How many shots can you get with 1 lb of black powder?

[Gene L]

A charge of 60 grains should give you 116 shots. We measure powder by volume but a powder measure is just a physical expression of a weight in grains. Reason we do this is because we don't carry around a powder scale. But say 60 grains of powder should reflect the 60 mark on a powder measure. We CAN measure powder by weight if you have the means to do so.

As has been answered above. At some point, a powder measure has to be calibrated to weight, which is done for you when you buy a measure. It's easier to measure by volume when it's more expedient to do so. A cup of bread flour, for example, weighs about 5 1/2 oz, but it's a whole lot simpler to measure it by the cup than to weigh it out. For which most cooks do not have the ability to weigh. A cup is close enough.

 

[BrownBear]

With the 8 grain charges in my 30 caliber I'm getting 875 shots from a pound. With the 140 grain charges in my 58 caliber GRRW Hawken I'm getting 50 shots from a pound. Everything else falls between those two.

 

[AZbpBurner]

Never found it necessary to keep count. My routine is to: shoot until empty, then refill & shoot some more. This applies to the bag of balls, flask or horn, capper or flint pouch.

While I do take notes while developing a load, a buddy would keep a detailed description of every shot fired. It was all written on post-its or scraps from target paper. It was all paper clipped together & rubber banded to keep all the notes together.

I once asked him what he did with all those notes. His reply was that he took them out of his pocket or wallet every few days & put them on the dresser. They sat there for a week or so ... until his wife came along & threw them all out :rotf:

 

[robert bw]

dad gum women folk,cant keep nothing round for long :cursing:

 

[bubba.50]

I get the first shot & the last shot out of a pound of powder. the number of shots in between varies with what gun/load I'm usin'.

 

[nwtradegun]

muzzleloaders don't go by weight , its by volume of the measre

 

[Zonie]

muzzleloaders don't go by weight , its by volume of the measre

Exactly right.

Because the original post asked about the number of shots you can get with 1 pound of black powder, the answers have all been right on the money.

Now, to confuse everyone, if he had asked how many shots do I get when shooting 1 pound of Pyrodex, the answer would be different.

Pyrodex is measured just like black powder, with something that measures the volume of powder.

One cubic inch of Pyrodex produces about the same amount of power (velocity) as one cubic inch of black powder so a 70 or 80 or 60 grain powder measure can be used for either powder to give 70, 80 or 60 grain velocities.

Now, comes the kicker.

Pyrodex is less dense than real black powder so one cubic inch of Pyrodex actually weighs less than one cubic inch of real black powder.

About 2/3 the weight.

Because Pyrodex is sold in a 1 pound container just like real black powder, that means you will get about 33 percent more shots per pound.

If your shooting Pyrodex, after you divide 7000 by the size of your load, multiply the answer times 1.3 to get a real close answer to the question.

Example:

7000/70 grain load = 100 shots
100 shots X 1.3 = 130 shots. :grin:

 

[coloradoclyde]

I get the first shot & the last shot out of a pound of powder. the number of shots in between varies with what gun/load I'm usin'.

Best answer!.... :thumbsup:

 

[Grenadier1758]

possibly a silly question but wouldn't an equal volume be of equal weight?if not where is the difference?thanks

Different powders have a different density or weight per volume. The volume measures are designed to measure a volume equal to the weight of black powder. A synthetic powder such a Pyrodex has a lighter density than black powder, but is designed to perform based on an equal volume measure. In other words, a 100 grain volume measure of 2fg black powder will weigh 100 grains and a 100 grain volume of Pyrodex will weigh about 85 grains.

 

[Len Graves]

I am supposing you just want a round figure or an average number of shots per pound. You can get all scientific or you can get the answer by; get your powder, go to a safe place fill YOUR powder you use for YOUR rifle in YOUR powder measure, empty into a safe container and count how many times you fill the measure till the pound is gone. This will not account for spillage Etc. , but this is the slow way to know how many shots you can get with your stuff.

 

[Billnpatti]

possibly a silly question but wouldn't an equal volume be of equal weight?if not where is the difference?thanks

Nope, no such thing as a silly question. :nono: Never be afraid to ask. The difference is that not all powders weigh the same. It is the difference in the density of the powder. That is why we use volume, not actual weight to measure powder. for example, a pound of one of the synthetics such as Triple 7 (or any of the synthetics) has a greater volume than a pound of real black powder. The manufacturers of the synthetics have formulated their powders such that a given volume of Triple 7 will give a breach pressure similar to that same volume of black powder. While their weights vary significantly, synthetic powders will on a volume for volume equivalent give similar results to real black powder.

Let's say that you weigh out a given weight of real black powder. Then you weigh out the same weight of a synthetic, you find that because the synthetic is less dense, you will have a bigger pile of it than you do of black powder. Bigger pile, hotter load.

These variations in density also apply to different brands of real black powder, too. Albeit to a lesser degree. So, for consistency in our loads, we use volume measures, not actual weight, of powder for our guns.

 

[robert bw]

Thank you Sir that clarifies it for me.

 

[jfaldo]

a buddy would keep a detailed description of every shot fired

I have a friend from down in you neck of the desert that honestly can tell you every shot he's fired in probably the last twenty years or more. He puts them into spreadsheets by gun fired out of then breaks them down by different projectiles and powders. It's pretty uncanny if not a little weird.

Though I asked about a load awhile back for a similar gun I had that he owned several years prior and had sold. He pulled up the info wrote on of all things a post it note and handed it to me.