Blackhorn 209

[Varmint Hunter]

I haven't been shooting a muzzleloader since 2010 which is when I purchased a few pounds of Blackhorn 209 powder. I'm getting reacquainted with the ol' smokepole and bought a new can of Blackhorn. However, I'd like to use the 3 cans of (10 year old) powder that I have. Is there any reason that I shouldn't? Can it be stored as long as smokeless?

The powder was kept in the original container and is stored in a climate controlled room.

 

[Peddler 76]

Should not be a problem.If your worried give Western a call, they are great folks.

 

[26Reload]

Black powder dry in cannons found under water still fires...
Doubt you'll have problem...
Do you have the correct nipple and powder chamber....
Encore on here should be able to school you on black powder and Blackhorn.....

 

[ENCORE]

If kept properly, it has and indefinite shelf life.

IIRC Western tests their first run every year.

 

[26Reload]

See...told ya encore would know....
"We grasshoppers"..."he know all"...

 

[Varmint Hunter]

See...told ya encore would know....
"We grasshoppers"..."he know all"...

Interestingly enough, my rifle is an Encore 209x50. It's all scoped up for hunting. Shot a few whitetails with it but mostly just killed a lot of paper.

 

[26Reload]

Maybe ask him why he calls himself Encore...
Modern Mzldr....

 

[Charles Keethler]

Hey Encore what bullet are you using with yours? Call name is Skinner5553 been shooting black since 1981 custom and Encore.

 

[kfreeze]

Interestingly enough, my rifle is an Encore 209x50. It's all scoped up for hunting. Shot a few whitetails with it but mostly just killed a lot of paper.

Thats what I run bh209 in. That combo with mmp .458 sabots and a barnes .458 300 grn tsx bullet shoots great in my encore.

 

[RAGGED EDGE]

Nobody on this planet knows more about muzzleloaders and BH 209 than Toby Bridges. www.namlhunt.com Great Site for us smokepolers!

 

[ENCORE]

Hey Encore what bullet are you using with yours? Call name is Skinner5553 been shooting black since 1981 custom and Encore.

When shooting BH in any past Encore platform, my "go to" bullets.... Barnes.

Once I started shooting bullet to bore......... Fury

Sorry Ragged Edge, but I beg to differ.

 

[Jon Dempsey]

Different lots of Blackhorn shoot differently. I would use it but I wouldn't sight in with one lot and hunt with another lot

 

[Dean2]

Blackpowder will keep for 300 years and fire exactly the same as the day it was made. I tested a can of FFFg over a 15 year period and there was zero change in velocity. BH 209 is NOT like Black Powder. Western claims indefinite shelf life. It truly will go bang for many many years but if you measure velocity when it is new and the same load 3, 5 and 7 years later from that same can, it is not going to be the same. All of the times I have tried this, velocity decreases the older the powder gets. So long way of saying, go ahead and use the old powder but use new stuff for final sight in and hunting. You can easily check velocity on your stored powder versus your new stuff, unopened cans do not seem to show the velocity drop near as fast or pronounced as an open can. All in however, it is still far and away the best of the BP substitutes and does not drop velocity at anywhere near the rate that some of the others do in storage, American Pioneer being among the worst. It has a shelf life of maybe a year.

 

[moosekiller99]

A bit off topic but does one need a special breachplug to use BH 209?
I shoot a CVA inline with a standard plug.