Home Made Blackpowder

[40mmHEDP]

OK,

I have seen this come up several times on the net. Usually a bunch of people chime in and say how stupid it is and what a risk it is to make your own black powder. It's usually followed by "Besides the quality of BP you could make at home is not worth it"

I have a little different take on it. I think of it as a skill you would be foolish not to learn if possible and if done properly it's no less safe than using store bought BP.

For those who think the quality is un-suitable for firearms use I can tell you that is not true.

I use my homemade stuff in shotshells, 45 Colt and 45-70 with great success and besides it's more fun.

Here is a shot of a recent batch.. Anybody else out there making your own?

[RetVet]

I think that's pretty cool. Having the latest batch displayed on Fred's ShotgunNews page is even more appropriate. A skill that may come in handy someday in the not so distant future.

[Karl/PA]

Interesting. How does it grade out? f, ff ? It looks coarse.

[40mmHEDP]

The next step after this picture is to screen it out to different sizes. I used to do this but anymore I just dip the scooper into it and get a little mixture. My stuff tends to burn toward the fast end. I use it as if it was fffg.

[5knives]

Ever notice how most brands of Black Powder go off the market every few years?

Because the facility blew up?

Either you live in a house designed to blow up. Strong walls, weak roof is one approach the other is a light weight tacked together "breakaway" building, which do you have?

You can make a fortune by jusr sharing your accident proof Black Powder manufacturing and milling techniques with the major manufacturers. They'd really like to know how to do that.

Too many pitfalls to bother going into, most of our older members know them. You have apparently chosen to pretend they don't exist.

Why does this post remind of the old lame story about the guy who jumps off the top of the Empire State Building, on a bet, and as he passsed the third story window was heard to remark; "

Okay so far!"

BTW, who holds your beer while you do this?

In plain English .... do your self a favor and quite fooling with homemade black powder, guncotton, picric acid, match heads, mercury iodide, home made C-4, boiling dynamite to skim off the nitro and all the hundreds of other ways people manage to lose hands, eyes and occasionally their lives every year.

Please!

[aviator]

Good job, I hope your homeowners insurance covers explosions.

Listen to 5Knives please, he is always right, as much as some of us hate that but he is.

Making your own is too dangerous to do at home, I personally know a guy who didn't make it because of all the bad burns he had.....while mixing the powder.

[Pogo]

I would consider making an ounce or so just for the sake of knowing that I could make it if there were no other source available for gun powder, Any larger amount than that is just asking for trouble. A person can only walk that tight rope so long before having a disaster occur.

[Preacher]

Originally Posted by Pogo

I would consider making an ounce or so just for the sake of knowing that I could make it if there were no other source available for gun powder, Any larger amount than that is just asking for trouble. A person can only walk that tight rope so long before having a disaster occur.

That's my feeling as well. One of these days we may not be able to get it unless we make our own. Knowledge is never bad.

[Gus]

Originally Posted by Pogo

I would consider making an ounce or so just for the sake of knowing that I could make it if there were no other source available for gun powder, Any larger amount than that is just asking for trouble. A person can only walk that tight rope so long before having a disaster occur.

I feel this way also ... I'd like to know how just in case.

I also know 5Knives is dead on ... one time when I was in Deleware I took a tour of the old Dupont powder plant along the Brandywine river. The mills were set up one mile from the next, their were a lot on them all spaced one mile apart along the river. They all had a blowout weak wall on the river side so when they blew the debris and employee went out the weak wall, this minimized the rebuilding of the mill. They said the way family members were told of the mishaps was to say "old charley crossed the river today". It wasn't like the family didn't know someone got killed as all Dupont employees and family lived on Dupont property. The Dupont mansion set a top a hill about a half a mile from one of the mills, when that mill exploded the concussion cracked the granite used to build the mansion on a couple walls and they claim drove one of the Dupont fe-males :nuts

[Moon]

I gotta give you the credit for making your own black powder. That is really cool, I get a kick out of people that can do this sort of thing on their own. With all that being said...

You really should be careful with that shit. I knew a kid a hundred years ago that nearly blew himself up with a home-made mortar. What a иigger'd up mess that was.

[scheistermeister]

5Knives,

You ever hear of the story of the only person to survive execution by guillotine?

He survived the first time threw then as a stunt to make money and sort-a on a bet he voluntarily did it again... This time luck wasn't on his side.

[fuzzy]

you got to be crazy to be making it at home. if your lucky when it does go.it will be a small batch. i guess i don't have to say "keep your powder dry"

[9teen11]

we, as kids, used to make it. i would not do it now but it is nice to know that if needs be...

[HorseSoldier176]

I would like to know how, but I agree that for safety reasons, you need to force your libturd servants to make it for you, out in the shed. That way, if worst, comes to worst, only the libs get killed!

[Sanders]

That's a good skill to know. I have the knowledge, but never put it to use, so it never became a skill.