blackhorn vs shockey gold

[cgoff]

Took my Encore out for the first time this week to sight it in.  I was shooting hornady 250 gr. sst using 90 grns of blackhorn.  I shot several 5 shot clover leaf groups at 50 yds with it.  I was also pleasantly surprised at how clean it was.
I also had some shockeys gold again using 90 grns.  The groups opened up a little but were still plenty accurate.
  The biggest diff. I noticed was that the shockeys gold grouped about three inches higher than the blackhorn did.  Has anybody else noticed this?  Is it because it burns hotter or some other reason?

[Keith Lewis]

That tells me the BH209 is more powerful than Shockeys as qroups printing higher with the same bullet and range but powder difference means that the bullet is slower allowing the barrel to rise more before leaving the barrel thus causing higher striking at the same distance. Most initial thinking is that more powerful powder will print higher, but this is not true. We find the same situation with various practical pistol loads. Lighter loads print higher. Obviously the final result would be to shoot both over a chronograph but I am pretty sure that BH209 for the same volume is somewhat more powerful than Shockeys.

[Semisane]

Keith has it exactly right.  The Shockeys Gold is giving you much less velocity than the Blackhorn.  The bullet's dwell time in the bore is longer and the muzzle rises higher before the bullet exits.  This is the same reason a heavy bullet will usually shoot higher than a lighter one with the same charge.  The heavy one has a lower velicity and longer dwell time.

JSG is a very low pressure powder.  Just to give you an idea of how much of a velocity difference you are getting, I got a 5-shot average of 1048 fps in my Lyman Mustang with 100 grains JSG under a 300 grain Speer Gold Dot in Harvester crush rib sabots.  With the same bullet/sabot and 100 grains Triple 7, I got a 5-shot average of 1822 fps. 

[1sourdough]

 I had my chronograph out this Fall while sighting in the M-L. My partner was shooting 120grns of Shockey's Gold to my 120grns B209, same 250grn SST/Shockwave bullet, similar barrel but different make guns. I was at a very steady 1950fps to his erratic 1700+/-. He went & bought some B209.

[alsaqr]

Used up a lot of JSG in working up my loads.  JSG is a very good consistent powder if you use it right.  JSG likes a very tight sabot that is seated very hard on the powder.  I put a golf ball or furniture knob on the ramrod and lean on it. 

Killed a lot of game with JSG and the 250 grain SST before I switched to Goex Pinnacle for all my loads.