Powder Measure for BP

[shaman]

When I was at Friendship this past weekend, I was out walking on the firing line for a bit. I was looking for ideas on range boxes, etc.

One thing that surprised me was a number of fellows were using powder measures like this:

. . . to meter out charges. Is that Kosher? I seem to remember someone telling me that was bad ju-ju. I know that BP works on volumetric measure vs. weight, but so does this sort of powder measure. What's the scoop? (Pun intended.)

 

[Sidney Smith]

I use one of them for measuring out charges when reloading modern ammo, but would not use one for my muzzleloaders for the reasons you mentioned.

 

[64Springer]

A powder hopper throws very exact charges.

They're fine for muzzleloaders. The people who say you can't use a hopper to throw muzzleloading charges are idiots. Volume is volume is volume.

Just set the drop tube for the volume charge that you need. The weight of the charge has no impact on anything.

I have that RCBS powder measure. It measures to within a tenth of a grain. They make versions that are made of brass too. Some folks think the steel on steel components are not safe with black powder.

 

[Erwan]

In Absurdistan, powder flasks are forbidden for all shooting ranges: each powder charge must be in a tube. So I have three LEE volumetric measures in the style of this one for the BP and my old Lyman for the smokeless powders...
Till now and after countless loads, BP never explode...

 

[shaman]

Here is what I'm think of doing. Please let me know if this is okay.

1) Use my standard brass powder measure to mete out the original charge (say 80 grains of 3F)
2) Use my scale to measure the weight of the charge
3) Pour 3F into my RCBS Powder Measure
4) Adjust the RCBS Powder Measure to mete out that weight of charge.
5) Fill plastic vials with charges from the RCBS Powder measure.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Here is what I'm think of doing. Please let me know if this is okay.

1) Use my standard brass powder measure to mete out the original charge (say 80 grains of 3F)
2) Use my scale to measure the weight of the charge
3) Pour 3F into my RCBS Powder Measure
4) Adjust the RCBS Powder Measure to mete out that weight of charge.
5) Fill plastic vials with charges from the RCBS Powder measure.

That will do fine

LD

 

[dave951]

Here is what I'm think of doing. Please let me know if this is okay.

1) Use my standard brass powder measure to mete out the original charge (say 80 grains of 3F)
2) Use my scale to measure the weight of the charge
3) Pour 3F into my RCBS Powder Measure
4) Adjust the RCBS Powder Measure to mete out that weight of charge.
5) Fill plastic vials with charges from the RCBS Powder measure.

That will work. It's basically the same procedure I use for making up competition ammo for a Skirmish.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Just set the drop tube for the volume charge that you need. The weight of the charge has no impact on anything.

Which will work just fine, as long as you use the correct granulation of powder with the same formula each and every time that you use that device. The weight of the charge DOES have an impact on a lot of things, especially for the guys using those devices and shooting for world championships, etc.

The reason the champion target shooters use those powder measures, is because they throw very precise loads of powder by grain weight. A grain is a unit of weight measure. A "grain" is 1/7000th of a pound in some measurement systems.

LD

 

[dave951]

When I was at Friendship this past weekend, I was out walking on the firing line for a bit. I was looking for ideas on range boxes, etc.

One thing that surprised me was a number of fellows were using powder measures like this:

. . . to meter out charges. Is that Kosher? I seem to remember someone telling me that was bad ju-ju. I know that BP works on volumetric measure vs. weight, but so does this sort of powder measure. What's the scoop? (Pun intended.)

Yup, it's fine. There are some that worry that the steel drum and other ferrous parts might cause ignition.

 

[TFoley]

Yup, it's fine. There are some that worry that the steel drum and other ferrous parts might cause ignition.

The drum is finely machined steel rotating in a die-cast zamak material. I've been using that method since 1974 without any kind of incident.

As for the comment about 'Absurdistan', well, neither the world governing body on muzzleloading competitions - the MLAIC - nor the Muzzleloading Association of Great Britain permit you to load into a chamber or barrel directly from a powder flask. What you guys get up to is up to you - you all live a long ways from me.

 

[Maven]

Years ago I saw the same thing as the original poster only with the Lee Perfect powder measure. As I had one, I decided to try it with real BP (FFg) and was [very] pleasantly surprised by how accurate it was. In short, the Lee Perfect PM's are a low cost, but not low quality, alternative to the Lyman and RCBS units.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Lee Perfect is the worse stuff to come out of China. Pure garbage.

Dont bench shoot, never thought of this. This will work for the BPCs, I make mine at the range.

 

[shaman]

Cool. Thanks everyone.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Here are the two I use. The one with the can on top is homemade and I use it at the shooting bench for muzzle loaders. The other is an old Belding & Mull I use for loading black powder cartridges.

 

[user 34300]

One issue that is claimed is that the steel rotor and steel body of the RCBS measure could ignite the BP. The old Lyman 55 and Belding and Mull have brass internal parts. I have no opinion of the validity of the concern.

 

[hanshi]

I've always used handmade fixed powder measures and do just fine. I save my bench measures for something called "smokeless".

 

[Greenjoytj]

Just remember to calibrate your powder measure with a digital scale to the type of powder you are using.
Real Black Powder is easy to do as grains weighed after being dispensed by the powder measure will show you if you thrown the correct volume to together the weight of powder you want in you load.

But if you are using synthetic BP like Black Horn or Pyrodex then follow the powder manufacture instructions.
You will need to pour you charge via a black powder volume throwing tool.
This synthetic BP has more energy per grain and is lighter weight for the same volume of true BP.
Weigh the quantity of powder and set you dispenser to throw that volume.
Do this several times to get an average.
Once you discover the difference between the volume measure and the actual weight you could weigh each charge or use a powder dispenser.

 

[Dutch7]

The device(s) shown are not dropping directly into the muzzle, they are measuring out charges to be transferred to the muzzle.

 

[TFoley]

One issue that is claimed is that the steel rotor and steel body of the RCBS measure could ignite the BP. The old Lyman 55 and Belding and Mull have brass internal parts. I have no opinion of the validity of the concern.

You must have a different RCBS measure than I do - and I've had mine since 1978. It's pressure die-cast out of either Zamak [US] or Mazak [UK], not any kind of ferrous material that might rust and gall.

 

[Mikekj]

One issue that is claimed is that the steel rotor and steel body of the RCBS measure could ignite the BP. The old Lyman 55 and Belding and Mull have brass internal parts. I have no opinion of the validity of the concern.

IF it would ignite black powder, would it not also ignite smokeless?