In preparing for a shtf scenario in which there was no powder commercially available would you opt for a black powder cartridge (44-40,45-70,45LC, etc) or a smokeless only cartridge such as 30-06,.308, or .223 . Remember you will have to make your own powder either way.
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You forgot the "neither" option, for those who neither reload nor shoot BP guns... like me... LOL!
its a good concept, since i really dont know either way, but i think if you would have to go the route of making your own... i would make other weapons and use more traps or other devices to catch food...
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Im not real knowledgeable about this subject, but, I thought you could use black powder in pretty much any caliber. I know it doesn't work well or at all in semi autos, but in manual feed firearms I thought it worked but just gunked them up faster. Are there certain one's you can't use it in for some reason?
If I was in a situation that long...I'd rely on spears, bows, and clubs before I'd try to make powder. I don't know how and don't want to lose fingers figuring it out.
A argument against using BP (unless you have to) is the same reason people were happy to exchange BP for smokeless...the SMOKE! LOL The smokecloud off a BP round is highly visible to enemies...if there is more then one opponet, the others can quickly zero in on your position.
I think a ML and a supply of BP would be nice to have though...keep the cartridges saved for serious business and use the ML/BP for hunting.
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i'm all for the holy black. charcoal sulfur and saltpeter and you're good to go. you can't get concentrated nitric acid from the great out doors nor can you make those handy powder burn rate buffers yourself.
You need Sulfuric acid, nitric acid, cotton, and a glass bowl to make a crude smokeless powder.
You need Charcoal, Sulfur, saltpeter, and a ball-mill to make Blackpowder.
I've heard 3-2-2 is a good mix for BP, once again- the ball-mill is the key.
It can be a coffee-can spun by hand with marbles in it, or a fancy store bought $3000 one that runs by a 2-cycle motor.
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How To Make Smokeless Gunpowder:
This is a simple way to make smokeless gunpowder.
1.Boil cotton for 30 minutes, in a 2 percent solution of sodium
hydroxide.
2.Wash the cotton in hot water and allow it to dry.
3.Mix slowly and carefully at 25 degrees Centigrade, 250 cc. of
concentrated sulfuric acid, 150 cc. of concentrated nitric acid, and 20 cc of
water. They must be kept at 25 degrees C.
4.Next place the dried cotton in the acid solution, and stir well with
either a glass or porcelain rod (do not use metal). This should be done for 35
minutes.
5.After nitration, the acids are washed away, and the cotton is washed
in boiling water five times, each time for 25 minutes. The cotton is given
several tests with litmus paper. If litmus test proves that there is still
some acid present, a 2 percent solution of sodium bicarbonate should
neutralize whatever is left. This is important, since any remaining acid acts
as an impurity to make the explosive more unstable.
Given that I don't have reloading equipment, I will go for BP. All the reloading I need involves pouring the powder into a tube - which I am generally capable of doing with orangutan like skill.
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