Blackhorn 209 Not Available
If you have ever owned a muzzleloader, you are familiar with Blackhorn 209 primers. However, this powder is not compatible with inline muzzleloaders with musket caps. If you have one of these guns, you can try using loose 777 primers instead. These primers have an excellent ignition and you are more likely to get consistent performance.
Blackhorn 209 is a great all-round muzzle loader that will deliver consistent performance and granulation. It is less hygroscopic than some other black powder substitutes and therefore less likely to become contaminated by moisture. This could result in barrel “sweating,” where moisture comes into contact with the powder. This can affect the performance of the ammunition.
Blackhorn 209 primers are compatible with Thompson Omega, Encore, Triumph, and Savage 10ML series breechplugs. To obtain perfect ignition, the bullet must have an adequate flash hole, a flame temperature that reaches the charge, and particulate matter from the primer. Federal 209A, CCI 209M, and W209 Winchester primers are compatible with Blackhorn 209 cartridges.
Fortunately, a new competitor to Blackhorn 209 has entered the muzzleloading propellant market in Spring 2008. The company’s Triple Se7en powder is easier to ignite and leaves a crusty ring in the bore when ignited with a hot primer. However, it’s not as powerful as Blackhorn 209, leaving a low-pressure, high-heat flame in the bore.
Cheddite 209 Shotshell Primers
These primers have many components. They contain an initiator compound, a fuel compound, sensitizers, fillers, and binding agents. In the early years, the compounds used were based on sulfur, potassium chlorate, and charcoal. As time passed, lead fulminate was used instead. This was later replaced by lead azide.
Why is Blackhorn 209 Not Available?
The Tetrazene primer is used in shotgun shells to increase the explosive power of the shell. This is a highly reactive compound made of positive (+) and negative (-) charges. When the firing pin strikes the primer cup, the two components fuse together and create a powerful explosion.
Tetrazene primers are volatile, making them more volatile than lead. The resulting explosion produces flame and hot particulate matter and a gaseous pressure front. The ideal primer would ignite every grain of powder simultaneously, creating as much pressure as necessary without overcompressing the powder inside the case. Otherwise, the explosion would be uneven and less uniform.
Lead styphnate primers were first produced by the US military in the 1950s. This type of primer has many advantages over lead styphnate primers. For instance, they produce a much stronger blast wave than other types of primers. They are also much safer to manufacture.
Barium nitrate primers are a type of shotgun primer used in shotgun shells. These primers are very effective at initiating combustion. They are not hygroscopic and do not give up oxygen easily. This allows the primer to ignite 100% of the time and burn at the desired rate.