Measureing powder at range for BP?

[Jake71]

Ok, so I broke out the reloading stuff my parents gave me for xmas a long time ago.

Found the RCBS scale and decided to figure out how much 25 grains of 777 is and how much powder i'm talking about.

I want to goto the range next weekend.

I have measured out 25 grains but have no idea without carrying my scale, how to measure it at the range.

- .45acp casing was too small.

- .44Mag casing holds 28.3 grains topped off

Question: Is 28.3 grains too much powder?

777 can says on the label 35grains max for .45 old army, so I'm going to assume (??) it's pretty close to the max for my .44 new army?

Can I get a tip for my redlands brass powder flask that will hold 25 grains? Put your finger over it.. open tip close and then pour in cylinder method?

I was thinking between 23-25 grains for each charge but without a scale at the range thats going to be hard to do. Unless I take the .44 mag casing and make it just shy of full.

#DontWantItToBlowUpCrew

Thanks
Jake

[sephy]

You could get a powder flask that measures Link ... or you could cut the 44mag case down until it holds 25 grains. You could even solder a handle onto it if you want.

[Dutch3]

Black powder is measured by volume, not weight. Do not use a scale to measure for your BP guns.

Use a powder measure to determine the volume.

[Jake71]

Black powder is measured by volume, not weight. Do not use a scale to measure for your BP guns.

Use a powder measure to determine the volume.

ok.

I just read somewhere that you can get a nipple that fits on the flask that can be used as a measuring device OR I can get a powder adjustable measure at say.. Bass Pro Shop...

Is there one preference better than the other?

Whew......I'm glad I asked.

[Jake71]

You could get a powder flask that measures Link ... or you could cut the 44mag case down until it holds 25 grains. You could even solder a handle onto it if you want.

I have the redhead version of that. Looks like I can purchase the nipples that will give correct measure or just get a powder measure.

[Dutch3]

I use an adjustable powder measure, although a flask with a built in measure would be nice to have.

I have a Pietta Remington 1858 and regularly shoot 30g of 777 by volume without issue. I know the data for 777 states to reduce 15% by volume in comparison to BP and other substitutes, so you should do what you feel is best. I personally don't think 28.3g would be a problem, but that is just my personal opinion.

[Fjold]

Black powder is measured by volume, not weight. Do not use a scale to measure for your BP guns.

Use a powder measure to determine the volume.

Absolutely! Black powder and all the black powder substitutes are measured by volume.

[Jake71]

I use an adjustable powder measure, although a flask with a built in measure would be nice to have.

I have a Pietta Remington 1858 and regularly shoot 30g of 777 by volume without issue. I know the data for 777 states to reduce 15% by volume in comparison to BP and other substitutes, so you should do what you feel is best. I personally don't think 28.3g would be a problem, but that is just my personal opinion.

Thanks Dutch..

Just wanted to make sure I have all my ducks in a row.

[Eljay]

Some ranges won't let you charge directly from the flask even with the little measure (there's a safety argument). They require that you pour into a measuring thing and then dump from there into the gun. You can get both adjustable and fixed powder measures from a bunch of places for cheap.

[Bigyates]

I weigh my blackpowder charges or know the weight a particular scoop throws. Blackpowder weight in gr. was stamped on the barrel flats of many old English cartridge guns.

[G-forceJunkie]

Absolutely! Black powder and all the black powder substitutes are measured by volume.

Correct. OP: BP and subsitutes are measure in volume, even though they call it grains. Why? Because you are using the volume of water. If you measure out 30 grains of water, then pour it in a tube and mark how high the water comes up, that volume is what one would call "30 grains of BP." In the old days, not everyone had a precision scale, but the volume of water is pretty much a constant, and the volume to weight ratio of water is a simple math equation. If you were in dirt city, USA in 1840 and needed to make a powder measurer for your firearm, all you needed was to measure the I.D. of a piece of tube (or drill a hole in something), do the math for your required volume, and that would tell you what length to cut your tube.
One thing to note, it there are conversion charts for common powders like Pyrodex and such that convert Volume grains to actual weight grains such as: http://www.curtrich.com/BPConversionSheet.htm Note the weight is always less than the volume grains, that is why it is easy to overcharge a BP firearm if your going off weight and don't know what your doing.

[cruddymutt]

OP I have the CVA version and I think thats the Red Head version as well. The spout that comes with it is supposed to be 30 grains. Measure yours as mine measured out to 22 grain.

[Bigyates]

Correct. OP: BP and subsitutes are measure in volume, even though they call it grains. Why? Because you are using the volume of water. If you measure out 30 grains of water, then pour it in a tube and mark how high the water comes up, that volume is what one would call "30 grains of BP." In the old days, not everyone had a precision scale, but the volume of water is pretty much a constant, and the volume to weight ratio of water is a simple math equation. If you were in dirt city, USA in 1840 and needed to make a powder measurer for your firearm, all you needed was to measure the I.D. of a piece of tube (or drill a hole in something), do the math for your required volume, and that would tell you what length to cut your tube.
One thing to note, it there are conversion charts for common powders like Pyrodex and such that convert Volume grains to actual weight grains such as: http://www.curtrich.com/BPConversionSheet.htm Note the weight is always less than the volume grains, that is why it is easy to overcharge a BP firearm if your going off weight and don't know what your doing.

So your saying that water and blackpowder weigh the same by volume?

[G-forceJunkie]

So your saying that water and blackpowder weigh the same by volume?

No, thats exactaly the opposite of what I'm saying. I'm saying the volume of 150 grains of water is the same volume of "150 grains of BP as measured by volume." But it does not weight 150 grains. Thats the confusing part. Lets say you go buy a brand new 50 caliber BP hunting rifle from Cabellas today. The instruction say to load it with 150 grains of BP. Guess what, that is NOT 150 grains of BP by weight. It actually means "load with BP the same volume as 150 grains of water would displace." Even though they call it "150 grains" of BP, if you were to put it on a scale and measure the weight, it would be less, as the chart I listed before shows. Main point to take away from this confusing, old school way of measuring powder, is to measure BP by VOLUME, not weight, even though the word "grains" is used.

[Bigyates]

I think 150 grains of BP is exactly that.
A dram is a weight of mass and also a volume measurement but they are not the same. Maybe that's where the confusion lies. Many old bp loads refer to drams (27.3gr) of blackpowder.