drop tube use

[mherth]

Using a 45-70 with 70 grains (weighed) of powder, for example. If you use the drop tube, the powder will settle somewhat more compactly in the case. Contrast that with just using a funnel on the case mouth to drop in powder. Then using a compression plug to ensure the powder column is the same in both cases, the compression will be a little less in the first instance, but does it really make a difference on the target? At 200 yards I can't discern a difference with 10 rounds of each. Is consistent powder column height more important than amount of compression?

And I've also been comparing weighed versus measured loads and haven't done enough yet to determine if the difference is significant on the target. I've started using an MVA powder measure which I prefer over my Lyman 55.

I don't enjoy reloading and am trying to simplify the process without losing load consistency. I'm limited to 200 yards so maybe the differences show up at longer distances?