Drop tubes

[Scrumbag]

Hi folks,

Powder drop tubes particularly for stick powders are they worth it?

Thanks in advance,

Scrummy

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I’m not sure of your exact question, but I sure enjoy my Forster funnel with long drop tube for .223 Rem.https://www.forsterproducts.com/product/powder-funnel-with-long-drop-tube/

 

[madmixerman]

Hi folks,

Powder drop tubes particularly for stick powders are they worth it?

Thanks in advance,

Scrummy

If your powder charge comes up into the neck of the case,yes. For charges below the neck I would say not really needed. JMO

 

[BoydAllen]

It depends on whether you have a problem getting your powder charges into your cases. If you do, long drop tubes combined with very slow fill can do quite a lot.

 

[Big Mc]

Hi folks,

Powder drop tubes particularly for stick powders are they worth it?

Thanks in advance,

Scrummy

What BoydAllan said. Tommy Mc

 

[ronemus]

I’m not sure of your exact question, but I sure enjoy my Forster funnel with long drop tube for .223 Rem.https://www.forsterproducts.com/product/powder-funnel-with-long-drop-tube/

I use the same funnel for everything (.223 Rem to .338 Lap Mag) as I tend to use slower stick powders and need to maximize the amount in the case. Slow filling with the funnel will get an extra 3-4% in without compressing the powder. I avoid "crunchy" loads because breaking or cracking the powder granules will change the burn rate, in a way that's probably not reproducible.

 

[snert]

They can help with charges that are normally compressed. Sometimes it buys enough room to not compress, a big factor if using a Redding COMP seater, which should NOT be used on compressed loads. ( Splits the sliding sleeve and costs $$ to fix.)

 

[RegionRat]

I agree with @snert , if you are using a delicate seating stem, and you observe the base of the bullet is compressing the load, you should learn the techniques that help settle the powder. This helps avoid damage to the seater and seating depth issues. I recall flaring and ruining my very first Redding seater stem that way.

I have no idea if crunching a powder charge creates additional combustion issues, but it certainly has caused ES/SD issues for me. I try to avoid hot loads, but in the past I had some REM 700 factory bbls for hunting that liked the higher nodes. I learned that the ones where I settled the powder before seating shot the same average speed, but with a much tighter SD/ES.

I have no explaination for the differences, but they were repeatable. Could it be due to seating issues caused by compressed powder… I don’t know, but seating depth and runout were also noticeable problems with compressed loads and another good reason to grab a drop tube or toothbrush and play with it to learn which methods (or both) works best for you.

The toothbrush needs a comment… a vibrating battery powered toothbrush can often get lucky in terms of hitting the right frequency note to settle powder, so you will also want to play with different lengths of drop tube and give a toothbrush a try some time too. To observe this, just throw the powder in a case where you can watch the neck, and touch an electric toothbrush to the case and watch to see how well it settles.

At least one time in your reloading journey, you will probably want to study a favorite caliber. For instance, a 6mm BR or a Dasher? How much powder capacity and given seating depth for a given bullet?

The easy way to study this uses a sample of a fire formed case and a virgin case, both with an expanded neck that allows the bullet to slip when pulled or pushed by hand, but not sloppy. You can then slide that bullet in by hand till is stops on the powder.

You can then play with a bullet comparator and your powder fill versus seating depths to learn if your drop tube technique works. You will also learn the exact capacity and fill ratio for your situation.

I keep plots of charge versus seating depth to compression of those calibers so I know ahead of time how to have a chamber throated to avoid compression issues.

 

[shooterjon]

Hi folks,

Powder drop tubes particularly for stick powders are they worth it?

Thanks in advance,

Scrummy

Yes I have used them in the past and when powder fills to the top of the case I get out my trusty drop tube. I have 4". 6" and a 12 inch tubes.
BUT REMEMBER 34 grains of powder in a case that only holds 32 grains of powder JUST DOESN'T WORK,AT least not for me.
Just my story and I'm stickin to it !

 

[Scrumbag]

Thanks folks, this is all very helpful. I noticed (my already second hand) powder funnel occasionally leaks a kernel of powder with .223 Rem (particularly ball powder) and I was wondering if it would be worth getting a drop tube set rather just another funnel.

I load a fair bit of Vihtavouri Powder (N150, N160, N165) and it does tend to pour in a fairly bulky way.

Scrummy

 

[1shot]

I've been using the same device as @Kracken McGraw for longer than I can remember. i like loads that fill the case, as they seem to give me the best accuracy. If a particular load shoot well without filling the case, that fine also. It's one of those pieces of reloading equipment that is a permanent piece of my equipment.
I hope this helps,

Lloyd

 

[CaptainMal]

There was a fellow on this forum - SavageDasher - that put 36 gr. of H4350 in a Dasher case. He really did have a 3 ft. long small tube and trickled that powder down the thing. Took him minutes just to get powder into each case. He did it, talked about that and got tossed from the forum.

I tried to get 34 grs. in a few times using a regular funnel and even a longer tube. Crunch seat a bullet and then watch the powder pressure crunched inside actually push the bullet up.

The long drop tube can work. Why anyone would want to waste so much time and play with both seating and pressure issues defies my comprehension. Get a reasonable load that works.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

I gave up on drop tubes. Easier for me to use one of those vibrating tool engravers. I put my finger over the filled case and touch the vibrator to the side. Just takes a second.

 

[butchlambert]

I put a long spring in my drop tube.

 

[Mikemontminy]

I run 34 grains of Reloader 16 in my dasher. Use 8’ drop tube then cover the whole tray of cases and lightly tap the reloading tray till the powder settles down. Maybe I’ll give the oscillating tool a try next time. With Reloader 16 I get full case capacity and it’s not temperature sensitive . Runs about 2940 f.p.s. In a 28” barrel with no pressure sighs. I probably have 12 reloads on the same cases with tight primer pockets. Works for me but always remember to start out low and work your way up with your powder charge.

 

[JMayo]

I use a cheap mtm set . Works fine

 

[JEFFPPC]

I have tried a vibrating device a friend made with a door bell buzzer. Case snaps into it with a clip that runs the length of the case. Neat device.....pain in the butt. Slow fill with a drop tube works just as well and results in no fumbles and spills. My thought is if you need that extra tenth, you might be better off with a different case. That's different spelled l a r g e r c a s e .

 

[wk4036]

Hi folks,

Powder drop tubes particularly for stick powders are they worth it?

Thanks in advance,

Scrummy

Yes

 

[Hoot]

I bought a set of different size funnels from Harbor Freight years ago. In the set is one that a plastic soda straw fits over tightly. Works great for a drop tube if you're transferring from a scale pan to cases individually. I'm not a high volume reloader so I weigh every charge.

Hoot

 

[michaeljp65]

coming from a lab background i used one of these on my Vartarg cases. https://www.thomassci.com/Equipment..._/GVM-Series-Vortex-Mixers?q=Vibrating Shaker