Muzzle loader guys

I had a thread asking about muzzle loaders, Well I got it ordered, a CVA optima in 50 cal. Can't find any Blackhorn 209 powder that several recommended I can find triple 7 and Pacific FFG, are both of these good powder to use?
Thank You

Wish I could help, but I'm old school and still use Goex loose powder.

Get the 777. It's a good powder.

I forgot to say we have to use loose powder, no sabots and musket caps no 209 primers

777 is a good powder

the FFG granulation should be good for your 50 I shot it for about 5 years before I found a good source for real back

it is also very common all over so if you run out finding another can should be easy.

it is a little hydroscopic so store it in a dry location and only open one can at a time and use it up in a couple years .

if you put some in speed loaders and carried them all through your hunt , just dump the powder in the speed loaders rather than putting it back in the can

incase no one mentioned it yet you Don't let the sun rise on a dirty muzzle loader
meaning if you fire a shot you want to have the barrel cleaned within 12 hours preferably.

hot water and dish soap is works just fine for cleaning a muzzle loader there are a million products out there and none of them really do much of anything that dish soap and hat water doesn't do. Solutions looking for a buyer is about all.

here is some info on muzzle loader https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthr...dvice-needed-on-muzzleloader#Post6384113

Cabelas has blackhorn 209 powder.

777 will leave a hard ring of build up at the ignition point.

I have not personally used the Buckhorn, but have several close friends that do. It is hard to ignite so you might have issues since you can’t use 209 primers. The Buckhorn website even mentions to use regular 209 primers as they are hotter than the muzzleloader specific 209 primers.
I use FFFG equivalent 777 but with a regular 209. It does leave a crust ring but I swab with a spit patch between shots for best accuracy, but it will tolerate a quick follow up shot without spit patching just fine.

some of that is mitigated by using only natural lube and not mineral oils

if you use anti-seize on the threads put it in back it out a 1/4 turn then go in till it touches but is not tight the crud ring doesn't seem to be hard on getting the breach plug out

it isn't that hard to clean

for hunting where you take 1-3 shots between cleaning it really isn't bad

if you have a range close , making multiple trips firing only 1-3 rounds and really keeping track of round one can help to get you ready , and develop a cleaning routine that gets consistency.

in muzzle loader hunting every round is essentially a clean cold bore round , so practicing that clean cold bore round is ideal.

Congrats on the new rifle SC! I’m a Blackhorn believer after starting with 777, then trying Pyrodex. The Blackhorn is just better. Worth looking for IMO.

CCI makes a magnum 209 primer and it works great for Blackhorn. I did not know that CVA still made an Optima without a 209 ignition system...surprising.

I use the 777 in my CVA Optima and it shoots great.

I use the CCI primers with Blackhorn. No problems thus far.

777 will work just fine, I used it for years but switched to blackhorn a few years ago and won't shoot anything else. I have a cva accura v2 and have shot over ten shots in a row without cleaning at 100 yards and all but one landed in a 2 inch circle and it was inside 3 inches and I'm not a good shooter imo. Blackhorn is easy to clean and allows you to make a lot shots in between cleanings . Great for sighting your gun in or if you like to shoot without the hassle of cleaning constantly. If you're going to shoot Blackhorn you have to get the breach plug designed for Blackhorn powder and shoot a hotter primer one was mentioned cci another one is federal , that's the one I use. I seem to get less blowback from it.

The primers are cci 209m and federal 209a . Those are the hot primers.

Sorry just read this post . Stay away from blackhorn 209 powder if you can't use 209 primers, you'll likely get a failure to fire or a hang fire.

I really like the Federal Champion 209A primers. I have performed a good bit of chronograph testing with various primers, powder charges, and sabots. All other things being equal the Federal Champion 209A very consistent and accurate

With yah on that Hippie...

I'm with both of you. Except when I'm shooting my savage ml2. Then I shoot smokeless powder in it.

Yep! Me too!

Moosetrot

I shot 777 for a short time hated the crud ring went back to pyrodex until blackhorn 209 came out. Another thing with my optima I had to purchace a blackhorn 209 style breech plug it was only around 25 bucks at the time. To be honest even if it cost a little more to ship it I would try and get some blackhorn. I shot mine 15 times in a row to see if it would get hard to load num 15 loaded just as easy as the first and the accuracy was still there. Plus easy clean up with normal gun cleaners I use hoppes 9 or ed red. When I get it out for the season I run a couple of patched with denatured alcohol then fire 3 or 4 primers to foul the barrel. I will shoot a couple off the bench to check 0 .
J