"Black Powder"
From Russ Chastain,
Your Guide to Hunting / Shooting.
Definition: Black powder was simply gunpowder, back in the days when it was the only
propellant suitable for use in guns. It is a mixture of potassium nitrate, sulfur, and char
coal. This type of powder is very traditional when it comes to muzzleloading guns, but
is becoming harder to find due to governmental interference with black powder dealers.
It began to be phased out in the late 1800s, when so-called smokeless powders were
developed.
Black powder is inherently dangerous if mishandled, and great care must be taken to
store and handle it in such a way as to avoid static electricity of all kinds, as well as all
other sources of sparks or flames.
One thing that sets it apart from modern propellant powders is that it will flash in the
open, i.e. if flame or spark is applied to a quantity of black powder lying in the open, it
will burn POOF! with a flash, and be done.
When it burns, black powder produces a sulphurous odor, leaves corrosive residue in
a gun's barrel, and produces a thick white smoke.
Modern "smokeless" powder, on the other hand, generally burns rather than flashing
when it's not contained, and as a rule produces little or no smoke. Modern powders are
non-corrosive, produce less fouling, and produce a much less pronounced odor than
black powder.
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