Drop tubes...

[chill6x6]

How many of you use drop tubes to load your muzzleloaders? Where do you GET one? I've looked everywhere. Pedersoli has them but I don't know where to get one. Many thanks!

 

[jtmattison]

Drop tube?
Do you mean speedloader?
If so, you can order them from just about anywhere, Cabelas, Bass Pro...etc.
I see them at Wal-Mart all the time.

Huntin

 

[chill6x6]

No...Not a speedloader.

Basically it is a long tube, the length of your barrel, with a funnel at the top. You pour in powder charge and it goes directly to the breech plug without ever contacting the barrel.

http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/dettaglioaccessori.aspx?CategoriaId=1370&lang=en

Look at USA 346..

 

[tallbear]

I believe the drop tubes Chuck is refering to are the long tubes used during loading to ensure all the powder gets to the bottom without sticking to the sides,hence a more consitant charge each time.I tried one for a time but decided unless you are a dedicated bench shooter there wasn't much of a difference.I don't think that with offhand shooting that is is worth the extra agrivation.I made mine out of a piece of copper pipe that I flared the end of.
Mitch

 

[musketman]

How many of you use drop tubes to load your muzzleloaders? Where do you GET one? I've looked everywhere. Pedersoli has them but I don't know where to get one. Many thanks!

Try your local hardware...

Brass or copper tubing cut to length, brass or copper funnel, silver soldered in place...

Plastic tube and funnel epoxied in place will work as well...

It'll give yourself something to do for a few hours at least...

 

[CrackStock]

Chuck,

It is good to see that someone else has contemplated this device. I would be interested in any information that you learn while doing this as a followup. I considered this as a means of keeping a consistant charge by not having powder ruined by conact with fouling or moisture induse the bore. Also patent breeches might benefit even more. Sadly, I moved and there are few opportunities for competitive shooting here.

YMHS,
CrackStock

 

[musketman]

I considered this as a means of keeping a consistant charge by not having powder ruined by conact with fouling or moisture induse the bore.

Exactly, plus there is the bonus of not spilling any powder when dumping it down the barrel, it's like pouring a charge down the bore of a blunderbuss, that wide mouth of the funnel aids in loading...

Down side, it's one more thing to haul to the range...

:hmm: Hmmmmm, a hollow ramrod with a funnel attachment... :hmm:

 

[chill6x6]

Well,
It looks as if I'm going to make my own drop tube. It just makes sense that for BEST accuracy, this would be the way to do it. I like the idea of a hollow, copper ramrod for light duty bullet seating that could be used as a drop tube as well. I just bought a Pedersoli Mod. S.229 .451cal Tryon Creedmoor Standard Percussion and I want to see what it can do.

Thanks for the ideas...

 

[dodgecity]

I don't use a drop tube for my muzzleloaders, but I do use one for loading blackpowder cartridges. I made my own from a water supply line for a sink. These are chrome plated copper. Just sand off the chrome at the end to expose the copper and then solder on a brass funnel.

 

[noahmercy]

Like Dodge', I too have used a drop tube on cartridges, but I don't see why the results would be any different in a frontstuffer. An unmentioned advantage to using a drop tube is powder compression. The long controlled path the charge takes lets the powder "arrange" itself and it will settle into a smaller volume. This results in cleaner burning and, in most cases more uniform velocities.

I made mine from brass tubing from Ace Hardware and a Ted Cash flask funnel. I just used the tubing diameter that let me run in a tap with the same thread-pitch/diameter as the funnel. Sorry I don't remember the size...I just took the funnel with and bought the size tubing it most nearly fit into. The tap only just kissed the inside of the tube, but since I didn't need it to be strong that was OK.

 

[Nightwind]

I use the drop tube alot from the 32 cal to 54 cals. I also use Ted Cash's funnel, but get my various brass tubing sizes from hobby shops. I flare the end of a tubing just big enough to make a clean flush connection to the inside of the funnel when I slide it through. (If the tube is too big, just grind off a little from the small end of the funnel, so the tube will just fit through.) Then I solder them together on the outside. Clean up the soldered area with steel wool.

Also, you want to make the drop tube 2 inches shorter than the depth of the barrel. That way all the powder will be settled in the bore and not get flung all over the guy standing next to you when you pull it out! Trust me, they don't like that. But, then again, you might get the whole loading bench for yourself!

I even made one for each my pistols, which I keep in their individual cases.

 

[SquirrelsaurusR]

Pedersoli has them but I don't know where to get one.

Anything made by Pedersoli can be ordered from Flintlocks, Etc. in Massachusetts. They're the only company in the U.S. that imports Pedersoli's entire line of products.

 

[JeffinNZ]

Don't use one for the MLers but for BPCR I use an aluminium archery arrow. Great source of cheap drop tubes.