This may have been posted and discussed previously at some point, but here goes again. Does anyone have any experience with Blackhorn 209 Powder? Have you found that not cleaning between shots (as they advertise) to be effective for consistent groups? I bought some today, but haven't busted the seal yet so I was interested in the perspective of anyone who had used it.

Also, has anyone used bullets from Harvester Muzzleloading out of Kentucky? I haven't found ML bullets that expand to my liking, and I can't get the Barnes TMZ to load in my Traditions Vortek without brute force. I might try the Spit-Fire T-EZs next year to see if they load easier and group good. Any thoughts on good ML bullets that load without brute force that also group good and expand well?

Bird Dog I love the Blackhorn Powder. It is really accurate....BUT you need to shoot a hot primer for best results. I shoot the CCI 209. Now in my Thompson which loves a really tight bullet I shoot the Barnes 250 grain. My first shot with a clean barrel is usually an inch or two high, then it just grooves in there and makes a great shot group.

Last year I did a ton of research on muzzleloading loads, and I settled on 120 gr of Blackhorn 209 with a 300 gr Barnes Expander MZ in a MMP HPH-24 sabot in my Omega. My Omega has a tight bore, so I had to switch to a slightly smaller sabot to go with the bullet I wanted to use. Now, it loads without much difficulty.

Blackhorn 209 is awesome. It's basically centerfire rifle powder toned down to be used in muzzleloaders. 120 grs = 150 grs Pyrodex. My current load has as much energy at the muzzle as my 30-06. As far as trajectory, 2" high at 100 leaves me 6" low at 200 yards.

It is cleaner than Pyrodex, and no, I don't swab between shots. Yes, follow their instruction and use real 209 shotgun primers, not 209 muzzleloading primers. My 3-shot group at 100 yards is roughly 2", which is far better than anything I've ever done with a ML. You won't regret switching to BH209. Good luck!

I am glad these guys like it.. I for one don't .. It shoots great in warm weather.. but when hunting season rolled around I clicked on a heavy 8 point 3 times with it a few years back.. I have it on Video.. I went back to my pellets the rest of that year.. in the off season I researched it and talked to a lot of folks on here about it and decided that it was my Primers not getting hot enough.. so the next year I switched back to the BH209 and changed to the CCI Magnum primers and again it shot great in the warm weather.. but the first Friday of the ML season I again let a Big wide Buck get away at 25 yds with it.. this time it fired.. but it was a delay firing and I jerked over him.. I have not went back to it since.. I know people swear by it.. but I will never use the stuff again..

Yea, it's not for every muzzleloader or everybody. You must have a completely sealed breech, like a T/C Encore, Omega, or similar. Read up on it, and make sure it's for you.

Also, don't leave your gun loaded with any load for more than a few days even taken care of, and don't take a loaded ML in and out of hot/cold areas (from your warm house to the 20 degree outdoors). Condensation will form and that's trouble. Also, for any load, be sure you keep you gun reasonably clean, and that includes the flash chamber between the hole in the nipple and the opening of the breech plug where the powder is. The majority of ML not firing are due to people not taking precautions to keep a good load in them. I wish I could count how many times I've heard of misfires, and the story ends with "The gun had only been loaded a week or two" or "I had not had a chance to clean it this year". Not saying this is what happened to you WVBoy, because I've seen lots of funky stuff with ML, but just letting everyone know proper care can help reduce the chances of misfires and poor accuracy.

Thanks for the responses thus far. Keep them coming. WVBOY, I remember seeing that video a few years back. That was tough for sure In my recent splurge of research I came across a bit about cleaning the breach plug. Most of the new ones are 1/8" diameter down to the flash point (where it necks down to maybe 1/32"). Anyways, the recommended cleaning was to take a 1/8" drill bit and use it to clean the breach plug. I did so by locking the bit with some vice grips and simply screwing the bit down into the plug. I was amazed at how much hardened black gunk came out. I will continue to use this method in the future prior to soaking in solvent. Everything I have read suggests using CCI 209 Magnum shotgun primers which I always have. I will give this combination a try at some point (baby on the way any day so could be a while before I get out again) and post my results. Thanks again for the insight. I would be interested to hear the thoughts of others.

Yep not for me.. just FYI .. I clean after every shot and carry a screw in swab thing for my TC between shots in the field.. ( i learned that lesson long ago when I first started ML hunting) .. I own a TC Encore Pro Hunter .. and on the first one I had loaded on the morning of the hunt.. the second one had been loaded for the week and in and out of my truck and shot on Friday.. just not reliable enough for me.. I have never misfired or had a delay with 777 pellets .. so I am sticking with it until I can buy me a Savage Smokeless .. which is my next purchase...

BD .. I clean my breach with Piano Wire every cleaning.. I keep some in my Kit .. then I also blow it out with Compressed air..

Like you said.. not for everyone .. but when you let Two Shooters get away because of it.. then it is definately not for me .. and I don't recommend the stuff to anyone..