Underclocked

It's good to see others that appreciate the merits of weighed charges. Combine pre-weighed charges with the tubes (such as THESE being sold near cost by one of the HA members) and you are on the road to better groups at the range.

It's sort of funny to me how well this has all caught on when there was so much rejection of the idea originally. It works.

Paul L Mohr

Actually you shouldn't weigh black powder or it's replacements like pyrodex, clean shot, or 777. You should measure them by volume, not weight, it's more accurate. The weight of these powders can change with temprature and humidity. Measure 100 grns by volume and then put it on a scale, I bet it's not the same. And if you work up a load during the summer, then weigh out some charges in the winter you may get some different loads. Unless you pre weigh them in a controlled inviornment. At any rate you should check the volume weight to the measured weight to make sure they are close. This would keep you from having an accidental over charge.

smokeless powder is not the same, it can be measured by weight.

Paul

roundball

...plus...the real point of muzzleloading is the experience of a more primitve form of firearms and hunting like the early generations of settlers did...and many times they didn't have or bother with powder measures, choosing instead to use old fashioned ways of measuring powder like "covering a ball with powder in the palm of the hand", etc...crude but obviously effective...they settled the country

Paul L Mohr

That's not why I use a muzzloader, but if you do that's cool. I use one to extend my season, and where I live we can't use centerfire rifles. It's shotguns and ML's, and in my opinion a properly loaded inline ML is better than most slug guns. Although with some of the new ammo they are catching up. I use my ML during regular gun season. I try to hunt as effedtively as I can, not make it harder than it needs to be.

To each his own I guess, as long as you are enjoying yourself, that's the important part.

Paul

Wolfhound76

Actually temperature alone will not affect weight. Temperature could affect volume measurements, but I've got no evidence if it does or not. Humidity can affect weight measurements as it adds mass to the powder (the mass of the water). If you keep your powder properly sealed you should not have any problem. I actually ziplock my bottles of powder when I'm not measuring. I also ziplock any quantity of premeasured powder. I use some of the vials (or similar ones at least) like what UC has posted the link to in similar containers for convienance which I also ziplock to keep moisture out. I'm a little obsessive about it.

Nope, they're not. Blackpowder is closest, but not perfect. The key to weighed charges, is weighing a thrown charge. For example, 100 gr. of 777 by volume equals 80 gr by weight. To duplicate, you simply weigh out 80 gr. on your scale. I have the wieght/volume numbers all wrote down so I do not forget the conversion.

I still use my volume measurer when weighing charges. I've got it set to throw just under what I want to get. I then trickle the last few grains onto the scale.

So can blackpowder or the subs as I've illustrated.

Paul L Mohr

but you are doing what I suggested and know that they are different. I don't want someone to read this and think they can do it by weight alone. Like read something that says use 130 or 150 grn charge, then they measure it out on a scale instead of a volume measurer. That's an accident waiting to happen.

I've tried it both ways and didn't see a difference, it was just a pain in the butt pretty much. My remington will shoot one inch or better groups at 100 yards going by volume, so it works pretty well for me.

All of the manufactures of powder state to use volume, not weight by the way, because of the differences.

Paul

Wolfhound76

Whenever I list a load, I give the specs. If I'm shooting an 80 gr. load by weight I say that and add that it equals 100 gr by volume. Or I simply give the volume measurement. I do know that weighed charges is not for beginners which is why I am specific when I post such data.


For example:

Today I took my wife shooting with her Wolverine. Her load was a 295 gr powerbelt and 57 gr of 777 ffg (weight) which equals 70 gr by volume. She shot a couple decent inch groups at 50 yds with her open sights (this actually happened this morning).

eldeguello

This three-shot group was fired at 100 yards on 3 SEPT 04 using home-cast 230-grain .45 caliber Maxiballs (TC mould) and 90 grains "striken measure" 777 FFg powder. Win. 209 primer in a Wm. Large-barreled Hawken rifle, 1/72" round-ball twist, with a Wonderwad under the bullet. The old-time Schuetzen and bench-rest ML rifle shooters used powder measures, despite the fact that many of them owned or had access to, precision laboratory balances. Many of the groups they shot have yet to be equalled by any BP rifle in modern times. Just take a look at Ned Roberts' book, THE MUZZLELOADIONG CAPLOCK RIFLE!!