Ideal Loading Flask

[barrabruce]

Any-one used one , seen one, made one.
Feel like I could use something like this.

[GhostHawk]

Back when I was shooting holy black in cap and ball pistols, yes very handy.

Dunno about making, possible I'm sure.

Lever just connected to a paddle on the inside that closed the hole. And a spring on the outside to return it to closed position when pressure was released.

Mine looked like this.

[bedbugbilly]

Traditions, CVA and others have marketed a cylinder flask for many years. I have several of them - they are made with a lever/flat cut-off as well as a push button cut off. They are available in several lengths. I hope you are referring to using one with BLACK POWDER where the interchangeable spouts determine the charge by volume and NOT for measuring smokeless powder charges . . . . just saying as you didn't specify what you whorl be wanting to use it with.

I like the cylinder flasks for general shooting BP as it is easily filled by screwing the bottom off and it "sits" upright in my shooting box and on the bench if at a range. I also have used flasks such as GhostHawk shows - I probably have at least 8 different styes/sizes and have used them for over 55 years of shooting BP.

[barrabruce]

Yeah we’ll sort of.
If you check out the pick I think you tip it over and it fills with powder.
Flip the leaver and tip it back and it runs down the tube into your case .
There is an adjustment on the dipper as well.
I was thinking small charges of smokeless.
Was reading a 1890’s reloading manual.
Think it would be good for reloading on the fly.

Well it looks like it could be consistent in the charge throwing.
Maybe a blocked chamber with a hole in the side to feed the measure to keep the pressure the same through varying powder volumes.
Be more convenient than a container of powder and a dipper.

All thoughts considered.
Thanks

[Bent Ramrod]

Those Rabbeth loading flasks are very uncommon. Over 40 years of Gun Show attendance, I know I’ve seen one, maybe two, both (?) in the hands of “advanced collectors,” as part of impressive displays of other antique reloading equipment. In the same time interval, I’ve probably seen a hundred Ideal #5 powder measures and maybe a half-dozen #6s. Kind of gives one an idea of how well a modern copy would sell today.

They were for range use, by shooters that reloaded the same cartridge case over and over. I believe the adjustment mechanism was internal, rather than relying on changing spouts like the modern ones do. I don’t know if they could be adjusted for small smokeless charges or not.

It was much more compact than one would think from the illustration and the size of most of the flasks available now, and had a very pretty job of nickel plating.

[gwpercle]

Dixie Gun Works carries a selection of complete powder flasks and spring loaded dispensing mechanisms and different spouts for those making their own .
I used some of this when making a few powder horns a few years ago .
Gary

[BrassMagnet]

A RCBS Little Dandy powder measure would probably do what you want.

[SSGOldfart]

Back when I was shooting holy black in cap and ball pistols, yes very handy.

Dunno about making, possible I'm sure.

Lever just connected to a paddle on the inside that closed the hole. And a spring on the outside to return it to closed position when pressure was released.

Mine looked like this.

Just watch out for the little brass screws that hold the top on those little buggers are hard to find.
TC makes a clear plastic one that's nice and easy to use. I got one off Amazon.com

[44magLeo]

I seem to recall a hand held measure that used interchangeable bushings in a slide. There was no bench or press mount. You used it by setting the measure on the case and operating the slide. I think the slide was spring loaded to return the slide. I don't recall just how you operated the slide, by finger or thumb.
Would a measure like that work as the OP needs one to?
Could one of Lee's Auto-Disk measures be used by hand? If so that might work too. There is an adjustable slide bar accessory too.
Leo

[mdi]

I seem to recall a hand held measure that used interchangeable bushings in a slide. There was no bench or press mount. You used it by setting the measure on the case and operating the slide. I think the slide was spring loaded to return the slide. I don't recall just how you operated the slide, by finger or thumb.
Would a measure like that work as the OP needs one to?
Could one of Lee's Auto-Disk measures be used by hand? If so that might work too. There is an adjustable slide bar accessory too.
Leo

Pacific/Hornady Pistol Powder Measure. Bushings/inserts came with different IDs for different powder charges (sorta on the same thinking as a shot shell loader). I believe there were about 20 different sleeves/bushings and the tool came with a chart similar to the Lee dipper chart. Mine is pretty accurate/repeatable...

[bedbugbilly]

barrabruce - I humbly stand corrected! I didn't blow the photo up to really see the interior. In my 55 years o so of shooting - I've never seen one and I haven't spent a lot of time perusing old manuals regardless of the fact that I love hand loading tools and use some of the old Ideal mold/reloading tongs as well as 310 - so apologies for not paying closer attention.

That said . . . they obviously produced them but one has to wonder just how popular or how well they worked since they seem to be akin to a "hen's tooth"? Looking at it closet, the design would appear to be workable and it would be interesting if one actually had one to test how consistent the charges are. Does your old listing or manual give any indication as to what the cost of them were in compaisu to the loading tongs with the molds as a part of them? I wonder if for the "average Joe", the price was on the steep side and it was just easier and cheaper for the person loading to use a dipper?

I also wonder just how many years these we're made if they are so rare. I go back to "how consistent" were they? I often use dippers and we all know that "consistency" is the "key" to dipping accurate and consistent grain weights of powder. This flask would also be measuring by volume just as a dipper is- which raises another question for me - if used at the range to reload - and used by a serious shooter - did they also have a set of scales with them to weigh the charge or did they depend on the charge that the flask threw to be consistent? And I would suppose that would depend upon the powder they were using and we all know that different powders sometimes have more issues than others when throwing with a powder measure.

It's interesting at any rate and if you find further info or end up playing with making one - we'd love to hear about it. I would think one of the new brass cylinder flasks that I mentioned in my original post would be a good foundation to start with and hopefully you could possibly come up with more illustrations to show the internals so you could accurately reproduce them. You might see if it was patented and if there were any way to get a copy of the patent prints?

[mattw]

A RCBS Little Dandy powder measure would probably do what you want.

Are those safe to use with black? I thought black required brass internals to prevent possible sparks.

[jaguarxk120]

Generally you need flint and steel to make sparks.
And the steel should be hard.
I don't think one could make any powder measure move fast enough
to make sparks!

[samari46]

I have one of the cylindrical brass powder measures with the different spouts. Think there were 4 that came with it. sacrificed one spout to drop 25 grains for my little Ironsides cannon with a 440 diameter lead ball. Frank

[barrabruce]

Thank you mr Jim jrmartin 64 for the insight.
I didn’t know that was a clicker on the bottom.
Thankyou.

I haven’t found a patent drawing on it yet but still searching.
The other ideas have been helpful too.
I may attempt at making something similar when I have figured out a few technical details.
Won’t be for a while thou.
Thnx everyone
Bruce