Measure for Black powder ?????

[Moondawg]

Newby to BP cartdrige loading. Is it dangerous to use a regular powder measure, with a plastic powder reservoir, such as a RCBS or Hornaday, to meter black powder? Or, do you have to use one of the special black powder measures?
Thanks,

[Tom W.]

Yup. Static electricity and BP are not friends.

[Dan Cash]

Newby to BP cartdrige loading. Is it dangerous to use a regular powder measure, with a plastic powder reservoir, such as a RCBS or Hornaday, to meter black powder? Or, do you have to use one of the special black powder measures?
Thanks,


.................................................. ......No.......................................... ..................

[Don McDowell]

There are a large number of folks running blackpowder thru Dillons, Rcbs Chargemasters, Lyman DPS , and other "modern" measures with no incidents.
Up until the big bpcr craze hit the regular Lyman 55 measure was fine for bp according to Lyman...

[Baja_Traveler]

There's been lots of threads on the black powder boards calling BS on this wives tale.

HERE"S (http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/sparks/sparks.html)some real world testing it prove the point.

[littlejack]

Mondawg: Welcome to the CastBoolits.
I ask the same question a few months back, here on the forum.
The majority of the answers were "it is ok to use such measures".
I started loading bp about 3 years ago +/-. I had heard the same "wives tale".
After getting all of the replies, I started using my RCBS Uniflow. I am still here, and my
reloading room is still intact.
I guess, thats not to say that "IT" couldn't happen, but there's a lotta folks here that have
been loadin black for decades, and I believe them as much or more than any of the bs that
has been scattered around for years.
Jack

[NickSS]

I used a regular Lyman 58 powder measure for years but I lined the powder hopper with a sheet of alluminum so that the powder was not in contact with the plastic hopper. Recently I bought a Hornady BP measure mostly because of the continuing battle with the lyman measure to get it to through repeatable charges and when changing charges it is a pain. The hornady measure is much simpler to adjust but I have not used it much yet let you know more in a few years.

[SharpsShooter]

I use a Lee Perfect Powder Measure, and a Lyman 55. The Lee is actually more consistent. I also have an Ideal No.5 to use but the hopper is too small to load many 45-70's.


SS

[kokomokid]

I use a clothes dryer anti cling sheet to wipe my redding hopper and scale pan before I dump in the BP.

[montana_charlie]

I use a clothes dryer anti cling sheet to wipe my redding hopper and scale pan before I dump in the BP.
I also use a Redding measure ... plastic hopper and all steel (spark generating) parts.

CM

[Moondawg]

Thanks a bunch you guys. I will use either my 40+ yo RCBS uniflow or my new Hornady measure. Just wipe down with a dryer sheet. Sure save some money I can use for lead.

[Hednign]

One thing I find funny is that both Wano and Swiss use plastic containers..... So the discussion should end there.

Lately Iv been thinking about spending some money on a Pact powder dispenser and weight. Bit costy, but when making a lot of different loads it would be a great thing to have. Its just that Iv been hung up on the " what about static electrisity AND pressure"? I think the Pact setup would work just fine with black powder....

[cajun shooter]

I was in the group that understood that BP and plastic don't mix. Being in that group I purchased the Lyman 55 BP measure and a RCBS BP measure. Then about two or so years ago I read the report and saw the pictures of a test that proved that to be Bunk. I have a friend who is the BP distributor for Goex in our area and he uses the all plastic and rubber Lee with no problems. It was a wives tale that was handed down and became fact after a while with out any test performed to back it up.

[bigted]

i love how this filters around from time to time. it is reassuring to me to be reminded that the 'old wives tales' that are still around are so damaging to so many still !!!

maybe we should start some new ones for posterity...lol

i was bit with this one till like has been suggested here...bp comes to me in plastic,,,tin,,,metal,,,containers and pouring it out and back into these containers are just as liable to create spark as my Lyman 1200 auto dispenser.

good luck with your measuring and shooting. also welcome to the most entertaining posting forum on the net.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Actually this kind of baloney cycles in every 6 months. Gnubighs never search or read accumulated wisdom in past posts.

They want IT now from you without work.

Most are younger and believe mass marketing and clever words. Bore snake and bore butter come to mind easily. Moose milk is a bit older but similar.

At least the correct answer seems to be nailed down well. BvT

[1874Sharps]

Decades ago Lyman did not sell a Lyman 55 powder measure made special for BP, but marketed their regular old model 55 as suitable for both smokeless or BP. I would guess legal concerns prompted them to come out with a special aluminum hopper BP model 55 geared for BP. Imagine if, in our litigious society, a mishap did occur with BP in a standard model 55.

[mustanggt]

I fell for the plastic anything will blow me to kingdom come line and bought a Hornady BP hopper. Actually it worked out as it holds way more than my uniflow measure and it meters so smooth and adjusts much easier too. My plastic scale is what I use and no kaboom. So I'd say it's a myth especially after a study about jolting a pile of BP with millions of volts or some such and nada boom to be had.

[Naphtali]

Yup. Static electricity and BP are not friends.

Muzzle Blasts, the house organ for the NMLRA, ran a series titled "Stump the Experts" by The Bevel Brothers. One article was devoted to whether or not static electricity would ignite black powder. It would not.

[oldracer]

At the last gun show here in the San Diego area I bought one of those cool sparking fire starters. Yesterday I had a very little bit of Goex FFG left after loading a bunch or 45-70 shells. So I went out back and put the powder, about a tea spoon full on a piece of wood and tried to make it burn by sparking it. It never lit off at all. Our Pug puppy wanted to eat it so I had to get rid of it so she would not blow up. but it never lit!

[KCSO]

One more time, I don;t know how the static thinng got started but a spark will set off just about any powdered substance IF it is fine enough. Grain dust is a prime example, but powder is not dust and i have never been able to set off powder with an electrical spark. As to powder measures i have a first model Ideal Measure made in 1890 and it is FOR black powder and it is made of brass and cast iron with a lid fastened on with screws, talk about a bomb. But it worked for years with black powder. My Lyman 55 that I got used from my father in law says right in the instructions GOOD FOR ALL POWDERS and gives charges for FFg.

I personaly use a Belding and Mull for B/P charges.

[omgb]

I have used an old Ideal #5 for BP but found it wouldn't drop a consistent charge. As the powder level dropped, the charges began to shift. Since the hopper is small, that was a constant problem. I then tried my RCBS measure complete with plastic hopper. It worked but I didn't care for the shearing of powder grains. It just didn't seem a good idea to create "fines" in my measured charge. I don't know that it actually hurt, it just didn't sit right in my mind. Since shooting accurately is in part a "head game" I once again looked for a better solution. Finally, I bought an old Belding and Mull measure off of Ebay for $80 or so. This worked well. I had to add a new hopper as the old plastic one was badly cracked. I purchased a brass one from the resurrected B&M company and installed it myself. It works well, meters and repeats with accuracy and it doesn't shear grains. Was all of this necessary? No, but it was fun and I learned a lot.[smilie=2:

[bydand]

I did buy the lyman measure with the aluminum hopper. One reason is that I also bought the drop tube to go with it and that is a permanent set-up, while the other measures can be put aside on the shelf.

[wills]

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/sparks/sparks.html

If this has not already been posted.