BH209 in a TC Impact?

[nchunter]

Hi all,

I'm not new to muzzleloaders (been shooting flintlocks for ten years), but I am new to inlines and blackpowder substitutes.

I just bought a TC Impact. I'm using the standard Winchester 209 Shotshell primers.

Gun works fine with Pyrodex, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the gun to go BOOM with the Blackhorn 209!

The primers are doing their job. They'll even blow the powder and projectile out the barrel sometimes. But the powder won't ignite.

Does anyone else have a TC Impact who can tell me the secret? Do I need to modify the breechplug?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ENCORE50A]

Pack the bullet on the propellant tight and the WIN209 should work just fine. You could also try the Federal 209A or CCI209M primers.
When I was shooting TC rifles, I seated the bullet HARD, with two hands on the propellant. Never, not once did it not fire properly.
Be sure to clean/chip the carbon from the flash channel. With TC rifles you can take a 1/8" drill bit ….. BY HAND…. and twist it into the flash channel to chip out the carbon.

 

[dragonfly]

BH 209 needs a clean flame channel. Do the drill bill thing to get all the carbon buildup out of the flame channel. I'd ditch the Winnie primers and go to Federal 209A's. Should go boom then.

 

[GM54-120]

The T/C Impact breach plug should work fine with BH209 and even a Win209. Its very similar to the Omega plug.

Sounds to me like you need to clean the flash channel as pictured with a 1/8" drill bit.

What projectile are you shooting?

 

[sabinajiles]

Clean the flash channel like others have suggested and make sure you are using a snug fitting bullet/sabot that is firmly seated.

 

[nchunter]

Well darn, if I'd known BH209 was this finnicky I never would have bought the stuff! I was suckered in by the promise of its noncorrosive properties.
I can't return it either! Guess I'll see if I can unload the crap to someone for cheap at my Club--although few people at my club shoot inlines...

 

[dbowling]

not crap just has its own loading procedure that needs followed just like any other powder and if you don't do it like it needs to be done then you get failure to fires but if done right will fire 100 percent of the time.
Your new to it so don't be so fast to judge, great powder if used correctly.

 

[GM54-120]

I guess you no longer need help with it then?

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

Something is wrong if you can't get your Impact to shoot BH209. My son's Impact always goes bang with BH209.

No mods to the plug are necessary. You should get a pack of CCI209M or Federal 209A primers, make sure the packages DO NOT say 'For Muzzleloaders', you need a hot primer, the Winchester primers should work but I would try the other primers first.

What load are you shooting?

The above suggestions about hand drilling your breech plug can't be overstressed, if it's choked off, your rifle won't go bang. Many have thought their flash channels were clean until they used the correct sized drill bit.

 

[WV Hunter]

Well darn, if I'd known BH209 was this finnicky I never would have bought the stuff! I was suckered in by the promise of its noncorrosive properties.
I can't return it either! Guess I'll see if I can unload the crap to someone for cheap at my Club--although few people at my club shoot inlines...

You asked for help, got the likely answer to your problem, and decided the answer (and BH209) is crap with obviously not looking into it. LOL

 

[GM54-120]

That is the feeling i got too when i didnt get a answer to what projectile he was shooting. Some bullets like a Powerbelt might be a bit more sensitive to ignition under less than ideal conditions. The number of times ive seen guys never using a bit to clean the flash channel is too numerous to count. Its not just a BH209 thing, its a simple cleaning procedure thats advisable with any powder.

When BH209 was being developed, 2 of the plugs at the top were the Omega style plug and the Savage plug. The Impact plug is super similar to the Omega plug. If it aint working there is another problem and normally the problem is poor plug cleaning or in combination with a loose fitting projectile like the PBs.

 

[sabotloader]

Well darn, if I'd known BH209 was this finnicky I never would have bought the stuff! I was suckered in by the promise of its noncorrosive properties.

BH still contains a small amount of Sulphur and Potassium so BH residue still has the ability to corrode even though it is longer process than the other subs.

I can't return it either! Guess I'll see if I can unload the crap to someone for cheap at my Club--although few people at my club shoot inlines...

I am not a real fan of BH either because of it cost for a 10 ounce bottle... but in actuality it is really a very good ML powder.

It does have a learning curve along with any other powder that you might choose to use.

 

[Chick]

The cost of BH209 is not nice, but, the advantage of not having to wipe and clean between shots, is really nice. Plus, I have had really good luck getting consistent groups. But, as Sabotloader said, it is does have some corrosiveness. Not a lot, but if you are in a humid atmosphere, You don't want to let your rifle go a long time, with out cleaning. I normally will check my rifle zero, and then just load it to hunt. If it is dry, I don't worry a lot, but, if it rains, the whole gun get cleaned. For normal hunting purposes, it still shoots close. When getting ready to hunt again, I will shoot 3 primers, to put some kind of fouling in the barrel, then reload. I don't know if the primer shooting really helps, but I think it does. Others probably have different opinions.

 

[MrTom]

BH209 is all I ever shop in my Impact. I used T7 pellets to sight the gun, then it sat after cleaning until one day I bought the 209 for the CVA clan I have. On the first trip to the range I had a dozen loads weighed for the Impact, 77 grains by weight, and loaded a 300 grain, .44 cal XTP and green sabot and fired the load with w209 Winchester primers. From that day on the Impact never saw another powder and in several years I never had a slow ignition or a misfire. The Impact saw somewhere in the area of 200 rounds using that load and components so I'd agree with BDH, its not likely the powder or the gun.

 

[bubbinator]

Having a T/C Impact I have never had a misfire or any bad experience, for that matter, but I have read several posts mentioning drilling the base plug hole or using a drill bit to clean it. Exactly what size bit is correct and where does one get them? None seen in local "tool" places like Tractor Supply, etc. are tiny enough. Never shot BH 209 yet because initial box of stuff I got with the transaction had several pellet powder types and a pound of Pyrodex or Triple 7 so I haven't needed to buy powder yet. Thanks in advance for info.

 

[HC]

Try this, view the attachment

Pack the bullet on the propellant tight and the WIN209 should work just fine. You could also try the Federal 209A or CCI209M primers.
When I was shooting TC rifles, I seated the bullet HARD, with two hands on the propellant. Never, not once did it not fire properly.
Be sure to clean/chip the carbon from the flash channel. With TC rifles you can take a 1/8" drill bit ….. BY HAND…. and twist it into the flash channel to chip out the carbon.

View attachment 3694

 

[MrTom]

Having a T/C Impact I have never had a misfire or any bad experience, for that matter, but I have read several posts mentioning drilling the base plug hole or using a drill bit to clean it. Exactly what size bit is correct and where does one get them? None seen in local "tool" places like Tractor Supply, etc. are tiny enough. Never shot BH 209 yet because initial box of stuff I got with the transaction had several pellet powder types and a pound of Pyrodex or Triple 7 so I haven't needed to buy powder yet. Thanks in advance for info.

1/8". We're referring to the hole immediately in front of the primer pocket. The very small hole beyond that requires no cleaning. You can get a drill bit for this anywhere. Try a hardware store if you haven't already got one. The build-up in this channel is from primer fouling, not your choice of powder. If you are going to try the BH209 powder be sure to use a regular shot shell reloading 209 primer and not one of the muzzleloader 209 varieties as these are not hot enough to reliably ignite the 209 powder.

 

[mwwoodman]

Have you tried a saboted bullet? Seems like a problem if your saying that the powder and bullet get blown out of the barrel from the primer. Sometimes I fire a primer with just powder to get a coating of residue but it will just blow the BH209 in the air never igniting it. I think it likes some pressure. It's hard to imagine your breech plug is clogged or fowled but allowing enough flame through to blow the bullet and powder out. Blackhorn has some info on their website about the breech plug. I don't know what yours looks like but they state that an excessively long flash channel robs heat and can cause ignition problems. I've never had anything but perfect results with BH209.

 

[GM54-120]

You might be super surprised how easy BH209 will ignite in a good plug. Ive shot a bunch of conicals in my 45s that will load with 2 finger pressure. BOOM every time. Sabotless jacketed that go down with less force than a sabot....BOOM every time.

The Impact plug is a good plug as far as geometry goes. Its flash channel is 1/8". Keep it clean and it will go boom every time. You cant do much to improve it other than increase the flash channel to 5/32". I dont think it has enough length to add a vent liner. Its already short and concave like the Omega plug.

What happens is guys dont clean out the channel with a drill bit and then use solvents or CLPs. Those get into the carbon build up in the breach plug and make it worse. Its like a flame going over mud that doesnt want to dry. Ive heard "my plug is clean" so many times its not funny and when the user finally cleans the plug as described all the ignition problems vanish.

 

[bubbinator]

1/8". We're referring to the hole immediately in front of the primer pocket. The very small hole beyond that requires no cleaning. You can get a drill bit for this anywhere. Try a hardware store if you haven't already got one. The build-up in this channel is from primer fouling, not your choice of powder. If you are going to try the BH209 powder be sure to use a regular shot shell reloading 209 primer and not one of the muzzleloader 209 varieties as these are not hot enough to reliably ignite the 209 powder.

I was referring to the tiny channel between the cavity holding the 209 primer and the cup-shaped opening in the plug firing chamber. I ave a tool(s) to clean the 209 cup. What I have been using to clean the tiny channel is a brass tool with a stiff curved wire that slides in and out and clears any debris from it. I never have had an issue using this little tool but have always thought a tiny drill bit would do a better job. It would have to be in the "micro" drill bit category if I can find one that small. Don't want to expand the channel, just make sure it is clear. Thanks for your reply.