BLACKHORN 209 vs. TRIPLE SEVEN
For those of you who have been waiting, Western Powders is now shipping their revolutionary new muzzle-loader propellant - Blackhorn 209. And, as I suspected it would be, one of the most commonly asked questions by modern in-line ignition rifle owners has been... "How does the new powder stack up against Hodgdon's popular Triple Seven?"Right off, let me say that Triple Seven is one very fine powder, and I will be the last to badmouth it. In my opinion, when it comes to muzzleloader propellants, Triple Seven has been the very best that's been readily available since its introduction six or seven years ago. Until now. There is now a new horse in the muzzleloader powder race, and Blackhorn 209 will definitely be giving Triple Seven a run for the money - the money that muzzleloading hunters have to spend on the power source for their No. 209 primer ignition muzzle-loaded in-line big game hunting rifles. Based on six months of shooting and hunting with Western Powders' new propellant, here is my comparison of the two very modern powders for today's muzzleloading rifles.Here Is A Head-To-Head Comparison Of The Two Powders!
Hot charges of Western Powders' new Blackhorn 209 powder can consistently produce hundred yard groups such as that shown. This group was shot with a 120 grain charge and the 300-grain Harvester Muzzleloading saboted "Scorpion PT Gold", fired from a .50 caliber No. 209 primer ignited Knight DISC Extreme - WITHOUT WIPING THE BORE BETWEEN SHOTS!
IGNITION
While Triple Seven is a bit more sensitive to ignition, and out of some rifles, can be ignited by No. 11 percussion cap, most shooters have found that it takes at least the heat and fire of a larger winged musket cap to insure ignition. Still, the powder gives best ignition performance when ignited with a No. 209 shot-shell primer.Blackhorn 209 has been developed specifically for today's advanced No. 209 primer ignition in-line rifles, and I have not gotten it to ignite once with No. 11 caps. Likewise, ignition with winged musket caps is extremely iffy, with misfires and hang fires common. However, the new powder gives 100% sure-fire ignition with standard No. 209 shot-shell primers, such as the Winchester No. 209A. (Note: Blackhorn 209 is not compatible with either the Winchester Triple Seven or Remington Kleanbore ML No. 209 primers, both of which were develped for use with Hodgdon's Triple Seven.)VELOCITY & ENERGY
Compared to earlier black powder substitutes, like Hodgdon's older Pyrodex, both Triple Seven and Blackhorn 209 are extremely energetic powders.Shooting last fall with my favorite .50 caliber Knight DISC Extreme revealed that with a 100-grain volume- measured charge of Pyrodex "RS Select", the powder would get a saboted 260-grain Harvester Muzzleloading "Scoprion PT Gold" out of the muzzle (26" barrel) at 1,656 f.p.s. - which is about the same as when shooting the same amount of FFFg black powder. The same rifle and bullet gave 1,944 f.p.s. with a 100-grain volume-measured charge of FFFg Triple Seven...and 1,968 f.p.s. with the same volume-measured amount of Blackhorn 209. In comparison, the Blackhorn 209 load generates 2,236 f.p.e., while the Triple Seven load is good for 2,179 f.p.e.Upping the powder charge to 110 grains of each powder pushes the Triple Seven velocity to 2,018 f.p.s. (with 2,353 f.p.e.) and the Blackhorn 209 velocity to 2,039 f.p.s. (with 2,400 f.p.e.). Note: These are all volume-measured charges. By actual weight, a 100-grain volume-measured charge of either Triple Seven or Blackhorn 209 will be right at 70 grains.BORE FOULING
One of Blackhorn 209's most outstanding traits is that the bore does not have to be wiped between shots to maintain excellent accuracy. In fact, with some saboted bullets, I find that my .50 caliber Knight rifle, which came with a premium quality Green Mountain barrel as standard equipment, gives its very best accuracy when the bore IS NOT WIPED between shots. The fouling left behind is extremely light, and does not build with successive shooting. In one shooting test, I actually shot all afternoon, putting 50 shots through one not-so-big hole at 100 yards. All 50 of the 300-grain Harvester Muzzleloading saboted "Scorpion PT Gold" bullets printed inside of 1 3/4 inches. And the bore was not wiped once. Anyone who has shot with Triple Seven charges will attest that shooters must wipe the bore between shots to maintain accuracy. I've found that in a tight hunting situation, I can get in a reload and second shot with Triple Seven without wiping the bore. But a third shot is always off the mark by several inches...and a fourth shot is totally out of the question.(Note: When using standard strength No. 209 shot-shell primers for ignition, charges of Triple Seven tend to leave a hard, cursty ring in the bore, just about where the saboted bullet seats over the powder chaerge..This "crud ring", as shooters have come to call it, prevents the shooter from seating the projectile in the exact same spot shot after shot - unless time in taken to thoroughly wipe the bore. In worse cases, this ring has also seized the jag and cleaning patch...requiring the breech plug to be removed and often the use of a second rod to tap out the stuck ramrod/loading rod. The use of special Winchester Triple Seven or Remington Kleanbore ML 209 primers, which retail for about twice that of standard 209 shot-shell primers, help eliminate this problem.)ACCURACY
The shooter who does take the minute or so required to wipe fouling (and the crud ring) from the bore will find Triple Seven to produce some outstanding accuracy. In fact, for several years, the powder was the only propellant I would use on a hunt, and it has produced some of the finest groups I've ever shot with muzzle-loaded rifles. I'm now getting that same kind of accuracy with Blackhorn 209 - without having to wipe the bore. The load I hunted with last fall consisted of 110-grains of Blackhorn 209 and the 300-grain "Scorpion PT Gold" bullet. For ignition, I relied exclusively on the standard Winchester 209A primer, which sells for about half of what the special Triple Seven Primers go for, and my Knight DISC Extreme (Long Range Hunter model) would consistently keep shots inside of 1 1/4 inches at 100 yards. On a few really good days, the rifle and I punched a few very impressive 1/2- to 3/4-inch groups. This heavier version of the Harvester Muzzleloading saboted polymer-tipped spire-point, pushed by 110-grains of the new powder is good for 1,945 f.p.s., with 2,521 f.p.e. Out at 200 yards, where some pre-season shooting revealed the rifle and bullet would keep five shots at 2 1/2 to 3 inches, the load plows home with 1,329 foot-pounds of retained energy. Several deer taken with the load at 150 to 185 yards were put down within 20 yards of being hit with 1,500 to 1,600 foot-pounds of retained energy.To insure precise shot placement, the rifle I hunted with was topped with one of the multi-reticle Leatherwood/Hi-Lux HPML scopes that I helped develop, mostly shooting these same Harvester Muzzleloading bullets.More recently, on my new test range just outside of Missoula, MT, I have taken my volume-measured Blackhorn 209 charges up to 120-grains. According to the folks at Western Powders, the pressures created by this amount of powder behind the 300-grain bullet are still less than with the so-called 150-grain charges of Triple Seven Pellets. The load gives me 2,030 f.p.s., compared to just 1,918 f.p.s. with three 50-grain Triple Seven Pellets. The Blackhorn 209 load is good for 2,826 f.p.e., while the Triple Seven Pellet load generates 2,448 f.p.e. The lighter 260-grain "Scorpion PT Gold", propelled by 120-grains of Blackhorn 209, gets out of the 26" Green Mountain barrel at 2,153 f.p.s., with 2,675 f.p.e. Both loads, without wiping the bore, have still proved capable of keeping some groups inside of an inch. My best hundred yard group with the 300-grain bullet has been an astounding 5/8-inch three-shot cluster.CLEANING
Triple Seven fouling has been relatively easy to get out of the bore, using nothing more than water. In fact, on one management doe hunt, I cleaned my rifle every evening with just saliva-dampened patches. And on that hunt, I took 11 does in 5 days. However, like quite a few shooters, I have never been all that crazy about cleaning the bore of a tack-driving rifle with water or water-based soapy solutions.Truth is, you do not want to use water or water-based soapy solution to clean out what little Blackhorn 209 fouling that's left in the bore. It tends to turn the fouling to a sticky surface in the bore. Instead, to clean away this fouling, it takes just one or two patches dampened with a modern bore solvent, such as good ol' Hoppe's No. 9. (Western Powders has also developed one of its "Montana Extreme" cleaning solvents expressly for Blackhorn 209.) With Triple Seven powder, some shooters (including your's truly) have experienced difficulties getting stuck breech plugs out of rifles. Thanks to the non-building tendencies of Blackhorn 209 fouling, with just a light coat of grease type lubricant on the threads of a breech plug, that problem could be a thing of the past.Both powders are non-corrosive. However, Hodgdon Powder Company warns that Triple Seven fouling does tend to draw moisture if left in the bore or on other metal surfaces for any length of time. During my testing last fall, I hunted several months with the same rifle and Blackhorn 209, not cleaning the rifle once - even though the muzzleloader was fired a hundred or more times during that period. When I did tear it down for cleaning, the breech plug came right out...and the bore was wiped spotless with two modern solvent dampened patches. In short, the rifle cleaned up in basically the same time it takes to clean the same rifle after a single afternoon at the range.COST-PER-SHOT
Blackhorn 209 comes in a 10-ounce container, retailing for right at $30. Triple Seven powder comes in a 16-ounce container that retails for around $25. Shot-for-shot, loose grain Triple Seven is cheaper to shoot. Western Powders claims that a shooter can get 62 of the 100-grain volume-measured charges from a canister of the powder, meaning that each charge runs about 48-cents every time the trigger is pulled. However, when it comes to Triple Seven Pellets, it will take a 150-grain pellet charge (three 50-gr. pellets) to closely duplicate the velocity of just 100 grains of Blackhorn 209. A box of those pellets (100-count) retails for around $25, meaning the cost of shooting Triple Seven Pellets jumps to 75-cents per shot to get comparative bullet speed.Doug Phair, the president of Western Powders, points out that the added cost is simply due to the fact that Blackhorn 209 is more expensive to make. He feels that once shooters try the powder, they will accept the higher cost thanks to benefits like the elimination of the "crud ring", not having to wipe the bore between shots, the peace of mind when leaving a rifle for several days before cleaning, how quickly the bore is made spotless with a modern solvent dampened patch, and being able to use lower cost standard No. 209 shot-shell primers for ignition.It will be interesting to see how modern day muzzleloading shooters take to Western Powders' new Blackhorn 209. Me, I'm already sold on the powder. I've found it to be the most user friendly and top performing modern muzzleloader propellant I have ever used. Personally, I don't even like calling it a black powder substitute. It's a lot more than that! - Toby Bridges, NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING Published 4-13-08
For More Of A Comparison - Go To The Blackhorn 209 Website At:
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