Handy vials for pre-measured charges
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jtmattison
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I have some similar to that with the measurements on the side. Once I know where a particular charge measures on the tube I can just pour a bunch and cap'em.
HD
HD
longcruise
70 Cal.
Heh Heh. Perfectly apropriate to the season!! :haha:
Do you buy and use new or go for the used ones? :shocked2:
Do you buy and use new or go for the used ones? :shocked2:
I bought a 100 count set similar to the photo off EBay...they're cheap and they come in different sizes...the 7mm size will hold quite a bit of powder...going to start using them to replace all the bags of big bulky 35mm film canisters I have in big ziploc bags that I use when I go to the range...these are much smaller, take up a lot less space
50cal.cliff
58 Cal.
Roundball those vials are plastic correct?
Good thinking! :thumbsup:
Good thinking! :thumbsup:
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I've been using similar tubes to those, in a couple of sizes, for a few years now.....wouldn't be without them! I bought mine from a pharmaceutical supply house on the internet. Had to buy 1000, but was easilly able to sell off what I didn't need (900!!) to other M/L shooters.
I wouldn't say they are unbreakable, but are certainly quite sturdy. I carry mine in MTM Case Gards, very handy.
I wouldn't say they are unbreakable, but are certainly quite sturdy. I carry mine in MTM Case Gards, very handy.
Dave Rosenthal
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I've been using those little red tubes with the orange caps that I buy at Dixon Muzzleloading Shop in Kempton, PA. They're made by Rightnour Manufacturing Company in Mingoville, PA, otherwise known as RMC. The product number is ML046. They work really great as they are "pinchable" so that you don't spill any powder as you're pouring it into a revolver cylinder. Each red tube comes with an orange cap that's easy to see in dim light. A 5-Pack of these tubes sells for $4.50, and Dixon's will do mail-order too. Each tube will hold at least 100 grains of powder.
I store my pre-loaded tubes in cigar boxes marked with what the charges are for, I.E.: Rifle, revolver, charge size, etc. I also have an empty cigar box for all of the empties, so that there's no chance of a Dry-Ball!
Utilizing these tubes is the only way to go, especially with the colder weather approaching. No more frozen hands & fingers weighing & pouring each chage from the measure!
I "Throw" all of my charges at my kitchen table in good uniform light so as to enable me not to vary the amount of powder in any one tube. All it takes is a couple of paper towels' width that are still together, then placed onto my plastic tablecloth...the Black shows up real nice and you can fold the paper toweling and pour any loose powder back into your Goex can!
What ever tubes you decide to buy, once you use them, you'll never do anything else! They work that great! I have 130 of them as of Monday! Reason being that the NRA Pistol Qualification course requires 13 shots on each of 2 different targets, not including sighters. That's 52 tubes just for my son and I to shoot a pistol qualification course. Then we would switch to rifles for the rest of the competition. More tubes means less work measuring charges during a match!
Have a good time with your tubes!
Dave
I store my pre-loaded tubes in cigar boxes marked with what the charges are for, I.E.: Rifle, revolver, charge size, etc. I also have an empty cigar box for all of the empties, so that there's no chance of a Dry-Ball!
Utilizing these tubes is the only way to go, especially with the colder weather approaching. No more frozen hands & fingers weighing & pouring each chage from the measure!
I "Throw" all of my charges at my kitchen table in good uniform light so as to enable me not to vary the amount of powder in any one tube. All it takes is a couple of paper towels' width that are still together, then placed onto my plastic tablecloth...the Black shows up real nice and you can fold the paper toweling and pour any loose powder back into your Goex can!
What ever tubes you decide to buy, once you use them, you'll never do anything else! They work that great! I have 130 of them as of Monday! Reason being that the NRA Pistol Qualification course requires 13 shots on each of 2 different targets, not including sighters. That's 52 tubes just for my son and I to shoot a pistol qualification course. Then we would switch to rifles for the rest of the competition. More tubes means less work measuring charges during a match!
Have a good time with your tubes!
Dave
Sharp Shooter
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Also, I you want to make something yourself a little more traditional you can drill out part of an antler. Fill it with powder and put a cork on top.
Yes, thick, rigid hard plastic...when I got mine I took one and tried to bend / break it with my hands but couldn't...then laid it down on the work bench and lightly began letting the head of a hammer fall on it from an inch, 2 inches, 3 inches and became satisfied they were at least "virtually" unbreakable so I have no worries...and the lab quality rubber cap/stoppers are snug / tight fitting for a good seal.50cal.cliff said:
50cal.cliff
58 Cal.
Thanks for the info I got family that works in a hospital. :thumbsup:
UPDATE ON MY VIALS”¦TWO NEW FINDINGS:
1) To determine maximum powder capacity I poured my full 120grn measure of Goex 3F into a vial, and the powder stopped 3/8” below the top of the vial, leaving plenty of room for the rubber plug/cap affair to slide in and seal tightly as it does...so the 7mm size easily hold 120grns 3F.
2) Finishing up, I accidentally dropped the vial on a hard workbench surface and thought I heard the unmistakable musical tinkle sound that glass can make on a hard surface...I examined it closely again and I still could not swear it was glass.
So it was time to sacrifice...I laid it on an old washcloth, folded a section back over it, and began the hammer tests again...this time finally breaking it proving it was glass...not plastic as I had originally thought and posted...my apologies for that.
However, they are arguably the strongest glass objects I’ve ever run across...and I assume probably get their strength from the thickness of the glass walls, geometric shape, and small physical size...plus, I suspect they had to meet certain handling / breakage strength thresholds for use in the medical industry.
At any rate I have no worries that they’ll ever break using them as I intend to and will continue right on with them.
1) To determine maximum powder capacity I poured my full 120grn measure of Goex 3F into a vial, and the powder stopped 3/8” below the top of the vial, leaving plenty of room for the rubber plug/cap affair to slide in and seal tightly as it does...so the 7mm size easily hold 120grns 3F.
2) Finishing up, I accidentally dropped the vial on a hard workbench surface and thought I heard the unmistakable musical tinkle sound that glass can make on a hard surface...I examined it closely again and I still could not swear it was glass.
So it was time to sacrifice...I laid it on an old washcloth, folded a section back over it, and began the hammer tests again...this time finally breaking it proving it was glass...not plastic as I had originally thought and posted...my apologies for that.
However, they are arguably the strongest glass objects I’ve ever run across...and I assume probably get their strength from the thickness of the glass walls, geometric shape, and small physical size...plus, I suspect they had to meet certain handling / breakage strength thresholds for use in the medical industry.
At any rate I have no worries that they’ll ever break using them as I intend to and will continue right on with them.
Dave Rosenthal
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My Wife is a Hospital Lab Supervisor. She doesn't use the brand that's in the photo. She did say that empty tubes when dropped tend not to break, but that tubes filled with blood specimens will shatter all over the floor when dropped! Almost every time! She says she thinks it's all about the weight. Liquid weighs more than Goex I think? So maybe you don't have that bad of a problem? She also mentioned that some companies are starting to bring-out sample vials made of plastic that will work in a centrifuge. But you did confirm that yours are made of glass.
The thin-walled plastic tubes that I use from RMC are pinch-able for easy use in revolver cylinders. Works great for the rifles too!
Hope that you're careful with the glass vials!
Good luck with them!
Dave
The thin-walled plastic tubes that I use from RMC are pinch-able for easy use in revolver cylinders. Works great for the rifles too!
Hope that you're careful with the glass vials!
Good luck with them!
Dave
Dave Rosenthal
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Shotgun shells that are fired leave a crimp ring all around the shell or "hull". If you were to trim this crimp ring off, then maybe it might work. It's worth a try.
The little red tubes from RMC retail for $.90 each when purchased in a 5-pack. They're alot smaller than the blood collection tubes or the shotgun shells. If I didn't think that they were worth the money, I wouldn't own 130 of them! :shocked2:
Dave
The little red tubes from RMC retail for $.90 each when purchased in a 5-pack. They're alot smaller than the blood collection tubes or the shotgun shells. If I didn't think that they were worth the money, I wouldn't own 130 of them! :shocked2:
Dave
no might about it, It does work. :grin: I have used empty .12 ga hulls for years for carrying shot and powder for wingshooting. I attach the cork stopper with a piece of high poundage mono fishing line. Thread a long needle with the line, run it up through the bottom of the cork, (after having knotted the one end) leave long enough to tye knot in other end and be able to flip cork out, and use black electrical tape to attach to hull. The knot in the end keeps it from coming loose from the tape and hull. No worry about loosing the cork this way and reusable forever. :thumbsup:
P.S. yes you need to trim the crimp off. I usually just shrten them so they are long enough to hold the largest charge i will ever use and still get the cork in. I also use 2 colors of hulls, one for powder and one for shot. Makes it simple that way to tell which is which.
P.S. yes you need to trim the crimp off. I usually just shrten them so they are long enough to hold the largest charge i will ever use and still get the cork in. I also use 2 colors of hulls, one for powder and one for shot. Makes it simple that way to tell which is which.
Dave Rosenthal
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:thumbsup: Sounds good to me...I'll pass this along to the long-gunners. 12 ga. hulls are green, red and black I think. 20 ga. are yellow. Do you have a preference as to color?
Dave
Dave
Well Black is for the powder of course. :grin: The shot can be any color you like.
I buy the clear plastic tubing that comes on rolls in the plumbing department of HD. 1/2" OD- 3/8" ID. I use plugs made out of 3/8" dowel. The bottom plug is fully inserted into the tubing. The top plug I cut longer so half of the length sticks out. Make it any length you want. The best part is you can see all the powder empty out. The second bestest part is the 1/2" tube will insert into the the end of the barrel and you won't loose any powder. Only drawback is the tubes tend to be alittle on the long side because of the 3/8' ID. I like'em. Uncrichie
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