weight vs volume
I have posted at least 50 times about this subject so here goes another one. Black powder was always weighed in the early days of cartridge shooting. Don't believe that, then find the old boxes and see what they say. They will have something like these cartridges were loaded with 28 grains of powder.
It does not say black because it was just called gun powder.
The 44-40, 38-40, 45-70, 45-90, 45-110 and many others are telling you how much powder they contain by "WEIGHT" not volume. For those who don't know, the back number refers to the amount of powder in that ammo. fThe original 45 Colt round was known to be loaded with 40 grains of powder.
The Buffalo hunters would make them a powder flask or dipper by weighing the charge and finding the correct size spout or cup that held that amount.
Black powder for the most part will show a difference in loads once you have used an amount that is either -+ 5 grains.
People all the time like to compare Swiss against our Goex and say it's a better powder because it's faster for one thing. This is true but for a reason.
Compare the two under a microscope and you will find that the Swiss and all other foreign made powders are much smaller in grain size which burns faster. The Swiss 2F is about the same as Goex 3F and so on down the line.
The advent of the term, "LOAD BY VOLUME" did not come about until the first production of Pyrodex came available for sale. The reason is that Pyrodex and all other subs are much hotter than the real BP and therefore the same or equal in volume will give you the same results.
Some people today say that they are BP shooters when they are shooting the subs and this is not true.
The subs don't produce the fire, flames, sparks and loud "BOOM" given off by the real Black Powder.
If you read the older BP books and manuals you will find the loads are given in grains and not volume. Read the T/C loading manuals from the 70's and see what they say.
Somehow someone during the time of Pyrodex said you load by volume and another person picked it up and printed that BP guns are loaded by volume.
I'm like Elmer Keith on this one as "I WAS THERE" working in a gun store and remember when the salesman came in with this new powder that was going to change the BP shooting world.
What it did was to blow up and kill the inventor.
Before you post a you don't know of what you speak, do some good research.
I even have my original T/C manual that list all loads with weighed charges.
One quick note that every BP shooter and as far as that goes all reloaders should know is that different lots of the same powder may give different charges. Measure and keep lot numbers together. Enjoy your shooting David