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Today was a hawken development day

854 views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  NativeTexan 
#1 ·
FINALLY, it's warm....er. Temps in the high 40s, feels kinda balmy. :) So, I set up my shooting table on my 100 yard rifle range and commenced to working with my Hawken Hunter Carbine and BH209 powder. Now, BH209 is tough to ignite and supposed to only be used in inlines, but this new gizmo I bought replaces the nipple with a 209 primer conversion. It makes ignition 100 percent reliable.

From what I've read, one must figure on 70 percent of a ffg charge as max with BH209. It works out that by volume, I used the same Lee dipper as for 90 grains of ffg. This allows me a 65 grain BH209 charge, just a little lighter than max. I chronographed a 385 grain Minie ball at a little over 1100 fps. Much over 1200 fps would worry me, but 1100 is safe. With the iron sights on the gun, I kept my groups to 2" at 100 yards, which is about what I get with Pyrodex.

So, I'm good to go. The advantage of BH209 is clean up. There's no need to swab the bore every other shot. Also, it's non-corrosive and it is an accurate powder. I'll go clean the bore in a bit, but it's no hurry with this stuff. The disadvantage is mostly the need for HOT ignition and the cost. The stuff is 35 bucks for 10 ounces, a bit steep. But, it ain't like I shoot a lot of it. :D
 
#4 ·
I'm lucky as I can get Goex black powder. When I go to the Medina gun show, they are on SR42 going west towards Lodi OH.

https://www.logcabinshop.com/about.php

It's a nice shop if you get the chance to go there. I still love the smell of BP. They can't ship you BP, but they have a lot of supplies for ML.

For a BP solvent, a three equal part solvent made from Murphy's Oil soap, rubbing alcohol, and 2% hydrogen peroxide antiseptic. It becomes one of the best BP solvents and degreaser. Just re-oil after using it. So I prefer BP over any smokeless substitute. At one time, this solution was near identical to TC's BP solvent with the exception that they used wintergreen to hide the smell of the oil soap.

Maloy
 
#5 ·
When I need black powder I buy it from
https://powderinc.com/black-powder/
in 5 lb or multiples of 5 lbs lots.
At this time I am about out of cannon grade bp. I'll wait for spring before I order more as where I shoot my cannons and mortars is snow covered and I don't do snow covered muddy mountain roads.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I always cleaned up BP with simple dish soap and hot water. Dry it out and run a patch of bore butter down the bore. Works for me, with Pyrodex, too. With BH209, one must use normal smokeless solvents, like Hoppes number 9. BH209 is actually a "smokeless" powder that makes smoke. :rofl: It is non-corrosive and burns clean. It's hard to ignite, but works great with the 209 primer adapter replacing the nipple. It's also pricey, but the convenience is nice. :D What I REALLY like is there's no swabbing the bore between shots to maintain accuracy. The stuff is super accurate and doesn't require such 19th century routines. :D It's 150 miles to the nearest shop that sells the "holy black" and I'm not averse to the subs. In fact, Pyrodex is JUST LIKE BP, it IS BP with a burn retardant of some kind to make it burn rather than explode. This is what makes the subs harder to ignite, but there are modern solutions. I don't have a problem with Pyrodex in my revolvers, good ignition. I wish I could get BP, but I'm not going to drive 150 miles or pay exorbitant hazmat fees to get it. For me, the only reason to use it is ease of ignition and I have that covered. :D
 
#7 ·
I typically stock only FFFg and use it in the 1860's and my .58 rifled muskets. It leaves less fouling in the bore of them. I can usually get 10 shot before hitting the bore with a brush. That is all I do when at the range. I use a brass brush on a Mountain State unbreakable ram rod and tip muzzle down and give it a few swipes.

Also you can season a muzzle loaders bore like a cast iron skillet. When putting it away, you can coat the bore with TC bore butter and leave it. It will soak into the pores of the steel.

Maloy
 
#8 · (Edited)
Well, I can fire 500 rounds with BH209 and maintain accuracy as good as any smokeless gun. But, it don't stink. If you really like the smell of elephant farts, it ain't your powder. :rofl:

I don't know that "seasoning" the bore of my Hawken would work. You see, it's chrome plated. Yeah, I know, Davy and Daniel's guns weren't chrome plated. But, they didn't have smart phones, either. :rofl: I have always used bore butter before putting the gun up, though.

Besides, the Mag Spark adapter was developed in the 1860s. It IS period correct. :D

http://www.pineridgeblackpowder.com/mag-spark.html

Mag-Spark takes the possibility of a miss fire out of the picture, and yes they are traditional. Again, a nipple like it was first made in the 1860's and now Mag-Sparks gives that nipple back to you.
 
#9 ·
I used triple 7 in my Hawken for a while, but went back to pyrodex. I got rid of my Hawken a few years ago, but kept the inline for hunting. Looking back, I should have kept the the percussion rifle and gotten rid of the inline.
 
#10 ·
Well, I've got both. For serious hunting, I sure like the inline mainly because of the scope. It shoots good, but no better than the Hawken. It is a little more powerful, though. I shoot 777 in it and it has a 24" vs 20" barrel on the Hawken. I like 'em both a lot, though. I'm not necessarily a traditionalist, but there's something about the fine wood, hand checkering on that Hawken that I like. It's not the ornate brass furniture of the standard Hawken, but it's still a well crafted gun and has practical hunting mods like the blacked furniture and a recoil pad which is appreciated.

I really don't think of the inline as primitive. It's a modern gun, just loads from the wrong end. :D It's a 50/90 sharps without the brass. The Hawken gives me more of a mountain man feel. :laugh:
 
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