Sick of the crud ring.....

[backstraps]

Finally bought myself some blackhorn 209, Iam new to the loose powder but cant wait to give a try with everyone talkin it up. I'll be shooting it from an Encore Endeavor with 240gr XTP mags......anyone have some suggestions for how much powder to use??? Also wondering if my federal 209A primers will be a good fit and what works the best to clean afterwards even though i hear the breech plug is all that really gets dirty. Any help would be appreciated.....

 

[Widude]

I've been loose all my life & wouldn't think about using pellets, welcome.

I'd be in the 100-120 grain area. I use 120 in my Knight with a 250 grn SST. They have some tips on the B209 website you can look over if you have not already. I still clean fairly soon when able after shooting B209. I may go 2-3 days if the weather was on the dry side, that's after shooting of course. I use regular Hoppes #9 for the most part. I use BP grease & leave a light coat of oil on everything when it's stored for awhile. I use a dry cloth over everything including the bore before I load it the next time.

With a few speedloaders pre-measured for the hunt, loose powder is very easy to deal with.

 

[txhunter58]

I don't take shots with my muzzleloader beyond 120-150 yards, so I stick to 90 to 110 gr of BH 209. Easier on the shoulder and pocketbook.

My elk load is with 90 gr of BH! Killed one last year and this one with that, so anyone who says you need more is blowing smoke. 90 gr is plenty of power, the only reason to use more is if it is more accurate or if you plan on shooting longer distances. I have plenty of guns that shoot 200+ yards, but not with my muzzleloaders.

Clean up for the barrel is with Hoppes #9, I soak a patch, put it on the outside of a bore brush and give it a good scrub. Follow that with some dry patches, then another soaked patch on a jag, then some more dry ones and you are done. Since Hoppes has some rust preventatives in it, I don't use an oil product unless I am putting the gun away for awhile.

The breech plug, I soak in Hoppes for awhile, then ream the rear channel out with a 1/8 inch drill bit, work the rest over with a toothbrush, and then soap and water to remove any oily residue.

Be sure to run some dry patches down the barrel and pop a couple of caps before reloading at the next range session or hunt.

I also always shoot a fouling shot before loading for a hunt since the fouled barrel hits slightly different than a clean one in most guns.