Are you on a budget ?

[Ben]

If you're on a budget and want to throw powder charges without buying an expensive powder measure, this may be for you ?

I'm certain that a high % of you guys have been doing this for years but some of these young guys that are just starting might benefit from these photos ?

Recently, I needed to load some " stiff loads " for my 454 Casull using 45 Long Colt brass to be used in my 454 Casull Super-Redhawk. I needed 15.4 grs. of A-A # 9 behind the Gould HP bullet, sized to .454".

I thought it would be a good time to make a spoon to throw this charge that has proven to be extremely accurate in my particular revolver.

Total cost is less than .10 cents. The spoon that I've made is so accurate with A/A # 9 that you'll think your scale is stuck.

An adjustable powder measure can get out of adjustment, this spoon CAN'T !

Here are some photos :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Spoon/PICT0002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Spoon/PICT0001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Spoon/PICT0008.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Spoon/PICT0006.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Spoon/PICT0005.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Spoon/PICT0003.jpg

The next question is ........Can it make accurate ammo.....The answer is YES ! ! !

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/454%20Casull/334.jpg

[Doc Highwall]

That is what Richard Lee says about his scoops. He explains about how they came about and the advantages in his 2nd edition reloading manual.

[Suo Gan]

I have a set of the old red scoops and his first book too...personally I love scooping powder

[jsizemore]

I used my case trimmer until I got the case capacity right, and then bent a clothes hanger to fit in the extraction grove. Trickle up to the desired load. Simple and easy.

[John 242]

Ben,
Great idea. I've heard of using cases as dippers before but you really did a great job of illustrating the concept.
Your 'device' is simple and easy make. Thanks for the great pics.

My problem with the Lee dippers is that often they don't throw close enough to what I'm trying to load. I end up trickling for ever, or so it seems. I think this would speed up production and help me out quite a bit. Thanks a lot.

[runfiverun]

adding card stock or flat styrofoam to the bottom of the dippers makes them more versatile.
also putting the load in an old case marking and cutting at that spot makes very accurate volumemetric measurements.

[Doc Highwall]

Just remember once you get the charge set it can change with the next lot of powder because of densities between lots and also humidity factors but the volume will remain unchanged.

[Ben]

John 242 :

Thank you for those nice comments. I'm glad this has been a help to you !

Ben

[mousegun]

I had a set of the old black dippers measured in cubic inches. When I got the new yellow ones I found the old black ones (sort of) filled in some of the gaps. Then I discovered that one can trim (or stuff cardboard disks into) the yellow ones for any load ya want. Now I have four sets, one black, one stock yellow, one trimmed yellow and one stuffed yellow.

..and a partridge in a pear tree.

[mtgrs737]

Years ago now I made a 1.0gr of Bulseye scoop out of a 22lr fired case and 12ga. copper wire handle to load 25 auto cartridges with. It worked well then and now. Nice post, we need more like it here. Thanks!

mtgrs737

[Ben]

mtgrs737 :

Thanks for your comments, I started not to post this, and thought......." Gee, when I was 20 yrs. old , I would have loved to see an article like this." So, I went ahead and posted it.

It might seem old and redundant to a lot of folks.

A lot of the things " Us Older Guys " take for granted, these young folks that are just beginning ,..... well it is still " news " to them.

Ben

[okksu]

Just made my first one for 16 gr of 2400. Had been meaning to for some time but this post lead me to get it done. Think I'll be making more, particularly since my "perfect" powder measure is perfect....ly willing to wonder noticeably off load on occasion despite having a rigid tapping ritual for its use. Happens even with small grain powders like 2400. So I've still ended up weighing almost every charge. I'm hoping dinking with the trickler, measure are mostly in the past for my established loads. I think it will help avoid a double charge which I caught myself doing the other evening, mostly because the measure started acting up and I got out of the routine I have for keeping track of which cartridge I've charged in the loading trays. That immediately lead me to adopting a new practice : a 1/4" dowel rod depth check on each round I load with the small volume powders in big cases. Not sure what would have happened with 32 grains or so of 2400 in a Swiss K-31. Point is its simpler to dip for the 60-120 I load at a time than it is to weigh (and trickle many of those) every charge. Keeping it simpler helps me keep my mind straight and in my safe, established routine.

[Ben]

okksu :

You may have a better and safer system than this one , but this one has served me flawlessly for about 45 years now :

If you sit a funnel ( I like the red Lee funnel ) upside down on your loading bench. Place the primed, empty cases on your left in a loading block. As you place an empty case ( that is ready for a powder charge ) into the funnel, it will be placed into the funnel , mouth down. If for any reason at this point in time , if you've accidentally already placed a powder charge in this case, when you place it in the funnel, an alarm bell will go off telling you that you've made a major mistake......because powder will be pouring all over your table.

Take your dipper make a scoop and level it with your finger..pick up the funnel ( with the case mouth held firmly in the funnel ) and turn the whole thing 180 degrees with the mouth of the case pointed up ,....... now throw the powder charge.

Now, place the charged case into a loading block on your right, primer down and case mouth pointed up.

This system has served me well for many yrs.

Gravity is on your side with the prevention of a possible double charge while you use this system to charge your cases.

By the way, I hate to think about 32 grs. of 2400 going off in that Swiss case ! !

Ben

[mdi]

If you sit a funnel ( I like the red Lee funnel ) upside down on your loading bench. Place the primed, empty cases on your left in a loading block. As you place an empty case ( that is ready for a powder charge ) into the funnel, it will be placed into the funnel , mouth down. If for any reason at this point in time , if you've accidentally already placed a powder charge in this case, when you place it in the funnel, an alarm bell will go off telling you that you've made a major mistake......because powder will be pouring all over your table

Excellent Idea! I had to chuckle, 'cause I've spilled powder that way. I made some powder scoops for specific loads out of fired cases, brass tubing ferrels, and some stainless cups from work. I adjusted the load by either cutting down the length or epoxying BBs or drops of epoxy in the cavity. I use brazing rod for the handles and soldered them in place. Lots of satisfaction making your own custom tools

[Ben]

Certainly is a lot of satisfaction in making these dippers. My friends are asking for dippers like you see in the above photos all the time.

Pouring powder on your table surface isn't ideal, but it is MUCH BETTER than a double charge.

Best to you and good shooting to all of you ,

Ben

[okksu]

Ben: Thank you, Sir, for sharing that method. Hadn't previously read about or thought of that method. That will be my way from now on, too. I had really been troubled by my error, thinking about how to be sure no doubling up occurred, and the dowell check is all I came up with. I hate the mess of a double charge in the bulkier powders, but with small volume powders the error isn't so obvious, but the danger is huge, making double checking mandatory somehow. Can't ever stop learning. Most important, me and those around at the range all come away in one piece.

[Dframe]

I have several scoops a friend made for me out of spent cases that I use for black powder. My percussion Revolvers just love them.

[Ben]

okksu :

Glad this has been a help to you. The method that I described will pretty much take " double charging " and stop it once and for all.
Again, glad all this has been helpful to you.

Ben

[John Guedry]

Some one (don't know if on this forum) made a dipper similar to that one but drilled and tapped the primer pocket and put a bolt in it thereby being able to adjust the volume. Screw it in and the volume decreases.

[Ben]

John Guedry,

May work just fine ? ? If you notice my photo, I go to extra measures to insure that the bottom of the case leaves absolutely nothing for powder granules to hang onto.

I have not seen the design you speak of, but I'd be concerned that the threaded portion on the underside of the dipper could transport granules and make the powder charges erratic.

[JesterGrin_1]

How did you seal the primer pocket if I may ask?

[okksu]

On mine, I just re-seated a spent primer.

[Ben]

JesterGrin_1 :

I little " dab " of 2 part epoxy putty placed in the flash hole on the inside.

Once hardened, it can be cut smooth on the inside of the bottom of the case.

On the outside of the primer pocket, I put a thin film of clear nail polish over the spent primer.

Spin the inside of the dipper with OO steel wool to insure that everything inside the dipper is smooth and snag free. Then sprinkle in some powdered graphite and spin it with a Q tip coating the inside walls of the case with graphite. Ready to use then. With a powder like 2400, the spoon is amazingly accurate. I always make mine requiring leveling with the pad of your finger prior to throwing the charge.

[JesterGrin_1]

JB Weld might be perfect for that. I would think lol. Thank You Ben

[Elkins45]

Pouring powder on your table surface isn't ideal, but it is MUCH BETTER than a double charge.


I would think an old aluminum cake pan or cookie sheet on the top of your bench would be good way to catch that powder for reuse or disposal.

Thanks for the funnel idea for double charges---darned clever!

[Dannix]

Ben, now much grain per volume variation are you getting, depending on ambient conditions? Isn't grains per volume influences by... humidity I think it is?

[Ben]

Dannix :

I'm loading in a humidity controlled environment. Not much variation to contend with.

You are right however, if humidity conditions are constantly changing, you'd get variations with spoons.

Of course, you'd also get variations in those conditions with the best bench type drum powder measures .

Ben

[atr]

Hey....Nice job on that spoon loaded cartridge...
I started with spoon loading (.38, .357) when I was first starting out and didn't have the money for a powder measure......never had a problem

[Ben]

atr :

Sometimes when you pay a lot more money , you get a lot more, sometimes when you pay a lot more money , you don't.

The spoon is inexpensive, reliable, and accurate.
What more could you want, particularly if you're just getting into the sport and you're on a tight budget ?

[Gee_Wizz01]

When I started reloading (40 years ago), I was taught to put the empty primed cases upside down (primer up) in the loading block on my left, then turn them right side up when charging. After charging put them in the loading block on the right. This method works great when using a bench mounted powder measure. When I was loading with dippers or trickling the loads I used Ben's method with the upside down funnel. When I have all the charged cases in the loading block I get my little led flashlight and check to make sure all the cases are charged and the powder is at the same level in all of them.

G

[Ben]

It is hard to BE TOO SAFE, good advice for all of us to take.

Ben

[dudel]

Same thing as is shown in Dean Grennell's ABC's of Reloading 3rd and 4th editions. He used different cases to get different throws. Once he had the brass trimmed down to where it would throw what he wanted of a specific powder, he'd weld on a small brass rod and stick it into a wood handle, then add a typewritten label on it.

Only difference I could see what that you had excellent color pictures compared to his black and white ones.

Good ideas never die, they just get rediscovered.

[Ben]

Dean Grennell's ABC's of Reloading 3rd and 4th editions, I have that book. A fine reference book for any reloader.

[Centaur 1]

I did the same thing with a .380 case, I trimmed it so that it held 3.6 grains of bullseye. It's the perfect size to make plinking loads for my 9mm with 125 grain bullets and the .38 special with 158 grain swc. The good thing about using a scoop is that with mine if I don't level the powder and leave it rounded, it still only weighs 3.8 grains which is still well within a safe level.

[Ben]

Safety 1st.........all else follows !

Good strategy with your dipper you've made.

I've never made a dipper that wasn't designed to be leveled before the charge was thrown.

[WRideout]

Quite some time ago, I made a set of powder dippers, just as shown, from empty unsized cases. I just made a batch of different sizes, then numbered them, to tell them apart. Then I measured various charges out of them, and wrote the information down, so I knew which number dipper threw which charge.

I soldered wire handles on some cases, but was not diligent in checking over the feedstock. One of the cases had a live primer in it, which caused a bit of excitement when it went off while heating with the torch.

Wrideout