Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Blackhorn load by weight

I am shooting a CVA Accura v2/lr with Hornady ELDX Bore driver bullets 340 gr.

What are your suggestions for Blackhorn 209 charges by weight for deer? Shots can be 100-200 yards.

What do you think will be an acceptable lower weight charge and still be effective at 200 yards?

I realize I have to work up an accurate load and that process will be just as fun as actual hunting.

Just want to get some feedback on what the Campfire hunters are using.

I recommend looking at the Blackhorn Web page they have recommendations for loadings.

They only give loads by "volumetric" weights

My conversion is 75 gr (wt) = 100 gr (vol). This is based on measuring in a volumetric measure and throwing it on the scale.

75 gr by weight should work ok. I started there working up a Federal BOR Lock 270 gr load

I use 80gr

Work a good load by volume. When satisfied, weigh that Volume load on your loading scale.

Same here, you'll be fine starting at 75 and working to your desired speed or accuracy. BH209 is easy stuff.

Six one way, half a dozen the other.

My observation is that the volumetric measure (when I do 10 charges) varies up to 10% in extreme spread. It is sensitive to drop height, how you fill up the volumetric measure and if you do any vibration that would compact it. You just don't get the variation weighing it on a scale.

I have about 10x more experience with metallic cartridge reloading, so maybe I have a junky measure. It's a T/C (clear plastic graduated cylinder) that I fill from a CVA powder dispenser. Total drop into the measure is around 4 - 5 "

Well you could dump 10 charges, weigh each one and take the average. I pour mine right from the canister, thru a small funnel, into a brass measue, not so much drop. To tell the truth I have used 209 by volume and weight. Weighting did not make much difference in accuracy. All the elk died the same using volume or weight. A 340 gr bullet for a muzzle loader trajectory varies so much from50 yards to a 125 yards, it is hard to imagine someone knowing were one's POI will be between 50 yards and 200. JMHO

Farthest shot I’ve ever taken in a whitetail was 201yds


Harvest Scorpion 300gr
CCI 209

Blackhorn 209 - 75grs by weight


Complete pass through and the deer was down in 30-40yds.

I weigh my BH charges using a Chargemaster Lite, finding it pretty quick and easy. I use the 70% formula and IIRC that came pretty close to my measured charges. I have a loading block that holds the tubes, both the ones BH sells and a bunch of Lane’s. The loaded tubes go in a plastic snap-lid box.

Can’t help with the 200 yard load as I regard even my inline as a 100-150 yard rifle at most, and longer shots, while possible, aren’t likely where I hunt. In addition, the projectiles I use work best at around 100gr equivalent charge levels.

Be certain to stay within BH209 load bounds. While some guns are rated by the manufacturer to 150gr, the Blackhorn load charts stop at 120. Those charts appear to be the same ones published by Western, but are now provided by Hodgdon.

$91 for a half pound!

$$$

No doubt out it! I'm converting a single shot 45-70 barrel over to be a smokeless muzzleloader and avoid using anymore BH209. A can of N110 is far cheaper than BH209.

Here's another vote for measuring by volume until you find the perfect charge then weigh it.

I have essentially a lifetime supply, a fresh 5-pounder that cost, IIRC. $250. That’s 500 shots for me.

One of them and a few 12 oz containers here, glad I got it for cheap too.

With Blackhorn 209 70 grains of weight equals 100 grains by volume. I shot my 2016 Iowa buck with a 338 grain Power Belt Platinum bullet with 81.5 grains by weight. 111 yards quartering to me. DRT. I shot my 2019 Iowa buck with a 250 grain Hornady Mono-flex ML bullet pushed by 77 grains by weight of Blackhorn 209. 117 yards complete penetration through the ribs. Also DRT.
Both were shot with my T/C Encore.

Ron

I found this information while researching Blackhorn 209 load data:

https://hodgdonpowderco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Blackhorn_209_b209muzzleloaderdata-1.pdf

I'm just beginning to find a load!

This is correct, right on my jars of BH 209. I weigh out 70 on my RCBS Balance beam scale . (50 years old) then pour it into Blackhorn's tube which is always right at the 100 volumetric line. So I'm double-checking each load. I've done enough of this that I trust the volume measuring tubes, but just like to weigh them since I'm a reloader anyway. I shoot 200gr 40 caliber TC Shockwaves through an Encore 50 cal. stainless steel barrel.

For any powder in a ML, I recommend as much charge as you can get to shoot accurately. They are not high velocity arms so get all that you can out of them.
In my .50 guns I shoot 80 grains of FFFg and a patched roundball. Save the light loads for the range. As you increase the charge the bullet impact with rise on the target and then once the group opens up, it is time to stop. Guns are individuals so you never know until you try.

Pre-weighed 77grW placed in BH209 tubes for anything I load, mostly MMP/Nosler Partitions/Barnes. Equals 110grV in the tubes. Anything more did not give much increase in velocity, just more unburned powder granules ejected.