I have a CVA Hawken that I haven't used in years, but my son is showing interest so I figured I'd dust it off. I always used Goex FFF in it as the Pyrodex would always cause a hangfire. Now it seems everybody likes the Blackhorn 209 powder but I assume I'd need to do the 209 conversion so it would light consistently. Anybody with experience doing this? I'd stick with the BP but it's damn hard to find up here and of course dirty as hell.

Done it, it ripped off my rifle and I went back to goex. Shoot the real stuff and enjoy that sidelock.

You mean it flew off the gun? Was it a hooked breech gun or a nipple and drum?

drum. The little gadget itself ripped off after the 7th or 8th shot due the the machinest at the time, adding an extra thread and weakening the entire unit. Mag spark adapter.

"Sorry about your experience, Jonathan. As I explained to you, the first Mag Spark was not oversized (6mm is approximately .236”). The threads appeared to be off on the profile, probably the angle was slightly off, However, the replacement was defective in a much more serious way. The manufacturer decided to improve on my design and made several changes to my specifications. One of those changes was that he cut the M6X 1.0 thread too far toward the primer cup, resulting in a thinner than necessary wall. This caused the failure that you experienced, not inferior metal. I invented the Mag Spark system over 30 years ago and I have sold thousands of them worldwide, without a single failure of this type. Until two years ago, I made them myself, on my own equipment, then, due to my age and other factors, I decided to have them made by someone else. That is the first time that I had problems. That being said, it is my problem. The Buck must stop here. I am currently looking for a company to make the Mag Spark to my specifications. Meanwhile, Paul and I will decide what to do about the ones that we have on hand. Again, I am sorry for the problems that you have had and I will see that you get your money back. Ben Hubbard"

Real BP can be readily ordered and if a few shooters gang up for a fairly large order the Haz Mat is considerably reduced.

I spoke to Paul after I received mine. Nice guy, another old retired telephone man.

Toby Bridges, who's promoting these things somewhat on his website, only recommends them for use on guns equipped with bolster-style breeches, which he considers stronger. As I mentioned elsewhere, BH209 pressures are similar to loose 777, so there shouldn't be any worry there. My main objective is flexibility, with a little convenience thrown in certain situations. Now that I've fiddled with a couple of inlines, I've decided that a sidelock with caps is pretty simple by comparison, although the TC Strike my son just got might change that notion a bit. It looks like a good design.

Thanks for the input. Sounds like I'll avoid doing that! So with real BP being hard to come by is there any substitute that will work reliably?

try www.powerinc.com its worth the money for goex!

I use triple 7 with #11 caps without issue in my TC greyhawk.

I too, had issues,with pyrodex, and found 777 easier to light. You might try a musket cap and nipple, if your hammer will fit it. Just make sure you have good caps. The CCI 301's are not good. Get RWS..

Well I found the one gun store in town that can sell real BP and I picked up a pound of FFF. I had to re-buy all the accessories I had left on the east coast when I moved years ago but I'm set to hit the range tomorrow. My oldest boy is quite excited so I'll be lucky if I get more than the first shot out of it, but that's just fine with me. I can see me taking it caribou hunting in the future.