Powder question?

[Super 91]

Been out of the loop for a few years due to shooting smokeless. I bought a can of BH209 about 3-4 years ago but never opened it, just put it in the powder vault with the others. My question is, will BH lose its potency like 777 will? I have bought 777 and the next year it was worthless. I typically like to buy fresh each year but was thinking about shooting the BH this year to play a bit but don't want to get out there at the range and have problems. Also, how non-corrosive is it.

And one last question. What is the best powder for good ole conical shooters still using the #11 caps to ignite the powder? I do really well with Swiss, Pyrodex "P", and 777, I was just wondering if there was anything new out there that was non-corrosive and shot really well.

 

[sabotloader]

Been out of the loop for a few years due to shooting smokeless. I bought a can of BH209 about 3-4 years ago but never opened it, just put it in the powder vault with the others. My question is, will BH lose its potency like 777 will?

Bh should be just fine it does not collect water vapor. and I am surprised you feel that T7 is no good after a period of time. If you keep the lid clsoed should not be a problem while being store. Shoot I am still T7 that is 7 years old.

I have bought 777 and the next year it was worthless. I typically like to buy fresh each year but was thinking about shooting the BH this year to play a bit but don't want to get out there at the range and have problems.

Really should not be a problem, what gun are you going to to shoot it in?

Also, how non-corrosive is it.

It is far less corrosive than BP or any of the Pyros and less than T7 but it does have a very small amount of Potassium and Sulpher in it. In the beginning Western billed it as non-corrosive but has since changed that stance.

OOPs! I take it back I am shooting T7 from 2009..

And one last question. What is the best powder for good ole conical shooters still using the #11 caps to ignite the powder? I do really well with Swiss, Pyrodex "P", and 777, I was just wondering if there was anything new out there that was non-corrosive and shot really well.

I am totally biased so take it with a grain of salt.... But I shoot T7-3f with caps and my second choice would be Swiss.

There are a couple of new powders out there APP has one called a Super Powder and Alliant got into the market with Black MZ but most think it is nothing more than an APP powder..

 

[Super 91]

Super Powder? Sounds like something up my ally..... :lol:

I have an Encore with a .451 barrel I put on there I was thinking about shooting the BH in. The 777 I had from the year before, sealed in the original container, stored in my powder vault in my dry basement/workshop, would go "Boom, Boom, piff, Boom, piff, Boom, Boom, Boom, piff" and the chrono really showed the problem. I have a number of friends who have had the same issues. It has no shelf life compared to other powders in my opinion.

I have a Carbon Fiber Super 91 I was wanting to shoot and just wondered if there was a new better powder out there.

Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[rat trapper]

The problems many have with the subs, is they do not keep the can closed. I often see shooters with a can open on the bench for the whole time they are out shooting. A better way is to weight up/measure up your loads and put them in plastic tubes or 35mm film cans at home. I often vacum pack my hunting loads to insure they stay dry and to keep air out of them. It is not hard to vacum pack each load you only need half doz for a hunt. I do this when I first open a fresh can. This insures I have fresh powder for a long time after the can has been openned.

 

[Lee 9]

I use Blackhorn only in my Encore and my Triumph and I have never had any of the problems I had with 777.

 

[sabotloader]

Super 91

I think you would really like BH in your Encore. My only complaint is that it is more expensive per shot but ifn you have been buying Swiss, as compared to regular BP, the price of 10 ounces of BH should not shock you much.

 

[Semisane]

I don't understand you shelf life problem with Triple Seven. I've never had any around for more that two or three years, but never had any problems with degradation with stuff that old.

 

[sabotloader]

I don't understand you shelf life problem with Triple Seven. I've never had any around for more that two or three years, but never had any problems with degradation with stuff that old.

I am not totally understanding either and Super91 is not the only one that has presented this problem. I am pretty sure Busta has had the same problem.

At one point I was using T7 that was 9-7 years old... they were new jugs that have never been opened. Also when I buy a new jug to go into storage I do tighten the lid as tight as I can.

But... even then when i am using a jug it gets no special treatment. It is open while I am shooting and no special care is taken other than when I am done - tighten the lid down.

I would think that you living in the humidity down there versus me - would really see it.

One thing I do not think a lot of people realize is that T7 granuales are wrapped in a very thin vapor barrier, one of the things that makes it a little harder to ignite than BP or the pyros. This barrier does make it a little more moisture resistant than other BP subs.

Try this sometime Semi, fill a small bowl with water, get a teapsoon of T7 out of the jug and drop it in the water just above the water. The T7 should form a cone at the bottom of the bowl. Gently set aside the bowl and comback in a few days... the cone will still be there and the granuales will still be visable. If you gently draw the water off and allow the powder to dry 'completely' - you can break the cone up - load it and shoot it. I must also confess if you agitate the water with T7 in it - it will go gooey as you break the protective film.

 

[Lee 9]

It probably has to do with where you live. I live down wind of Greers Fairy lake and the humidity can be like way over 100 per cent at times and I had those problems with 777 and with the other ascorbic acid powders so it is easy for me to know what he is talking about if you live in a high area or a dry area it would be quite different.
I have a bigger problem with humidity that most and have deliberately left Blackhorn out for an extended period of time and it did not affect it.
You can put it on a wet paper towel move it to a dry one roll it around on the dry paper towel and put it in a gun and shoot it and it does not even change POI.

 

[sabotloader]

Lee 9

Lee, that is why I was wondering why Semi does not see the same problem. It would think but I do not know, his humidity should be up all the time.

Also along with that same thought why can I carry a load in the gun for months in the hunting season - rain or snow and then shoot it with no adverse effects on the POI.

The deer I shot last year at the end of the season is a good example... couple of eet of snow on the ground - the gun had been loaded for at least a month in our rotten November weather and this shot was @ 175+ yards. It went boom just fine.

I just have not been able to show that it (T7) really is that bad at collecting water vapor. I know it can... i know that but so far I have been resistant to it.

 

[Muley Hunter]

Mike........As much as you shoot. How in the world do you have a bottle of T7 that's 7 years old?

 

[cayuga]

I have one jug of Triple Seven left and it is three years old. I have no worries shooting it. All I ever seem to use T 7 in is my Whites. But the main thing is, if the powder is not opened or stores properly air tight.. I usually do not have any problem with it.

Good to see you Super 91... That super 91 White.. is that an open breech design? If it is, be careful with black horn. It likes to blow pieces of primers back if the breech is open.

 

[sabotloader]

Mike........As much as you shoot. How in the world do you have a bottle of T7 that's 7 years old?

I actually had 3 of them that I was holding just for testing purposes. I think I have one full one left in T7-3f that is unopened. And I thought I had a partial 2f left but I can not find it.

 

[Okie Hog]

Having an open can of powder on the shooting bench is not a real good idea.


http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/vi ... +the+range

 

[Super 91]

I never take the can of 777 outside my shop. I always throw loads with my Harrell's Precision measure, put the loads into marked vials, seal the can and place back in the powder vault. I've had several of my friends have the same experience I have had, so I don't know what is going on.

I know at one time someone said that some 777 got mixed with Pyrodex or something else at the factory. Maybe we just got bad batches.

The Super 91 is an open breech design. I don't know if the #11 would set the BH off and if it did, how reliable would it be?

Thanks for everyones help.