Lesson learned, weigh before opening

[Peter M. Eick]

I have read about folks weighing pounds of powder before opening but I never did it. After today, I will start doing it myself.

I opened up a fresh bottle of 296 today and loaded 357 magnums. I ended up loading the whole bottle and it seemed like I had too few rounds for the pound of powder. Since I box and serial number everything I pulled the spreadsheet did some quick math and found that I had loaded 6,357.3 grns of powder. There should have been 7,000 so where did the 642.7 grns go to?

Well first I checked my scale again. Normally I calibrate it at the start and so I pulled my lyman check weights and yes the scale is spot on.

Next I pulled some random loads and checked them on the scale. Everything was within 0.1 grns of the label so I think I am good there.

I only loaded 399 rounds so I would have to be off close to 1.5 full grains to make up for the loss which is highly unlikely with a digital scale and check weights.

So after being pretty unsettled by the whole event, I thought about it some more and decided that the pound of powder must have been short. I bought it locally from a vendor here in town but I don't remember which one of the three I got it from.

It did have the factory seal on the bottle that you peal off but that can easily be stuck on.

I could speculate at length where the shortage occurred but in the end I don't know. I do know that I wonder if what is in the can really is 296? I will have to try some out to be sure.

I did learn a lesson though. Always weigh new pounds of powder and write the weight on the can so I can track its use. Once I develop a tare weight table for the cans then i will know before I open them if they are short somehow.

 

[ReloaderFred]

I've weighed bottles of powder in the past, with most of my purchases being 8 pound jugs. They have almost always been right on, and I've weighed the plastic jug when it's empty to make sure. The only time I've been shorted was in buying a case of 32 pounds of IMR 4895 surplus powder. That time, each jug weighed exactly 8 pounds, so whoever was weighing out the powder from bulk wasn't taking into account the extra few ounces for the plastic jug..

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I bet you are right. the 650 grns is probably the weight of the plastic can. I should go grab it from recycling and check it.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I bet you are right. the 650 grns is probably the weight of the plastic can. I should go grab it from recycling and check it.

Now I'm very curious, did you weigh the empty jug?

 

[Bush Pilot]

I would pull every bullet and dump the powder back in the jug, this is the only way you can be sure you weren't shorted.

 

[ReloaderFred]

"I would pull every bullet and dump the powder back in the jug, this is the only way you can be sure you weren't shorted."

That's meant as a joke, right??

Peter has loaded enough rounds to know his loads are correct. I'm curious what the container weighs.

Fred

 

[Lost Sheep]

Peter has loaded enough rounds to know his loads are correct. I'm curious what the container weighs.

Fred

I am curious what the manufacturer migh/will say. The O.P. (Peter M. Eick) not knowing which retailer he bought from should not be a deterrent to contacting the maker.

Documenting as well as he does should go a long way to convincing them to review their quality control, if not offer compensation.

Lost Sheep

 

[larryh1108]

I'd also suggest that with the current shortage and high prices for what is in stock that some people might be tempted to pinch some from every bottle to make more profit. I doubt it would surprise anyone here if that was the case unless it was bought from a big box store.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Damn!! This means I'll have to buy another scale...

 

[Rule3]

My containers of powder say "NET" weight which would be the contents and not the container weight

 

[moxie]

Yes. The powder is NET weight. The weight of the jug is irrelevant. Unless you think the factory confused net with tare. Which I doubt.

Most likely scenario is 642 grains marched off quietly in the night with one piggybacking that .7. In the storeroom of an LGS. These are tough times.

 

[Lost Sheep]

Some bars may water their liquor, or rebottle the cheap stuff. Imagining that a warehouseman would hijack a fraction of powder from several bottles or a customer might be able to convince a store to accept a returned bottle and put it back on the shelf for sale may be far-fetched, but it is possible.

The store needs to know. If you don't remember the store, that is a lost cause unless you notify all candidates and let them know of your uncertainty.

You should contact the manufacturer. They might even be able to trace to the retailer.

Quality control is a major concern of all manufacturers.

Inventory control is a concern for all shippers, wholesalers and retailers.

I encourage you to contact the maker just for their information. They will thank you.

Lost Sheep

 

[twofifty]

Each retailer's accts. receivable or freight reception records might have a record of the powder lot numbers they received... These numbers are very likely to differ, and one of them will match your bottle.

 

[Jimbo53]

I would pull every bullet and dump the powder back in the jug, this is the only way you can be sure you weren't shorted.

Yep, Only way to be sure. Earlier you get started the sooner you'l be done.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

It would not be the first time that a powder mfg. got it wrong, nor the first time a brass mfg. got it wrong, or a bullet mfg. got it wrong. Happens all the time.

 

[Curator]

Its not just the powder manufacturers. I bought three one-pound jugs of powder at the "Suncoast" gun shows a few months ago. When I got home I noticed the seal was not glued all the way around the bottle mouth. At first I paid no mind than I got the idea of weighing it. 13, not 16 ounces! I weighed the others, and they varied from 12 to 13 ounces each. All had the "seal" loosened slightly. My complaints to the "Gunshow"organizers fell on deaf ears. I tried to do a "stop-payment" on my check but ran into other issues. Bottom line: if the seal is broken, don't buy powder from people you don't know.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

The can weights 824 with out the lid. So I am still off a bit.

Interesting, I pulled a bunch of other unopened cans I had and most weighed +/1 0.2 onz of 1 lb once you tare out an empty can. I loaded up two more cans today and without the lids, the H110 and 296 cans weight either 824 or 856 grns depending on which blow mold was used. If you look on the bottom of the cans you can see some are "15" and some are "2". Alliant cans run 1020 to 1014 grns for the 3 I tested. Surprising that they are that consistent.

I will call up Hodgdon on Tuesday and let them know. I know I bought the can from either the 10 ring, ASC or Bass Pro here in Houston. They are the three local shops I buy from since Carter's country seems to be out lately.

I normally just toss the cans into recycling. I will start saving them and measuring the powder from the new can into the old so I can tare it out and then dump it back again. It is easy to do with my big powder funnel for dumping 8 lb cans into one pounders.

Regarding pulling the powder out and weighing it? No way. I will just blast them out of my 357 Redhawk and not worry about it. I have faith I made them correctly so I am not worried about it. I just learned a lesson.