powder measure usage

[W/Vickers1938]

I have a RCBS uniflow powder measure. Very happy with consistency and repeatability. My question can i use this to measure Black powder, or do I need to invest in a dedicated measure for black powder?
Thank you

 

[marchboom]

From what I've heard using a brass powder measure is the safe way to go. No possibility of sparks from brass.

 

[George P]

Or static buildup

 

[mcb]

I pre-weight on my reloading scale my black-powder charges and put them in screw top test-tubes I bought off amazon.

 

[PWC]

Black power is meant to be loaded volometrically. The measures are properly calibrated.

If you want to load BP cartridges, use a BP measure to dump the correct amount of VOLUMETRICALLY measured powder, on a PROPERLY CALIBRATED scale, 10 times (easier to determine the average). Average the 10 powder drops and that is the WEIGHT of THAT BRAND of BP in grains. Work from there, always starting with known BP volume.

If you change powder, you must reweigh to find average grain weight.

Same procedure for rifle, but it is hard to beat the measure (preferably the brass one) with the "calibrated" nozzles.

Making "paper cartridges" for BP is more complicated...if you are interested, the info is here on THR.

 

[greyling22]

I think the BP shooters decided the static thing was a myth, and you should be good to use your uniflow, but black powder is messy. I'm not sure I would want to swap between BP and smokeless. But that might just be me.

In other, totally unrelated news, I have a Hornady black powder measure that I need to sell for a neighbor lady whose husband got lewy body dementia and sent to the nursing home. Looks like this. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012729113 {I don't even know if there is a market for the thing these days. anybody need 38-40 and 500s&w dies? I have those too. he couldn't have normal stuff that was easy to move like 6.5 creedmoor and 9mm, nooooooo}

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I think the BP shooters decided the static thing was a myth, and you should be good to use your uniflow, but black powder is messy.

That's been my experience too but it makes me wonder what happened to this guy...
https://www.azfamily.com/ammo-explo...cle_0c5e3497-6944-56e9-a2a2-4f4f2aa980fa.html

I use old plastic pill bottles to hold about as much powder as I think I'll need for a reloading session and Lee dippers to get close to my load, weigh on a RCBS 505, then trickle up using a Frankford Arsenal trickler. The same one I use for smokeless. I blow it out using canned air between loading sessions. I hope the static thing is just a myth and I haven't just been super lucky.

BTW: Do you still have the Hornady BP measure? If so, PM me, I may be interested.

 

[.38 Special]

It's another one of those issues which probably will never be quite settled, but the objective testing I have come across consistently indicates that static electricity is pretty unlikely to ignite bp.

A typical result: http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/sparks/sparks.html

So I expect that a standard measure should be just fine. Bear in mind that I bought a dedicated bp measure myself, though...

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

It's another one of those issues which probably will never be quite settled, but the objective testing I have come across consistently indicates that static electricity is pretty unlikely to ignite bp.

A typical result: http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/sparks/sparks.html

So I expect that a standard measure should be just fine. Bear in mind that I bought a dedicated bp measure myself, though...

Wicked cool page!