Muzzleloader suggestions.....from A to Z...

[midwestxpress]

cant beat those Timney triggers!

[BHC]

Just now, midwestxpress said:

cant beat those Timney triggers!

that gun is accurate, I used two pyodex pellets with a 250 gr Barnes Expanders.......But it was a PIA to clean when compared to my TC Triumph

[allmann]

Is the blackhorn breech plug a must for the blackhorn? I have a CVA Accura 

[dlist777]

17 hours ago, nmc02 said:

Take this advice OR leave it.....last time  I am giving it. I have shot pellets (many brands), loose powder, etc...there is no better than Blackhorn 209. I don't work for them, no affiliation. When I first shot Blackhorn and their staff said you could shoot up to 50 shots without cleaning the barrel,  I said BULLSHIT! It tried and it is true. I tried many bullets...hornady, Thompson,  barnes, and powerbelt. Yup...powerbelt are great for accuracy on paper..maybe the best. However, their performance on game sucks. I strongly recommend the Barnes spit fire expander in the tmz or tez...accurate and puts them down. Lastly, the gun...Thompson once was the premier gun. Almost no comparison. Unfortunately,  they were bought by smith & Wesson and their quality is in the toilet. CVA really stepped up their game and guarentee satisfaction...I like their Accura rifle....still prefer the knight rifles. They have better stocks & triggers,  but cost considerably more. Take my advice...blackhorn, barnes bullets, and a cva accura or knight ultralite.  Good luck.

Can I ask a bunch of noob questions:

 I have a cva accura v2.  I currently use 150 gr of IMR whitehots (3 pellets), Winchester 777 209 primers, a harvester scorpion pt gold 260 grain sabots.

1.  Can I use same primer and bullet with blackhorn?

2.  How do you measure your powder when you use loose powder?  Esp in the field

3.  Are the grains equivalent between pellets and loose powder?  Would I use 150 grains of blackhorn in place of the 3 whitehots?

4.  Do I need a different breach plug?

 

Thx in advance.

 

Edited December 16, 2018 by dlist777

[LPJR]

1 hour ago, allmann said:

Is the blackhorn breech plug a must for the blackhorn? I have a CVA Accura 

I have the Accura MR with the bergara barrel and had the stock breech plug drilled slightly bigger per the manufacturer to allow for the use of the BlackHorn propellant. Zero issues. Agree with everything nmc02 has suggested...

[nmc02]

1 hour ago, dlist777 said:

Can I ask a bunch of noob questions:

 I have a cva accura v2.  I currently use 150 gr of IMR whitehots (3 pellets), Winchester 777 209 primers, a harvester scorpion pt gold 260 grain sabots.

1.  Can I use same primer and bullet with blackhorn?

2.  How do you measure your powder when you use loose powder?  Esp in the field

3.  Are the grains equivalent between pellets and loose powder?  Would I use 150 grains of blackhorn in place of the 3 whitehots?

4.  Do I need a different breach plug?

 

Thx in advance.

 

CVA recommends that you buy the blackhorn specific breech plug....it costs $ 25 on Amazon. Blackhorn recommends using either the federal 209b or cci magnum primers (these two burn hotter than other primers). The maximum load for blackhorn is 120 volumetric grains (the 120 of blackhorn results in higher velocity compared to 150 grains of pellets). Blackhorn reps told me 120 is the max because you can not burn anymore powder in the barrel...therefore you are wasting it. It is super easy to measure using their powder tubes. Also, no need for breach plug grease w blackhorn. Literally able to shoot 40 shots without cleaning between shots.

[tcook8296]

I agree with the Blackhorn. Barnes expanders are a great bullet. 

Ive owned Knights and Thompson muzzys. All shot good. 

I now have the Remington 700 muzzy. 

Shoot 250 gr accutips  from what I understand is a barnes bullet. 

Capable of 200 gr of black powder or pellets. 

Still working on a blackhorn load. 

Gun is a matter of personal preference. They all shoot good once you find what they like. 

Edited December 17, 2018 by tcook8296

[shoot2kill8]

I would not recommend using the Blackhorn volume tubes for measuring, they are great for storage but not very accurate for measuring.  Get yourself an actual brass powder measure, it will be a lot more accurate.  Or better yet buy a powder scale and measure by weight, but be aware measuring by volume and weight are not the same amount of powder

Edited December 17, 2018 by shoot2kill8

[Woodsman416]

So what exactly is the problem with Powerbelts?

[vdep217]

Most that shoot magnum charges are not actually burning that much powder..  each gun is different..  to find out optimal powder burn place as white sheet long ways on ground in front of you..  when u shoot the unburned powder will show.   When I shot loose powder in my woods rifle 80 grains I got near 100 percent burn..  with Pellets I do not but am accurate..  I will be going to black horn next year for ease of cleaning

[nmc02]

3 hours ago, Woodsman416 said:

So what exactly is the problem with Powerbelts?

They come out the same size and shape as when they entered the animal. Therefore, poor performance which equates to poor blood trails. In my opinion...like shooting a deer w a field point. As I said previously, they are great on accuracy, but do not perform. I shot them for many years and got little blood after the shoot. There was a dramatic difference when I switched to Barnes spit fire expander bullets....Literally never had a deer take a step after being shot. Just my experience...

[TDietz]

I don't understand why anyone shoots anything but Blackhorn, unless you're a diehard blackpowder patched roundball flintlock shooter. The best reason to me is the fact that it's non-hygroscopic,( yes, 99% of the gun scenes in The Revenant were BS)....so you can hunt in damp, snowy weather and still get ignition. And there's a lot less corrosion with it too.  I know for a fact that you can't leave a dirty Pyrodex-shot barrel for a week before cleaning without getting some major pitting. With Blackhorn I'll go weeks without cleaning and have no problem, no rust.

I've been killing big game since the 70s with rifles and never had many that needed a bloodtrail, (It's not like early season bowhunting), so I don't understand all the hype on bullet performance.... seen a bunch of deer shot with Powerbelts, we use something different now, and they all went dead pretty quick. 

[OMC]

I've wanted to switch to Blackhorn this year but I was reading that it should be weighed out and not to go by Volume. I didn't want to have to get a scale and start doing that so I just stayed with 777 pellets. 

So does everyone weigh out their loads or do they go by the Volume marked ? 

 

[archer36]

It's a big plus having a propellant the is easy to clean or doesn't need cleaning between shots. That's great when you are zeroing in and shooting a lot of rounds. What's the big deal with just about any propellant if it's "dirty" after a few shots? How many shots do you take at game hunting during a season? I like pellets. It's hard enough getting those things down the barrel when it's cold outside. I can't take a chance on loose powder. 

[dlist777]

18 minutes ago, archer36 said:

It's a big plus having a propellant the is easy to clean or doesn't need cleaning between shots. That's great when you are zeroing in and shooting a lot of rounds. What's the big deal with just about any propellant if it's "dirty" after a few shots? How many shots do you take at game hunting during a season? I like pellets. It's hard enough getting those things down the barrel when it's cold outside. I can't take a chance on loose powder. 

I was thinking the same.  Also with sabots you kind of have to clean after a while regardless.  I'm kind of on the fence here.  Some say the blackhorn is more accurate though...that is a reason to switch.  I'll probably play with both this off-season.