Reloading cartridge

[timmy]

Timnorris, your friend from Nepal was undoubtedly talking about making black powder, which is a mixture of 75% saltpeter (potassium nitrate), 15% charcoal (a carbon source) and 10% sulfur.

The saltpeter is usually obtained by laying down dung in the ground with other materials and covering it with dirt. For instance, during the American Civil War, patriotic ladies of the Confederacy emptied their home chamber pots into saltpeter beds to offset the South's lack of gunpowder by home production of saltpeter.

The mixture of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur is then made into a slurry and allowed to dry. When this cake is broken up, the size of the granules determines the burning rate: the finer grains expose more surface area and thus burn more quickly than larger ones do. One of the reasons that this process was begun was that, in the middle ages, when black powder for military uses was in its infancy, mixtures of these three substances would stratify by vibration when shipped in barrels over rough roads, and this would often create a dangerous situation. So the ingredients were usually shipped separately and mixed on the battlefield -- a cumbersome task. "Corning" the mixture by wetting it and subsequently breaking it up allowed black powder to be shipped more safely, with the added benefit of being able to use the various granulations for different burn rates.

When I was a kid, I would buy jars of sulfur and saltpeter from the local pharmacy and mix this with crushed charcoal used for barbecue grilling here in the USA. I'd wet it and break it, tho I never got this process down very well. The mixture would burn very hot and it is a good thing I never tried packing into a pipe or something, because I surely would have been injured!

Of course, when crushing and/or grinding and mixing these ingredients, any spark can set off a fire or explosion, and a lot of care should be taken. It's easier and safer to buy black powder, and the consistency of the powder is much more assured. (if a given charge of powder varies in the power it produces, there can be no accuracy.)

[Mark]

Anyone interested in blackpowder needs to read this book, Gunpowder by Jack Kelly. It is BY FAR the best history on it:

http://www.troynovant.com/Farrell/Kelly/Gunpowder.html

I've posted this pic before, but to any who wonder I've burned up my share (and continue to do so!) of black powder....

[nagarifle]

how many kegs do you use?

[Prash.44]

Guys.... I was just wondering. Now is a person allowed to import the reloading equipment? The press, carbide die, lube the whole shebang as these are just machinery and not exactly used to mass produce ammo. On any given day i believe a hand loaded ammo in Indian scenario beats KF or the ammo available with the gun dealers.
Also since smokeless powder is not available on the market what is the possibility of bringing the same in baggage or in some other route? Guys am really ignorant to the hand loading scenario so little light on it will help.


P.S: Not taking up Handloading. Just curious.

[TwoRivers]

While ammunition, up to a certain amount, can be carried in baggage, powder has never been allowed to be carried unto airplanes. Not even in the good old days.

[Prash.44]

While ammunition, up to a certain amount, can be carried in baggage, powder has never been allowed to be carried unto airplanes. Not even in the good old days.

So there is no way of getting proper smokeless powder or primer into the country?? :'(

[Vikram]

While ammunition, up to a certain amount, can be carried in baggage, powder has never been allowed to be carried unto airplanes. Not even in the good old days.

So there is no way of getting proper smokeless powder or primer into the country?? :'(

No.Unfortunately.

[hornet]

how and what equipment is required for reloading shotgun shells. pistols how? need your help . thanks . hornet

[nagarifle]

You know Tworivers I knew a person who was from a remote place in Nepal..........................he oce told me that in his native place they used to make their own gun powder out og charcoal and sulphur..........thats what I remember he said...................

start colleting your own urine. it will help in making powder. costs noting

[MoA]

Hornet there is a thread on reloading if you search for it or click on this
Basically you need a press and dies, powder, bullets, and primers, and ofcourse a priming tool and a scale at the minimum.

Prash: The idea of a carbide die is to not use lube. And in anycase, anything from WD 40 to Singer machine oil to motor oil to vaseline can be used. Also handloaded ammo generally will be of better quality than commercial anywhere in the world.