• Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.

    We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.

    Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103

1lb =7,000. Or does it?

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

APG

45 Cal.
Joined
Oct 13, 2020
Messages
605
Reaction score
860
Location
Southern California
Knowing that when you measure out the Black Powder you do so by volume. But when you buy it it is by weight. I know there is 7,000 grains in a pound by weight but what is it by volume? Is it the same 7,000 or different?
 
Depends on what you use for volume. The measures you buy are just approximate and each brand can be different. Not to mention fff and ff by volume of coarse are going to weigh different when weighed out. Then there is a certain amount of settling that can go on in the measure and of coarse there is a tiny bit of spillage. Short answer is yes but by the time you are done measuring out everything, likely not.
 
volume /weight comparisons are ball park due to the varibles, But if you have an accurate scale you could easily compare your measured amount of what you are shooting to the actual weight.
 
Have done that for un-mentionable BP cartridges it is really close, as to volume vs. actual weight. This was 2f goex.
 
Depends on what you use for volume. The measures you buy are just approximate and each brand can be different. Not to mention fff and ff by volume of coarse are going to weigh different when weighed out. Then there is a certain amount of settling that can go on in the measure and of coarse there is a tiny bit of spillage. Short answer is yes but by the time you are done measuring out everything, likely not.
I was trying g to figure out how many bangs I can get per pound, or pretty close to it.
 
What weighs more pound of feathers or a pound of sand :dunno:
Feathers and sand are measured by the avoirdupois scale of 16 ounces (7000 grains) to the pound. Each is the same weight. Neither is heavier.
Lead is measured on the apothecary's scale of 12 ounces to the pound (5760 grains). Not a true conversion. A pound of feathers or sand is heavier than a pound of lead.
Modern convention measures both by the avoirdupois system of weights so a pound is a pound is a pound.
 
Last edited:
I figure you can go BANG... until you run out of powder?
Just my opinion.
I never much cared how many shots I could get out of a lb. of BP. I just bought more when I poured the last of the can into my horn. :thumb: Never had an issue with that measurement, AND I could sleep at night! :D
God bless:
Two Feathers
 
A pound of black powder weighs 7000 grains, as does a pound of anything else.

Real black powder loads are measured in grains (weight) i.e., 70 grains. This whole "volume" thing comes from synthetic (substitute) powders that are measured to equal the VOLUME of that 70 grain load of black powder. Being lighter, most substitutes would weigh less. But the VOLUME of powder (in c.i. or c.c. or other measure) is the same.

If you make a measure that throws 70 grains of 3F, each time you use it you will be throwing 70 grains (+/- the consistency of your pour). If you use a synthetic (substitute) powder with the same measure, you will be throwing the VOLUMETRIC EQUIVALENT of 70 grains of real black powder.

You can well assured that you will get 100 loads of 70 grains of 3F (using my example) from one pound of Goex. Unless, like me, you spill a little each time. Then you may only get 99 loads.

ADK Bigfoot
 
Last edited:
I've always just taken for granted a pound of powder weighs 7000 grains and my measurer was pretty close to what i set it. But pouring from a horn into a measurer there'll be spillage, so if I use 70 grs I MAY get 100 shots, more or less.

Even when reloading for cartridge arms there will be spillage, so it's hard to calculate exactly how many shots a pound will produce.

As for Jamie Lee Curtis, who can forget the black lace bra and matching French cut panties in True Lies!!!
 
One could get an idea of the shots per pound by weighing 10 -20 volume measured loads and dividing the average into 7000. Of course I'm like others and manage to spill a some on most days at the range.
 
I was trying g to figure out how many bangs I can get per pound, or pretty close to it.

You don't need to be a genius or math-whiz -

Divide 7000 by the weight of the load you intend to use e.g - 100gr = 70 shots

It is not possible to divide ANY weight by a VOLUME.

It's the same as dividing an area by gallons.
 
IMO, yes, it is possible to divide any weight by a volume.
In the case of black powder the answer turns out to be around 257 grains per cubic inch of volume.
This means if your powder measure has a volume of 1 cubic inch, when it is filled with powder there will be about 257 grains by weight of black powder in it.

I say, "around" because as was pointed out above by several members, the actual density of the powder varies depending on the fineness or coarseness of the powder. Being a powder, there is more airspace between the granules of course powder than there is with fine powder so the fine powder is slightly denser per cubic inch or per cubic centimeter.
 
This has to be the dumbest thread I've seen on this site, EVER! This is why I don't go to public ranges where I could be exposed to someone loading a ML next to me. Just a reminder to the OP, 1 lb. actually is equal to 7000 grains. I know the volume thing has confused you somewhat, but be assured that the 1 lb = 7000 grains is the standard that the rest of the world still goes by. I was going to ask Zonie to stop this, but I see he has joined the fray & asked that I now think in cubic centimeters & consider the "density" of the powder, which I haven't a clue. Covid madness must be worse than I thought.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Cubic centimeters are a whole lot better than stretched out ones.
1616631881348.png


When they are in the shape of a cube their a lot easier to step on and squish.

As for this thread, there are some new members who are just learning about black powder and how it is measured for muzzleloading. This thread is for them.
If you don't want to read the postings in it, I suggest that you just skip over it and go on to the next thread that interests you.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top