Home Forums Hunting & Shooting BPCR Black Powder Shotgun Shells load data

Found a site that lists load data for Black Powder Shotgun Shells. But the data is for Black Powder ffg and is by weight.

For example use 2.5 drams of BP for a 12 gauge shell along with 1 ounce of shot.

When I do the conversion to grains:
2.5 drams = 68.359375 grains.

But what if I wanted to load Pyrodex RS instead of BP?

So I found another formula that says 100grs of BP ffg by weight is equal to 72.5grs of Pyrodex RS by weight.

OR

100grs of BP ffg by weight is equal to 63.9grs of Pyrodex Select by weight.

AND

100 grains of Black Powder ffg by Volume = 101.3 grains of Black Poder ffg by Weight

I DO NOT KNOW IF THE ABOVE CONVERSIONS ARE SCIENTIFICALLY ACCURATE, HENCE MY POST. I realize anyone with a word processor and a site can post whatever data they want; accurate or not.

If the above conversions are correct, then 2.5 drams by weight of BP = 68.359375 grains by weight of Black Powder = 67.5 grains of Black Powder by volume. 67.5 grins of Black Powder ffg by volume = 67.5 grins of Pyrodex RS by volume 67.5 grins of Pyrodex RS by volume * .725 = 48.93 of Pyrodex RS by weight.

So I emailed Hodgdon's to check my math and I got the big KABASH!!!! They said to use 50grs of Pyrodex by volume for that load. Didn't specify which Pyrodex.

Before you say why do the conversion, just load it by volume. Remember the original load data started out by weight.

Ok, so if you were presented with load data for a BPCR Shot Shell; its was by weight in DRAMS (not volume); and you wanted to shoot Pyrodex (you pick RS or Select), how would you do the conversion?

How did Hodgdon's get 50 grains by volume for a 12ga using 1 ounce of shot?

HaYen

Dang it!!!!

Found yet another site that states 100 grains of Goex ffg by volume is 75grs by weight.

Same question how would you do the conversion? OR Does 50grs by volume sound about right and just go with that?

I'd ask my grandpa, but he lived in the mid to late 1800's and the locals weren't allowed to carry firearms.

HaYen

Sounds to me like your conversions are correct. Many years ago I talked to Hodgdon about this very subject. I was told to use 75% Pyrodex for the equivalent to 100 grains of BP by weight. Volume measurements come into play at the botton of the powder can where the powder is very fine. I always mix my Pyrodex before I load cartridges. Also they told me that the only difference in RS and Select is that the Select is taken from a more consistent batch of powder. Guess that is like Single barrel whiskey from the Jack Daniels distillery.

Always load pyrodex to = volumne of true BP.

Please understand, there is no such thing as "100 gr by volume". Grains are a unit of weight. NEVER ANYTHING ELSE. Since black powder varies in density from one brand to another and even on batch to another of the same granulation, 100 grs could be just about any volume. I can't find two different powder measure manufacturers that are within 20% of each other with respect to their approximation of a given weight. Not even close.

I would not use Pyrodex were I you. If you look around, I'm sure you can find black. It can be ordered online and delivered to your house.

Brent

Hmmm? There is no such thing as 100 grains by volume? Ok, so I research, I dig, and I investigate and this is what I found out.

In the Tables Of US Units Of Measurement, grains refers to mass (weight). Units of Volume are based on cubic inches, cubic feet, cubic yards, OR pints, quarts, pecks, bushels etc. I looked up The National Institute of Standards and Technology. I call two Universities (outside Arizona in case there was laughter I could always say I was a dumb local).

From one source I found out two things. First, "100 grains by volume" came from the manufactures of BP and BPS. They made it up. Second, way back in the days, Black Powder was sold by the pound (mass, weight) not by volume.

From The Complete Blackpowder Handbook: The Latest Guns and Gear
By Sam Fadala pg 51

"The smith who made the rifle supplied the charger. It was his job to determine how much powder the rifle or pistol required for good shooting, and to then make a tool that held that much fuel by volume."

So purchased by the pound; measured by volume using a tool called a charger. No references made to grains by volume.

I'm going to have a hard time transitioning over to "filling my volumetric measure to the 100 line"

Is there any way we (since it is the US Units of Measure) as Americans can create a new unit of volume as it pertains to the 1 line in a volumetric measure?

For example; "I loaded 80 HaYans of Black Powder behind a 54 caliber lead ball to take my last Elk."

Come on.

If we all rally behind the idea, we can make history.


What do you say? Vote for Da HaYen ... unit of measure.

Dixie Gun Works have all those different loads listed. If they are still in business.

HaYen, please don't do it. You would be like the democraps with their fuzzy math. We love you son so run with what you got.

LOL milk .... nose ... laughing ... mess