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Powder Measure (long) Question
gotstolefrom
Member Posts: 1,479 ✭✭✭✭✭
I bought 'the old orange standard' powder measure about 20 years ago, used, but have had good service. I loaded every week for many years, but I have not loaded much in the last 8 years (another story). A few weeks back I wanted to record some of the ' charge bar scale settings' with the weight thrown with Dupont IMR 4227. I had used Dupont 4320 in many of my mag handgun loads, but no other 'slow burn', or 'progressive' powders. The charges I was looking for now were rifle charges... greater weights than some 44 mag loads.
While cleaning things up to start, I noticed something I had never seen. If you know that powder tosser, it has two adjustable brass 'charge' bars. One is about 1/10 the volume of the other. In previous IMR 4320 loads, I had just used the large brass adjustment out to near the end of the scale. The charges I was looking for now were beyond what that 'brass bar adjustment' would throw. I knew I would have to use the big 'main cylinder' that I had never used before. What I noticed, but had never seen before, was on the bottom of it there is a graduated scale marked 'Gr' and 'Dr'. That got me thinking Grains and Drams .... BP user (?). Is it possible that the large cylinder is graduated for BP. (I don't have any BP, or the user manual)
On a whim I set that large cylinder to 20 and left the two brass 'measure' bars un-touched. I tossed a charge on my scale and it read 21.1 grains. (?!) I set it at 30 (with my reading glasses on) and the scale read 30.4.
I always thought that Dupont (and similar) big boom powders were intentionally bulky so you had full cases or compressed loads at times. This would keep you from double tossing ... like is possible with 2400 or 231 (but not me of course). Is this just a coincedence, or is the large graduated cylinder marked for BP ? And further, do these two Dupont powders have a density near BP. I suppose this info is of little practical use, but I sure would like to know 'the real story'. Thanks guys ....sorry for the long post.
While cleaning things up to start, I noticed something I had never seen. If you know that powder tosser, it has two adjustable brass 'charge' bars. One is about 1/10 the volume of the other. In previous IMR 4320 loads, I had just used the large brass adjustment out to near the end of the scale. The charges I was looking for now were beyond what that 'brass bar adjustment' would throw. I knew I would have to use the big 'main cylinder' that I had never used before. What I noticed, but had never seen before, was on the bottom of it there is a graduated scale marked 'Gr' and 'Dr'. That got me thinking Grains and Drams .... BP user (?). Is it possible that the large cylinder is graduated for BP. (I don't have any BP, or the user manual)
On a whim I set that large cylinder to 20 and left the two brass 'measure' bars un-touched. I tossed a charge on my scale and it read 21.1 grains. (?!) I set it at 30 (with my reading glasses on) and the scale read 30.4.
I always thought that Dupont (and similar) big boom powders were intentionally bulky so you had full cases or compressed loads at times. This would keep you from double tossing ... like is possible with 2400 or 231 (but not me of course). Is this just a coincedence, or is the large graduated cylinder marked for BP ? And further, do these two Dupont powders have a density near BP. I suppose this info is of little practical use, but I sure would like to know 'the real story'. Thanks guys ....sorry for the long post.
Comments
"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the French." (Mark Twain) ". . . And DemoCraps" (me)
I too have an ORANGE OLDIE that I haven't used in years. I just dug it out for a look see & it is scaled similar to yours. Mine is in the original box marked "Lyman no. 55 Ideal Powder Measure". The drum on mine has 3 sliding bars. The top brass bar (& smallest) has 2 scales, one for just the top bar, & the other for the top 2 bars together. The largest has 2 scales on the under side (like you I never noticed these markings before). One scale is marked "G" & the other "D". The "G" scale is close to actual thrown weight in IMR powders (WHEN ALL 3 BARS ARE SLID TOGETHER), at least close enough for setup when final tuning is done with a scale. The "D" scale is DRAMS, AVDP. multiplying drams X 27.3437 will convert to grains. This must be for referance only because as stated before it is VERY DANGEROUS to use such a rotary tool on black powder.
"all I really need to know I learned in kindergarten" Robert Fulghum
anyone who says "nobody needs a full auto" has never been in front of a brown bear charge
I don't have one for reference, but my thought is that you move over to this when you want to throw some seriously large rifle charges, or for shotgun charges where your doing dram equivalents.
Drams are one measure used in BP and in the early days of smokless there were often references to Dram Equivalents, charts were, and are still, available and today what interest there is seems to be in the shotgun world.
Jim has given you the right conversion factor, but remember this is all approximate and you must check the final weight of the charge, and always start a load progression at the low end of the charge range.
Beyond that ... you can call Lyman and ask them what the duce it is for.[:D]
Lyman's web site is: http://www.lymanproducts.com/lymanproducts/
If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!