A couple questions.....

[pc154]

First of all, does BH209 shrink in size (volume) after awhile??

I had a bunch of 90 grain charges measured out last year and they seem to be about 85 grains now.

As well any thoughts on this load.

90 or so grains of BH 209

300 grain 45 cal XTP bullet

Harvester Crush Rib Black High Pressure sabots.

CCI 209 primer

Whitetails out to 150 yards.

 

[Grouse]

That load will do the job. But I would shoot atleast 100grns by volume.

 

[LarryBud]

I've noticed when I put BH in tubes for easy travel and loading that the volume declines over time. I've always attribute it to settling and not seen it as a performance issue.

My opinion varies a little from the above. If your gun likes 90, shoot it. However, 100+ will give you more FPS and help if you do have that 150 yard shot. If you hit the deer with the XTP, you will have good results.

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

I don't think it shrinks but it will settle. When i measure out my load, i tap my powder measure to get all the individual granules into the measure before i close the lid. This leaves about a 1/16 - 1/8 inch space at the top of my measure.

90gr of BH209 should work just fine out to 150 yards if your getting good accuracy with that combo. I'm showing roughly 1000 ft/lb of knock down power at that distance which should be plenty( my 9 yr old son cleanly harvested a big doe with 60gr of BH209 with a 250gr bullet, it was a pass-thru shot at approx. 35 yards). I have never used the XTP myself but there are many great reviews on that bullet.

CCI 209 primers are all we use in 4 different rifles and have never had a problem with them.

I have tried the crush rib sabots in the past but my guns didn't like them, they fit too loose in the bore, but if your rifle likes them, they should work just fine.

Have you shot this combo yet? Most people on the forum love range reports, my self included, so if you get a chance, post away.

 

[AJ]

Sounds like its settling and getting more compact. That is the primary reason I weigh my charges on a scale instead of use the volume method.

As for the load, I am not a big fan of the XTP. I have killed a handfull of whitetails with them but I like the SST/Shockwave or the Barnes bullets a lot more. Personally, I like velocity. I up the charge to 120 by volume / 85 by weight for my 300 gr SST bullet ina Harvester sabot. I get 2120 fps and 4" groups at 300 yards from my Omega. Test a bunch and see what shoots best in your gun. Be sure to practice out to 150 if you want to shoot a deer at that distance.

 

[Lee 9]

I noticed that and weight some loads on my powder scale they weight the same so it is not a concern.

 

[Flhtr]

I would increase the powder charge for the 300 grain bullet that you're using. I know that each rifle is different but when I was shooting the 300's I used 100 grains of powder and had good results.

 

[pc154]

Yes, I think I am going to try 100 and 110 grs.

It is currently shooting well with 90 and I will use it this week for whitetails out to 100 yards.

 

[jakesdad]

Ive had good results with 90 gr. pushing 300 gr Nosler partition out of my disc extreme.

 

[txhunter58]

My elk load is 95 gr of BH 209 with a 350 gr bullet, so shoot what is most accurate in your gun. 90-95 gr is over 100 gr black powder equivalent and that is plenty of power for any deer walking.

As far as [powder settling, that may be what is happening. However, be sure that there are not still come grains of BH in your tubes due to static electricity. Many of the speedloaders that are sold will develop static charge over time and hang on to some powder.

 

[ENCORE50A]

My elk load is 95 gr of BH 209 with a 350 gr bullet, so shoot what is most accurate in your gun. 90-95 gr is over 100 gr black powder equivalent and that is plenty of power for any deer walking.

As far as [powder settling, that may be what is happening. However, be sure that there are not still come grains of BH in your tubes due to static electricity. Many of the speedloaders that are sold will develop static charge over time and hang on to some powder.

Rub the inside of your container with one of the wife's dryer sheets. Problem of static resolved.....

 

[03mossy]

Rub the inside of your container with one of the wife's dryer sheets. Problem of static resolved.....

I was just going to suggest the same thing. I do that to my powder dispenser on my lee turret reloader and it works like a charm.

 

[santoslhalper]

I disagree with the powder hogs :wink: . 90 grains is PLENTY of powder for out to 150 yards, especially if you are shooting BH209 which is more powerful than regular black powder or Pyrodex. Accuracy and trajectory is a different story, however. If you are going to be shooting out to 150 yards, you need to practice at that distance. If you are sighted in at 100 yards, you will be hitting several or many inches low at 150 yards. Another option would be to sight in to be 3" high at 100 yards - this would put you more or less in a deer's kill zone from 0 - 165ish yards with your stated load. But you still need to practice at these ranges...

I have taken many deer with powder charges ranging from 70 - 80 grains T7, and they all died very quickly. Shot placement is what matters most...

 

[tpcollins]

I noticed that and weight some loads on my powder scale they weight the same so it is not a concern.

I've noticed just the opposite. I've had charges that started out at 70gr by weight and a year later they lost nearly 2 grains. I attributed that to the powder "drying out" - not really sure if it really does that or not.

Now if I have charges left over I pour them back into he container and "tumble" the container in my hands before measuring out a new set of loads.