Powder scoop

[azmark]

I've heard people mention that they've made a scoop for a particular load.  How do you make a powder scoop? 

[superhornet]

I normally make scoops for pistol rounds...using a 380/9mm/45ACP brass case so a handle can be soldered on....Weigh the charge you are looking for with a particular powder(I use a lot of Bullseye) dump it in case...mark the level.....cut, grind, etc. till you reach that level....Use the scoop and practice throwing  charges on the scale to get the required results .   Won a Glock 17 at Ft. Benning many years ago using a homemade scoop, 4.3 Bullseye 115 grain Hornady bullet...

[Questor]

Take a suitably sized cartridge case and size it to hold the volume of powder you need. Then solder an L-shaped wire or similar handle to the case. For example, you might shorten a .380 ACP case to hold the amount of powder you want for your 45.  To size the cartridge, you could use a file or a grinder or a similar tool.  Make the inside of the case clean and smooth.

Just be careful to keep them organized and marked properly. Imagine the danger of using the wrong measure! You could end up with a very hazardous load.  If you use one, only have that one on the bench while you are loading.

For safety's sake I still think a good commercial powder measure is the way to go. My press, my dies, my scale, and my measure are all of good quality because they are the most important reloading tools.

[jhalcott]

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1175704001.4813=/html/catalog/powhan1.html
  lee sells a set of "spoons" for about 11 dollars

[PlacitasSlim]

I recently got a set from Midway for 7 dollars. It also has a chart that shows how much of each power each scoop holds.

[davem270win]

Yes, and you could file down those cheap plastic scoops a lot easier than brass cases, if you had to have a specific size.

By the way, you can also download powder charge tables for the scoops from Lee's website, which is great for guys like me who bought their set 20+ years ago.

[PaulS]

The Lee scoops are calibrated in cc's or Cu" depending on the year they were manufactured. Its a good way to find out how many grains per cc's or Cu" (the density) of the different powders. Of course it is a rough measurement because the density will change with every lot.
I used scoops for a few years - until I got a decent powder measure. I got some very accurate loads out of those home made and Lee dippers.