Digital scale

[Outdoor]

So after all these years I switch to a Hornady G2 1500 digital scale (nothing fancy ) because my old Lyman beam bit the dust. So being old school I thought lets check this after calibration. I grabbed a 150 grain Nosler tip, dropped it on the scale. It read 150.1 and I thought OK thats making me feel confident. Just for the heck of it I grabbed a 50 gr pre measured Pyrodex charge for the black powder...38.7 ! checked another one 37.5 what ??? why are these not 50 gr like the box says?
I never knew that pyrodex charges are not what they say, anyone else ever check these? I checked myself like 3 times with calibration because I was uneasy. I'm Loading a 300 wsm for the first time. Using 4064 & 4831 with 165 and 150 noslers ballistic tip. New sako Grey wolf...I reload mainly for hunting. I enjoy this board and appreciate all you that post here, I learn a lot, read, read and read again. Can't thank you enough! this is the go to place when you have any doubts.

 

[nmkid]

Been many, many years since I shot black powder. But, I seem to remember that black powder is measured by volume not weight. I always used a black powder measuring tool made out of brass, not a regular powder scale.

 

[MikeT124]

nmkid you are exactly correct. Black Powder is measured by volume not by weight, and black powder substitute (Pyrodex) is the equivalent of the black powder load, so therefore it could be any weight not necessarily the weight that it states.

Mike

 

[SSL]

nmkid has it right. Because of the difference in burning rate and contained "explosive force" between actual black powder and the various synthetic substitutes, measurements for the substitutes are determined as "bulk equivalent" to black powder. In other words, 37.0 - 38.0 grains of Pyrodex by bulk takes up the same amount of space in a measure and produces the same amount of "energy" (within statistical error) produced by 50 grains of black powder by bulk.

 

[Rsadams]

So after all these years I switch to a Hornady G2 1500 digital scale (nothing fancy ) because my old Lyman beam bit the dust. So being old school I thought lets check this after calibration. I grabbed a 150 grain Nosler tip, dropped it on the scale. It read 150.1 and I thought OK thats making me feel confident. Just for the heck of it I grabbed a 50 gr pre measured Pyrodex charge for the black powder...38.7 ! checked another one 37.5 what ??? why are these not 50 gr like the box says?
I never knew that pyrodex charges are not what they say, anyone else ever check these? I checked myself like 3 times with calibration because I was uneasy. I'm Loading a 300 wsm for the first time. Using 4064 & 4831 with 165 and 150 noslers ballistic tip. New sako Grey wolf...I reload mainly for hunting. I enjoy this board and appreciate all you that post here, I learn a lot, read, read and read again. Can't thank you enough! this is the go to place when you have any doubts.

Before giving up on your beam , try and message Boyd Allen on here.... He can probably tell you how to get it fixed up again...

 

[BigKev]

Been many, many years since I shot black powder. But, I seem to remember that black powder is measured by volume not weight. I always used a black powder measuring tool made out of brass, not a regular powder scale.

You are correct, black powder is measured by volume not weight.

 

[Outdoor]

Thanks on the black powder.. you guys jarred my memory cause now I remember. Surprised the box says 50 grains, you would think they would say equivalent to 50 gr