[Guest]

In the shooting community we regularly speak in terms of grain weight when speaking of bullet sizes or powder charges. But what the heck is a grain and where did it come from?

Grain weight measurement comes from the avoirdupois system.

Avoirdupois, a system of weights based on a pound of 16 ounces or 7,000 grains, widely used in English speaking countries.

In traditional English law the various pound weights are related by stating all of them as multiples of the grain, which was originally the weight of a single barleycorn. This made the English grain larger than the corresponding grain units of France and other nations of the Continent, because those units were based on the weight of the smaller wheat grain.

There are 7,000-grains in an avoirdupois pound.

Now you know.

 

[sniper101]

Interesting info. Thanks.

 

[RochPersDef]

And then you have the newbie reloader that wonders why there are two references for 'grains'.

One for powder measure and one for bullet weight.

Kevin: are they the same concept but just used differently? One references volume/weight for powder and the other just for weight of the bullet?

 

[aveisone]

Bullet weight in grains and powder weight in grains are the same measurement. The volume of a certain weight in grains can be estimated. This is how powder dippers and powder droppers work. For accurate weights you still want to put your powder on a scale after it has been measured by volume.

 

[Sweet98]

glad you posted this as the other day I was just wondering what schmuck has to count out the 115 gr in my 9mm plinkers, LOL