Drop Tubes ??????

[beng]

Maybe some one can tell me why? I have only been loading BP for short time. I am using a Remington Rolling Block #1 with a new Green Mountain Barrel with a 45-70, 1-18 twist, 34" long with a Brooks 535 boolit and lube by Paul Matthews I have read all I can get my hands on when I started loading with Black Powder. (even You-Tube) about 90% say you got to use a drop tube. I have tried with and with-out. I can not see any difference. I put in 70 gr of Goex FFg. It is compressed down to almost .400. The 535 boolit is seated to 2.955 OAL. In any match, it will hold it's on. Was told to try Swiss, it may like it better.....

[Don McDowell]

Drop tubes are a leftover from the 1800's when there were no portable reloading presses as we have today, and the drop tube was the only way to get enough powder into the empty cases.
Today with the compound linkage presses, and various compression dies, a drop tube is just something of an extra step in the loading process.

[John Allen]

I actually use them and like them. It seems to pack the powder a little tighter.

[Doc Highwall]

Well now you can try some loads that were loaded using the drop tube and some that were just compressed and see if it makes a difference. Shoot them over a chronograph and compare them with your targets at a distance.

[reno]

I recently started shooting a trapdoor,my first bpcr after years of muzzelloading.
I couldn't see the need for a droptube when I was compressing my loads,but in an effort to shrink my 12" 100 yd groups I tried one.It was the only change I made and it consistently changed my group size to 8".
Add a blowtube each shot and 4".
I'm getting there.

[country gent]

If it is a "heavy" load sometimes a drop tube will allow the full charge of black to be put in the case before the compression die finishes compressing the charge. A casefull of powder is hard to handle with out spilling and a drop tube may allow the wad to be seated to hold it in place easier for the compression die to do its job.

[doc1876]

after hearing so much good about drop tubes, and being lazy, I decided to experiment. I took a piece of 1/2 in copper tube 18 inches long, and gently tapped it until it seated in the top of the patented expanding load through die. It doesn't weigh much, so it can spin with the turret, and as I weight each load, I can go from the powder measure, into the drop tube, and keep on trucking to the next stage with little inconvenience. I tried different lengths, and there seems to be no real difference from the 18 in to the 30 in, so this way, I don't even have to stand.

but yes, I can get more powder evenly in the case with this setup than shaking, tapping or compressing.

[Doc Highwall]

Don't forget the speed you pour the powder into the drop tube affects how the powder settles into the case.

[Don McDowell]

Drop tubes are handy IF you don't need to compress the load to seat the bullet. However a funnel with a 4 inch tube and using a slow pour will net you as much room in the case as a longer tube. So the necessity of drop tubing really depends on the requirements of your powder charge. If you're loading enough powder to get velocity up for long range shooting, the using a slow pour thru a regular funnel will leave you room to thumb a wad on top of the charge before you compress enough to seat the bullet. If the powder charge used is light enough that it's not necessary to compress to seat the bullet then by all means drop away....

[upnorthwis]

I gave up on the drop tube years ago. Was not gaining me anything. Not velocity, not accuracy. I now just fill .45-90 case to just a hair under full, insert wad, and compress away. Load: 85 gr. Swiss 1-1/2, Lyman 535 gr. Postell, .06 Walter wad, WLR primer, 3.265 O.A.L.

[Prs61109]

Like BENG, I'm new at BP reloading. I made my drop tube and was surprised how it settled the powder into the case compared to just pouring in the same quantity. Does it make a difference? Probably not if one uses a compression die to achieve the final compression. None of my 45/70 loads have completely filled my Starline cases using Goex FFg under a Lyman 457193. Ten rounds each of 65, 67, 69, 71 and 73 grain charges. I just got this mould and haven't had a chance to shoot them. They will be my short range rounds.

[Toymaker]

A drop tube will settle the powder tighter before compression and reduce the breaking up of the powder granules. Putting the powder in and compressing can do two things: 1) crush the granules increasing the surface area, increasing the burn rate, increasing the pressure but probably not the velocity; 2) seen cases bulged so they wouldn't fit in the chamber or had to be forced somewhat. An alternative to the drop tube, used by a fellow BPCR shooter, is to fill the case and hold it up against his vibratory cleaner for a bit to settle the powder. Are you using Goex? I use 68 grains Goex FFg and only compress 0.28 inch with a cardboard wad and 535 grain Hoch bullet. Holds a nice >2 inch group off the bench at 200 meters. BTW-Swiss doesn't like much compression at all.

[Chill Wills]

I think there are a lot of right ways to do most anything. Certainly getting powder in the case is no exception.

It is easy to get stuck in a rut doing what works well and not try new things - Especially if extensive testing is required.. I've always liked to experiment and I hope that does not change. I have used the vibration and compression methods but they are an extra step and did not help or improve my accuracy. Loose dropped powder charges through short tubes from measures settles more in the car ride and for me never provided more than hunting accuracy. Again, I think whatever method you have success with and like is the right way but at this time, loading to compete in BPCR matches, drop-tubes will be part of the process.

Whatever way you get the powder in the case, I do think having a drop-tube in your bag of tricks and knowing how to use it is just one more option.

Where accuracy is the goal, I convinced myself some time ago that my best efforts were with Swiss powder and no compression.
The slow pour and long drop-tube help arrange the powder in a tight dense column without crushing and breaking the carefully graded and sorted grains we pay so much for.

I have no idea what happens to the powder inside the case when the big red light comes on; be it carefully packed grains all the same size or crushed dust pushed into a solid plug, but in my experience one is more accurate, more consistent and more predictable on my target, day in - day out. It would be great to really see what happens in the case when the powder lights up. I hear a lot of speculation. I only have outcome to judge by.



I like the drop-tube. I have worked them into my loading rotation as to not use any additional time in making my ammo. I will keep them around until I find something better.


You may have a very different experience. I will read and learn.

Michael Rix

[Don McDowell]

I do think it depends a great deal on the powder used. Regular Goex , Expess and Cartridge really need to be mashed into the case to get the best results. Schuetzen doesn't like compression at all, so a trip thru the drop tube with enough powder column height to just settle nicely when the wad and bullet seated.. Swiss seems to be in two spots either none or mash the **** out of it, most folks opting for the no compression. Olde Eysnford can go from zero compression to around 3 tenths.

No one way to do it. The target will tell you what is needed.

[montana_charlie]

I'm still using the drop tube because I started out using the drop tube.
Following the credo of only changing one thing at a time, I have not yet reached the point of eliminating the drop tube ... but it IS in my future.

What I suspect, and will be hoping to prove or disprove, is that when a drop tube settles the charge, the load produces those real small ES and SD numbers on the chronograph.

Yeah, tiny ES and SD numbers don't make small groups.
The right amount of powder makes small groups.
But, tiny ES and SD numbers make the right amount of powder less likely to spread groups vertically.

I would like to find that a drop tube is NOT effective on this issue. Then I could eliminate that extra step.
But, I haven't played with that, yet.

CM

[ColColt]

The only problem I have periodically with the drop tube is pouring into it the same each time with the same cadence so the powder won't stack.

[cal50]

Drop tubes are something else to mount on the bench and confuse the spiders.
This is my $1.99 drop tube which is the price of the funnel and one of my old arrow shafts.

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu178/cal50/Droptube.jpg (http://s645.photobucket.com/user/cal50/media/Droptube.jpg.html)

[smoked turkey]

cal50 not to hi-jack this interesting thread, but I must say I like your business like loading bench!

[cal50]

cal50 not to hi-jack this interesting thread, but I must say I like your business like loading bench!

Its a mess but I can make good stuff.......

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu178/cal50/messyroom.jpg (http://s645.photobucket.com/user/cal50/media/messyroom.jpg.html)

[ColColt]

Now, there's an item that should be in every reloading area-a good fire extinguisher...got a big one myself.

[cal50]

Now, there's an item that should be in every reloading area-a good fire extinguisher...got a big one myself.


A bare minimum of one large sized extinguisher is a good idea.
The one on that wall (pictured) is halon and I have two dry chemical extinguishers on the opposite wall.

[ColColt]

My kind of man. I've got two in the kitchen, one in the bedroom, one in the garage and in the reloading area. They're like ol' Charlie Chips, you can't have just one.