Question on measuring by Volume?

[WCB]

I shoot 90gr by volume bh209. Have them in the premeasured marked tubes. Picked up some Triple 7 fffg. And some traditions quick loaders with measurements on them for volume.

Am I crazy that the measurements arent equal? 80.5 grs in the bh209 tubes = 100gr in the Traditions tubes.

What is everyone using for volume measurements?

 

[ElDiablito]

You’re not crazy. The marks on load tubes are not for measuring they’re cosmetic.

Get yourself a good adjustable volume measurer like this if you don’t have one and use the little tubes for storage only.

BTW, you can save a bunch of money by buying no name screw top or pop top 10 ml centrifuge tubes from Amazon.

Amazon.com

 

[WCB]

You’re not crazy. The marks on load tubes are not for measuring they’re cosmetic.

Get yourself a good adjustable volume measurer like this if you don’t have one and use the little tubes for storage only.

BTW, you can save a bunch of money by buying no name screw top or pop top 10 ml centrifuge tubes from Amazon.

Amazon.com

Thanks...I did some searching and saw the same comments on the tubes. Seems like a huge liability for companies to even list their products as "calibrated" for volume.

Heading out to get a good powder measure today for new load workup on my wife's MZ.

 

[ElkArcher918]

WCB, if you prefer to load a precise and consistent charge in your muzzies measure by weight rather than volume. The granular size and density of BH209 and other substitutes can sometimes vary from container to container and/or lot to lot. Weight measurement also allows one to fine tune during load development. The volume measurement numbers on those quick shot tubes are imprecise and useless misleading as others have stated.

I work too hard for my elk and deer muzzy shot opportunites to rely on a powder charge guesstimate. Just my humble 2 cents.

 

[ElDiablito]

WCB, if you prefer to load a precise and consistent charge in your muzzies measure by weight rather than volume. The granular size and density of BH209 and other substitutes can sometimes vary from container to container and/or lot to lot. Weight measurement also allows one to fine tune during load development. The volume measurement numbers on those quick shot tubes are imprecise and useless misleading as others have stated.

I work too hard for my elk and deer muzzy shot opportunites to rely on a powder charge guesstimate. Just my humble 2 cents.

You can measure by weight but it’s a great idea to establish an average for each lot of Bh209 by volume measuring 10 loads and weighing each to get an average weight /volume for that lot.

Then when you go to a new lot (bottle) you can volume measure the charge you want and get an average weight for that lot. Weight (density) has been changing with each lot. For example, with Lot 41, my 120 grV charges weigh 90.6 grW (not 84 grW as stated in published data).

 

[WCB]

WCB, if you prefer to load a precise and consistent charge in your muzzies measure by weight rather than volume. The granular size and density of BH209 and other substitutes can sometimes vary from container to container and/or lot to lot. Weight measurement also allows one to fine tune during load development. The volume measurement numbers on those quick shot tubes are imprecise and useless misleading as others have stated.

I work too hard for my elk and deer muzzy shot opportunites to rely on a powder charge guesstimate. Just my humble 2 cents.

With BH209 atleast the ones I have are consistent from tube to tube and it groups awesome with what they have marked as 90gr. But like I stated pouring into a different tube and using new/different powder...had my mind running a bit.

 

[Tourguide]

I shoot 90gr by volume bh209. Have them in the premeasured marked tubes. Picked up some Triple 7 fffg. And some traditions quick loaders with measurements on them for volume.

Am I crazy that the measurements arent equal? 80.5 grs in the bh209 tubes = 100gr in the Traditions tubes.

What is everyone using for volume measurements?

Go buy an old brass powder measure, set it and lock it down. Don't trust the tubes they aren't accurate

 

[rayporter]

soooooo,
who verifies a brass one? just so i know.

 

[Tourguide]

That can be a gamble too. I have 3 of them, 2 seem to be right on, and the 3rd is off by 10 grains. I always looked at it like archery, you don't have to do it perfect, you just have to do it the same every time. Check between a couple or maybe weigh a charge on a beam scale they are cheap. Then pour it in your measure, mark it, lock it down and only use that one for that particular gun/charge

 

[ENCORE]

An example of verifying a volume measure, is to use fluid ounces of WATER.

109grains WEIGHT equals .25 fluid ounces.

Ounces are a measure of weight. Fluid ounces is a measure of volume.
Divide the mass (weight) by 437.5

 

[ElDiablito]

I think some of you guys are overthinking this. As long as you’re using one brass adjustable measure and filling it (tapping or no tapping) the same every time, what it actually produces is irrelevant. It’s all (only) about consistency.

 

[Ditt44]

Once I find a volume measured load I do the weigh and average 10 pours. Then I use that weight and load my tubes. For range time I used small vials with screw on caps that fit into shotgun shell boxes. I can label each vial top using cut up mailing labels which are easy to swap out.

Btw 2f and 3f in equal volume measure are not the same in weight. Your 3f is going to be far more powerful in equal volume. Depending on brand you might need up to 15% less by volume with 3f. If moving from 2f to 3f start that 3f load at least 10% LESS in volume, not weight and go from there.

 

[WCB]

Picked up one of the brass deals and poured my already pre filled tubes one at a time into it. The BH209 tubes were about 3-5 grains in variance from each other. Which kind of surprises me considering I filled and shot every tube last year sighting in and had about a 2.5"group at 100 yards. That 3-5grain variance is with 6 tubes filled to "90 grains". 1 of the tubes were exact with the brass measure at 90 grains.

With the consistent loadings out of the brass my group was 1.5" @100 4 shots BH209, Fed 209A primer, Federal Fusion 260 grain MZ bullet, TC Triumph (I know I know...cones and 100 shot groups are best...) But center of group was consistent were I left it last year 2.5" high at 100.

With BH209 expensive and unavailable around me...and getting low. I wanted a backup powder and find some loads for it with my Wife's Traditions Vortek Strikerfire. Measured out 90gr 777 fffg. By complete dumb luck (or my expert bore sighting) I shot the first round with the loading, hit dead center line and exactly 2" high @100. My wife's first two shots (1st shot clean barrel and 2nd shot dirty) with her MZ ever created a ragged hole with mine. So load development done for now at 3 shots (again I know). I will shoot this extensively in the future but feel 100% confident with her shooting out to 150ish this year with it. Her gun last year I shot 2 50r 777 pellets with same bullet and primer about 20 shots and very consistent over clean and dirty barrel up to 2 shots. If I remember 3.25" at 100. So I know the gun likes the bullet
So 90gr vol 777 FFFG, Fed 209A, Federal Bore lock 270gr.

My Extra Triumph gets the old 50/50 777 treatment as a loaner gun or backup. Simple, easy, and shoots 4" at 100 yards with an old 4x Leopold.