One of the most technical parts of reloading your own ammo is measuring the gunpowder for the specific caliber you’re trying to load. As you could imagine, reloading can be dangerous because you’re working with combustibles and creating live bullets. loading a 9mm casing with the same weight as a .45 ACP could cause serious injury to the shooter and surrounding people.
The only way to fully ensure you have the proper amount of powder (charge) per load is to measure the powder in grains based on loading data. Gunpowder is mostly measured in grains with 1 grain equal to 0.06 grams. This is a very precise measurement and needs to be as close to exact as you can get for charging a load.
There are many companies that offer powder measure tools/scales for reloading, but so far the best that I’ve seen and used has been the Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper.
Components of Ammo
Before we get into powder measurer tools, it’s important to ensure you understand the components of a bullet. I know if you’re reading this, you most likely know each component, but it’s better to be safe.
Projectile
The projectile is the metal tip (lead, steel) that is shot from the barrel of the gun and is attached to the case of the bullet. For a shotgun, shot projectiles are small beads made of lead, steel, tungsten alloy, or bismuth pellets. The most important part to know about the projectile is that it’s the business end of the bullet and the most harmful when fired.
Case
The case is what we load the gunpowder into (after priming) and is the base for all the other components of a bullet (prime, gunpowder, projectile). Cases are normally made from brass, steel, copper, paper, or plastic.
It’s important to know which cases are better for reloading and which cases, I stay away from. For example, I will never try to reload a steel case with my rifle loads because the risk for the steel to break is much higher than brass or copper.
Gunpowder
Gunpowder has made tremendous strides in technology even in the past decade. Essentially gunpowder is a chemical mixture that ignites instantly and causes massive expansion of gas that propels the bullet out of the gun. The most common type of gun powder is a smokeless powder that burns at a slower rate to stabilize the gases in the barrel for a cleaner and more accurate shot.
Primer
The primer is a chemical compound that is designed to ignite the gunpowder when the hammer of the gun strikes it. There are 2 types of primers to understand the basics for reloading.
Centerfire case- Most common for every caliber except.22LR. Centerfire primers are hit in the center of the primer for optimal precision.
Rimfire Case- Rimfire cases are hit on the edge of the rim to ignite the gunpowder. Mostly used in .22LR guns.
A wad is only used in shotgun cases as a barrier between gunpowder and shot/slug. Its whole purpose is to prevent the gas from escaping through the shot to ensure it has the proper velocity and power as the projectile is fired.
Photo courtesy of hunter-Ed.com
What Does Grain Mean in Ammo?
I’m not going to act like I’m a math guy and fully understand what 1/7,000th of a pound looks like in grains. In short, a grain (gr) is a unit of measurement used to quantify the smallest of granules, such as rice, cereal, or powder granules.
1 ounce of gunpowder is equal to 437.5 grains or if it helps, 1 gram is 15.43 grains. No matter how you look at it, grains are incredibly small and require a scale sensitive to accurately measure each individual grain. To put it in perspective, a paperclip is the size of 1 gram (15.43 gr).
The biggest takeaway from grains is understanding that in order to properly and clearly measure something as small as a granule, you need a good standard of measurement.
For example, if ammo manufacturers said " 1 grain of 9mm gunpowder is 1/7000th of a pound", how many people would be able to understand that measurement without a calculator and math skills?
To be clear for our new reloaders, when an ammo company talks about a .308 Winchester is a 150 grain, they’re speaking only of the projectile. This doesn’t include the powder, primer, or case.
Always look at reloading data before you start putting a 150 grain of gunpowder inside your .308 case. A great guide to understanding how to reload is our Hands-On Beginner’s Guide to Reloading.
How Can I Find Reloading Data?
Finding the correct reloading data is incredibly important to safely and properly reloading your own ammo. However, how easy is it to find the correct loading data? Let’s walk through this step together so we’re all on the same page for the more technical part of reloading.
Normally I use Hodgdon gun powder for all of my weapons, but it’s been very difficult to find any in the past year or so for rifle calibers. I also love to use Nosler, Hornady, Speer, and Lapua reloading data websites.
In short, Always look up the type of bullet, powder, and casing you have to find the correct load for each respective brand. For example, I’ll be loading the HP-38 Pistol Powder from Hodgdon for this blog.
Step 1
Choose the right caliber that you’re looking for in the Step 1 box.
Step 2
Your projectile weight is the same as bullet weight. You must know the correct weight so it will give you an accurate powder weight. You can find this on the box of bullets.
Step 3
Each site is different, but you simply click the name of the manufacturer of the powder.
Step 4
Once you click through the first 3 steps, you should be given a list of powders that fit the specifications you listed. Click on the corresponding powder type and click “Update Data".
As you can see from the results, I’m only going to use between 3.9-4.4 grains for reloading my 9mm brass. This is very easy and most companies simplify this step to make it easy for us to understand.
Bullet Weight Table for Handgun Calibers
I wanted to use a generic table to show the average weights of the projectile, case, cartridge, powder, and weight per 100 rounds. The following 2 tables should be used as a guide to understanding the different guidelines and weights of each caliber.
Having a basic understanding will help confirm your range of each bullet component to make the best decision possible. ALWAYS look up your reloading data, but these tables should help you know when you’re in the right area.
Caliber
.22LR
9mm
.38 Special
.357 Mag
.44 Mag
Projectile Weight (grains)
40
124
158
140
240
Casing Weight (grains)
10
61
64.3
77.6
100
Cartridge Weight (grains)
51.1
189.1
231.2
234.1
360
Weight per 100 Rounds (lbs)
0.73
2.70
3.30
3.34
5.14
Powder Weight (grains)
11
5.1
3.7
7
6
Bullet Weight Table for Rifle Calibers
Caliber
.223 Rem.
.308 Win.
.30-06
.30-30
8 mm
12 Ga.
Projectile Weight (grains)
55
150
150
150
198
492
Casing Weight (grains)
98
180.6
205.1
137
177
100
Cartridge Weight (grains)
178.5
373.8
413.5
322.0
420.0
627.0
Weight per 100 Rounds (lbs)
2.55
5.34
5.91
4.60
6.00
8.96
Powder Weight (grains)
25
45
31
30
71
36
What is a Powder Measure?
Simply put, a powder measure is a machine used to accurately and precisely measure gunpowder in units of grain. There are generally 3 types of powder measures that most companies sell; an electronic dispenser, a digital scale, and a manual analog powder dispenser. A powder measure is the only way you can accurately measure your gunpowder for custom loads with multiple calibers.
What is the Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper?
The Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper is an electronic powder measure with the capability to hold up to 250 grains of gunpowder per throw and 7,000 grains (1lb) of gunpowder in the reservoir.
The Intellidropper uses both a manual and automatic trickle mode to give you more control of the amount of powder dispensed at one time (throw). As you’ll see in the videos, this is the fastest throw rate for any powder measure that I’ve seen.
The more impressive part is how the Intellidropper is able to be so precise (+/- 0.1-grain accuracy) and so fast at the same time. The amount of time I save with the Intellidropper adds up to an hour or so per loading session. If you load 4x per month that’s 4 hours with only one product.
One of my biggest complaints about reloading is how long it takes to get the proper measurements of powder. When Jarrod Grove, Franklin’s Brand Manager showed us how to use the Intellidropper, it changed everything for me.
I can load 100 9mm cases in less than 20 minutes and I can still prep for my next steps as the brass is being loaded (charged).
The Intellidropper App was created to help assist reloaders in keeping track of reloading data for future use. Being able to see the set your loadouts from your phone allows me to let the computer do the calculations so I can focus on getting my M-Press ready for setting my bullets. Once you start working with the App, it makes the entire process more enjoyable and less stressful.
How Do I Set-up the Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper?
The very first thing you need to do is make sure the Intellidropper is on a flat, level surface. If the surface isn’t flat and level, you can get a misreading by 0.5 grams or so. This could create safety issues when you’re trying to load active ammunition.
Next, Plug-in the Intellidropper into a surge-protector and leave it for 15 minutes (roughly) to internally stabilize and calibrate. Once your 15 minutes have passed, follow the table below for an easy-to-understand guide on how to calibrate and et-up the Intellidropper.
Step 1
Take the metal powder pan off of the scale tray.
Press the ZERO button on the middle right side of the screen.
Step 2
Once the screen reads “STABLE" above the 0.00, press the “CAL" button.
You should see the number 50.00 flash on your screen. Once you see the 50.00, wait for the screen to read “STABLE".
Step 3
Once the screen reads “STABLE", place one 50-gram calibration weight on the scale tray.
Step 4
Once your 50-gram calibration weight is calibrated, you’re good to press the “CAL" button again.
It will read 100.00 and “STABLE" once it’s ready for the next weight.
Step 5
Place the 2nd 50-gram calibration weight on top of the first and wait for it to stabilize.
Step 6
Press the “CAL" button to test the Intellidropper calibration. If you did this correctly, it should flash “PASS" on the screen.
You are now calibrated and can get your powder pan ready to “ZERO".
Step 7
Finally, place the powder pan back on top of the scale tray and you’re ready to dispense powder.
What Does Powder CAL Button Do?
When you look at the features of the Intellidropper, it’s impossible to not be impressed with all the little things they have that nobody else does. The POWDER CAL button lets the powder measure automatically optimize the rate of throw to ensure the fastest and most accurate measurement for each case you charge. It really is an incredible feature that I use every time I load.
What is the Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper APP?
The Frankford Arsenal App allows the user to use preloaded weight, ballistic Coefficient, bullet type, and length options. In short, it saves your previous loads so you don’t have to go into the reloading manuals as often for the same loadouts.
One of the best features to me is the already preloaded bullet and powder databases. If you don’t want to look through the online databases for powder and bullet dimensions, the Intellidropper APP already does it for you.
Customize your loadouts with the type of case you’re using, the atmospheric conditions, your primer type (brand), and the length of the barrel for the bullet you’re reloading.
For me, it’s perfect because most of my powder is Hodgdon and this app allows me access to their reloading data.
What are the Button Functions on the Frankford Intellidropper?
MODE
Allows you to adjust the device from Auto to Manual.
Auto: Dispenses powder automatically after the powder pan has been placed back on the scale tray.
Manual: You control the flow of the powder by manually pressing the gray Go/Dispense button (looks like ›)
Cal
Calibrate the device
POWDER CAL
The POWDER CAL button lets the powder measure automatically for the fastest and most accurate measurement for each case you charge.
UNITS
Adjust from GRAM to GRAIN or GRAIN to GRAM
ZERO
zeros out the scale
TRICKLE
adjust the motor speed of the dispenser to control rate and ensure accuracy
OVER
Too much powder on the pan
STABLE
The correct amount of powder on the pan
UNDER
Under means not enough powder on the pan
COUNT
This feature keeps the count of sessions you’ve done to improve quality control
TARGET
This is for the target dispense weight
BLUETOOTH SYMBOL
If the Bluetooth symbol shows on the screen, you’re paired with the Intellidropper APP
2. Open the app on your phone and go to the “MENU" (Bottom-middle button). Click “NEW LOAD" to enter the bullet data, if you know your ballistics already. If you don’t know your ballistic coefficient, projectile weight, case weight, and powder weight, then click on “DATABASE".
3. Press the CALIBER/CARTRIDGE button and select your intended caliber.
4. Enter your bullet info and select the correct powder for your bullet.
5. You can find the C.O.L on the bottle of your gun powder.
6. Choose the correct firearm and Primer brand.
7. Enter the company of the case you’re using (i.e. Berger, Hornady, Winchester).
8. Enter the number of grains you want the Intellidropper to throw and press POWDER CAL.
Which Calibers are Measured by the Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper?
The best thing about gunpowder is it’s all measured in grains, therefore the Intellidropper will work for every type of caliber. This is the only tool I need to measure the weight of any of my guns, including my 30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, Walther PPS M2, and Glock 19.
Where Can I Buy the Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper?
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