How Do You Load Your Powder

[Dick Dastardly]

http://www.biglube.com/  Click on that and it will take you there.  Welcome!

DD-MDA

[Mogorilla]

I use 1 dram plastic vials.   Actually have an assortment of sizes I have accumulated over the years (I am a scientist, we have these all over).   they work well and fit nicely in a cartridge box.  I can load pretty quickly using them. 

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I use 1 dram plastic vials.   Actually have an assortment of sizes I have accumulated over the years (I am a scientist, we have these all over).   they work well and fit nicely in a cartridge box.  I can load pretty quickly using them.

And just as periodically kerect as my use of empty ca'tridges!

[Tequila Shooter]

Ok, I've tried to post a picture a bunch of times and I can't get it to work, so I don't know how to show ya what I've got

[Tequila Shooter]

So here is what I'm going to try tomorrow at a local SASS match.  I've got 75 of these loaded with 25 grains of FFFG.  I'll post the results.

[Dick Dastardly]

http://www.biglube.com/

That's the link that will take you there.

Thanks,

DD-MDA

[Tequila Shooter]

So here is what I'm going to try tomorrow at a local SASS match.  I've got 75 of these loaded with 25 grains of FFFG.  I'll post the results.

On Saturday I used my pre-loaded vials and they worked great.  Couple of days before I filled them and kept them in a .45C box.  I was able to put 64 vials in one box.  The vials were only about $16 for 500 on Amazon and they have a lid that's attached.  I have to say they were easy to pour into the chambers and I always knew that there was the correct amount of powder.

[Mogorilla]

I have a mix of those vials and some with screw tops.   I use the screw tops for my colt army and the flip tops for my colt navy.   I usually keep about 50-100 of each loaded to grab when the weather is good.  Been using them for years. 

[Professor Marvel]

I still think that Sir Charles' method using spent Brass Casings is prettier and has far less plastic jarring the eyes and detracting from the historical atmosphere and romance of the reloading endevour....

Cuz I still wear my stovetop leather soled boots, or Hopi Mocassisn, not my Keds.

altho beaded keds has been done


yhs
prof marvel

[Mogorilla]

I like those shoes!    I usually try and hide them.    I have an insert that will keep them in place and separated, so I made a small parfleche around that as a guide.  Not as colorful as some parfleches, as I thought black and white would capture the moment so nicely.  (okay, couldn't resist the 16 candles moment).

[Professor Marvel]

I like those shoes!    I usually try and hide them.    I have an insert that will keep them in place and separated, so I made a small parfleche around that as a guide.  Not as colorful as some parfleches, as I thought black and white would capture the moment so nicely.  (okay, couldn't resist the 16 candles moment).

Why Mog, whyever would you try to hide your shoes ?  lol
The first time I ever saw beaded moccasins was at a Rondy in Indiana around 1977. An elder (I forget which Nation)
was there selling his home-built tommahawks and putting on hawk throw demonstrations, and if it rained he wore his beaded canvas shoes
instead of his mocs.

Heavens Sir, I stand corrected, you have redeemed yourself with that marvelous Parfleche Box!
Viewing That scene alone is worth the 5¢ admission!

yhs
prof marvel

[Mogorilla]

Ha, sorry my paragraph structure left something to be desired.   I try and hide the vials, thus the parfleche. 

I would wear those shoes proudly, although I am guessing my wife would try and hide them.  Possibly in concrete with my feet in them.  ha.   

I do like all things parfleche.   I am in the midst of planning a big rawhide experiment.  If successful, I will be unique in my carrying.   

I also like the picture, a lot.   The knife was made by my father when I was 10 or 11.  He ran a division of a paper company and it irritated him greatly how quickly a bandsaw could break.  He made five of those blades one afternoon while I rollerskated in the plant.   When he passed, I could only find one and it had a split broom handle screwed to it as a handle.  I used a shed and added the guard and wear it to most of my shoots.   Would not trade it for Excalibur.   The "blanket" is an afgan made by my grandmother.  I was the only boy in the family and she would make a lot of stuff for sisters and cousin.   She felt she need something more boyish.  Made this for me when I was 12.  Can't believe that was 41 years ago.  The bone flask was a shopping trip with our little rescue.  He was a 9 lb poodle, thought he was steel plated.   He and I were in a Petsmart and I picked him up some goodies, but grabbed one of those giant beef bones too.   Kid at the counter asked if I had another dog, Poodle was under one arm.  I said nope, and do not get your hands too close.   Dog did love the broth from the bone and it is capped with mesquite.   Pistol was a kit, present from my wife.  Whole lot of family in that photo. 

[Crow Choker]

Guess the OP's original post had to do with possibly having some physical problem using a flask with his hand in the normal manner. I can appreciate that and understand checking on some other means to load his cap and ball revolvers due to some medical/physical problem. Things like that happen.  As far as I'm concerned (exception for physical problems), the only way to load Sam Colts inventions is to do so as Sam invented them. Pouring powder from a flask into each cylinder, placing a ball over the powder (I do place a lubed wad over the powder), and ramming the ball in with the attached lever. No plastic vials, no measured corked brass casings, no contraptions ya gotta set on some table or flat surface to ram balls home after taking the cylinder off the arbor, which necessitates breaking the revolver down.

Nope, part of the enjoyment of shooting cap and ball percussion revolvers is loading powder with flask and ramming the balls in with the loading lever like designed, the way "they" did it in days of yesteryear. I can load six and  cap the nipples in a pretty short time if I'm going to shoot em. Sometimes if not at a range, walking along a river plinking, I just put the hammer between nipples and holster. If at a CAS shoot, loading five with a flask and seating the balls and not nippling the caps on two revolvers can be done in little time. I've even loaded six while walking, along a river or through private scrub/wooded areas, although I will stop to insert caps. Forgive me for saying, but I think all of the vials, tubes, cartridge brass to hold powder and contraptions to seat balls has taken a detour from how they were supposed to be loaded. Nah-no forgiveness wanted, not saying anything I need to ask forgiveness for.

I know, someone will come up with some old copy of a paper put out by Colt in the 1800's showing premeasured powder in some sort of 19th century containers and some early form of a off gun ball seater like Dicks. Probably have pictures of 'Dandies' in their stovepipe hats and town frock coats shooting along a pretty shaded creek area with women in fancy dresses with their parasol's watching their menfolk unleash smoke and fire out of those nasty chucks of iron. Oh yeh, nearby is a table with premeasured powder vials and the ball presser thing'!  Probably advise of the powder charger used on the Colt Paterson, yepper, that was one way of loading that model.

Anyway, I've been reading this thread for a while and finally thought phooey! Don't any of these guys load Sam Colts revolvers as they were designed. The old original way is one of the 'fun' things about the guns. I know, it's JMO, but I'll bet next weeks dollar amount generated by the sale of Ford Edsel's nation wide that somewhere across the USA at some CAS shoot, there will be some shooter using plastic vials or some other means to hold premeasured powder and seats his balls using some contraption thinking he's 'period correct' ("I'm doin it just like they did it back then") and at the same time 'bitch' about some other shooter who he thinks isn't wearing proper 'period correct' clothing or doesn't have the proper 1875 'cowboy' holster strapped on ("It doesn't have the proper stitching"), and/or is wearing boots with rubber Vibram soles.  OK, said enough, I'm all strapped into my computer desk chair for all the nasty comments of telling me to go fly a kite.   

[Professor Marvel]

Ah My Dear Crow Choker - you are just too fun!

prf marvel

[Tequila Shooter]

Guess the OP's original post had to do with possibly having some physical problem using a flask with his hand in the normal manner. I can appreciate that and understand checking on some other means to load his cap and ball revolvers due to some medical/physical problem. Things like that happen.  As far as I'm concerned (exception for physical problems), the only way to load Sam Colts inventions is to do so as Sam invented them. Pouring powder from a flask into each cylinder, placing a ball over the powder (I do place a lubed wad over the powder), and ramming the ball in with the attached lever. No plastic vials, no measured corked brass casings, no contraptions ya gotta set on some table or flat surface to ram balls home after taking the cylinder off the arbor, which necessitates breaking the revolver down.

Nope, part of the enjoyment of shooting cap and ball percussion revolvers is loading powder with flask and ramming the balls in with the loading lever like designed, the way "they" did it in days of yesteryear. I can load six and  cap the nipples in a pretty short time if I'm going to shoot em. Sometimes if not at a range, walking along a river plinking, I just put the hammer between nipples and holster. If at a CAS shoot, loading five with a flask and seating the balls and not nippling the caps on two revolvers can be done in little time. I've even loaded six while walking, along a river or through private scrub/wooded areas, although I will stop to insert caps. Forgive me for saying, but I think all of the vials, tubes, cartridge brass to hold powder and contraptions to seat balls has taken a detour from how they were supposed to be loaded. Nah-no forgiveness wanted, not saying anything I need to ask forgiveness for.

I know, someone will come up with some old copy of a paper put out by Colt in the 1800's showing premeasured powder in some sort of 19th century containers and some early form of a off gun ball seater like Dicks. Probably have pictures of 'Dandies' in their stovepipe hats and town frock coats shooting along a pretty shaded creek area with women in fancy dresses with their parasol's watching their menfolk unleash smoke and fire out of those nasty chucks of iron. Oh yeh, nearby is a table with premeasured powder vials and the ball presser thing'!  Probably advise of the powder charger used on the Colt Paterson, yepper, that was one way of loading that model.

Anyway, I've been reading this thread for a while and finally thought phooey! Don't any of these guys load Sam Colts revolvers as they were designed. The old original way is one of the 'fun' things about the guns. I know, it's JMO, but I'll bet next weeks dollar amount generated by the sale of Ford Edsel's nation wide that somewhere across the USA at some CAS shoot, there will be some shooter using plastic vials or some other means to hold premeasured powder and seats his balls using some contraption thinking he's 'period correct' ("I'm doin it just like they did it back then") and at the same time 'bitch' about some other shooter who he thinks isn't wearing proper 'period correct' clothing or doesn't have the proper 1875 'cowboy' holster strapped on ("It doesn't have the proper stitching"), and/or is wearing boots with rubber Vibram soles.  OK, said enough, I'm all strapped into my computer desk chair for all the nasty comments of telling me to go fly a kite. 

Wow, very thought out and explained.  No negative comment from me.  As far as Sam Colt's revolvers go, that why I'm shooting Remington's     .  I can and do appreciate anyone who can load with a flask and rammer quickly enough to keep up with others on a shooting posse and still have time to help out with posse duties (spotting, picking up brass, etc.).  Since I'm new to C&B my goal is to not only load quickly but also accurately.  While filling the vials I saw that I didn't always get a full charge, sometimes it was operator error, sometimes the flask lever didn't close all the way.  The contraption for seating the balls keeps everything equal and since the pistols are Sheriff models the loading lever is short so loading 60+ chambers in a match would be a little hard on the paws.

As far as being period correct, I don't think anyone would call SASS period correct, not with slicked up guns and Ruger pistols, maybe NCOWS is different. 

As I said at the top, not negative, not chastising you for your opinion, I only ask that you leave the door open for different ways of doing things.  If I was plinking at the range I'd have all the time in the world to load, at a match not so much 

[Capt Quirk]

 Everybody has a way that works for them. I also use premeasured containers of powder. They are called "cartridges".

[pony express]

I must be old fashioned or something. I always loaded min the same way as Crow Choker does. Flask, powder and balls. I used a horse wormer syringe filled with Crisco to grease over the balls. Keep it out of the sun on a hot day! Haven't been using one for CAS for a few years, but when I did, I usually volunteered to do the unloading table after I shot, and loaded while watching the table.

[greyhawk]

I must be old fashioned or something. I always loaded min the same way as Crow Choker does. Flask, powder and balls. I used a horse wormer syringe filled with Crisco to grease over the balls. Keep it out of the sun on a hot day! Haven't been using one for CAS for a few years, but when I did, I usually volunteered to do the unloading table after I shot, and loaded while watching the table.

Hah Good ! that makes three of us !!!

[Montana Slim]

I use a spring/plunger automatic dispensing flask for all my 44s. Very fast, but only works well with 3f powder. Got mine from Dixie Gun Works at least 40 yr ago. Still works great, but the brass mouth is getting a bit worn from throwing many, many thousands of charges.

It's a bit large to work on Navy Model Colts, but I've seen a Patterson spring plunger flask that might be worth trying.

Regards,
Slim

[Dick Dastardly]

http://www.biglube.com/

That should take you there.  I still have several Tower of Power stands in stock.  When they are gone they are gone forever.

DD-MDA