Does Anyone Else Weigh Powder?

I took a look at the TMLRA firing line and I didn't see a single benchrest shooter using premeasured charges. A lot of them use adjustable powder measures and are very methodical about using them. With practice, you can throw very repeatable charges.
A few use crank type powder measures used for reloading smokeless powder.

This is one of the most popular powder measures in use. It has a spring loaded valve and you push your adjustable powder holder into it to fill it.
040.jpg


Where you see premeasured powder charges used is in NSSA skirmish shoots. These shooters shoot and reload on the clock and having a bunch of premeasured charges ready to go makes for faster shooting, and is historically more accurate than loading from a powder flask in Civil War re-enactments.
 
I use 14 grs of Swiss Black Powder in our pistol loads. This is a very "Hot"
powder and a little can make a big difference in velocity. So I do weigh my
loads I can't have my powder chargers varying a couple of grains one way
or the other. Three grains makes a 100 fps difference. With Championship
Aggs being won by just one point, or a "X", you need all the accuracy you
can get. The wife has won by just one point several times. I won the "As
Issue" revolver 25 yd match by wide shot out at the Nationals "NMLRA"
in June. So you can't give up a thing. You sure don't want to go into a
Championship match under a handicap.
 
I use Goex black powder, I have always measured by volume. I do recall pre-weighing some charges and testing for accuracy. I saw no improvement in accuracy at all so I just went back to volume measurement.
 
Just to satisfy my curiosity, weighed some powder charges I measured to test how repeatable my measuring techniques were.

The first test, the powder measure shown in post # 21, plunger set to 80 grains and measuring Swiss FFg.

77.1
77.8
77.9
77.7
77.1
77.3
77.2
77.4
77.2
77.6

Average 77.43
SD .29833

From a measuring powder flask with a 20 grain spout metering Schuetzen FFFg.

21.1
21.0
20.3
21.2
20.7
20.8
20.9
20.6
20.8
20.6

Average 20.8
SD .26667

Finally, from a Lee crank style powder measure mounted on a stand to take to shoots. Measure set to 1.5cc volume. Schuetzen FFFg. Handle up for about one second to fill, down to dump into an empty rifle case and three light raps with my fingers to make sure no powder sticks to the plastic drop tube.

20.7
20.6
20.6
20.6
20.7
20.8
20.7
20.8
20.8
20.7

Average 20.7
SD .08165
 
Of course measuring by volume for a given load, zero and sight settings is solely dependent on the manufacturer and the lot of powder you have from such.

Having Dropped hundreds if not into the thousands of charges from my Belding and Mull and weighing each and everyone, I can agree that for the most part a person comes up with those kinds of repeatable results. However once you start getting to the bottom of the hopper the weights start varying towards the light side and when you pour some fresh in it will weigh heavy. I try and keep the hopper filled over a 1/4 full when loading.

When switching between lots of powder from the same company, or between different manufacturers, you would be surprised at the difference in densities.

I have a case of Goex 2F that is less dense than the couple cans of Swiss 1.5 that I have, even though the granular size is equivalent.

I realize granular size has a big impact, but the case of Goex 1F that I have is much more dense than the aforementioned 2F and even though the 1F grains have more airspace, the same volume of it weighs more than the 2F I have. You would think the 2F should weigh more because of less airspace, but it doesn't.

Does it make a difference when hunting, probably not. Does it make a difference when shooting groups at 200 yards and beyond, definitely does. Different velocities will show up as vertical stringing. Different amounts of compression will show up as vertical stringing.

I have even gone as far as weighing my cases and measuring web thickness so that compression and internal volume in the cases is as close to the same as can be so that each and every shot is the same and that the problems in on the target are me, not the load.

When I do load development, I load 10 each of cartridges in increments of 1 grain of powder. After that, I will even go down to 1/2 grain changes to see if it will make a difference.

A 1 grain difference will turn a 5 or 6 in 200 yd group into a 2 - 2.5 in group. As I shoot out to 1000 yards, my standard (for as good as I can see and hold at the present time) is a 2.5 in group shot off cross sticks with a soule sight. For the most part I have found such a group size will hold accurate out to 1000 yards.

I have watched some of the muzzle loading slug gun shooters dropping charges with powder measurers. Of course they are not weighing the charges, but they are doing (or attempting to do) each and every motion the same as the last shot. Their ram rods are scribed so they compress the same, etc etc and it pays off on the targets for them. I have watched them shoot groups at 200 you can cover with a 1/2 dollar and sometimes with a quarter.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top