Building on our previous write ups reviewing the different ways to meter power, we take a quick look at some of the tools used to help manage powder. What accessories you’ll need are going to depend on what equipment you’re using to measure the powder with. Not everyone’s bench will have all these tools, but everyone will likely have a few of these.
Powder Funnels
Everyone who sells reloading equipment sells some sort of powder funnel. It’s handy to have at least one or two of these floating around the reloading bench. Most of the plastic powder funnels will be of a universal design, allowing the funnel to set over top of, or on the case mouth, within a given range of calibers. To me these are the most useful design.
As with anything with this hobby, you can start low and work your way up. The Lee Precision Funnel is going to be a good funnel for most people out there. However I do like the RCBS Funnel kit as it allows you to attach a drop tube (More on this later) and various other attachments that can adapt it for use with different calibers.
To be fair RCBS is not the only brand that offers interchangeable parts for their funnels. MTM also offers an funnel with interchangeable adapters.
Most powder funnels that I have used have performed just fine. It’s a pretty simple task, guide the powder into the case. You wouldn’t think you could do a whole lot to improve on the situation however the folks over at Area 419 did just that.
Area 419 took powder funnels and found a way to make them quite nice, and also make them a bit luxurious. The kits comes with the funnel and five different size bushings. This bushings allow the funnel to sit squarely on the case mouth. Powder drops smoothly into the case, no questions asked. It’s pretty slick. They do also sell a drop tube for this funnel.
The billet aluminum stand, looks great on a reloading bench and it will sure impress all your buddies, but it’s not going to make your ammunition any more accurate. If you’re serious about reloading and like the finer things in life, consider checking these guys out. If not, the previous mentioned funnels will serve just fine.
Drop Tubes
If you are using a powder thrower, most people are going to throw the charge directly into the case. For vast majority of the time this works fine. Though when dealing with large charges or bulky powders it can be advantageous to use a drop tube. Drop tubes serve as an extension to the funnel, or powder thrower that helps control the rate at which the powder drops into the case.
With large charges, narrow case necks and extruded powders they can be particularly helpful to ensure that all the powder drops smoothly into the case. Otherwise you may run into instances where the powder gets hung up and jammed at the case mouth, usually a soft tap will clear the jam, but it can be annoying.
This can happen on commercial loading equipment too. I ran into this when using Reloder 26 in 6.5 Creedmoor. This powder is especially temp stable and the velocities are outstanding when compared to powders such as Hodgdon’s 4350. However due to the grain geometery, and the narrow case neck of the 6.5 Creed, metering proved to be a challege on the Set Point Loaders. A specially designed drop tube help considerably, but ultimately it was deemed to not be a load conducive to large scale manufacturing.
Most manufacturers that sell powder throwers will have some sort of drop tube, or tubes that will attach to the thrower. In some instances the throwers will come with a tube. It’s something to consider when purchasing a powder thrower.
Pay attention to what calibers the drop tube is designed for. If it’s designed for 22 to 45 caliber, then a 17 Caliber might be two small to work well. I have made the mistake of putting a .270 Win case mouth in a larger drop tube design for .50 cal. The case mouth never made a good seal on the inside of the drop tube and I spilled powder all over the place.
Powder Pan and Funnel Combination
Sometimes you run across combination devices designed to try and help reduce your work bench clutter. I’ll be honest, I find these to be more of a novelty rather then a serious tool.
The problem usually comes with larger charges, if you’re not careful you can spill the powder out of the front of the pan. It’s much quicker and less finicky to have a separate pan and funnel.
Powder Tricklers
Typically you use a powder trickler in combination with a scale. The charge is bulk metered either through a powder thrower, or through something like a Lee Dipper. The last few grains are slowly trickled in until the charge is the exact weight intended.
It is arguable that these are powder meters and should have been included in the previous write up, however I content that if you are metering anything more than a grain or two with these then you are wasting time. Making these more of an accessory then a primary means of powder metering.
Manuel tricklers like the one pictured are by far the most common. However they do make electric tricklers too.
I have found that I can typically “Trickle” in the last few grains buy grabbing a pinch of powder and slowly adding it into the pan until the weight is correct. If I accidentally over charge, I can pinch out powder and try again. My fingers are not dainty, but I manage to do just fine. This method is faster then any automated or manual trickler out there.
When using a beam scale a trickler may be of more value because it takes very little movement to disturb the scale. Keeping your hands away from the beam likely helps keep it settled. Most everyone I know has switched to using digital scales which are far less prone to upset and this may be the reason why I’ve lost value for powder tricklers.
Powder Handling in General
Smokeless powder is not considered an explosive and does not explode like Black Powder. It is not as sensitive to sparks or heat as black powder. However it can be ignited and it may go up in a flash, especially if it is confined. Smoking and reloading is usually a bad idea. Letting powder build up in your press, or in cracks on you workbench is likewise a bad idea.
We learned this lesson the hard way. In one of the test ranges we had an small explosion. The root cause was from unburnt powder that had been accumulating in the cracks in the concrete. The ranges were swept daily, but this likely served only to pack some powder in the crack. Over the years this powder built up, but was never a problem because there wasn’t an ignition source. Well, one day an unsuspecting welder had to do some work, it wasn’t long after he struck an arc that the powder ignited and blew a chunk of concrete up the size of a card table.
No one was injured but the welder’s regretted not wearing his brown pants that day. So learn from that experience. Clean up, and seal the cracks.
Smokeless powder does have chemicals that can degrade plastics. Storing them in containers other then the container that it came in is a poor idea. Clean out your powder measures and devices even if you plan on coming back to do the same load next week.
Powder should be stored in a cool dry place. With that said, I have spent a lot of time baking in hot conex shipping containers that store tons of powder, and never once opened a canister of bad powder despite it being there for a decade or more. As long as reasonable care is taken, powder should last a long time in storage.
Despite the tales from World War 1, where soldiers ingested smokeless powder in order to get severe migraines brought on by the nitroglycerin and thus get sick leave, smokeless powder is not a good substitute for your nitro medication. Probably best if you did not ingest it, I know Trail Boss looks like Cheerios, but best left uneaten.
Wrapping it Up
These are the tools that I’ve found useful or at least common among various hobby and professional handloading set ups. Anything that I missed or are there tools you use that you like and we should try? Let us know over on Facebook!