up some plastics and pour it down the bore. Nitrocelluose is a common ingredient in plastic. As it is in some paints, and especially lacquer coatings. In fact, if you own a classic old Fender or Gibson quitar, the nitro lacquer finish could be one of the reasons for their explosive sound. Just because this powder contains nitrocellulose does not make it a "smokeless powder". Blackhorn 209 has the same official classification as Pyrodex, Triple Seven, and other black powder substitutes.
Marketing muzzleloader propellants has apparently gotten a whole lot like politics. When one cannot further themselves on their own merits and qualities, they attack their opponents or competitors.
Toby Bridges
NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING
Published 2-20-12
On one very pleasant May afternoon, with the temperatures in the upper 50's, I poured a plastic 35mm film canister 3/4ths full of Blackhorn 209...then finished filling the container with water from my drinking bottle. I snapped on the cap, and set the canister aside while I shot for another half-hour. I then took four folds of very absorbent paper towels, then after I had drained as much of the water from the powder as I could...I then poured the wet granules onto the paper towels and patted all the moisture I could from the powder. Next, I spread the powder onto another two folds of paper towel and let it set on the hood of my truck for about an hour, moving it around with my fingers every 15 or so minutes. When the powder felt dry to the touch, I poured it back into a dry film canister...then poured it into my measure, set at 110-grains...leveled it off... poured it down the bore of my .50 Long Range Hunter...seated a saboted 300-grain Scoprion PT Gold over the charge...dropped a CCI 209M primer into action...took careful aim from my sandbag rest...and touched off the shot. The hole on the target was pretty much where the rifle had been printing most of the day. Two more loads, with powder straight from the nearly full bottle of Blackhorn 209, printed the following two shots about 3/4ths of an inch lower and maybe a half-inch to the right. All three shots were still inside of 1 1/4 inches center-to-center.
Now, try that with any other powder! My feelings are that since this powder is not water soluable, humidity is not really a big factor in its shelf life. With carbon-based powders, it most definitely is.
The down side of having a nitrated cellulose base (nitrocellulose) is that there are those who are afraid of Blackhorn 209's superiority...especially some who produce and market a competing powder. Claims have been made that Blackhorn 209 is a "smokeless powder"...since "smokeless powders" also have a nitrocellulose base. If that is all it take to make something a "smokeless powder", then we could simply grind up some plastics and pour it down the bore. Nitrocelluose is a common ingredient in plastic. As it is in some paints, and especially lacquer coatings. In fact, if you own a classic old Fender or Gibson quitar, the nitro lacquer finish could be one of the reasons for their explosive sound. Just because this powder contains nitrocellulose does not make it a "smokeless powder". Blackhorn 209 has the same official classification as Pyrodex, Triple Seven, and other black powder substitutes.
Marketing muzzleloader propellants has apparently gotten a whole lot like politics. When one cannot further themselves on their own merits and qualities, they attack their opponents or competitors.
Toby Bridges
NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING
Published 2-20-12
Federal 209A Primers Are Top Performers With Blackhorn 209 Powder
