Frankford Arsenal Powder Funnel Kit

By Dr. Jim and Mary Clary

Frankford Arsenal Powder Funnel Kit
Illustration courtesy of Frankford Arsenal

If you have a turret press or volumetric powder thrower, you might decide that you do not need this very useful tool kit. You would be wrong. For precise reloads every time, one needs to weigh out each charge before filling your case. Just ask any competitive shooter or hunter who demands the best performance from their reloads.

Weighing out your charges is relatively easy these days, given the introduction of low-priced reliable digital scales, such as the F.A. DS750 scale. However, more on powder scales in a future article.

A common problem in pouring powder into a case is spillage. Even the most experienced reloader has misaligned the funnel with the case neck and had to start over. The problem is that the funnel necks are not made to properly fit all of the neck sizes/calibers on the market today.

When Jim saw the F.A. Powder Funnel Kit, he had to try it. We reload rifle and pistol calibers from .22 up to .45. Our existing funnels give us the most problems with our pistol calibers, as there is not much room to hold the case under the funnel and get it positioned properly. Add in the time to remove a case from the loading block, hold it under the funnel, pour in the powder and return the case to the loading block and one adds considerably to the time necessary to reload cases. This kit eliminates having to remove the cases from the loading block, therefore reducing case handling.

Fifty years ago, this kit would not have been possible; however, with the development of injection molding, it was relatively easy for Frankford to produce funnel nozzles to fit every caliber on the market. I can only guess how much powder and time this handy kit would have saved me over the past half century, but it would have been a lot.

The funnel appears like any other on the market, except the neck is designed to accept the caliber-specific nozzles included in the kit. These nozzles fit securely into the neck of the funnel and seal with an O-ring. As the picture illustrates, you simply select the correct nozzle for the caliber you are reloading, push it into the neck of the funnel, place the funnel over the case neck of the cartridge (still in the reloading block) and pour in the powder. Then go to the next case and repeat the process. No spillage, no handling of the cases and less time required for reloading.

The Frankford Arsenal Powder Funnel Kit comes with 16 nozzles from .17 caliber up to .50 caliber, a drop-tube extension, funnel and carrying case for the nozzles. Each nozzle is etched for its specific caliber and the case has a picture index that makes finding the appropriate nozzle easy. If you only reload two or three calibers, this handy kit is a great time-saver. If you reload lots of calibers, like the Clarys, this is a must have.

With a 2013 MSRP of $24.99, the kit is not cheap. However, given the time saved and virtual elimination of powder spillage, it is well worth the price. We are keeping this one!




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Copyright 2013 by Jim Clary and/or chuckhawks.com. All rights reserved.


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