Blackhorn in TC Impact - range report

[dilly]

Ok, I said I would post a range report with my experiences with my new muzzle loader. Just to recap, I am using blackhorn 209, Barnes spitfire TMZ 250gr bullets, and a cheddite 209 shotgun primer. The rifle is a TC Impact with a Nikon Inline 3-9X scope with the BDC reticle.

I started of at 85gr (volumetric measure) of powder and worked up to 105gr. The gun seemed happiest at 100gr of powder. Measured on a chrony, the average muzzle velocity was around 1920fps. The TMZ bullets were seated with a Barnes "aligner tool" that screws on the end of the rod. They are VERY tight. All my shots were with a cold clean barrel. I pulled the plug every time and cleaned the barrel. The Cheddite primers never failed to ignite. Some observations:

1) Blackhorn is less smoky than the Pyrodex pellets I have used in my Dad's gun. It does not form a "crud ring" and is easy to clean with a regular patch soaked in bore solvent. No water based cleaners needed. The powder itself looks like tiny extruded "tubes". It flows easily and resembles some smokeless powder I've seen.

2) The TMZ bullets are really tight in the Impact. Not a bad thing I suppose.

3) The Cheddite primer was plenty hot enough to ignite the powder. After 30 shots, the flash hole was still clear. I scrubbed it out at the end, but you could always see light through it. I also used "Gorilla Grease" on the plug and it never seized.

After all the testing was through, I ended up with this...

100yards

200yards


If you want to see what the smoke is like, here is a little video.
http://vid238.photobucket.com/albums/ff257/dilly541/muzzleloader_zpsbre1e8ps.mp4

It was a bit windy today so the 200 yard pattern may have blew a bit right. The BDC reticle and the "Spot on" app did work. Once I got the muzzle velocity entered right in the app, it pretty much told you what the hold over was for the given magnification level.

The goal was to be able to make a reliable shot at a deer at 200 yards. I think I am there. Thanks for the tips I got from some of you, and a special thanks to Ahsan who gave me the powder spout. It sure made things easier.

[be2man]

Good shootin' Dilly looks like your between 1 and 2 MOA, not too shabby for a front loader

[impact]

Nice range report and confirms what my experience has also been with my Impact and Blackhorn 209 powder.

[sharps4570]

The goal was to be able to make a reliable shot at a deer at 200 yards. I think I am there.

Excellent performance @ 100 for an ML. Even the 200 yd shots are quite reasonable - average 3in group judging by the grids? Perhaps a slight increase of powder (110gr) may tighten that up further ......

[MikePal]

Excellent performance @ 100 for an ML. Even the 200 yd shots are quite reasonable - average 3in group judging by the grids? Perhaps a slight increase of powder (110gr) may tighten that up further ......

I agree....x2
Good shooting !!!

[standup]

That's our good ole BH, but. Try to get a weighing system instead of volume and your group will tighten even more. and "tight" is good or heavy. BH likes to work/push/build pressure

[MikePal]

As long as your consistent with the "measure" you use, it doesn't matter if it's by weight or by volume.

I haven't used BH yet, but if your barrel/plug/primer hole are that clean after shooting I would suggest that pulling the plug etc after each shot is unnecessary..or at least something you could forsake the next time out to see how many shots you can fire before you feel the need to pull the plug.

Swabbing the barrel after every shot is a good habit to get into just to ensure consistency.

[dilly]

Thanks everyone. I am pretty happy with it.
I did use a powder scale initially. I found my volumetric measure was consistently within a grain or two, so I dispensed with using the scale at the range. I also did take a couple shots without swabbing and by the 3rd, I was working pretty hard to get the bullet to go smoothly. I don't think it was due to excessive fouling as much as just how darn tight those bullets were.
I plan on taking a few more shots at 200 on a day with no wind just to see if I can pull off 4" again, but more centred.