Fired bullets as powder measure
- Thread starter Nuno
- Start date
That may be but, most accuracy buffs weigh every charge and trickle up for best results with black, just like smokeless. No sense in drop tubing, compressing just the right amount, if your powder charge was not accurate to begin with. What if your case only holds 68 grains with the bullet seated to the right depth?
black powder loading
I weigh all my charges....after all, how long does it take......I fill the case thru a 24 inch drop tube, put a lubricated felt was on top of the powder charge, and then compress the powder about 10% in seating the bullet....and it works !!!
I weigh all my charges....after all, how long does it take......I fill the case thru a 24 inch drop tube, put a lubricated felt was on top of the powder charge, and then compress the powder about 10% in seating the bullet....and it works !!!
The OP may not be talking about loading BP cartridges. I thought he means to use a cartridge casing to measure his charge for a muzzleloader. No need to weigh each load for casual use.
45-70 = @ 70 gr.
45-90 = @ 90 gr.
38-55 = @ 55 gr.
44-40 = @ 40 gr.
See how that works? These are all BP cartridges, so filled to the max = grains in the last number of the cartridge.
45-70 = @ 70 gr.
45-90 = @ 90 gr.
38-55 = @ 55 gr.
44-40 = @ 40 gr.
See how that works? These are all BP cartridges, so filled to the max = grains in the last number of the cartridge.
I actually made a few powder measures from 30.06 cases I cut with a tubing cutter and soldered handles onto. I make them just a bit smaller than my usual charge for each calibre so I can use my trickler along with my scale to get an exact charge. Could have went and bought some plastic ones but I like the look of the powder measures from 30.06 brass, and the fact I made them myself.
- Location
- Thunder Bay ON Canada
That's a nice story, but where does the bullet go?
The 45/70 holds 70 grains of black powder, plus a bullet, right?
So, where does the bullet go?
On the other side of your question, alot of people use casings as powder measures, both for black powder, and for smokeless. Volumetric measurements are reliable. In fact, in chemsitry you use accurate volumetric measures of pure water at a known temperature to calibrate your scale, not the other way around. Scales are rife with opportunities to misread, electronic even more than mechanical, but people seem to think they're perfect. In chemistry, you never weigh when you can titre instead, for just that reason.
With a shell casing, if it doesn't meet your needs, you grind down the top with an occillating sander and some silicon carbide paper. You epoxy or solder a bent wire to the side of the case for a handle.
This high tech device is featured in the lee reloading manual.
the bullet goes into the case you are pouring the powder into. I use a shortened 38-56 case for my 38-56 powder measure. I have deep notches filed into the rim so that I don't mistake it for one of the shells that I actually shoot.
I don't think that a 45-70 actually holds 70 grains of powder under the bullet and would suspect it is closer to 60 -65 grains. Original shells probably held another 2 or 3 grains by being balloon head.
cheers mooncoon
For point of information; a 45-70 shell holds 72 gr of 2F powder to the case mouth when poured as from a powder horn. When poured through a drop tube to the level of the bullet base for a 400 - 450 gr bullet and a common throating in the rifle, roughly 65 grains. My 38-56 measure casts roughly 57 gr of 2 or 3F but the gun has a very deep throat and the loaded bullet length is well over factory length.
Returning to using a cartridge as a muzzle loading measure, I have picked up on the trail, a 50-70 shell with a small brass loop soldered onto it; a powder measure lost.
cheers mooncoon
juanvaldez
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sudbury, Ontario
#1 the bullet goes on top...compressed load
BP is VERY compressible...unlike water which has a constant volume at constant pressure /temperature.#2 If you think volumetric measurements are relible for BP then you must never have loaded any. For an experiment try filling your powder measure then tapping it 10 or so times on your loading bench you will lose almost 10% of your original volume. Keep in mind bp is a mixture granules and voids with air spaces so the comparison to volumetric measurements of water are meaningless.
BP will pack quite nicely in fact you can compress it to a solid plug if you want and use it as rocket fuel. For casual shooting these loads are fine as you can get reasonable consistency with vol measurements if you are real careful but weighing then drop tubing is the most reliable method.
Last edited:
- Location
- West coast of Vancouver Island
Nuno,
That 70grs. in a 45/70 casing sounds about right. If you buy a Dixie Gunworks catalogue they have all sorts of useful information like that in the last 40 or so pages.
Cheers
Kevin
That 70grs. in a 45/70 casing sounds about right. If you buy a Dixie Gunworks catalogue they have all sorts of useful information like that in the last 40 or so pages.
Cheers
Kevin
vagrantviking
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
The capacity of cases vary from brand to brand and if you go back far enough they used balloon head cases. These are about the same thickness all the way around the base as they are on the walls and hold quite a bit more powder.
If you use a drop tube you will find that you can load a 45-70 with 70gr of powder or even a little more, and still have room to seat a bullet. Usually there is a bit of compression also.
Volume measuring can be very accurate. Most measures operate by volume and even a scoop can be very accurate if you are consistent in the way that you use it. I do most of my BP loads that way with the occasional charge thrown on the scale to see how I'm doing.
i read an article years ago in a gun rag about a fellah who used a small homemade loading kit, i could be wrong, but if i remeber, it was 32acp and he was using a 22short to measure the load, and using buckshot finger pressed in for the bullet. maybe gun digest '02?
- Location
- Tucson, Arizona
Just a note, the ORIGINAL 45-70 cases held MORE powder than current ones, hence the 70 gr.
