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Like black powder, they were produced in different grain sizes. In the United Kingdom, the finest grain was known as sulfur-free mealed powder (SMP). Coarser grains were numbered as sulfur-free gunpowder (SFG n): 'SFG 12', 'SFG 20', 'SFG 40' and 'SFG 90', for example where the number represents the smallest BSS sieve mesh size, which retained ...
Hodgdon also makes "Triple Seven", a sulfur-free black powder substitute containing potassium perchlorate and 3-Nitrobenzoic acid, and "Black Mag3". [10] These are both more energetic by mass than black powder and can produce higher velocities and pressures.
Because of their similar use, both the original black powder formulation and the smokeless propellant which replaced it are commonly described as gunpowder. The combustion products of smokeless powder are mainly gaseous, compared to around 55% solid products (mostly potassium carbonate , potassium sulfate , and potassium sulfide ) for black ...
Gunpowder, an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate (also known as saltpeter), was the original propellant employed in firearms and fireworks.It was used from about the 10th or 11th century onward, but it had disadvantages, including the large amount of smoke it produced.
This is a timeline of the history of gunpowder and related topics such as weapons, warfare, and industrial applications. The timeline covers the history of gunpowder from the first hints of its origin as a Taoist alchemical product in China until its replacement by smokeless powder in the late 19th century (from 1884 to the present day).
The earliest gunpowder recipe and primitive weaponry date to China's Song dynasty and the oldest extant guns appear in the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. However, historian Tonio Andrade notes that there is a surprising scarcity of reliable evidence of firearms in Iran or Central Asia prior to the late 14th century.
The oldest gun propellant was black powder, a low explosive made from a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. It was invented in China during the 9th century as one of Four Great Inventions, and still remains in occasional use as a solid propellant for antique firearms.
The powder has occasionally been used as a synonym for Serpentine powder, which it physically resembles. [2] 'Mill meal' powder is a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur in the correct proportions (75% potassium nitrate:15% charcoal:10% sulfur) which has been ball-milled to mix it intimately. It is used in the same way as ...