Differences in powder measures???

[erik1972]

Now I have been measuring my powder alittle different. I measured out 10 110 gr. loads with my volume measurer and they all measured 96gr. in weight on my digital scale. And that is what I have been shooting. I tried my friends volume measurer and his at 110gr. only weighed 86gr. Now I am questioning my measurer as well.

What do kind of measurer do you use and are they accurate?

Thanks, Erik

 

[COLOelkman]

I've experience similar things and here's how I see it. I have a clear measure and a brass measure. The brass one is a bit smaller diameter. When I measure something, say 90 gr. with the brass and dump it into the clear measure, it only measures something like 80-85 (just as an example as I don't recall the specifics. So depending on the type of powder (grain size) a narrow tube will hold less than a wider tube even though they show the same volume. Not to be too technical but in soil mechanics this would make sense as the grain size would have a controlling factor on how much will fit in a certain size tube. For me the bottom line is that it really doesn't matter which measurer you use as long as you are consistant and don't mix the two otherwise you would/could be loading different amounts for what appears to be the same volume.

 

[erik1972]

I was also using my clear tube and his was the brass tube one. That still doesn't make sense to me. Shouldn't 90gr. be 90gr.s as a unit of measure. The different companies that make these should be using the same standard unit of measure correct?

I can do 90gr. in mine but that means its 100 in his. I don't like that because the whole goal is to get 90gr. and help me shoot better.

Thanks, Erik

 

[COLOelkman]

I'd agree that it would be nice if all measures worked the same but they just don't. Perhaps to illustrate it in a more exaggerated example. If you take a very small diameter straw as a powder measurer and have it marked off in volume just like a powder measurer. Say you are using a very large grain powder in which the diameter of each grain is just over half the diameter of the straw. Now you can only get one grain on top of the other because two grains side by side won't fit in the straw. You are left with a lot of void space or air instead of powder. Thus, the smaller diameter powder measures can result in less powder than in a larger diameter measurer. In other words, liquid volume doesn't equate to powder volume because powder volume includes the factor of air space. So the key is really to always use the same powder measurer for each gun so you know that is the same load that you were using during target practice to find the load that works best with your gun. Again, it really doesn't matter how much powder you measure as long as you are consistant in your methods. Hope this helps.