Blackhorn 209

[Dutchy Rodell]

I've heard that Blackhorn 209 is beginning to appear on the shelves - but not in my area.  It will be carried by Sportsman's Warehouse and others, but as of yet not Bass Pro or Gander Mtn.   The label indicates that it is for inlines and cowboy cartridges.  They make claims that it is the cleanest of the BP subs.  Has anyone been able to buy and shoot it yet and what are your impressions.  I called the company and asked a few questions - basically I was told loads should be about the same as 777.  As of yet they have no published data for cowboy shooters and haven't done anything with shotgun shells.  Dutchy

[Dick Dastardly]

I've not seen it hereabouts.  I'll keep an eye open.  Mayhaps some of the pards going to Traders Jubilee over on the big river will see some.

DD-DLoS

[Steel Horse Bailey]

The only thing I heard (for sure) WAS the recommendation to use it in inlines and large capacity shooting - NOT C&B or BP pistol caliber shooting.

It's really hard to improve on the old standards - Goex - Swiss - Scheutzen, etc.  If it ain't broke ... don't fix it.


Oh - I heard one other thing:  it ain't gonna be cheap!


The "209" is a subtle hint as to its' suggested usage.

[Fox Creek Kid]

Oh - I heard one other thing:  it ain't gonna be cheap!

Rumor is approx. $40.00 lb.!!!! 

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Rumor is approx. $40.00 lb.!!!! 

That jives right with what I heard.

[rifle]

Heck at that suggested price I'd go with Trail Boss or the excellent TiteGroup smokeless. That's clean powder. Not much smoke but for the price difference I'll pretend there's smoke. My imagination is cheap. Heck. The price of "REAL" black powder is up but still not $40 a pound. I'd rather clean cases then empty my wallet. Maybe if a person is into making their inline rifle shoot like it's using smokeless and have velocities with bullet weights that can kock out an elephant maybe a clean high energy powder like the BlackHorn 209 is the ticket. Hunting antelope or mule deer out west or carribou up north may need a long range rifle like an inline but in those instances a rifle using smokeless cartridges is the ticket. I heard somewhere that the Blackhorn needs the extra spark a 209 primer generates. Anywhoooo.....cap&ballers and cowboy cartridge loaders probably have powders that would work better than BH209 in their guns already. What's next? 20 and 30 caliber inline rifles?  People shooting 1,000 yard targets with a BP sub and inline rifles?  I guess if the inlines are considered safe to use in places where cartridge rifles are not considered safe like for deer hunting in Ohio maybe people should petition for the right to use lever actions and single shots like for 45/70 or 44 mag or 45 Colt or 357 mag. The inlines they have now that are still considered muzzleloaders,which they are by virtue of the fact they are loaded at the muzzle, can generate velocities and energy over the top compared to a little ole lever action rifle shooting 45 Colt or 44/40's with flat point bullets. I don't know of any Cowboy guns that generate vel. over 2,000fps+  with 45 cal. bullets. What's next? Rocket fuel in muzzleloaders? Military technology and smart bombs loaded in muzzleloaders?  Crap....I'll stay true to the origins of the primitive hunt or the reenactment of the Cowboy era and just go get another case of Goex or even Swiss blackpowder and talk my wife into helping clean the cases or my cap&ball pistols or sidelock muzzleloaders. I guess I would try a new powder when they get smart and make a good clean sub that has a pressure curve that emulates the blackpowder. Until then it'll be blackpowder or in some cases smokeless like Trail Boss and TiteGroup and Red Dot and W231 and Accurate S1000 or No. 2 or no. 5.    I'll keep my McDonalds money in my wallet and keep it for what I save it for. Health food under the Golden arches. Cowboys or ole Buffalo hunters like me don't need any high energy rocket fuel fer our guns or laser sights on our hoglegs.    Anyway, I have a Hawken Rifle I built using a 45/70 barrel and a bullet swag made from the end of the barrel before it was ground octagon. I use 500gr. bullets and 75gr. FFg Goex and fill the freezer every year with venison. I (or rather my muzzleloader rifle) could probably out shoot those inlines out to the long ranges too since my Hawken shoots like a Sharps rifle and almost as far. Shoots like a rainbow but......when I practice and stay in tune with guessing the distances just like the old buffalo hunters did back in the day "I can dot a birds eye a flyin at 600 yards".  That last quote is from the movie,"Unforgiven" with Clint Eastwood. I hope the Cowboys that shoot the game don't get too yuppiized and get too far from the spirit of the game. I always thought it was about reenacting the "good ole days" the best way possible. They didn't have BlackHorn or 777 back in the day did they? They had good ole blackpowder with the smoke and the dirty fouling and the sulpher smell(which I love) and the whole nine yards. I've tried the subs and still have some down in the cool corner of the barn on the cool cement. Pyrodex, Clean Shot,Clear Shot, 777, Pinnacle ect.ect. It just sits there and gathers dust as I side step it everytime I get out another can of BLACK POWDER. I got me a coupla Belgian Colts in the 1860 Army configuration and I couldn't imagine shooting a blackpowder sub out of those beauties. It would be like putting Mrs. Buttersworth pancake syrup or cheapie ketchup on the blue Gills I catch in the pond over by the barn. Just plain arse weird to me.   Give me liberty and blackpowder or give me death. Put a can of blackpowder in the casket when I go also.    I think people should petition for and buy more blackpowder and use it and support the businesses that make and sell it. I mean.... what if these new danged fangled subs drive the blackpowder manufacturers out of business?  It's already hard to procurr the black because of the overly cautious rules governing the sale and ownership of the blackpowder. Unfair discrimination against blackpowder I think.  Heck, the black can't even be sold in buildings too close to other building because of the rules the BATFE make up.   We'll have to make our own one of these days and then the gov. will be trying to burn down our houses or shoot us as we stand on our front porches.(Waco...Ruby Ridge)