I am still in my stand right now, trying to collect myself.
I started using BH209 when it came out after reading reports it was super clean. Tried it, went fairly well, had a misfire or two over the years but tweaked enough things and ran enough ranges to convince myself it was good to go despite knowing very well that it is harder to ignite- read, more finicky- than other propellants. I've hunted for a few years with it, and used it to kill several deer.
15 minutes ago, my #1 hit list buck walked in on the trail of a doe. I played everything perfectly, wind in my face, sun at my back, concealed well, let him clear some obstructions. 45 yard chip shot. I breathe up and squeeze... a loud pop. I instinctively look at my breech to see what's up, which in hindsight I realize was a vestige of military weapons malfunction training. A second or so later, BOOM... sails it a foot or two over his back.
I am physically sick. I clean my rifles obsessively from crown to comb and know with absolute certainty that it is not possible for the rifles condition to have caused this issue. I have NEVER had a hangfire with any other powder. The charge and primer were both brand new, and every square millimeter of the rifle from firing pin to breech plug to bore to crown was just cleaned. I cannot believe how stupid it was of me to continue trusting a propellant with widely reported reliability issues even after encountering them myself in the past. If you are reading this, please learn from my mistake. Use a propellant that goes off.
I started using BH209 when it came out after reading reports it was super clean. Tried it, went fairly well, had a misfire or two over the years but tweaked enough things and ran enough ranges to convince myself it was good to go despite knowing very well that it is harder to ignite- read, more finicky- than other propellants. I've hunted for a few years with it, and used it to kill several deer.
15 minutes ago, my #1 hit list buck walked in on the trail of a doe. I played everything perfectly, wind in my face, sun at my back, concealed well, let him clear some obstructions. 45 yard chip shot. I breathe up and squeeze... a loud pop. I instinctively look at my breech to see what's up, which in hindsight I realize was a vestige of military weapons malfunction training. A second or so later, BOOM... sails it a foot or two over his back.
I am physically sick. I clean my rifles obsessively from crown to comb and know with absolute certainty that it is not possible for the rifles condition to have caused this issue. I have NEVER had a hangfire with any other powder. The charge and primer were both brand new, and every square millimeter of the rifle from firing pin to breech plug to bore to crown was just cleaned. I cannot believe how stupid it was of me to continue trusting a propellant with widely reported reliability issues even after encountering them myself in the past. If you are reading this, please learn from my mistake. Use a propellant that goes off.
