50 Cal - Whate velocity are you getting?

[ElDiablito]

Curious what the volume measurement of your BH 209 load is? I know CVA recommends a max load by weight of 84 gr. With a 50 cal and 77 grains with a .45. I assume the recoil is very stout! I am really curious what pressures you would have with 16 more grains.

That load would exceed the manufacturers recommendations but not by much with late lots of B$209. A max load of 120 grV these days would weigh about 96 gr.

B$209 is a “bulky” powder so a few grains one way or the other don’t change things much. There aren’t any “official” published pressure traces for B$209 that I’m aware of. The graph in this article and the post below is about as close as you can get to some enlightenment on the subject. The pressures in that Doug’s post are in a .45, I believe (they’d be lower in a .50). You can see that there wasn’t much difference between 95 and 100 gr charges in that test.

Are Powder Pellets for Dummies?

 

[ihookem]

I am surprised at the velocity of the big bullets. What do ya think i am getting with my 54 cal roundball with 70 gr. GOEX with a 26"? barrel. I was also very surprised at the blood trail . There was blood sprayed on the snow and blood all over the cat tails. SOme say there is not much of a blood trail , but my only experience says there was all the blood I needed , especially in the snow.

 

[ElDiablito]

I am surprised at the velocity of the big bullets. What do ya think i am getting with my 54 cal roundball with 70 gr. GOEX with a 26"? barrel.

2F? My guess would be 1400 fps.

 

[Live_weighT34]

Curious what the volume measurement of your BH 209 load is? I know CVA recommends a max load by weight of 84 gr. With a 50 cal and 77 grains with a .45. I assume the recoil is very stout! I am really curious what pressures you would have with 16 more grains.

So I do need to edit my original post, I checked my notes and I’m getting 2050fps average with a 5 shot ES of 19.8 with 85gr by weight Blackhorn 209.
Shooting Blackhorn by weight is the only way to go too at least IMO

“Stout” is one way to put it lol that gun/load will get meat on both ends but I don’t have issues pulling the breech plug and it shoots great so I’ll run it.

 

[ElDiablito]

So I do need to edit my original post, I checked my notes and I’m getting 2050fps average with a 5 shot ES of 19.8 with 85gr by weight Blackhorn 209.
Shooting Blackhorn by weight is the only way to go too at least IMO

“Stout” is one way to put it lol that gun/load will get meat on both ends but I don’t have issues pulling the breech plug and it shoots great so I’ll run it.

Seems fast for only 85 grW (~105 grV). I would think you’d be closer to 1800-1900 fps.

https://hodgdonpowderco.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2023-MDATA.pdf

 

[lnewton]

So I do need to edit my original post, I checked my notes and I’m getting 2050fps average with a 5 shot ES of 19.8 with 85gr by weight Blackhorn 209.
Shooting Blackhorn by weight is the only way to go too at least IMO

“Stout” is one way to put it lol that gun/load will get meat on both ends but I don’t have issues pulling the breech plug and it shoots great so I’ll run it.

That seems closer to what I was thinking! Just picked up an Omega for my son in new unfired condition! Ready to put an 84 gr charge with some 250 grain SST’s and see what she can do.

 

[KnightExtreme]

Some Muzzleloaders will lose Accurancy when using the max powder. One should work up from 70 to 75 then 80 and find the sweet spot. Some don't like the max and some try several different sabots and or bullets to find what that rifle / bore likes. Just a waste of powder and not learning what that rifle prefers. As very few are the same. Many choices as to bullets & sabots. Some are too tight while others are too loose.
KE

 

[Live_weighT34]

That seems closer to what I was thinking! Just picked up an Omega for my son in new unfired condition! Ready to put an 84 gr charge with some 250 grain SST’s and see what she can do.

I’m so glad I ditched my CVA optima and went back to ol trusty!
It wasn’t a bad gun but my omega just shoots almost anything pretty well and now BH and 340 ELDXs exceptionally well for what a .50 cal muzzy is. I do like the 300gr SST I’m sure the 250s will be just as good for you guys!

 

[Live_weighT34]

Seems fast for only 85 grW (~105 grV). I would think you’d be closer to 1800-1900 fps.

Yeah it’s hauling ass lol that barrel has had a lot of shots through it too and it shoots best clean up to 7-8 shots, so I’m sure those are the key contributing factors

 

[ElDiablito]

I’m so glad I ditched my CVA optima and went back to ol trusty!
It wasn’t a bad gun but my omega just shoots almost anything pretty well and now BH and 340 ELDXs exceptionally well for what a .50 cal muzzy is. I do like the 300gr SST I’m sure the 250s will be just as good for you guys!

If you like that OEM Omega, you’d really like a Woodman Arms smokeless barrel on that baby! I love Omegas (I have 6 or 8), especially the X7s, but I absolutely love the “WoodMegas!” If you don’t upgrade the barrel, I highly recommend the WA adjustable headspace 209 plug.

TC | Woodman Arms Inc.

www.woodmanarms.com