Black powder by volume or by weight?

[r042wal]

Do I make the black powder charge for my 1" bore by weight or by volume?  I want to try a series of charges starting with 140 gr and ending around 180 gr.
Thanks

[flagman1776]

Grains are a weight measure.  You can convert to a volume measure.  There are adjustable measures for muzzleloading arms...  fixed measures are adjusted by cutting, filing.

[Artilleryman]

In civil war period manuals it is recommend to weigh each charge for maximum accuracy.

[keith44]

If you are using real black powder (Goex, Kik, Swiss, etc) then weigh out a charge, transfer that into a known volume non-sparking container or commercial volumetric measuring device and make note of the difference between the scale and the measure, then use that measure with that brand and granulation only for repeatable volumes. 


Since Black Powder is so inefficient you would be safe just using a volumetric measure.