powder container

[Keppy]

I know this topic has been hashed around before, but I was wondering what to use to carry powder charges in for hunting. I don't want to carry my horn because it can get tangled in the bush. I will have my pouch because I carry the extra stuff like nipple,balls, puller and etc. I have thought about 35mm camera cases. What do most of you use? Thanks

 

[Rebel]

I use empty .12 ga hulls with a cork that has a piece of fishing line with a knot in one end run through the bottom and out the top of the cork with a needle. Then i tie a knot in the other end place the end along the bottom of the case and run a wrap of black electrical tape around to hold . That way you pop the cork and don't loose them.

 

[Keppy]

Rebel
Thats a great idea. I have plenty of them laying around. Thanks

 

[Rebel]

Glad i could help.

 

[PreglerD]

While I'm new in ML hunting, too, I first try it with little plastic glas tubes like at the shooting range. Problem is loosing the cap. I think I will try next with ML speed loaders or flask with 75grs spout. It will be a process of trial and error for a newbye.

Greetings from Germany

 

[No Deer]

While I'm new in ML hunting, too, I first try it with little plastic glas tubes like at the shooting range. Problem is loosing the cap. I think I will try next with ML speed loaders or flask with 75grs spout. It will be a process of trial and error for a newbye.

Greetings from Germany

Be careful using a flask with a spout. I would suggest that even with a measuring spout on the flask that you transfer the powder to something else before dumping into the barrel. If the charge should ignite, you would be holding a big bomb in your hand. I recently read of a new flask that is protected against this, but personally I would be a little leary of it. Just my opinion.

 

[Keppy]

Kirrmeister
I agree with No Deer. I also bought a horn with the measure on it. It was the adjustable kind. I then read some and did some thinking. I decided it was NOT the safest way to pour powder in a barrel after shooting it. I still have the horn and use it to pour into a brass measure. Good luck to you.
Hacksaw

 

[paulvallandigham]

For safety, Always use a separate powder measure to measure the powder before it goes near any flame, ember, or other source of ignition. If you buy the small, plastic " speed loader", that carry one load of powder each, you measure and fill those speed loaders at home, and away from your gun barrel. The ones I have seen have tabs so that you can push the top off with your thumb while you hold the speed loader in the same hand. Opening the top does not require the use of two hands.

The safety concern should always be two fold: ONE, that their might be an ember still burning at the bottom of your barrel when you pour the next charge of powder down the barrel, igniting it and sending flames and unburned powder out the muzzle to burn or pepper your hands, and face. ERGO: Always load the barrel with it pointed away from your face, and keep your hands away from the muzzle when you pour in the powder or or seat the ball, and do NOT wrap your thumb around aorund the ramrod when you are loading the ball down the barrel, in case the powder ignites and send the ball and ramrod back out the barrel. Use a hand over hand " Monkey Grip " with the hands no more than 8 inches apart on the rod to run the ball or conical bullet down the barrel. ( The Monkey Grip means you just curl the four fingers around the rod and hold the rod with friction of those fingers. If the rod were to be shot out of your " grip ", the human reaction will be to open the fingers up, rather than to grip tighter, and that opening of the fingers will save them from anything more than a severe burn. At least all the fingers will still be attached. If you were to have your thumb wrapped around the rod when it went off, you could lose the thumb! )

SECOND: Always isolate your powder source( Flask, horn, can) from the muzzle of the gun. If a spark ignites a powder charge, the flame will shoot out the muzzle before you can possibly react. If you are pouring powder down the barrel from a flask or horn, that BOMB in your hand will be ignited and explode in your face. It will certainly do you much harm if not kill you, and it can hurt anyone standing within 10 feet of you, and more.

I do not recommend using horns and flasks with the powder measure attached to them, or incorporated into the horn or flask. The so-called " English-style " measure, which has a pivot gate arrangment to open the powder source and measure a given amoount of powder between the first and second gates, then release that measured amount when the pivot is allowed to return, closing off the powder source, works poorly at best. Both gates get coated rather quickly with powder residue, which is enough itself to allow ignition. The powder measured is rarely consistent from shot to shot. And the gate is operated by a coil spring, and rarely is that spring strong enough to close the gate, or cut-off, by itself, against the pressure of the weight of all the powder in the flask or horn bearing down on it. Remember that you use gravity to move the powder from the source to the measure, which means the horn is upside down, and above the muzzle of the barrel if you ignore these safety warnings, and use it to pour a measure of powder down the barrel. That puts the flask or horn at face level, with the opening to the source right where flame from ignited powder will efficiently go right up into the source to ignite 1/2 to 1 pound of Black Powder. You might was well pull the pin on a Hand Grenade and hold it in front of your face. The damage will be the same.

ALWAYS USE A SEPARATE POWDER MEASURE TO PUT A SINGLE CHARGE OF POWDER INTO YOUR BARREL. KEEP YOUR POWDER HORN( OR FLASK) CLOSED AND AWAY FROM YOUR GUN DURING LOADING OPERATIONS.)

In my gun club, when we have a campfire going, or even have a wood stove working in our small shooting shack, we don't even allow members to approach the fires carrying their powder horns or flasks. Guns, horns( flask) and possible bags are removed and left away from the fires. ( NO LOADED GUNS IN CAMP.) And we consider a gun loaded if it still has a charge in the barrel. Members clear their guns on the range before coming to camp.

Hope that helps you understand how this all works together to make you safe, and safe to be around other people.

Go ahead and either make up single load containers, or buy the " speedloaders" on the market for this purpose. They make going into the field with a rifle much simpler, particularly when its rainy or snowing outside.

The only thing I feel comfortable about measuring out of a flask with one of those attachments is my corn meal that I use a filler on top of the powder charge, and behind my ball or bullet. My flask now has a 20 grain volume tube screwed into it. To use it I put my thumb over the end of the tube, upend the flask, open the gate to the flask, fill the tube, close the gate, and then pour the corn meal down the barrel. Done.

 

[Vaino]

I've used paper powder packets for years and the powder remains dry for many years. Take a piece of 1/2"-5/8" dia. dowel, round off one end and sand smooth. Wrap tablet paper twice around w/ a small overlap, fold the end on the ball end and use Elmer's Glue on the end and overlap. Remove from the dowel, let dry thoroughly, dump the powder in, fold the open end over and either staple or glue shut. Write the charge and type of powder on the paper packet. Using tweezers on one corner, dunk very quickly in melted canning wax and let dry. When hunting, I just use my teeth to rip off the tab end and pour into the barrel. The wax protects the powder from rain and I've got packets that are 8 yrs. old and are still like newly purchased powder. The labeling of powder charge and type is important for me w/ my poor memory......Fred

 

[dmills]

I am using these Butler Creek loaders (available at Cabellas on-line and others):

These are working well for me. The loader is open from end to end. Just put ball and patch in one end same as you would put in a loading block. Then powder in other end. There is a slot on each end to hold #11 caps. Sizes are color coded.

To load, open the powder end and pour in barrel. Then leave the powder end open and hold on top of barrel. Open ball end and use rod to push ball/patch into barrel and seat. I have not tried using the slot for caps since I have a capper that works fine.

I have been pre-loading 3 each for pistol and rifle before going out. No need to carry flask, powder measure, balls, patch knife, patch strips, or patches.

Extremely unlikely I will need a quick reload or more than one shot per trip (so far this year I haven't even shot once at game). But these are there if needed and are a considerable saving of space.

 

[PreglerD]

That sounds and looks good. Does it work also with minieballs or only with patched round bullets?

Thanks to all members for the savety warnings. so I will remind them. It is then the same as at the shooting ground, no loading out of the flask, horn directly into the barrel.

 

[dmills]

That sounds and looks good. Does it work also with minieballs or only with patched round bullets?

Haven't tried with anything but PRB. We keep forgetting that you are not allowed to hunt deer with PRB. Probably works OK with any bore sized projectiles. You want the powder to stay on the powder side of the loader while being carried/stored.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Wear your horn inside your outer layer.

I have also used a small metal "bag" flask designed for the .31 Colt revolver.

 

[playfarmers]

I use the plastic speed loaders and also have some pieces of copper pipe for powder. I just cut the 1/2" copper pipe long enough for my powder charge, and solder a cap on one end and just slide a cap on the other end. The caps fit nice and snug. The 3 plastic loaders, 3 copper pipes, along with a 3 extra balls, and a bit of patching give me all I can hope to shoot. When I started muzzleloading I had 2 speed loaders, and the load in the rifle. Early one morning I shot my buck and used a second shot to finish it, and then had to fallow a buck my wife had wounded. All I had left was 1 shot to do the job, and I will never be in that spot again. I kept passing up quick chances, because I had to make the 1 shot count. The Buck got away from us in the end. This gets real weird, my wife shot the same Buck 3 weeks later with her .30-30. It had healed up, but still showed where the Maxi went in just under the spine right above the front leg, and passed right through. There was a small sack of bone chips from the shoulder blade hole, but the bruising was even gone.

 

[PreglerD]

So I now have ordered a package of Speed loaders and will have a try. report will follow.

 

[Mad Professor]

That sounds and looks good. Does it work also with minieballs or only with patched round bullets?

Thanks to all members for the savety warnings. so I will remind them. It is then the same as at the shooting ground, no loading out of the flask, horn directly into the barrel.

The speedloaders work fine with conical bullets. You can put a wonder wad between the bullet and powder too. When reloading dump in the powder then open the other end and push the wad/bullet through and into the barrel with the ram rod.