Home-Made Gun Powder

Home-Made Gun Powder-The powder is made from pure granulated sugar and chlorate potassium ground. Sugar must first be boiled in a dish till a little dropped in cold water can be picked up with the fingers, hard, then remove form the fire for a minute before adding the potassium for fear of fire if the dish were hot. Then pass through a fine wire screen to gain and place away to dry in a warm place but not by the stove. The more potash than sugar, stronger powder; or less potash, weaker powder.

The powder must be used only half as much as black in shotguns; in revolvers be careful unless you have a good solid frame gun; for large bored rifles keep below half of black and use metal patched ball as any kind of lead alloy will strip in anything larger than the .44-40 and for high power it gives too much chamber pressure and not enough drive ahead.

This is what I found in using it in the 6mm. Lee rifle in the .45-70, it gave good results with 30 grains, metal bullet and nitro primer; in the .38 Remington it did well with 13 grains in the long special shell with bullet half tin and lead well lubricated; in shotgun, bore 12, as that is what I use, in a 38 inch length, it gave splendid work. Use half as much as black or 50 grains there is only a little smoke, very little report, recoil and little residue but the gun must be well and carefully cleaned to avoid rust. Also, if grain is finer use less, or if coarse use more. But if you increase do so only at one grain at a time; watch the primer and shell for signs of overstrain.

I have used this powder for years with good results, also other kinds of home-made gun cotton powder for the high power without serious results. Better get the Ideal Hand Book if you wish to experiment.

Harding, A.R.. 3001 Questions and Answers. Columbus, Oh: A.R. Harding, 1913.

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