Ya know, I'm pretty sure I have a 20 gr. spout for my flask...
I may try that also!
I'm pretty sure BP measures by volume not weight, why are you using a scale?
Oh boy, here we go again...
I'll skip the part where I learned that drams equivalent of smokeless powder isn't the same as drams of black powder. Matter of fact, I'll skip the whole bit about measuring BP substitutes and grains by volume!
Here is my take on the weight vs. volume issue. And remember, I've been wrong before... Well, actually I can't remember ever being wrong, but modesty demands I admit the possibility.
As you say, volume and weight are both ways of measuring something. As long as the "something" is the same, 20 grains is 20 grains no matter which method you use. And they are not mutually exclusive as you suggest.
A little historical fantasy may be usefull here. You can see that that our muzzle loader carrying fore fathers would have found it, um,
inconvenient, to carry a scale around to measure each load. So Davy's Great Great Grandaddy says to Daniel's Great Great Grandaddy, "Daniel" he says, "why don't we just holler out this horn tip so it will hold the amount of powder we want to use for each shot?" Voila! Measurement by volume is born!
But maybe, you say, volume came before weight in measuring powder charges! Well, consider the possibility that back in the day when a gunsmith built a rifle for someone, finding the most accurate powder charge for that particular rifle was part of the process. If so, including some form of volume measure for that charge with the rifle would also be part of the process. Maybe they didn't even know, or care, what that charge weighed.
But then if we think about the "packaged," paper or otherwise, cartridges we can understand that volume would be a meaningless expression in the description of a charge. For example, when the military let out ammunition contracts they specified charges in grains of powder. I mean, they couldn't very well have said "I will pay you to make a million pistol cartridges, with a .375" conical bullet over Great Grandaddy Davy's measure of powder" now could they! So the volume started being specified in grains!
But still, whether a load of BP is 20 gr. by weight or by volume, it is still 20 grains. And grains is a unit of measurement by weight, not volume, so the base measurement is weight, not volume. The measurement would be meaningless otherwise!
I think, as if anyone cares what I think, that the confusion began with the introduction of "Grains Equivalent by Volume." But boys and girls... that is a pontification for another time!
Whatever...
I'm going to determine the length to cut the .38 Spl. case to based on the space occupied by 20 gr. of FFFG by weight and then I'm going to load my revolvers measuring the 20 grain charge by
that volume.
I tell ya, sometime my logic amazes my own darn self!
Of course I have no cites for any of the above, just my own opinion which, like butts, everyone has!
But all this has got me thinking.
I wonder if there is a weight difference between 20 gr. by volume of FFFg and FFg?
Seems to me that the smaller grains would use up more space thus the density of the volume would be greater hence the weight...
I know that my volume measure is 2-3 gr. shy of the weight measure with FFFg, maybe it was calibrated for FFg...
It is made for measuring rifle charges... but wait!
If my hypothesis was correct wouldn't the measure of FFFg be 2-3 gr. over?
No, that's right... if FFFg was more dense it would take up less space then FFg and the volume was calibrated for FFg as this is a rifle measure and... and... and I need a drink....