I decided to go to my loading bench and weigh up some 120 gr. loads (BY VOLUME). I weighed each load six times and threw out the high and low readings.

2 F---777

120 Grs. by vol.

94.8 Grs
95.1 Grs
96.2 Grs AVG.-- 95.5 Grs
96.2 Grs


3 F---- 777


99.5 Grs
98.0 Grs AVG.----99.4Grs
100.4 Grs
99.9 Grs


BM/3


121.7 Grs
120.0 Grs
120.2 Grs AVG.---- 121.1 Grs
122.6 Grs

I used a RCBS digital scale, which has been very accurate for me when loading hand gun ammo.
I found out that it made a big difference when I tapped on the side of the powder measure as I filled it. The loads seemed not to very as much and, of course, the weight was higher.
It appears that the finer the powder the more you get in the same volume. BM/3 is very fine, more so than FFF/777.

mayguy

Thanks for the numbers - printed them and put them in the file... I am still loading by volume but then someday I might start weighing.

The numbers for FFg T7 are consistent with many others for that powder. A ratio of Volumetric/1.25 = True Weight


Just playin' here:

If you figure that BM3 is ~5% more energetic than FFFg T7..... a 100 grain volumetric load of the FFFg T7 with an actual weight of ~83 grains would produce a near-equivilent of a 95 grain (by weight and volume) of a BM3.

7000/83 = 84 shots per pound of the FFFg T7
7000/95 = 73 shots per pound of the BM#

BM3 is ~ $30/lb or 41 cents per load

T7 FFFg is ~ $20/lb or 24 cents per load

Cayugad has to think about such things.Not because he is poor - but because he shoots so danged much!

i weighted 2f geox from 50 grs to 100 poured from a POWDER MEASURE we use for blackpowder. my measure is original brass one from thompson 35 years ago.each was only in the TENTHS of gr.differece on POWDER SCALE when i weighted it. i was SURPRISED.

I have to learn to use my scale better. I weighed 100 grains (volume) of triple se7en and got 68 grains. So I am way off. Thanks for the information.


UPDATE:


I was sitting here wondering how I could be so far off from the other people's weights so I did something I hate to do. I read the instructions on the scale. There is a "g" reading but I then discovered there is a "grain" reading. I then weighed out 5 - 120 grains volume measures of Triple Se7en in "grains" and the average weight of the would be 91.7 which is much more believable. The differences between my scale and someone elses could be a matter of the measure it self. I feel much better.

So in my original experiment with weighing powder charges, I was not in grains but I am guessing "g" stands for grams. The instructions that came with this scale are really lacking but the scale does seem to work great for $29.95 .

cayugad

Maybe not, he was loading 120 grainsand settling the load as he poured - as I remember you are right in the ballpark...

nope.. I found my problem.