A powder measure is a device for dispensing consistent amounts of

smokeless powder Finnish smokeless powderSmokeless powder is a type of propellant used in firearms and artillery that produces less smoke and less fouling when fired compared to gunpowder ("black powder"). The combustion products are mainly gaseous, compared to a ...

as charges for

handloading Handloading, or reloading, is the practice of making firearm cartridges by assembling the individual components (case, primer, propellant, and projectile), rather than purchasing mass-assembled, factory-loaded ammunition. The term ''hand ...

cartridges used as small arms

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

Propellant evolution

Firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

s using

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

could be loaded using a small scoop or charge cup to determine the correct amount for each shot. Some early smokeless propellants called bulk propellants were designed for a similar volume and reaction rate as gunpowder, but most modern smokeless powders have improved efficiency offering more energy from smaller charges. This improved efficiency allows smaller cartridges for increased ammunition capacity. Modern smokeless propellants come in a wide variety of shapes, density, reaction rates, and energy to weight relationships. Similar volumes of different smokeless propellants may produce dangerously different pressures in the same cartridge.

Dispenser design

Adjustable powder measures became available in the 1880s. One of the earliest was designed by John M. Barlow for the Ideal Manufacturing Company of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. These powder measures typically use

gravity feed Gravity feed is the use of earth's gravity to move something (usually a liquid) from one place to another. It is a simple means of moving a liquid without the use of a pump. A common application is the supply of fuel to an internal combustion en ...

from a

hopper Hopper or hoppers may refer to: Places *Hopper, Illinois * Hopper, West Virginia * Hopper, a mountain and valley in the Hunza–Nagar District of Pakistan * Hopper (crater), a crater on Mercury People with the name * Hopper (surname) * Grace H ...

of powder above an adjustable cavity in a rotating cylinder. A lever rotates the cylinder so the cavity moves between an upward position where powder can drain from the hopper into the cavity, and a lower position where the powder can drain from the cavity into an empty cartridge case.

Dispenser operation

Modern smokeless propellant charges are specified by weight rather than volume, so the correct adjustment of the charge cavity is determined by weighing the charge dispensed by that adjustment. Some weight variation may be detected in sequential charges dispensed from the same volumetric adjustment. Bridging or compaction of granular propellants may cause these volumetric dispensers to produce dissimilar charges. Uniformity is enhanced by maintaining a similar level of propellant in the feeding hopper and by avoiding non-uniform

vibration Vibration is a mechanical phenomenon whereby oscillations occur about an equilibrium point. The word comes from Latin ''vibrationem'' ("shaking, brandishing"). The oscillations may be periodic function, periodic, such as the motion of a pendulum ...

s while dispensing charges. Powder measures may dispense more uniform charges of ball propellants than angular extruded Improved Military Rifle propellants.Matunas (1978) p.3

Bibliography

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Notes

{{reflist Handloading Dispensers