BH209 to swab or not?

[brad502a]

In my Rem 700 50 cal with a closed breech I shoot clover leaf groups with 80g W BH209 and a Barnes 250 TMZ with a yellow crush rib designed for the boat tail bullet. Definitely not Encores grouping(which are incredible, hats off), but no deer inside of 200 yds. has yet to complain. There is a big difference between competition groups and minute of deer. My Rem has a Richard MF stock and is free floated down the barrel channel and has my own closed breech set up for BH209 shooting. Other than adjusting the trigger pull to about 2.5 lbs. it is stock. It has a 1.5x-5x TC hawken hunter scope.

 

[ENCORE50A]

Nice shooting. Your 600 yard group is the same as my 100 yard group with my Traditions Pursuit. I was going to take some pics of my groups with my CVA Optima V2 next time out, but not anymore.

Those targets were on my good days.

Show those targets regardless.

 

[10acres]

Oh I will, but it’ll be a while before I get back to the range. I’m hoping the next pic I share will be a CVA along side a deer. Our Alternative Season starts on Saturday. I won’t be able to get out until Monday but I am going to take next week off as work is slow, so hopefully a few days in the woods.

Those targets were on my good days.

Show those targets regardless.

 

[GM54-120]

There is a big difference between competition groups and minute of deer.

Pretty much what im getting at too. I can get better groups with a Parker BE than with the Barnes i prefer to shoot. They both shoot 1.5" or less and no deer within my range will know the difference. They will know the difference in how the bullet is constructed. So i would rather shoot the better bullet than the slightly more accurate one......sometimes.

Could i get better hunting groups swabbing.....probably not.

 

[brad502a]

Just to clarify, I shoot PRS and my comp rifle will shoot sub .5 MOA. The steel targets don't care if the shot is low or left as long as it goes ding I get a point. My hunting rifle is optimized for velocity and a quality hunting bullet. I would never shoot a critter at the ranges that I shoot steel, unless it was very extreme circumstances. My comp gun I dial the elevation and make(hopefully) good wind calls, with my hunting rig I sometimes don't have the time to get the environmentals perfect and sometimes just got to take the shot or it gets away. My hunting bullets are usually bonded, Barnes, or similar heavy constructed bullets, engineered to put the game down humanly as possible. I do know hunters who shoot match bullets and do NOT agree with it. Varmints are different. Apologies for preaching. Encores' shooting is beyond good not trying to take anything away.

 

[Ka'imiloa]

I too hunt on a clean barrel and do the same thing you do with the patches.

It's notable that the BH 209 seller (Hogdon), or perhaps it is CVA, recommends either firing 3 or 4 shotgun 209 primers, or a squib load of 10 gr. BH 209 and a bit of wadding to hold it down, to lightly foul the barrel before then loading a full charge and shooting or hunting with it. Undoubtedly, that is to provide more friction in the barrel for your bullet or sabot or skirted bullet, so that each shot, including the first, hit in essentially the same spot. This is because BH 209 is sensitive to bullet-grab created by friction fit of bullet or sabot or skirted bullet to the barrel, creating the same "hold" on the bullet as the crimp of a crimped cartridge.
Thus, if you are hunting with a clean barrel, using BH 209, your first shot cannot be expected to produce the same pressure as a shot from a lightly fouled or fouled barrel. Hence it will hit differently and this becomes more and more important as ranges get longer and longer.
Of course, if all your hunting is done at 75 yds and less, it likely makes no difference if your first shot with BH 209 is from a clean barrel.
Aloha, Ka'imiloa

 

[Bob G.]

I hunt with a fouled barrel for muzzleloaders and center fire rifles.

I bought a CVA Acura MR a couple of years ago and set it up with BH209 and Barnes 290gr T-EZ with the blue sabots that come with them. After reading a lot of posts here, I put an o-ring in the primer pocket, the Federal 209A primers are clean after firing. I don’t swab between shots.

My prep routine is fire 4 primers on an empty gun, load it, fire it, clean the breech plug, load again then hunt. I sighted it in this way.

We have early (4 days) and late (9 days) muzzleloader seasons. I cleaned my CVA after the first season. I keep it loaded during the season.

 

[10gaugemag]

I hunt with a fouled barrel for muzzleloaders and center fire rifles.

I bought a CVA Acura MR a couple of years ago and set it up with BH209 and Barnes 290gr T-EZ with the blue sabots that come with them. After reading a lot of posts here, I put an o-ring in the primer pocket, the Federal 209A primers are clean after firing. I don’t swab between shots.

My prep routine is fire 4 primers on an empty gun, load it, fire it, clean the breech plug, load again then hunt. I sighted it in this way.

We have early (4 days) and late (9 days) muzzleloader seasons. I cleaned my CVA after the first season. I keep it loaded during the season.

So you shoot 1 loaded shot before hunting?

 

[Bob G.]

So you shoot 1 loaded shot before hunting?

Yes. I do the same with my center fire rifles for deer season.

 

[Neumonic]

I’m hoping the next pic I share will be a CVA along side a deer. Our Alternative Season starts on Saturday. I won’t be able to get out until Monday but I am going to take next week off as work is slow, so hopefully a few days in the woods.

I am foolishly going out tomorrow morning here in MO, it is very cold but I am that excited to hunt with my ML’er.

Good luck and post a pic of your CVA and your deer if you are successful.

 

[10gaugemag]

I am foolishly going out tomorrow morning here in MO, it is very cold but I am that excited to hunt with my ML’er.

Good luck and post a pic of your CVA and your deer if you are successful.

I am thinking an evening hunt on Christmas.

No way am I sitting out in these temps!!

 

[bronko220002]

Came across this video that I thought was interesting regarding BH209 and corrosion.

 

[bronko220002]

Yes. I do the same with my center fire rifles for deer season.

That seems excessive. 3-4 primers plus a light load! I really don't think that's necessary.

 

[10acres]

I am foolishly going out tomorrow morning here in MO, it is very cold but I am that excited to hunt with my ML’er.

Good luck and post a pic of your CVA and your deer if you are successful.

We are having Christmas this year and my wife is about to lose it, so no hunting until after Christmas. I am off next week so I can spend some time hunting with my son. If it is really cold, we have a heated blind to hunt from. Good luck tomorrow.

 

[10acres]

How long do you guys let your muzzleloaders go without cleaning when using BH209? This is my first year hunting with it. When I sighted in the other day my first 3 shots at 50 yards were touching. After I scrubbed it down with multiple dry patches it shot the same with a cold barrel.

So my question is after sighting in and cleaning with just dry patches. How long would you let your gun sit without cleaning with solvent?

 

[Pathfinder60]

Trick to getting BH209 fouling out quicker is run a dry patch all the way thru once. Push out the bulk before using solvents. Bunch of fouling and a bunch of liquid just make a bunch of mud.

I completely agree. I dry patch mine first and then a Hoppes #9 soaked bore mop then let it sit for a beer or 2. Then I soak a bronze brush in Hoppes and give it 3 or 4 strokes with my J.Dewey rod. I follow that with a dry patch then I hit it with brake parts cleaner using the little red straw. Dry patch it and it's clean as Skeeter's peter after that. A Rem oil wetted patch for protection and close it up and spray it down with KEL 110 pure silicone spray, wipe off any excess and she's ready for the case.

 

[Keone]

View attachment 29144


View attachment 29145

Wow

 

[Bob G.]

That seems excessive. 3-4 primers plus a light load! I really don't think that's necessary.

Maybe. I bought 1000 Federal 209A primers when I got the CVA and have over 900 left. They’ll probably last me forever.

 

[GM54-120]

I pop 3 but 2 mags makes lots of fouling. Then run a dry patch in and out 1 time. Main thing this does is makes sure you got any remaining oil out and added some light fouling.

 

[txhunter58]

How long do you guys let your muzzleloaders go without cleaning when using BH209? This is my first year hunting with it. When I sighted in the other day my first 3 shots at 50 yards were touching. After I scrubbed it down with multiple dry patches it shot the same with a cold barrel.

So my question is after sighting in and cleaning with just dry patches. How long would you let your gun sit without cleaning with solvent?

I feel very comfortable leaving my gun a couple days after shooting at the range before I clean it. And when I went hunting this fall in Colorado (where it rained a good bit) I fired a fouling shot the day before the season and then loaded up. Every couple days I would shoot and reload (no cleaning). 5 days into the hunt I shot my bull. I waited a couple days after that before I got around to cleaning it. Cleaned up great with no rust.

My brother did the same thing except he never got a shot at a bull. He fired off his gun a couple times and reloaded during the hunt. He then headed home and it was a couple weeks before he cleaned his gun. He had no issues.

That said, I forgot one time with a stainless barrel to clean it after the end of the season. Remembered it about 4 months later. It had some rust and pitting. But it still Shoots accurately.

Bottom line: I feel good leaving it fouled and loaded for a couple weeks, but I don’t like to leave it for longer than that because of my one screw up that resulted in rust/pits