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Guessing a measure!

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Or maybe a better term, estimating!

Has any one experimented with not using a measure for powder and shot?

Say like counting during a slow pour!!!

Brits :thumbsup:
 
I have read that they used the" Two or Three finger" method in olden times. Meaning pouring from the horn with two or three fingers over the barrel, and stoping when the steam reached the barrel.While I would never pour directly from the horn I assume it would give you a fairly reasonable amount.My self I haven't tried it! :idunno:
 
After losing a measure on hare hunt with lots of shots, I decided to experiment. Back home I poured from a measure into the palm of my hand to see what it looked like, then tried pouring from the horn into my palm to duplicate it. With little practice I could come within 10%, which is plenty good for hunting accuracy.

I still use a measure, but at least now I'm confident that I can continue shooting when (not IF) I lose another measure.
 
pouring powder to cover the ball works well for me but is always a bit less powder than a mewasured load but I am comfident to hunt with such a "measure", also there is the whle load and the half load which is juts as it saays using a single meaured premade for a stout and a light load to be used alternately as needed, I have used the two or three finger method by guessing about where this point in from letting the fingers lay outside the measure and pouring untill it looks like two or three fingers worth. All will likely work for most hunting situations be probably fall short of serious target work. Keeping things simple works surprisingly well most of the time in this hobby.Others experiences may vary, but I ignore them most of the time :grin:
 
I have experimented once with an old time powder measure: you place a ball in the palm of your hand just cuped enough to hold the ball from rolling around, then you pour powder into your palm until the ball is just covered with powder. That should be just about enough powder to fire the round.
Turns out with a .490 ball in my palm it takes about 53 grains of 3f powder to just cover it. Works rather well out of my CVA but not my other rifles.
 
pouring powder to cover the ball works well for me

you place a ball in the palm of your hand just cuped enough to hold the ball from rolling around, then you pour powder into your palm until the ball is just covered with powder

I was taught that this was the "field expedient" manner to load a muzzleloader..., and it's not new.., if you get the movie Allegheny Uprising RKO 1939, with John Wayne and Claire Trevor, Claire is shown loading a musket by the same manner. Now they used actual antiques in the movie, and somebody had to know about this method to teach it to Claire..., I doubt she would've come up with it on her own, eh? I mean a novice would simply think for a movie scene to simply pour some powder down, then chunk a ball on top.

LD
 
I cook at home and, with a lot of practice, have become able to very accurately estimate a half teaspoon, teaspoon or tablespoon of any given dry ingredient by pouring it into my cupped palm. So, I know that with a bit of practice, I could pour a reasonabley accurate charge of powder in the palm of my cupped hand. I would only resort to doing it that way if I were hunting and lost my measure. If I were shooting in a match, I'd go to my range box and get out one of my many measures to finish the match. Using a measure is the best way to get an accurate load but with a bit of practice, I could pour a hunting accuracy load using only the palm of my hand.
 
John James Audubon wrote about it, in the 1820s, as I recall.

I experimented with it a bit, and found that the amount of powder I wound up with was surprisingly small. I got so I could be fairly consistent, but never solved one problem, getting the powder into the bore. Not too much of a problem with a large caliber smoothbore, where you have a larger target, but getting the powder into the muzzle of a small caliber rifle without spilling a good part of it was tough.

Spence
 
George said:
getting the powder into the muzzle of a small caliber rifle without spilling a good part of it was tough.

Spence

a dry leaf could make a handy funnel or even a leather wallet or billfold could be used.

-matt
 
Don't ever pour powder from a flask or horn directly into the barrel.Never heard of anything happening but there is a chance of you having a bomb in your hands. Cover the ball as suggested or use an empty modern rifle cartridge.
Nit Wit
 
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