Scale Help?

[J2.]

Can I use a digital kitchen scale to measure black powder? And what about converting grams to grains. The conversion chart says 50 grains = 3.24 grams. Am I missing some thing?

 

[hillbille]

just buy an adjustable powder measure,a lot cheaper and easier than a scale should be $10 or less. unless your into competion shooting a couple grains either way won't amount to anything to be conserned about.

 

[mykeal]

A typical kitchen scale does not have the accuracy you're looking for in weighing your powder. A good balance scale used for reloading is probably the least expensive solution - about $50.

Yes, 50 grains is 3.24 grams.

 

[fastforty]

I'm in the boat that says it's best to measure by volume. No scale required, just empty rifle shells & shotgun hulls cut to proper size.

 

[J2.]

I'm with you on the volume part. But can I convert weight into volume. Maybe I should just buy a powder measure!

 

[mykeal]

The easiest and cheapest solution is to buy a powder measure. There is the question about how accurate the measure is, and since grains are a measure of weight and not volume, the only way to 'calibrate' the measure is to weigh the powder from various settings. This can only be done reliably with real black powder, as it is grain for grain the same number whether measure by volume or weight. Within a couple of percent anyway. The scale used to measure the weight should be a good balance scale as mentioned above.

But, that's a lot of effort for little gain except perhaps confidence. Just buy the powder measure and go with it.

 

[B.L.E.]

Look up case capacity of some popular rifle and pistol cases. This is usually given in grains of water. Since water has nearly the same density as black powder, a case that has a capacity of 50 grains of water will come very close to measuring 50 grains of black powder.

Black powder substitutes should always be measured by volume. When they say "50 grains" of Pyrodex, or 777 or Blackhorn 209, what they mean is the amount of powder measured by a black powder measure set to throw 50 grains of black powder. The actual weight of these substitutes will be considerably less because they have a lower density than black powder. For example, "100 grains" of Blackhorn 209 measured by volume actually weighs about 65 grains.