What is the best way to charge your barrel while target shooting on the range. I was using my speed loaders that I use for hunting & I'M sure I'm not getting the best results.

Charging the barrel takes many forms. Some put pellets down the barrel and drop a projectile on top of it. Others such as yourself load from speed loaders. Some have numerous pre measured vials of powder that they pour down the barrel. Then like me, some simply pour powder from a horn or container into a powder measure which obtains them a set powder charge and from there they pour that into the barrel.

Just remember, never pour powder straight from a powder horn or jug into a barrel. And the old method of holding a ball in the palm of your had and then pouring powder to surround the ball, again.. not recommended.

270sniper

Ditto, what cayugad says

OK what is this powder in the hand stuff?
Ken

Redclub


Once upon a time that is how it was done to get about the right amount of powder for the size of load you were shooting... Once upon a time they really never even measured - the learned how long to pour from their powder horn to get the charge they needed - the gun could only burn so much powder per weight of the ball. Things have changed....

Its a fairy tale,I have some books from the days of the wagon trains including a a gunsmithing book,they used deer horn and the solid end of a cow horn to make measures. Lee

When I go tothe range Ihave my loose powder in an emptysoft drink bottle and pour it into my clear plastic measure (T/C), then into the gun. The bottle has a smaller mouth than the powder jug so I don't spill as much. By placing my hand around the top of the measure, it acts as a funnel to keep the powder from spilling. By measuring at the range, I can tailor the load as I want to, rather than having loaded speed loaders or other containers at home.

IM jaybe

While I agree that the majority of the shooters used a measure of some kind, there is reference from journals of the mountain rendevous days, when they talked about a "ball's measure of powder." This was done by placing a ball in the cup of one's handand then pouring powder on top of the ball until is measured to the top of the ball.... I've always meant to test that theory and see how much powder would actually be produced by that kind of measure. As for accuracy, I see no waya person could get a good measure time after time.

Another thing many may not know or do not understand is in old days, powder and ball was hard to come by in many cases. Most powder charges used were just enough to get the job done. Many powderloads were very small in size for deer sized game. Maybe they depended more on their ability to close distances to game, or theirtracking abilitity then dragging ability...

In a book by Don Davis, he talks about one of his favorite loads from his flintlock for deer hunting. Fifty grains of powder and a patchedroundball. Makes a hundred and fifty grain charge sound like a horn full...

I use a volumetric measure with a rotating cutoff plate on the top that has a funnel on the plate. If you use something like this to charge your speed loaders before going to the range or hunting, I see no practical difference between this and using the measure at the range......

When tested, the "ball's measure" generally produced a significantly low charge, only about 1/3 the "Hawken standardcharge", which was 1/2 the weight of the ball. In addition, it was prety much impossible to get anywhere near the same charge twice by pouring the powder into the hand until it covered the ball.

That's really interesting .... like I said I never tried it, only read about it. Perhaps this would also have something to do with the low charges they used to shoot when things were hard to come by. Not like your .73 caliber with the 150 grain powder charges your shooting.