Why BH 209?

[rodwha]

So it's been suggested to me personally and I've read of several others praising the use of BH 209 over Triple 7 or even Swiss and Olde Eynsford, though not quite as much with the latter two. So my question is why?

Now with T7 I've been told it's a little more finicky and has a wider deviation shot to shot. Now if I were shooting beyond 150 yds hunting or shooting 100 yds + in matches I could see why this might be a bigger deal.

I began by shooting nothing but T7 as it was the only energetic powder I could easily find. But then came along the time where people couldn't find much of anything and I was forced online. And at that time Olde Eynsford came out on the market and an excellent price. And so I tried it instead of Swiss and like it. I'm not too sure on how the price per shot works out since T7 weighs less but I do know without needing to do math that it's still more costly.

Now BH 209 is over the top expensive and comes in a smaller container too. I've read the praises of much less fouling but the need for solvents instead of simple water (and soap if you choose it which I do).

Now I, myself, prefer to keep things as simple as possible. I don't want to need to stock several kinds of powder as well as caps/primers. Nor do I want to need to carry more variations afield. But as I have speed loaders for my guns this truly wouldn't be an issue. And a few different types of ignition isn't really a big deal, though I still would prefer to keep it all simple.

So why is BH 209 your choice over Triple 7, Swiss, or Olde Eynsford?

 

[Patocazador]

I use BH209 for hunting due to its non-corrosive convenience. Shooting once at a deer and then quickly (OK, not so quickly) reloading in case you need an extra finishing shot or be ready for a deer that you didn't miss, is a good practice. Now that I have a load that is tried and true in the gun, do I want to just shoot it in the dirt so I can clean the gun again? Not me! I can keep it loaded and have a high degree of confidence that it will fire as it should when/if I get another chance.

I use several other guns that are ignited with a flintlock or a # 10 or 11 percussion cap. Obviously, I don't use BH209 in those guns. I use real black powder, mostly Graf's brand which is re-labeled Schuetzen powder. I DO NOT use Pyrodex or any other black powder substitute. I would never use pellets either. The increased corrosion with Pyrodex or Shockley's stuff and the crud ring left by 777 rules those out.

If I could only use one propellant, it would be Genuine Black Powder because it works in all of my guns, is easy to clean up and has a shelf life of many decades.

 

[rodwha]

Is BH 209's residue non corrosive? Can it be left until the season is over (say 2 months)?

I've often heard of the crud ring but have never experienced it. I've used 70 grns of 3F in my .50 cal. I've seen some say that they believe it is either created by hotter 209 primers or from heavier charges typically seen in inlines.

I dislike the fouling that Pyrodex leaves on my revolvers. It has an almost sticky feel to it.

I don't care for the expense of pellets or that the load can't be tailored. Nice that it makes loading easier and faster but unless I could make my own it'd just not be worth my while.

I also order from Grafs but get Olde Eynsford as it produces velocities on par with T7 and Swiss. As my pistols are for hunting I demand a lot from them and feel a .44 Spl/.45 ACP is about minimum which most other powders just can't come close to even with a max charge. And Olde E is fairly inexpensive.

 

[Patocazador]

I bought 6000 209 primers decades ago to reload shotgun shells. I still have over 1000 left over so my experience with 777 and the hard to remove crud ring was perhaps due to these hotter primers.

As for BH209's residue being non-corrosive, I can only relate my experiences with it and I left the rifle uncleaned for more than 4 months once. When I finally got around to cleaning it, I couldn't tell any roughness, pitting, etc.
I wouldn't go so far as to say there is no corrosion but, if there was/is any, I can't tell it. I think every propellant has the ability to corrode eventually even smokeless powder.

I like the extra power of Old Eynsford but find that the cheaper Graf brand is equivalent to Goex in almost every way except it is a little cleaner burning than Goex IMO. Since I've been using Goex for over 40 years, I don't have to experiment or change charges to cope with a hotter powder.

 

[Newtosavage]

I have used triple 7 for years now. All it's done for me is killed a pile of deer. I use it with percussion caps on on Ruger 77/50 (one of the best ever IMO). Now I have a new CVA Optima and i'm playing with 209 primers. Triple 7 is still working, but the 209's make a dirty mess (all of them, including the Rem Kleanbore and Triple 7 primers) and I'm tempted to use BH 209 as a result. But I still think triple 7 will win the day, mainly because of the water-based cleanup.

 

[rodwha]

I do like the simplicity of cleaning up BP and T7.