Mike,
Am not sure i understand what you wrote, but that is OK. Basically, all i wrote, is everything in life has a "learning curve". So it doesn't make sense to say the 'primary cause' of Blackhorn issues is the 'learning curve'. Tying my shoes for the first time, was far harder for me, than shooting Blackhorn the first time. 'Learning curve' didn't need to be a choice in the poll, it is understood, it is part of everything we do, as we grow.
For me there was really no "learning curve" shooting Blackhorn. All i did was get a bottle at the store, pour some in my rifle, shove a bullet on top of the Blackhorn, prime the plug with a standard shotgun primer, and BOOM. All because i owned an Omega i guess, just the luck of the draw.
Ironically, when i first tried 777 is when i experienced the most grief. The only powder to be found in town was 30g pellets of 777. Unbeknownst to me, the 30g pellets were stuck together, so what i thought was a 90g load, was actually a 180g load. Then the crud ring formed right away. By the third shot i had to pound the ram rod in the rifle, against a tree to get the bullet to the powder. After that adventure things kinda got better. Even so, every now and then, the wet patch used to swab between shots plugged the flash hole with that blue TC 17 stuff, and there was a misfire. In all actuality, the 777 "learning curve" for me, was quite a trial. Switching from 777 to Blackhorn was a breeze.
For me, shooting Blackhorn has been a pleasant uneventful experience, compared to my first days, shooting 777.