Ask A Firearms Question:
What’s the Difference between Gun Powder, Black Powder, and Smokeless Powder?
Thank you Baghdad Willy.
Answer:
Blog Administrator -
See the full explanation below.
Gunpowder:
Invented
by the Chinese, also known since the late 19th century as black
powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until
the mid-1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium
nitrate (saltpeter). The sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while
the saltpeter works as an oxidizer.
The
formula for basic Gunpowder is as follows:
75%
saltpeter (5 parts)
15%
softwood charcoal (1 part)
10%
sulfur (2/3 of 1 part)
These
ratios have varied over the centuries and by country, and can be
altered somewhat depending on the purpose of the powder. For
instance, power grades of black powder, unsuitable for use in
firearms but adequate for blasting rock in quarrying operations, is
called blasting powder rather than gunpowder with standard
proportions of 70% nitrate, 14% charcoal, and 16% sulfur; blasting
powder may be made with the cheaper sodium
nitrate
substituted for potassium nitrate and proportions may be as low as
40% nitrate, 30% charcoal, and 30% sulfur.
Black
Powder:
Improvements
were made my DuPont around 1863 and changed the formula of gunpowder
used in ammunition and explosives due to the high cost of importing
saltpeter.
Chemists
developed a process using potash or mined potassium chloride to
convert plentiful sodium nitrate to potassium nitrate. This process
was sensitive to things like moisture, humidity, and conversion and
the process had to be tightly controlled to get a quality product.
The
term black
powder
was coined in the late 19th century, primarily in the United States,
to distinguish prior gunpowder formulations from the new smokeless
powders and semi-smokeless powders.
Black
Powder continued to be refined by grades through 1970 for use in
replica firearms.
Smokeless
Powder:
In
1911 DuPont developed semi-smokeless powder for Winchester for the
use in 22 and 32 caliber firearms. This was known as Lesmok
Powder.
The
development of modern smokeless powders is the name given to a number
of propellants used in firearms and artillery which produce
negligible smoke when fired, unlike black powder which they replaced.
Smokeless
powder can only be produced as a pelletized
or
extruded
granular material. Alfred Nobel invented a smokeless propellent
called
ballistite.
It was composed of 10% camphor,
45% nitroglycerine,
and 45% collodion (nitrocellulose). Over time the camphor tended to
evaporate, leaving an unstable explosive, known
commonly as dynamite.
Unlike
basic gunpowder invented by the Chinese, modern smokeless gunpowder
formulas vary depending on use: Firearms, Artillery, or TNT.
Making
modern smokeless powder is very dangerous and requires controlled
environments, knowledge of explosives and chemistry.
Important
Safety Note: If you are reloading your own ammo, buy the recommended
smokeless powder and primers for the type of caliber or gauge your
are making.
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