FINALLY got around to trying Blackhorn 209

[Newtosavage]

I have two muzzleloaders - a Ruger 77/50 that I love dearly and have cleanly taken many deer with, and a CVA Optima V2. The Ruger is a smooth, handsome rifle with a unique design. However it only takes percussion caps despite being an in-line, so I've always shot Triple Seven out of it. Accuracy has been excellent and cleanup was pretty simple, so I figured I had no reason to change.

After my first trip to the elk mountains with that rifle, I quickly decided I wanted a stainless steel, closed-breech muzzleloader. Day after day of rain had me concerned about the Ruger for more than one reason. So I bought a CVA Optima V2 on clearance at Cabelas soon after, and fed it the rest of the Triple Seven I had on hand over the next year or so.

Once that ran out, I decided to give Blackhorn 209 a try because of all the great reviews and the notion that I won't need to swab between shots and don't even necessarily need to clean right after every range session if I didn't want to. I also understood that BH 209 didn't attract moisture as much so that is another plus.

I sprung for the extra BH 209 breech plug (the CVA comes standard with the breech plug designed for pellets) and hit the range today. I topped the CVA with a 2-7x32 Nikon that I bought here on the classifieds. With the BDC reticle and robust crosshairs, it is an excellent match for this muzzleloader. I was testing a whitetail load for the ongoing late muzzleloader, and evaluating whether a 200-yard shot was realistic. Where I hunt, 200 yard shots are common.

I have to say, I was very, very impressed. Shooting 225-grain .44 Caliber Hornady FTX's and green Harvester Crush-Rib Sabots, I managed a 3" 4-shot group at 200 yards and a 100-yard group that was a little over an inch. What a great combination! To finally have confidence in a 200-yard muzzleloader is something new, and I look forward to my next trip to the deer woods.

Finally, for those of you that are experienced BH 209 users, what is your cleaning regimen?

Thanks.

 

[MuleyFever]

I have found T/C No13 cleans it up quickly. I ran out and have been using the Blackhorn cleaner and it takes more patches to get it clean.

 

[Newtosavage]

I have found T/C No13 cleans it up quickly. I ran out and have been using the Blackhorn cleaner and it takes more patches to get it clean.

How often are you cleaning? After so many shots, after each session?

 

[MuleyFever]

At the end of the day at the range.

 

[ENCORE]

Don't use any water based cleaning products, such as products for other substitutes or BP. Use Hoppe's or Montana Extreme Blackhorn 209 cleaner, which by the way, works very well.

Note: I'm not exactly sure the CVA breech plug flash hole size, but it MUST be cleaned of carbon from the 209 magnum primers. A proper size drill bit TURNED BY HAND, will chip out the carbon from the flash channel. At minimum, do it after every range session.

 

[Newtosavage]

Don't use any water based cleaning products, such as products for other substitutes or BP. Use Hoppe's or Montana Extreme Blackhorn 209 cleaner, which by the way, works very well.

Note: I'm not exactly sure the CVA breech plug flash hole size, but it MUST be cleaned of carbon from the 209 magnum primers. A proper size drill bit TURNED BY HAND, will chip out the carbon from the flash channel. At minimum, do it after every range session.

Thanks. I heeded the non-water based products, and just used what Hoppe's No. 9 I had on hand. It worked fine.

I also don't know the CVA flash hole size, but since it's a breech plug specifically designed for BH 209, I would assume it's the correct size. I have used two drill bits to clean the flash channel and the primer pocket. Pretty simple to do. I've just been using standard Winchester 209 primers and not the Magnums. No issues through about 20 rounds at the range today.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[MuleyFever]

I would switch to the mag primers as recommended by the company.

 

[Newtosavage]

I would switch to the mag primers as recommended by the company.

For what reason? I've not had a single issue yet with the standard Winchester 209's, and 3" groups at 200 yards are not something I'm willing to mess with.

 

[tdhanses]

I’ve used the win209 primers without issue for a few years, when I bought mine that was all you could get. But if I ever run out I’ll switch to a mag primer, probably the Federal or CCI.

BH209 just like a hot primer but the win209 is fine to use with it from my experience.

 

[Newtosavage]

I’ve used the win209 primers without issue for a few years, when I bought mine that was all you could get. But if I ever run out I’ll switch to a mag primer, probably the Federal or CCI.

BH209 just like a hot primer but the win209 is fine to use with it from my experience.

The Winchester primers must fit my breech plug really well, because they are the cleanest primers I've ever pulled from it. When I was shooting Triple Seven, I tried several of the muzzleloader-specific primers, and they all were a filthy mess. When I run out of the Winchesters, I might try some magnums but for now it ain't broke.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I clean it right after a range session, during a hunt it might be a day or two after the shot till I am at home and deal with it but I don't leave it sitting in there like I do with smokeless powder, its still a bit corrosive I think I recall reading. I clean my rifles with "wipe out" and it seems to do fine with BH209 as well.

 

[Newtosavage]

I clean it right after a range session, during a hunt it might be a day or two after the shot till I am at home and deal with it but I don't leave it sitting in there like I do with smokeless powder, its still a bit corrosive I think I recall reading. I clean my rifles with "wipe out" and it seems to do fine with BH209 as well.

Thanks. That sounds like a reasonable approach.

- - - Updated - - -

A question just occurred to me, are stainless barrels less prone to corrosion from BP powders than carbon steel?

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Probably to a degree but stainless is just more resistant to corrosion generally speaking its not corrosion proof. Keeping in mind that some tooling that machines stainless stuff can leave behind embedded carbon which will start rusting even if the base metal wouldn't otherwise in a given environment.

 

[MuleyFever]

When hunting I usually shoot mine once before loading to dirty the barrel and then load it and don’t clean it until season is over. I have a stainless barrel and it cleans up just fine.

 

[Adam Gibbs]

I may be the outlier here, but my rifle needs 2 shots through it the guarantee my 3rd shot is zeroed. So for that reason I shoot it twice, load it and hunt with it for 2 weeks or so. Never had an issue with corrosion in my bore (tc Omega). After 2 weeks I clean it with patches and Windex, shoot it twice more, reload it and go hunt again.

I've fired up to 15 shots in one range session without cleaning. Had zero impact shift after the first 2 shots and it never became hard to load. YMMV. The stuff is amazing compared to T7 where I was swabbing between shots and cleaning all the time.

 

[morphetm]

I clean mine after each day at the range sometime the next day, using Blackhorn 209. The night before season I run a dry patch then shoot 2 win 209 primers down the barrel and load it for hunting. During season I keep a spent primer in the breech plug and usually put a cut finger from a rubber glove on the muzzle. Haven't had an issue in the 4 years I have had the Accura v2. After loaded 2 weeks took a buck through the heart at 240 yds

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