Aide For Filling A Powder Horn

[Tim Crosby]

 People sometimes ask how to fill a horn and I give them a few ideas; small funnels, paper cones, your hand gripped around the tip, a leather disc with a hole in the middle, a piece of garden hose pushed down over the tip, I'm sure there are many more. Here is another, it is made by drilling a 7/16ths hole through a pieces of wood, reaming out one end with a large tapered Reamer and the other with a smaller one. The smaller end is put over the tip and the powder poured into the other end. I tried it with 3F and it worked well, I tapped the funnel and the horn a couple times while pouring.
 The one on the right is my prototype. The body could be turned or carved.

 Tim C.

[Marcruger]

Great craftmanship Tim.  In modern loading, there are plastic funnels for loading cases that work the same way.  The case fits inside the funnel at the bottom, with a small orifice between the upper and lower parts.  Sort of a venturi if you will.  My powder horn tips slide right inside with no spillage.  Your wood ones are much classier.   :-) 

I know this post borders on the unmentionables, but I hope it helps others with horn filling via a useful tool.  Sort of like showing a modern lathe in a picture.  Your Friend,   Marc

[Dutch Blacky]

Great idea,
great craftsmanship.
Absolutely  historically appropriate.

Thanks for showing

[Jim Spray]

Nice lathe work Tim! Great idea!

Jim

[Ken G]

Nice idea.  Don't know if it is HC or not but sure looks more like it than a yellow plastic funnel.  Yet one more project to add to my "to do" list. 

Ken

[Dennis Glazener]

Several years ago I found 2 brass bud vases or maybe they were wine goblets, not sure. They had fairly long stems. I took one of them, cut the base off then put it in my lathe and drilled a hole up the stem into the goblet. Makes a fine funnel for filling my horns. I will see if I can drag it out and post a photo of it.
Dennis

Could not find the one I modified, think it's packed up with some other stuff from my shop that I had to move out. Here is the other one That I did not modify. I cut through the stem just above the base then drilled the stem out. The first ring above the base stops the spout and it sits in the horn spout while I pour power in.

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  .... I have forever used a small funnel,... recently at the Alabama show, one of the walk-in attendees and I were talking,.. he gave me an excellent way to fill really easy,.. pour the powder into one of the plastic mustard or catsup squeeze bottles with small nozzle, and simply fill your horn,.. !!! ... How simple is that,.. ??... Great idea... !!!.. regards,.. CCF   

[Mike from OK]

.... I have forever used a small funnel,... recently at the Alabama show, one of the walk-in attendees and I were talking,.. he gave me an excellent way to fill really easy,.. pour the powder into one of the plastic mustard or catsup squeeze bottles with small nozzle, and simply fill your horn,.. !!! ... How simple is that,.. ??... Great idea... !!!.. regards,.. CCF

Pretty slick.

I use a similar method. I wound up with a (CVA, IIRC) flask... black plastic monstrosity. Has the spring loaded valve on the nozzle. Just fill it with powder and stick the skinny end of the nozzle in the horn spout and push the valve open. The flask only holds 4 or 5 ozs of powder so filling a large horn may require refilling the flask a time or 3... But it's rare to spill a single kernel of powder.

But I sure like Tim's funnel though... Functional and a bit more aesthetically pleasing

Mike

[davec2]

Years ago I needed a powder funnel rather quickly and made one up from the copper shaped charge war head liner of a 2.75 inch rocket (long, non muzzleloading story) and a cut off .308 cartridge.  Works fine…not very HC…



Had one last tip of an all black horn kicking around on the bench for many years and could not decide what to do with it.  I didn't need any more priming or salt horns so I made a powder funnel out of it.   Also probably not HC but it least its not made out of a shaped charge liner.  Fun to do anyway.

[Top Jaw]

Since Tims post is turning into a powder filler/funnel thread….here is mine.  😀
I bought it in a box of stuff at an auction. 

[Daryl]

Good ideas Tim.
I just soldered (onto steel cans) or CA'd cut off ctg. cases onto the plastic powder can tops. These fit into the mouth of the horn and if the powder can is held to your ear, you can hear when the powder stops running into the horn - it's full.

[B.Habermehl]

Far from PC I’ve used plastic ketchup/ mustard bottles from the dollar store to fill my powder horns and priming gizzies. They work very nicely. BJH

[Lucky R A]

     When I go to the doctor, I ask for the little black plastic "funnels" that they put on the light to examine your ears and nose...they work great and the price is great---no work involved.
Ron

[Tecumseh]

Great idea and design Tim.

[heinz]

Davec,  I love that powder funnel. Thanks for posting it. 

[tooguns]

I just fold a piece of notebook paper in half and slowly pour the powder in the groove.