VARIATIONS

  Chapter 3 shows how to make a 12 gauge shotgun from 3/4" pipe. Other gauges 
and calibers lend themselves to similar treatment. Below is a chart which 
gives the actual inside diameter (ID) and outside diameter of standard pipe
sizes.
  Back in Grandpa's day, 1/8" pipe had, approximately, a 1/8" ID, 1/4" pipe
has a 1/4" ID, and so forth. For reasons we need not elaborate  here, the
nominal pipe size no longer corresponds to the ID size, ID's, Od's and wall
thicknesses have been standardized, however, and are shown in the chart
below. The OD is constant for all wall thicknesses of any given size.
  Wall thickness designation of Standard, Extra-Strong, and Double
Extra-Strong have been used commercially for many years. "Standard" is what
you will no doubt find in the local hardware store. You will have to go to a
plumbing supply house for the heavier designations. Standard is also called
Schedule 40. Extra-Strong is also called Schedule 80. And Double Extra-Strong
is also called Schedule 160. There is no apparent logic to much of this. It's
just the way things are.

American National Standard Dimensions of Welded and Seamless Wrought Steel
Pipe
____   ____   _______   ___   ____   _______   ___   ____   ________   __
    \ /    \Schedule 40/   \ /    \Schedule 80/   \ /    \Schedule 160/  \
Size |    OD|  Wall   |ID   |    OD|   Wall  |ID   |    OD|  Wall    |ID  |
____/X\_____|Thickness|____/_\_____|Thickness|____/X\_____|Thickness |    |
    \X/     |         |    \ /     |         |    \X/     |          |    |
1/8" |  .405|  .068   | .269|  .405|  .095   |.215 |      |   N/A    |    |
1/4" |  .540|  .088   | .364|  .540|  .119   |.302 |      |   N/A    |    |
3/8" |  .675|  .091   | .493|  .675|  .126   |.423 |      |   N/A    |    |
1/2" |  .840|  .109   | .622|  .840|  .147   |.546 |  .840|  .188    |.464|
3/4" | 1.050|  .113   | .824| 1.050|  .154   |.742 | 1.050|  .219    |.612|
1"   | 1.315|  .133   |1.049| 1.315|  .179   |.957 | 1.315|  .250    |.815|
____/ \____/ \_______/ \___/ \____/ \_______/ \___/ \____/ \________/ \__/

  A wod seems to be in order about the word nominal. As you can see from the 
above chart, nothing about so-called 1/4" pipe is actually 1/4" --not the 
outside diameter or the inside diameter or any charchteristic. In fact, 1/4" 
is the "nominal" dimension only. Nominal means "for talking purposes." When 
you go to the hardware store and ask for 1/4" pipe, the salesman knows what 
you mean, and you know what you mean, and you walk out of the store some 
so-called 1/4" pipe under your arm. But 1/4" is the nominal dimension only, 
nothing about the pipe actually measures 1/4".
  The other concept you need to understand is that of "tolerance". Nothing in
the world is manufactured to the dimension called for in the blue print
(except by accident). Nothing.
  Perhaps the room you're sitting in as you read this is 12 feet square. Is
that the inside or the outside dimension? If you measure at floor level you
have to account for the thickness of the baseboard. My point is, the 12-foot
dimension is only the nominal dimension. The actual dimension is 12' plus or
minus some amount. The "plus or minus" factor is the tolerance.
  When 1/4" pipe is manufactured, it is supposed to made with an inside
dimension of .364 inches. But of course it never measures that exact amount.
The alloy of the metal caries slightly from lot to lot. The tooling with
which the pipe is made weare one week to the next. The speed with which
diffrent operators run the equipment varies. These factors are called
"variables." And, as they change, the inside dimensons of the pipe changes.
  The point is this. You are using water pipe for a gun barrel. Water pipe is
made with sloppier tolerences than those used for manufacturing gun barrels.
The dimensions given in the above chats will be approximately the same as the
piece of pipe you actually purchase--the operative word is "approximately."
  Striaght-sided shells with rims will work the easiest in homemade
firearms. Below is a listing of straight-sided rimmed shells. The diameters
can be compared to the pipe dimensions given above.
________________________________   Based on the charts to the left, a .22
              Rifles            \  rimfire cartridge would fit in 1/8"
                                 | Schedule 40. In fact, as the diameters
Caliber     Bullet   Shell    Rim| are the same, .22 short, .22 long and .22
           Diameter    OD      OD| Magnum could all be fired in a gun made
.22 Rimfire  .224     .244   .272| from such pipe.
.375 Win.    .375 .418-.400* .506| In the case of a rimfire it is the rim,
.444 Marlin  .429 .470-.453* .514| not a primer, which must be crushed to
.45-70 Govt. .458 .505-.480* .608| cause ignition. For the firing pin to
                                   contact the rim, it must be located off
             Pistols               center in the breech plug. When the
                                   breech plug is screwed into the collar,
.38 Super    .355     .380   .406| the  firing  pin  may  end  up  in  the
.38 S & W    .357     .380   .440| 6 o'clock position, the 12 o'clock
.38 Special  .358     .379   .440| position, or some intermediate position.
.357 Magnum  .358     .379   .440| The hammer must be wide enough to contact
.41 Magnum   .410     .434   .488| the firing pin in whatever position it is
.44 Special  .433     .456   .514| presented.
.44 Magnum   .433     .456   .514|   A .38 S&W, .38 Special and .357 Magnum
.45 Auto Rim .454 .476-.472* .516| all have bullet diameters that will fit
.45 Colt     .454     .480   .512| in 1/4" schedule 40 pipe. However, in
                                   each case the pipe must be drilled out to
             ShotGuns              accept the diameter of the shell casing.
                                   A 25/64" fractional drill or a letter
12 Gauge      _-_     .812   .875| size W drill are the bit sizes to use.
16 Gauge     _-_-_    .750   .812| Drill [into the pipe from the front face]
20 Gauge   _-_-_-_-_  .703   .766| to a depth of 1 1/4"
.410 Bore      -      .478   .531|   A .41 Magnum bullet will fit in 3/8"
* Indicates Taper________________| Schedule 80 pipe. The pipe must be
                                   drilled out to accept the shell casing.
Use a 7/16" bit and drill to a depth of 1 1/4".
  (With some calibers, the bullet diameter will fit in the pipe but the shell
diameter will not. The necessary clearance can be obtained by drilling out
the pipe ID to the appropriate diameter and depth.)
  The .375 winchester will fit in 3/8" schedule 80 pipe. No drilling is
necessary.
  The .44 Special, .44 Magnum, .45 Auto Rim, .45 Colt, and .410 bore shotgun
will all fit 3/8" schedule 80 pipe. No drilling.
  The .45-70 Govt. bullet will fit in 3/8" schedule 40 pipe and in 1/2"
schedule 160 pipe. both pipe sizes require drilling to a depth of 2 1/8" for
shell casing clearance.
  the .35 Remington is a necked cartridge which will fit in 3/8" Schedule 80
pipe with a bit of drilling. Drill with a 15/32" bit to a depth of just over
1 9/16". The depth is fairly critical but is best determined by trial and
error. It is critical because the shell is rimless and wil be held in place
by the sholder instead of by a rim.

                     Straight Necked Rimless Shells
  Several shells have straight sides and would lend themselves to the type of
firearm described in Chapter 3 except that they lack rims. "Rims" can be
added however, by the use of retaining rings. It may be necessary to file off
part of the reaining retaining rings "ear" to obtain the clearance within the
guns collar.
  The .30 M1 Carbine and the .32 Auto are bot straightsided shells that will
fir into 1/4" Schedule 40 pipe. They are both rimless, but a 3/8 retaining
ring can be used to solve that problem.
  The bullet of the .380 ACP and of the 9mm Parabellum will fit in 1/4"
schedule 40 pipe. In both instances the pipe must be drilled out with a
13/32" bit to a depth of one inch to accepth the shell casing. Use 3/8"
retaining rings to create rims.
  The .45 ACP and the .45 Winchester Magnum will fit in 3/8" Schedule 40
pipe. No drilling is required. Use 1/2" retaining rings for rims.
  Retaining rings and the special pliers with which to install and remove
them can be obtained at an automotive supply store. The sizes indicated here
can actually be put on with the fingers and do not require special pliers
(assuming you have fairly strong fingers, of course).

                             Necked Cartridges

  By employing pipe reducers it is possible to use necked cartridges in the 
type of firearm described in Chapter 3. The neck rather than the rim holds 
the cartridge in place. Therefore, retainging rings are not necessary even on 
rimless shells. Because gapes are inevitable between the cartridge and the
chamber holding it, many broken shell cases and extraction problems should be
expected.

[Description of Figure 4-4]
  [Use adapters for necked cartridges. The breech plug screws into the
collar. A nipple must be cut to custom length for each caliber and shell
size. It attaches the collar to the pipe reducer. A kind of headspace forms
where the reduction in the inner diameter takes place, where a potential
blowout of the shell casing can occur. The cartridge goes inside of the
nipple and the pipe reducer, and the bullet is inside the barrel]

  The following directions deal with diameters, not lengths. It is suggested 
that the nipple be 3" long to start, sawn to approximate length, and filed to 
finish length -- being assembled and disassembled as needed for trial 
measurements, each step of the way. In each case, the collar and plug
required is the same nominal size as the large end of the reducer.

For .22 Hornet and .22K Hornet (pistol shell): use 1/8" Schedule 40 pipe for 
barrel; 1/4" Schedule 80 nipple" and a 1/4" to 1/8" reducer.

For .222, .222 Remington Magnum, .223, .221 Remington Fireball (pistol 
shell): use 1/8" Schedule 40 pipe for barrel; 1/4" Schedule 40 nipple drilled 
out with a 25/64" fractional or letter size W bit; and a 1/4" to 1/8" 
reducer.

For .22 PPC, 6mm PPC, .220 Swift: use 1/8" Schedule 40 pipe for barrel; 3/8" 
Schedule 80 nipple drilled out to 29/64"; and a 3/8" to 1/8" reducer.

For .225 Wincherster: use 1/8" Schedule 40 pipe for barrel; 3/8" Schedule 80 
nipple; and a 3/8" to 1/8" reducer.

For .22-250: use 1/8" Schedule 40 pipe for barrel; 3/8" Schedule 80 nipple 
drilled out to 15/32"; and a 3/8" to 1/4" reducer.

For .250 Savage: use 1/4" Schedule 80 pipe for barrel; 3/8" Schedule 80 
nipple drilled out to 15/32"; and a 3/8" to 1/4" reducer.

For .257 Roberts, .25-06 Remington, and 6.5 x 55mm: use 1/4" Schedule 80 pipe 
for barrel; 3/8" Schedule 80 nipple drilled out to 31/64"; and a 3/8" to 1/4" 
reducer.

For .270 Winchester, 7 x 57mm Mauser, 7mm Express Remington (.280 Rem.): Use 
1/4" Schedule 40 pipe for barrel; 3/8" Schedule 40 nipple; and a 3/8" to 1/4" 
reducer. (Noter: the .270 Winchester is a sloppy fit and I recommend against 
using it unless a small powder charge is employed. The bullet can be pulled 
from a factory loaded shell, for example, half the powder removed and the 
bullet re-installed in the shell.)

For .284 Winchester: use 1/4" Schedule 40 pipe for barrel; 3/8" Schedule 40 
nipple drilled out to 33/64"; and a 3/8" to 1/4" reducer.

For .30-30, .32 Winchester Special, and a .30 Herrett (pistol shell): use 
1/4" Schedule 40 pipe for barrel; 3/8" Schedule 80 nipple; and a 3/8" to 1/4" 
reducer.

For .303 British: Use a 1/4" Schedule 40 pipe for barrel; 3/8" Schedule 80 
nipple drilled out to 13/32"; and a 3/8" to 1/4" reducer.

                             A Double Barrel
  A quick follow-up shot is often nearly as valuable to a hunter as the
firearm itself. The single shot shown in Chapter 3 can be converted to a
double barrel with some rework.
  The second barrel is mounted on top of the first barrel. The two barrels
are fastened together by a short portion of bolt, threaded on both ends,
connecting the two collars. To give the bolt, which I am terming a "lug", as
much seating dpeth as possible, it is necessary to grind a flat spot on the
threads of each barrel, thereby creating clearance for each end of the lug.
Doing so makes for much trail assembly, disassembly, and re-assembly.
The Steps Follow:
  1. On a single shot already constructed, mark the colla with a prick punch
where the connecting lug is to fasten. The second barrel is to be on top,
remember.
  2. Remonce the collar from the single shot. Drill and tap for the
connecting lug.
  3. Re-assemble the collar and barrel so that the shell is seated properly.
  4. Mark the barrel threads with a prick punch where a flat spot is to be
ground on the barrel threads.
  5. Again disassemble the collar and barrel and grind a flat spot on the
barrel threads. Another way to create clearance for the end of the connecting
lugs is to use a large diameter bit and drill a shallow countersink hole.
  6. Reassemble the barrel and collar so that the shell is seated properly
and so that the tapped lug hole lines up with the flat spot.
  7. Make a second barrel-collar-breech plug assembly in which a shell can
be properly seated.
  8. Mard, drill, and tap a lug hole; then disassemble and grind clearance
for the end  of the lug, similar to what was done on the first barrel.
  9. Re-assemble the secon barrel and collar, making sure the sheel seats
properly and that the lug hole lines up with the flat spot.
  10. Measure and cut a lug. Collar thicknesses cary, so no single dimension
can be given. Cut a little over long then disassemble and reassemble as
necessary, trimming the lug length as appropriate.
  11. Assemble the second barrel to the gun, on top of the other.
  12. Cut and drill a piece of hardwood with holes to hold the barrel at the
muzzle end. The distance between the two holes equals the thickness of the
two collars at the rear end of the barrels. When drilling the barrel holes,
back up the hardwood being drilled with a piece of scrap to prevent
splitting. Drill two small holes for wood screws to fasten into the end of
the foregrip.
  13. Insert both barrels through the hardwood and fasten into the end of the
foregrip with ONE screw. That screw acs as a pivot and you can wiggle the
barrels back and forth until they are properly aligned (parallel). Then, put
in the second screw.
  14. The next step is to make a hammer for the second barrel. Install a
longer pivot pin, install both hammers on the same pin, and space them with
washers as needed. Attach a spring to drive the second hammer on the opposite
side of the gun from the spring which drives the first hammer.


            ||||[I==============||===============//
            ||||[I===========||=||===============\\
                 I_______    |. |.               //
                         \________               \\
                                  \______________//___

The Hardwood "I
              I
              I" is described above. Saw off a 1/4" or so of a collar and
use for a retaining nut "[", screwed onto the threads "||||" of the barrel.
metal straps "||
              |." are used to fasten the barrel down to the stock as well as
around the hardwood barrel holder (not shown on illustration.)

                            A Muzzle Loader

  A muzzle loader has several things to recommend it. For one thing, all 
cartridge-type guns revolve around one thing--The cartridge. This textfile 
describes how to make gunpowder and primers and guns themselves. But is 
assumes you have at the very least one empty shell casing which to reload.
  And if you do have an empty shell casing--the heart of the whole affair--
then you need a bullet the right size, a primer the right size, a gun barrel
the right diameter, and a gun with the right sized chamber to hold the shell.
All this can be sidestepped with a muzzle loader. The price you pay for
increased simplicity is slower repeat shots.
  I recommend against building a muzzle loader from pipe with over a 1/2"
bore. It seems to me that in large diameters the thickness of the endcap is
too thin, relatice to the area of the bore it must bridge, to be completely
safe. Remember, test fire everything by remoth firing before hand-held
firing!
  To create a muzzle loader, instead of using the collar and breech plug
arrangement shown in Chapter 3, simply screw the collar further onto the
barrel and cap off the breech end of the barrel.
  Next, drill a hole in the centor of the cap, tap it for threads, and
install the nipple Directions for making a nipple are given below. The nipple
is hollow and holds a percussion cap. Chapter describes how a percussion gun
works.
  SAFETY ITEM: A factory-made mezzle loader has the nipple mounted on the
side of the barrel. Even so, I have been hit in the eye with fragments from
an exploding percussuin can and it is NOT pleasant. The design here puts the
shooter's eye even closer to the cap. Wear safety glasses when shooting this
arm!
  Size 11 caps are the most common and the easiest to obtain. One company,
incidently, sells the Forster Tap-O-Cap for about $15. With it, you can make
your own size 11 caps from beer cans. They can be charged, according to the
advertising, with toy gun caps, and make " a cap that is sperior to anything
you have ever used.
  The nipple which holds the cap is threded on one end to screw into the
breech of the gun. The tap size needed for the most common nipple is 1/4 by
28NF. The correct drill size to use is a Number 3. The closest fractional
drill size is 13/64".
  A homemade nipple can be produced from a 40d nail. Saf off the point of
the nail, drill out the center with a 1/16" drill, cut to length, screw the
nipple into the pipe cap which can then be used as a holder, and grind the
end of the nipple until a number 11 cap is accepter.
  To load a muzzle loading shotgun, first pour the gunpowder down the
barrel. Follolw this with a wad of newspaper, tamping in place with a
slender dowel (ramrod). Just like tamping dynamite, don't lean over the
ramrod while tamping. In case of an accident, you don't want to be speared
by the ramrod.
  Next, pour in the shot or shot substitute (stones, BB's, ball bearings,
peices of nail, peices of fishing sinker, etc.) The muzzle is held pointed
shywards through this operation, of course, so that the shot doesn't run out
on the ground. Last, insert another wad over the shot to hold it in place.
Tamp this second wad in place with a ramrod.
  The principle to be observed is that the wad over the powder is thick and
the wad over the shot is thin-- just enough to hold the shot in place. Too
thick an over-shot wad will distort the pattern. How thick a wad over the
powder? The spaces taken up by the wad and the shot should be equal.
  Carefully test fire you muzzle loader by remote before hand firing. Test
the actual combination of powder, wad, and shot you plan to use in the field
and then DO NOT EXCEED what you have tested! Increasing the amount of shot,
for example, will increase the pressure which builds up inside the gun
(perhaps to dangerous levels) even if no additional gunpowder is used.
  An even better way of testing is to double the normal powder charge and
double the amount of shot used. The nipple can be removed and a fuse
employed to ignite the test charge. Directions for making a fuse are given
below.
  A patched ball can be fired instead of shot. This is the muzzle loading
equivalent of a shotgun slug. If I remember my Revolutionary War history
correctly, smoothbore muskets firing patched balls were reasonably accurate
to nearly a hundred yards.
  A lead ball is needed which is slightly smaller in diameter that the bore
of the gun. The powder charge is first poured down the barrel, then a
greased cloth patch is draped across the muzzle. The lead ball is laid on
the patch and pushed into the bore until it is flush with the muzzle. The
fit should be snug, not overly tight. The excess of cloth is cut off flush
with the muzzle. Lastly, the ball is pushed down the barrel with a ramrod
and seated on the powder charge. The patch acts as a gasket and holds the
gases produced by the gunpowder behind the ball.
  When a patched ball is loaded in a muzzle loader, the space required in
the bore of the gun is the diameter of the ball pluce TWICE the thickness of
the cloth patch. Ordinary patches sold for use in muzzle loaders are about
.015" in thickness. Many diffrent sizes of balls and molds to make balls are
offered for sale. Ball plus patch dimensions can be compared to the pipe
dimensions given at the beginning of this chapter.

                                  FUSES

  A muzzle loader can be test fired by removing the nipple and inserting a
fuse. This means that the barrel end cap assembly can be tested for
sufficient strength before the gun is even assembled. An old tire can be
used to hold the unstocked barrel during this procedure. [Place the nipple
end of the barrel inside the tire with the muzzle end above the other side
pointed in a harmless direction.
  A fuse can be made by soaking a length of string in a mixture of gunpowder
and water, then letting the string thoroughly dry. Any of the gunpowder
recipies given in Chapter 5 will work fine. A teaspoon of hot water, a
teaspoon of gunpowder and a length of string are all you need. Factory made
gunpowder will not dissolve in water, however.
  Such a fuse works well only when totally dry. As the gunpowder recipes
given in Chapter 5 tend to absorb moisture from the atmosphere, it is
necessary to dry the fuse carefully and store it in a waterproof container
such as a waterproof matchbox.
  To waterproof the fuse, it can be dipped in wak. Common paraffin is
brittle when cold, however, and will flake off. There is a product called
DUXWAX on the market which stays reasonably flexible even when cold. Its
purpose is to clean the feathers from poultry and ducks. It is sold by
Carabela's                            Stromberg's
812 13th Ave.             and by      [Hick Ass Minnesota has no St. Add.]
Sidney, Nebraska 69160                Pine River, Minnesota 56474

  Homemade fuses vary widely in how fast they burn. Play it safe. Always
test a length of fuse and calculate the rate of burn, then use enough fuse
to give yourself plenty of time to get to safety.
  A heavy piece of yarn will make a more reliable fuse that a lightweight
piece of string. Although the string will burn fine in the open air,
wherever it touches another object it tends to go out. The object it touches
acts as a heat sink and absorbs so much heat, in relation to what the fuse
produces, that the temperature drops to below kindling point and the fuse
sputters out.
  A heavier fuse produces more heat and helps overcome this tendency. Only
experimentation will tell you what works and what doesn't. The heat sink
principle is especially worrisome at the point where the fuse enters the gun
itself. If it goes out anyplace, it will probably be there.
  If a fuse misfires, don't run over immediately and poke around to see what
went wrong. Wait five minutes before investigating, just as you would with
any misfire. One more time: Be Careful!
  Homemade fuse are temperamental at best. If at all possible, use a factory
made fuse. The standard size is 3/32", and is waterproof [This is the green
stuff you can buy at Old West Gun's or wherever, and usually find sticking
out of M-1000's.] Such fuse is usedd by rocketry and firecracker buffs and
are available from Pioneer Industries. See Chapter 6 for the address.

                              Wooden Guns

  We tend to associate firearms with the iron age, thinking that only a
metal barrel could withstad the "explosive" force of gunpowder. I have seen
published directions, however, [TAP's NOTE: I Have these, and you should see
them by 6/91] describing how to make a .22 caliber zip gun entirely from
wood--barrel and all. Admittedly, the barrel was wrapped with wire for
reinforcement, but it was only a 1" square piece of hardwood to start with.
  I can envision an extremely primative firearm that employs no metal
whatsoever. The barrel could be made from a drilled out baseball bat. All
wooden bats are seasoned hardwood, but hickory is the toughest and would be
the best choice.
  Instead of wrapping with wire for reinforcement, it could be wrapped with
rawhide. I understand that woodchuck hide is one of the toughtest leathers
going. It's recommednded for shoestrings, for example.
  To make rawhide from woodchuck hide, first skin the chuck, then scrape all
the fat from the hide, remove the hair as described below, and cut in a
long, continuous strip. Soak it in water overnight, wind tightly around the
wooden barrel while wet, and allow to dry and shrink in place.
  To remove hair from a hide, cover the hair with a 2" thick layer of wood
ashes, dampen with water (the water and ashes react to produce lye) and roll
the hide up tightly, hair side in. Cover it with wet cloths and leave for
four days, then unroll it and scrape off the hair.
  A wooden barrel thus drilled out and wrapped with rawhide, loaded as a
muzzle loader, firing stones for shot, and set off with a fuse would be a
firearm employing no metal at all.
  Just an intresting idea. I'm not recommending it, but I don't see why it
wouldn't work. Aborigines could have used firearms if they had gunpowder.
Such a weapon would be immune from metal detectors. The only problem I
forsee is getting the target to stand still ong enough to get a shot off.

                                  ->5<-
                                Gunpowder

  When most of us think of gunpowder, and especially homemade gunpowder, we 
think of old-fashioned black powder. We don't realize that black powder was 
called "black" because there were white powders on the market.
  Black powder (and white powder, too) was very corrosive to stell, whereas
modern, foctory-made gunpowders are not. It is for this reason that factory-
made powders, produced from fairly exotic and dangerous material, have
replaced the old-time powders.
  But from a performance point of view, black powder worked quite well in
firearms. And so did many of its competitors or substitutes. What I'm
providing in this chapter are five super-simple gunpowder recipes. No
knowledge of chemistry is required, but, as always, I do urge you to follow
the directions, and be careful.

                           How Gunpowder Works
  The three states of matter are solid, liquid, and gas. [actually there is a
fourth known as plasma, but that is unimportant]. Many solids will turn into
a gaseous state if heated sufficiently. As a gas, they take up more room than
they do as a compressed, concentrated solid.
  So it is with gunpowder. It is turned into a gas by its own burning. It
contains a combustible substance (fuel) and an "oxidizer" which supplies
oxygen to the combustion process.
  As the gunpowder turns into gas it needs room to expand and so pushes the
bullet down the gun barrel ahead of itself. With old-fashioned black powder,
only about half the powder turned to gas. The other half remained solid and
was seen as smoke particles. With modern, "smokeless" powders, nearly all the
powder turns to gas. That is why smokeless powder is more powerful than
black.
  The difference between a low explosive and a high explosive is the length
of time it takes for the solid to turn into a gas. With a low explosive (used
in guns), the burning rate is slow enough that the bullet is forced to move
down the barrel ahead of the expanding gas.
  On the other hand, if a rifle cartridge were accidentally loaded with a
high explosive (as used in bombs), the burning powder would expand SO FAST
that the bullet wouldn't be able to get out of the way and the gun would
explode.  The high explosive powder would change from a solid to a gaseous
state much too fast to be either safe or useful in firearms.
  The recipes in this chapter make slow burning, low explosives and, in this
sense, are safe gunpowder substitutes.

                              Black Powder

  Black powder, brought to the attention of the World in the 1200's by Roger 
Bacon, is the grandaddy of them all. The recipe is simple, but manufacture on 
a home scale is not. Because black powder occupies such a high place in our
history, I will give it more space than it probably deserves.
  An elaborate study in France in the 1500's established the following
formulae to be the best for black powder ised in firearms: saltpeter, 75%;
charcoal, 15.62%; sulfer, 9.38%. As a prctical matter, this recipe can be
rounded to 75:15:10. These percentages are by WEIGHT, not wolume.
  The following is a description of how blackpowder commercially. It is
intended to show how difficult it would be to make shooting-quality black
powder on a home scale.
  First, the ingredients were dampened and mixed by hand. Dampening kept down
any dust which resulted from the mixing. Dust explosions happen even in grain
elevators, much less gunpowder factories.
  The ingredients were then "incorporated" by being rolled under stone wheels
for three hours. The stone wheels weighed ten tons. This was called a wheel
mill. Considerable heat was generated, and water was added as necessary to
keep the moisture moist.
  The mixture was then pressed. Alternate layers of aluminum plates (aluminum
in non-sparking) and gunpowder were placed into a hydraulic press at 1200
psi. The resulting press cakes were .75" thick and two square feet.
  Granulating or corning came next and was the riskiest operation in black
powder preoduction. The corning mill was located at a distance, never
approached while running, and remote controlled. The press cakes were crushed
between rolls and grade through mechanically shaken screens. Coarse pieces
were recrushed and rescreened.
  The powder granules were polished by tumbling in a revolving wooden barrel.
The powder was then dried, glazed (to retard soaking up humidity), and
screened for size. Grading, in black powder, refers to grain size, not
quality.
  A test for black powder, used from ancient times, is to burn a little pile
of powder on a flat, cold surface. A good powder will burn in a flash and
leave no pearls of reidue. A residue indicates the powder was damp at the
time of the test, that the powder has been wet at some time in the past, or
that the ingredients were not well incorporated.
  If you try to make black powder at home, the best way to mix the
ingredients is in a mortar and pestle, remembering to keep the ingredients
moist. If you patiently grind away for an hour or two, then grate the powder
through a piece of window screen and dry it, you will produce a poor grade of
blackpowder. When loaded in your 12 gauge it will sound like a .22 and dent a
tin can at close range.
  There's a booklet on the market entitled "CIA Field Expedient Preperation
of Black Powders". In my experience, it doesn't work--it is junk. There is no
way on home scale you can incorporate the ingredients properly the way a
wheel mill does on a commercial scale. If you really need gunpowder, my
advice is not to waste your resources trying to make the black variety.

                      Crushed Match Heads As Gunpowder

  Probably the very simplest way of making gunpowder is to crush up match 
heads. Safety matches will work, as will strike anywhere matches with the
sensitive tip portion removed. The tip portion is too sensitve, too fast
burning, too close to being a high explosive, for safe use as gunpowder.
  To "manufacture" gunpowder from match heads, shave or  peel the combustible
material off the heads of several matches. In the case of strike anywhere
matches, first remove the tip portion. The tips can be saved for later use in
primers, as explained in Chapter 6. Be careful removing the tips from strike
anywhere matches. You would not feel too clever if a tip you were removing
flared up and fell into a pile of others previously removed.
  After the match head material has been removed from the match stick, simply
dice it up into a powder with a knife. Unlike a primary explosive which is
sesitive to both friction and shock, the danger of accidental ignition from
this material is very small--if you wait for safety matches to ignite from
banging them together, you will wait a long time.
  The crushed up match head material is gunpowder. It can be loaded as is
into a rifle cartridge and fired. Sounds too simple to work, doesn't it?
  There is less recoil or "kick" in a firearm loaded with match head powder,
compared to factory loads. this means that match head powder is less powerful
than factory loads and can be safely substituted on a one-to-one volume
basis.

  U.S. Army Manual TM 31-210 on improvised weaponry says that 58 match heads 
(that is, what is left of a strike anywhere match after the primary tip has 
been removed) will be required for a .308 Winchester cartridge.
____________________
Rifle           # of\  The Chart to the left shows how manu match heads are
                Match| required for other calibers. I calculated the
                Heads| requirements two ways: first, based on a shell
.22 Hornet        13 | case volume prorated from the 58 match heads for
.222 Remington    26 | a .308 Winchester indicated above. Second, based on
.223 Remington    39 | a substitution rate of 1.5 matches for each grain of
.243 Winchester   61 | smokeless powder used in typical loads. In the
.30 M1 Carbine    16 | intrest of safety the lowest of the two values
.30-30 Winchester 45 | appears to the left.
.308 Win. (7.62mm    |
NATO)             58 | A couple of incidental point. A box of Diamond brand
.30-06            74 | strike anywhere matches contains 263 matches. Also,
.375 H&H Magnum   87 | you won't get more power by overloading the shell
.44 Magnum        32 | casing with match head powder.
.45-70 Gov't.     76 | If you put too much of this powder into a plastic
.458 Winchester   79 | shotgun shell, you won't get more penetration--all
---------------------| you'll do is melt the plastic case.
Pistols              |
9mm parabellum     8 |
.38 Special       15 |
.357 Magnum       26 |
.45 ACP           27 |
---------------------|
Shotguns             |
12 Gauge          33 |
16 Gauge          30 |
20 Gauge          27 |
.410 Bore         19 |
____________________/

                    Performance Rating of Homemade Powder

  If a 12 gauge load will puncture a tin can (such as a coffee can--not an 
aluminum beverage can) using #6 shot at 20 yards, it can be deemed a killing
load for rabbits. After some experimenting, I developed a five-point rating
scale. It is based on half a teaspoon of powder and one ounce of #6 shot in a
12 gauge shotgun shell.
  "5" Rating: will puncture a tin can at 20 yards.
  "4" Rating: heavy dents, an occassional fracture
  "3" Rating: significant recoil; dents
  "2" Rating: a 12 gauge will sound like a .22
  "1" Raiing: wad will land in front of gun or may not leave the barrel;
              melting of plastic shell may occur.

  On this scale, crushed up match heads rate a "4".

                         Potassium Chlorate and Sugar

  This recipe yields the best gunpowder of any in this chapter. Based on the 
above performance scale, it rates a "5".
  Its one disadvantage (aside from being corrosive, a quality all the
gunpowders in this chapter share) is that potassium chlorate is somewhat
difficult to obtain. The characteristics of potassium chlorate and where to
obtain it are discussed in Chapter 6. For now, it is sufficient to know that
it is a white powder.
  To make gunpowder by this method, simply mix together equal volumes of
potassium chlorate and ordinary white table sugar. And then what? And then
nothing. You have gunpowder.
  Both ingredients should be dry and free of lumps. The fastest and safest
mixing method I know is to pour the mixture back and forth 50 times. Use
glass or plastic (non-sparking) saucers.
  I have seen recipes that call for melting sugar and then adding potassium
chlorate to the partially cooled but still molten sholder. I strongly
recommend against it. If you've not had a frying pan of gunpowder catch fire
on your kitchen stove, then you've simply not lived.

                           Sodium Chlorate and Sugar

  This recipe is nearly identical to the preceding one. The only difference 
is that sodium chlorate is the oxidizer instead of potassium chlorate.
  Simply mix together equal volumes of sugar and sodium chlorate. This powder
rates a "5" on the performance scale. The recommended method of mixing is to
pour the ingredients from one saucer to another.
  Although the performance of the sodium chlorate mixtures is as good as any,
sodium chlorate has the drawback of being hydroscopic. This means that it
picks up moisture from the atmosphere. And as you no doubt already know, damp
gunpowder dosen't shoot worth a darn.
  The chemical symbol for sodium chlorate is NaCl0 . It is a white powder.
                                                  3
Direction s for making it at home from table salt are given later in this
chapter.
  To purchase commercially, sodium chlorate is more freely available than is
potassium chlorate. That is, more chemical houses will sell it to private
individuals than will do so with potassium chlorate. The two ingredients are
interchangable in most recipies.
  Due to the hydroscopic problem, I would not expect a box of shells loaded
with sodium chlorate powder to last more than a few days before duds began to
appear. Shells can be pretected somewhat with a coat of nail polish over the
primer and candle wax on the over shot wad.
  [When dripping candle wax onto shells, The flame will occasionally travel
down with the wax, which can have disasterous results. Drip the wax onto a
piece of glass or wood and allow it to run off onto the shell]

                      Potassium Perchlorate and Sugar

The chemical symbol for potassium perchlorate is KClO . It is a white
                                                     4
powder. Potassium perchlorate is made by heating potassium chlorate. The
potassium chlorate decomposes, yielding oxygen, potassium perchlorate, and
potassium chloride (common salt).
  If mixed 2 parts potassium perchlorate and one part table sugar, by volume,
a gunpowder results with a rating of "4". A simple mixing of powders is all
that is required.
  Potassium perchlorate can be purchased from Merrell Scientific. See Chapter
6 for the address.

                            Salt Peter and Sugar

  The chemical symbol for saltpeter is KNO . It is a white powder. It is
                                          3
also called potassium nitrate, niter, nitre, nitrate of potash, and petral
stone. It is the oxidizer used in old-time black gunpowder.
  If saltpeter and sugar are simply mixed together as powders, they are not
incorporated together will enough to work as gunpowder. To better incorporate
the ingredients, they are cooked down together like fudge candy, granulated
by rubbing through a piece of window screen, and then dried.
  In a saucepan, combine one cup sugar, one cup saltpeter, and two cups of
water. Heat with a low flame, stir with a wooden (non-sparking) spoon and
dissolve the ingredients in the water.
  Bring to a low boil. Cook like fudge. If you have a candy thermometer, cook
to 280 degrees F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, cook until the
consistency is semi solid instead of liquid. Were you to cook a small batch,
at the point of being "done" the "fudge" would gather around the spoon as you
stirred. Try a small batch and see.
  When done, pour it onto a flat surface and allow it to cool. When cool to
the point it is not longer sticky, but is still moist and soft, rub pieces of
it, a small gob at a time, through a piece of window screen.
  Catch the granules or "worms" as they come through the screen in shallow
dish. they can be dried in the sunshine, in a food dryer, or in an oven with
the temperature set as low as it will go (about 150 degrees) and the oven
door open. when dry, it is gunpowder.
  If, back at the cooking stage, you cook the "fudge" too long, hard, glassy
globules will result. These can be crushed by using a hammer head as a
grinding pestle on a non-sparking wooden bread board. Don't pound with the
hammer; hold the head in your hand and grind with it. Sift through window
screen after grinding.
  Don't try and hurry the drying process by increasing the oven temperature.
The top layer of the powder, closest to the heat will start to melt. If that
happens, you gunpowder will lose some of its pizzaz.
  Gunpowder will last almost indefinitely if kept away from light and heat.
If exposed to light or heat, it will deteriorate in only a few months.
Humidity is important,too. "Keep you powder dry" is a slogan from pioneer
days, but it still applies.
  This powder is not as powerful as those previously listed. All of the sugar
mixtures given so far require half a teaspoon of gunpowder and one ounce of
shot to give the best results. This recipe -- saltpeter and sugar-- requires
1 1/4 teaspoons of powder and an ounce of shot. Even so, it only rates a "4".

                             Other Oxidizers

  These recipes all follow the principle of having an oxidizer mixed with a
combustible. The combustible I have chosen in every case is common white
table sugar. What changes from one recipe to the next is the oxidizer.
  Theoretically, we should be able to substitute sodium nitrate
(NaNO ) for potassium nitrate in the saltpeter-sugar recipe. In practice,
     3
however, the "fudge" made with sodium nitrate is gummy and can't be
granulated.
  Potassium permanganate (KMnO ) showed promise but produced a suprise. It
                              4
is a grayish powder that turns bright purple if water is added. As a simple
mixture of powders (that is, sugar and potassium permangante) it resulted in
a "2" rating, since many if not most oxidizers when simply mixed with sugar
have a "1" rating.
  To better incorporate the ingredients I tried cooking them as fudge. I put
sugar in the pan. I added potassium permanganate. I added water at the sink
before I reached the stove, however, the mixture began to spotaneously boil
and smoke. It all turned to black ash. You never know...
  To save you the nuisance of experimenting, the following oxidizers rate "1"
when mixed or cooked with sugar in any ratio: ammonium nitrate, stronium
nitrate, barium nitrate, guanidine nitrate, barium peroxide, and potassium
bichromate.
  There are hundreds if not thousands of gunpowder recipes in print. Some
have serious drawbacks such as becoming unstable over time. Also, although
the formula may be simple, the mixing of the ingredients often isn't.
Sometimes the mixing texhnique is not given or requires commercial machinery.
In contrast, the formulas given in this chapter are simple, and, most
importantly, they work!

                  Saltpeter -- Making it and Buying It

  Theoretically, it is possible to extract salpeter from both soil and from 
wood ashes, but I have not had much success with it. Saltpeter occurs 
naturally in the soil in Spain, Egypt, Iran, India, Kentucky, Tennessee, and 
the Mississippi Valley. Soil which contains humus -- well rotted animal and 
vegetable matter -- is good candidate material, but as to whether or not 
saltpeter can actually be extracted, only a trail will tell.
  I performed an experiment to see if the following extracion process really
works. I added saltpeter to some soil which I had previously determined to be
barren and was able to reclaim 11% of what I had added.
  The process is to pour boiling water through the soil. The how water
dissolves the saltpeter and carries it away. The water is trapped, save, and
boiled down, thus concentrating the amount of saltpeter in the water. Next,
alcohol is poured into the water and the saltpeter comes out of the solution.
Instead of being a clear liquid containing dissolved saltpeter, the
water/alcohol mixture now has a cloudy sediment (saltpeter) in the bottom.
The sediment is separated from the water by filtering it through a paper
filter.
  If you want to try the procedure, line a kitchen strainer with a
handkerchief and run put the strainer over a bowl to trap the liquid which
will run out. Put one cop of soil (or wood ashes) in the strainer and pour
half a cup of boiling water over the soil. Pick up the corners of the
handkerchief, gather it up with the soil trapped inside and squeeze all the
liquid out. It's hot, but a couple of bread wrappers over your hand for
insulation will help.
  Repeat this process as many times as you want to obtainas much liquid as
you want. Let the liquid stand overnight. In the morning I should be clear
with a layer of sediment in the bottom. Siphon off the clear liquid. Discard
the sediment.
  Boil the liquid down to about half of its original volume. Cool to room
temperature. Add an equal volume of rubbing alcohol or whiskey. A cloudy mass
will form in the bottom which is the saltpeter. Pour the mixture through a
paper filter. Laboratory filters, dairy filters, coffee filters can all be
used. the muddy looking sediment left on the filter is the saltpeter.
  I tried various soils using this procedure and obtained nothing at all. I
tried hardwood ashes and got 1 1/2 teaspoons of muddy sediment from seven
cups of ashes. This turned out to be an inert substance that, even after
being clarified, when made into "gunpowder" couldn't be lit with a match.
  Clarification is done to the liquid before the alcohol is added. The
purpose is to remove impurities and leave the dissolved saltpeter in the
liquid. To clarify, add egg whites to the liguid. Stir. Heat to 176 degrees
F. using a candy thermomter. The egg white cooks and traps the dirt in it.
If the liquid is the strained through a handkerchief, the egg and dirt are
trapped on oneside; the water and dissolved saltpeter run through to the
other.
  Good luck. Considering the high level of frustration experienced when
trying to extract saltpeter, it is fortunate that is can be purchased with
very little touble.
  The "legitimate" uses of saltpeter include the brining and salting of meat
and its medicinal use as a diuretic. One brand name of saltpeter that is sold
in drugstores is Purepac. It is distributed by the Purepac Pharmaceutical
Co., Division of Kalpharma, Inc., Elizabeth NJ 07207.  Saltpeter can also be
purchased mailorder from the chemical companies listed in Chapter 6.
  People who cure meat at home use saltpeter to improve the meats appearance.
This is the same potassium nitrate which natural food advocates oppose as a
harmful additive. When used as a diuretic, the dose is 1/4 teaspoon in a
little water. I mention all this so that you can sound like you know what
you're talking about when you go to the drugstore.
  Saltpeter is also used by hospitals and institutions where it is added to
the cafeteria food to retard male inmates from getting an erection. Of
course, your druddist might think you a little strange if this is the reason
you cite for wanting to purchase it.
   Saltpeter is also sold in hardware and farm supply stores for a tree stump
remover. One brand name is "Dexol." It is distributed by Dexol Industries,
Torrance, CA 90501.

                 Making Sodium Chlorate From Table Salt

  Sodium chlorate is a strong oxidizer and can be produced from common table
salt via electrolysis.
  Crystals of common table salt (NaCl) are comprised of sodium (Na) and
chlorine (Cl). The sodium atoms carry a positive (+) charge and the chlorine
atoms carry a negative (-) charge. Atoms which bear an electrical charge are
called ions.
  A battery provides direct current (DC) which flows in one way. Ordinary
house current is alternating current (AC) and flows first in one direction,
and then in the other. For the electrolysis process to work, DC current is
required.
  If the two poles of a battery were placed in saltwater, the sodium ions (+)
would be attracted to and travel to the negative pole of the battery, The
chlorine ions (-) would travel to the positive pole.
  There are two kinds of conductors: those which decompose in the process of
carrying electricity and those which do not. Saltwater will conduct
electricity and is the kind of conductor which decomposes in the process of
doing so.
  As the salt decomposes into its component parts of sodium (a metal) and
chlorine (a gas), the sodium reacts with the water to form sodium hydroxide
(NaHO). The common name for sodium hydroxide is caustic soda or lye.
  A second reaction occurs between the chlorine, priviously liberated, and
the sodium hydroxied, newly formed. The sodium hydroxide (NaHO), the
chlorine (Cl) and the water (H O) combine to form sodium chlorate (NaClO ).
                              2                                         3
The leftover chlorine bubbles out of solution at the positive terminal as a
gas. The leftover hydrogen bubbles out at the negative terminal.
  What I have just described contains some of my own theory about what
happens. After pondering several chemistry texts, trying to figure it out, I
finally found one which admitted, "At the cathode hydrogen gas, rather than
metallic sodium, is produced, though just what happens is not fully
uderstood."
  In any event, hydrogen gas is generated and represents the one real danger
to the process. Battery charging is another kind of electrolysis process
yielding hydrogen gas and every garage attendant has a favorite horror story
about exploding batteries. BE WARNED!! Good ventilationm must be provided in
the elctrolysis area and smoking, sparks, open flame, and arcs from electric
motors eliminated.
  The components of the electrolysis process are a source of DC electricity,
and anode (+ terminal), a cathode (- terminal), a lquid medium (called an
elctrolyte) through which the current travels between the anode and the
cathode, and a cell or vessel to hold the electrolyte.
  The cell must be of non-conductive material. On small scale, a fish tank,
plastic tub, or ceramic crock will do. On larger scale, a concrete box
painted on the inside with epoxy paint can be constructed. The cell should be
sized such that the elctrolyte can circulate freely.
  A battery charger can be used as a source of DC electricity. A rheostat
(dimmer switch) is also needed to regulate the "amount of charge" being fed
into the cell.
  The electrolyte consists of 1/2 cup salt; 3 quarts of water; and 2
teaspoons of dilute sulphuric aced (taht is, battery acid-- it can be drawn
from a car battery with an eyedropper). The sulphuric acid makes the
electrolyte a better conductor of electricity.
  To convert as much as possible of the salt to sodium chlorate, 1800 amp
hours of electricity must pass through the solution per pound of salt. Half a
cup of salt weighs 4.5 ounces and thus would require 506 amp hours. A 4-amp
battery charger would have to run 126.5 hours to process half a cup of salt.
  Ideally, the current pressure at the the anode should be 30 amps per sq.
foot. A 4-amp battery charger is only 13% of 30 amps, and therefore, the
anode only need 13% of a square foot or 19 sq. inches. The current pressure
at the cathode should be 50 amps per sq. ft. A 4-amp charger should have a
cathode of 11.5 sq. inches.
  High current density improves the efficiency and the speed of the reaction
but also raises the temperature of the electrolyte. This is a troublesome
area for home operation.
  For best efficiency the electrolyte should be maintained at 133 degrees F.
If you are clever enough to rig up a thermostat, the battery charger can be
switched off at 138 degrees F. and on at 127 degrees F. (Of course, this
introduces the problem of keeping track of how long the current has been
flowing in the cell.) On small scale, it is probably best to sacrafice
efficiency and run a cool cell. A large anode and cathode in relation to the
amperage will result in cool operation as will increasing the distance
between the anode and the cathode.
  A cell on home-sized scale can be constructed as follows: make an anode of
lead by melting 2 1/2 lbs. of fising sinkers in a 7" diameter aluminum fry
pan. A propane soldering torch works well. The lead won't stick to the
aluminum, so the lead "pancake" falls out easily when cool. Make a second
lead disk for the cathode.
  Use a two gallon crock (Inside Diameter = 8.5") for the cell itself. Put a
layer of glass marbles on the bottom of the crock and lay a lead pancake on
them. Connct the positive terminal of the battery charger to this pancake.
This is the anode and should be on the bottom. The chlorine gas released at
the anode will naturally rise to mix with the sodium hydroxide being formed
at the cathode above it. An "ear" may be bent up, if necessary, to provide a
good gripping place for the battery chargers clamp.
  Spacers must now be provided between the anode and the cathode. These need
to be one inch thick and of non-conductive material -- glass, plastic, etc.
Electric fence insulators, children's blocks and medicine bottles laid on
their side offer good possibilities. Lay the cathode -- the second lead plate
on top of these spacers. Turn up an "ear", if necessary, to attach the
remaining charger clamp. There should be a full inch of space between the top
pancake and the clamp attached to the lower pancake. Cut away a portion of
the tp pancake as necessary to create this space.
  Suspend a thermometer ocer the side of the cell to keep track of the
temperature. Make up the electrolyte by putting the salt and water in a
wide-mouthed gallon jar. Add the battery acid slowly. (Always add acid to
water -- never water to acid!! This is because heat is generated. You don't
need acid splattering about.) Stir vigorously with a wooden stick (something
the acid won't attack) for five minutes to thouroughly dissolve the salt.
  Use a battery charger which has a built-in scale or dial so you can see the
amount of current you are inputting to the cell. Being able to monitor
current input is extremely important. Hook in a dimmer witch to the battery
charger so that you can not only monitor what's going on, but control it
fully, as well.
  A 600 watt dimmer switch has sufficient capacity to hadle a 4-amp charger
and is readily available in the lighting and lamp section of department
stores. Install the dimmer switch (in series) in one of the leads going from
the charger to either the anode or the cathode. Although the scale on a 4-amp
charger goes to 6 amps, don't operate your charger beyond 4 amps. You will
burn out your charger if you do. Ask a man who knows.
  Carefully monitor the temperature during the first day. If it gets too hot
(over 138 degrees F.) put bigger spacers between the anode and cathode. Or
turn back the amps being input, using the dimmer switch.
  If you don't trust your apparatus to operate safely without your vigilant
presence, you can turn it off and on at will. For all practical purposes this
is a non-reversible process. The sodium chlorate you are making won't revert
back to saltwater just because it sits around overnight. The key is to pass
1800 amp hours of DC current through the electrolyte for each pound of salt
-- all at once or in a hundred small steps makes no diffrence.
  Some of the water will be consumed in the electrolyic process. If the
cathode threatens to become uncovered, add more brine solution. Otherwise
don't.
  After five days (126.5 hours, to be exact) turn off the charger and filter
the electrolyte through a piece of cloth. Discard any sediment in the cell.
If the water is allowed to evaporate, the residue will be about 60% sodium
chlorate, according to the experts -- pure enough for use in gunpowder
recipes.
  Interestingly enough, potassium chlorate can be made using this same
process if potassium chloride is used to start with instead of table salt
(sodium chloride). Potassium chloride is sold by virtually all chemical
supply houses to private individuals wheras potassium chloride may not appear
on the price list at all. [SIC]. Potassium chloride is also sold in grocery
stores as salt substitutes for dieters.

                               ->6<-
                              Primers

  Ammmunition is the Achilles' heel of firearms. If ammunition sales were to 
be restricted, guns would be rendered useless. Not so, you say, for the 
person who loads his own. No? What about primers? Primers are the Achilles'
heel of ammunition.
  Bullet material can be improvised. And gunpowder, as seen in the last
chapter, can be made from scratch. But the raw materials from which primers
are made pose a far greater problem. Mercury fulminate, antimony sulfide,
lead peroxide, picric acid, lead azide, and nitromannite are not
off-the-shelf items in your local drug store or anywhere else. These
materials are difficult to obtain and dangerous to manufacture. The two
methods given in this chapter represent the only primer materials I have
been able to find which are both obtainable and reasonably safe.
  To understand the relationship of the primer to the rest of the cartridge
components, consider how you would build a fire in your fireplace. First you
would light a wadded ball of newspaper. Then you would add some kindling --
twigs, wood splinters, shavings. Next you would add some finely split
hardwood; and lastly, the great chunks that you really wanted in the first
place.
  Building a fire is a progressive activity with each step of combustion
based on the preceding step. Bypassing the intermediate steps -- leaving out
the kindling and so forth -- and applying the match directly to the yuletide
log is apt to have dissapointing results.
  The principle is the same in explosives (the progressive steps are called
explosive trains) and in firearms. The combustion which takes place in a
rifle cartridge is a two step affair. The gunpowder which "explodes" and
drives the bullet down the barrel is not set off by the impact of the guns
hammer. Rather, it is itself ignited by the primer. The primer contains a
"primary explosive" which is sensitive enough to be set off by a spring-
loaded blow from the guns hammer. When the primer detonates it sets off the
main charge of gunpowder which is a "secondary explosive."
  What considerations are involved in making your own primers? For one
thing, the materials must be obatainable. It is fairly difficult for the
ordinary householder to obtain a source of primary explosive.
  Next, the primary explosive must be sensitive enough to do the job but
relativley safe to handle. NO PRIMARY EXPLOSIVE IS SAFE! They are all, by
definition, sensitive to friction, shock, heat, and spark. It is just a
matter of the liability you are willing to assume when answering the
question "How risky is too risky?"
  Also, the manufacturing steps must be simple enough to be accomplished
with ordinary utensils and measuring capabilities. The process must be
fairly speedy. The end product should not be corrosive to the firearm. And,
again, the resulting primary explosive must be stable enough to be handled,
stored, and loaded with reasonable safety, but senstive enough to fire
reliably. A hangfire or misfire defeats the whole purpose.
  Obviously, no perfect material exists and compromises must be made. The
more limited your resources -- time, laboratory equipment, whatever -- the
more compromises must be made. Material availability is probably the single
overriding factor. Corrosion considerations become a nicety, not a
necessity, and can be compromised. Safety is also compromised, whether we
care to admit it or not. Let's face it, the safest thing to do is buy your
ammo at the store. If you make your own, you are compromising safety. You
can't have it both ways.
  An acceptable limit of risk is what we seek. This chapter presents
directions which, TO ME, are an acceptable compromise of all the above
factors, including personal safety. I have made these primers. They work.
You must judge for yourself.

                         How a Primer Works

  If you inspect a fired primer which has been removed from a center-fire
rifle shell, you will notice sveral things: it is shaped like a miniature
cup; it contains residue, left from the primary explosive, now burned away;
and, inside the cup, it contains a small two or three legged piece of metal
called an anvil. Anvils come in different shapes, but all perform the same
function in the primer. They provide a surface against which the primary
explosive can be crushed.
  In your imagination, enlarge the primer until it is the size of a coffee
cup. Imagine it to be of thin brass. The extreme tip end of strike anywhere
matches is a primary explosive. Imagine match tip material had been disolved
in water, poured into the brass coffee cup like jello in a jello mold, and
allowed to harden.
  The coffee cup is now filled with one giant match tip. If you banged the
cup on the table would it go off? No. If you hung the cup on a string and
struck the bottom with a hammer -- hard; hard enough to dent the bottom --
would the match tip material ignite and burn? No, it would not.
  But take just one strike anywhere match tip -- the very tip portion -- and
lay it on a blacksmiths anvil. Pound it, one blow, with a metal hammer. Will
it go off? Yes. When crushed between two metal surfaces, it will explode and
sound like a cap gun.
  This, then, is the function of the anvil in the primer. The primary
explosive must be crushed between two metal surfaces in order to detonate.
The inside "back wall" of the primer cap provides one surface. The anvil
provides the other.
  The gun's firing pin strikes the back of the primer, denting it, and
crushing the trapped primary explosive between the primer wall and the
anvil. The primer will not work without the anvil. When the primer is
assembled in the shell casing, the shell casing itself prevents the anvil
from being pushed out of the primer cup by the impact of the firing pin.

                         Strike Anywhere Match Tips

  The modern strike anywhere match contains a small quantity of
phosphous trisulfide at the very tip. This is a primary explosive, sensitive
to both friction and impact. When the match tip is lit, it ignites, in turn,
the main body of the match head.
  The phosphorous trisulfide tip (the white part in Diamond brand matches;
the blue part in Ohio Blue Tip) is important because it will serve in
primers. The rest of the strike anywhere match head (the red part of Diamond
matches; the dark blue part of Ohio Blue Tip) will serve as gunpowder but is
not friction sensitive or shock sensitive to a suitable degree for use as a
primary explosive in primers.
  Heads from SAFETY matches will not work either. They are simply not
sensitive enough to friction or shock for use in primers.
  To reload a primer, sharpen a nail to a tapered, slender point and press
out the primer by inserting the nail inside the cartridge casing against the
back of the primer, the side you couldn't see if the cartridge was loaded.
Place the back of the cartridge against one side of vise, such that the
primer can freely fall out, and place the head of the nail on the other
side. The nail must be thin enough to go through the flash hole. The flash
hole is where the primer explosion goes through to the main powder charge,
and is good bit smaller than the primer.
  Secon, pry out the anvil and save it. Third, using a blunted nail and a
hammer, remove the dent from the primer cup. You are now ready to pack the
primer cup with primary explosive. To do so, you must first crush some match
tips.
  From three to fivve tips are required per primer. Primers vary in size
(large rifle, small file, large pistol, etc.) and the amount of material
deposited on the tip of the match during manufacture is not perfectly
uniform from one match to another. The correct amount to use is enough to
fill the primer cup level full with crushed material before tamping or
compressing it.
  Some common sense safety procedures are in order. ALWAYS ware safety
glasses, for example. Also, from time to time, a match tip will burst into
flame while you are in the process of cutting it off the match head. When
that happens, as it will, it is important that only the one tip ignites --
that it dosen't fall into a pile of others previously removed.
  To crush, place three to five tips on a sheet of paper on a hard surface.
Make three piles, in one corner, keep the tips you have not yet started to
crush. That's your raw material. In another corner, keep the cushed-up
powder you have just made. That's your finished goods. The actual crushing
takes place in the center, one tip at a time. That's your work-in-progress.
  In crushing, use the cutting edge of a knife to cut each tip in half, then
in quarters, then dice into a fine powder. From time to time a match tip
will ignite, especially on the first cut when the pieces are still large.
If you work with three piles -- raw material, finished goods, and work in
process -- the worst that can happen is that one tip ignites and burns a
hole in the paper. The other way to do it, crushing several tips at once, is
asking for trouble.
  Use small pieces of paper for funnels, scoops, and pushers. When dealing
with a very fine powder, some problems will be encountered with static
electricity. Some individual particles will be repelled and you will have to
chase them around to pich them up.
  Fill the primer cup level full. Then use the rear end of a wooden match
stick to pack down the primary explosice. If you don't use a matchstick, use
a non-metallic, non-sparking tamper as a substitute. Tamp gently at first,
then push down with increasing firmness. Although the powder you are tamping
is dry, it can be (and must be!) compressed to the point where none falls
out when the primer cup is tipped upside down and tapped lightly.
  The primary explosive in factory-made primers is coated with lacquer to
seal out moisture. Although a dab of nail polish does not seem to interfere
with ignition, Idon't know how effective is is in seling out moisture. Would
it last ten years? There is no way of knowing, short of waiting ten years
and testing it.
  To reassemble the primer and cartridge, the anvil is placed not___ANVIL___
in the primer cup  where it came from, but in the primer pocket   ||HERE!||
in the back of the cartridge case. Then the primer cup is placed  ||__~__||

in the primer pocket by hand, started with finger pressure, and  //   ^   \\
seated with a vise, bullet side (empty though) on one arm,       || Flash ||
primer side on the other. Don't squeeze too hard and deform the  || Hole  ||
end of the shell casing which is to receive the bullet. You now  /\/\/\/\/\/
have a primed cartridge case.
  A shotgun primer is slightly different. The anvil must first be placed in
the empty primer cup -- it sttays in place only by friction -- and the
crushed match tips are first sprinkled in, then tamped in, around it.
Reconditioning a shotgun primer is more difficult than is a rifle primer.
  If you use a primer made from match tips in your gun, you must clean the
gun afterwards. The residue from just one match tip is extremely corrosive.
Were you not to clean the gun, within a week the bore would be coated with
thin layer of rust.

                      Sulfer and Potassium Chlorate

  Potssium chlorate and sulfer, if mixed together, form a primary explosive
suitable for use in primers. The recipe is simple, the equpment needed for
measuring and blending is simple, and the materials are fiairly easy to
obtain -- compared to the materials required for other primary explosives.
On the minus side, the mixture is hazardous (which is true, of course, of
any primary explosive), there are certain prpoblems with shelf life, and
it is corrosive to the metal in your gun.
  First, the ingredients. Potassium chlorate (the chemical symbol is KClO3)
is a whicte powder. It dissolves in hot water. Years ago it was used as an
antiseptic for the skin and as a gargle and could be purchased off the shelf
at any drugstore. Today, it is difficult to locate, although its sale is not
illegal or restricted in any way. It can be purchased mail order, and firms
selling it to private individuals are listed later in this chapter.
  Sulfur (also spelled sulphur; the chemical symbol S) is a pale yellow
powder, famous for its rotten egg smell. It is produced in several grades,
although the small companies who cater to firecracker buffs and high school
chemistry stydents make no metion of grades. Grade A is intended for use in
black powder. Grade B is intended for use in pyrotechnic compositions. Grade
C is intended for use in primers. (Years ago, some commercial primers
contained sulfur. None do today.)
  Sulfur used to be sold in garden supply stores to make the soil acid
around blueberry bushes. It has since been replaced by aluminum sulphate and
can no longer be found in garden supply stores. Sulfur is still much easier
to locate than is potassium chlorate, however. The kind of sulfur you want
to use in primers is powdered sulfur or sulfur flour (same thing). What you
do no want to use is "flowers of sulfur."
  According to the dictionary, one of the definitions for "flower" is a
finely divided powder produced by condensation or sublimation. Flowers of
sulfur is also called sublimed sulfur. The point is that using Flowers of
Sulfur in the primer mixture will yield an unstable, unpredictable
explosive. Conside the following quote from "Hig-Low Boom!" by Philip
Danisevich:

    "The combination of potassium chlorate with flowers of sulfur...
     form extremely  sensitive  mixtures, which are usually avoided,
     other than...in very small  amounts...flowers of sulfur contain
     sulfuric  acid...The sulfuric acid...reacts with  the potassium
     chlorate  to  form  highly  unstable,  and  sexplosive  chloric
     acid...(which)   will  eventually  explode   and  set  off  the
     remaining   amount   of   the   mixture,   spontaneously.  This
     sensitivity  can  be  lowered  by...the  addition of  2% sodium
     bicarbonate   mixed   in  cautiously.  The  sodium  bicarbonate
     neutralizes the (sulfuric) acid present and thus eliminates the
     threat of chloric acid. However,  mixtures of this  type should
     not be stored for long periods of time, in large amounts."

  To minimize the risk, then, use POWDERED sulfur, not flowers of sulfur. To
furhter minimize the risk, my recipie calls for baking soda (which is the
common name for sodium bicarbonate). This is to neutralize any sulfurc acid
which might be present even in powdered sulfur. Risk can also be redduced by
not mixing the ingredients together any further ahead of time than is
necessary.
  These considerations are important, unless the idea of a pocketful of
shotgun shells going off spontaneously doesn't bother you. As you might
expect, authoitative assesment of the risk is hard to come by. I belive you
should conside all of the available information before deciding to use, or
not use, a potassium chlorate-sulfur mixture.

  From "THE POOR MAN'S JAMES BOND" by Kurt Saxon:

    "...potassium chlorate will also detonate spontaneously, BUT NOT
     IMMEDIATELY, with sulfur." (Caps mine)

  The book PyroTechny by George W. Weignart says:

    "some chemicals...fly apart...without...direct...heat.  One such
     is potassium chlorate...This is due to the  fact that  its acid
     components, vis; chloric acid, is an unstable compound...only a
     slight rise in temperature is  sometimes  sufficient  to  bring
     about  an  explosion. In the presence of sulfur...which through
     oxidation  sometimes  produces  minute  quantities  of sulfuric
     acid, this tendency is very strong.  Consequently, compositions
     containing these substances must be strictly avoided."

  From the "IMPROVISED MUNITIONS BLACK BOOK, VOLUME 3:
 
    "CAUTION. Do not store the mixed  explosive  (potassium chlorate
     and sulfur)  more  than  five  days  before  using.  KEEP  THIS
     EXPLOSIVE DRY AT ALL TIMES."

  From "THE CHEMISTRY OF POWDER AND EXPLOSIVES" By Tenney L. Davis:

     "Sulfur ought not be used in any primer composition...which
      contains chlorate unless an anti-acid is present. In a moist
      atmosphere, the sulfuric acid, which is inevitably present on
      the sulfur, attacks the clhlorate, liberating chlorine
      dioxide which further attacks the sulfur, producing more
      sulfuric acid, and causing a self-catalyzed souring which
      results first in the primer becoming slow in its response to
      the trigger (hand fire) and later in its becoming inert
      (misfire)."

  These last two quotes indicate a new problem. The mixture may sour and the
cartidge primed with such a mixture may be a dud. So, according to the
available experts, two extremes apppear to be possible. At one extreme, your
cartridges, if stored for any length of time, may go off while sitting one
the shelf. At the other extreme, they might not go off at all.
  Both spontaneous combustion and souring are shelf life problems. Frankly,
most textfiles don't mention either one of these problems. What they do
mention is the danger involved in the act of mixing potassium chlorate and
sulfur. Shelf life never enters the discussion. Still, to me at least, is
seems improtantenough to discuss at some length. In an effort to resolve the
question, I wrote to Westech Corporation (which, unfortunately, has since
gone out of business). They spjecialized in pyrotechnic chmeicals, and
advertised in their catalor: "If you need any help at all, either technical,
general info, or help with your order, please call us..."
  The following is an excerpt from their reply: "The answer to your question
is that...the longer you have them (potassium chlorate and sulfur) mixed and
laying around, the greater your chances for having an accident, such as
spilling, dropping, etc."
  Even though I had asked specifically about each, they made absolutely no
mention of either spontaneous compbustion or souring. From their point of
view, the only danger seems to be that the longer you have the mixture
sitting around, the greater the odds that you will knock it off the top of
the refrigerator.
  To sum up, it appears that there are risks, that we need to take steps to
deal with them, but thtat they are not so overwhelming that we need to
morbidly dwell on them night and day. One of the strongest quotes says that
mixtures containing both potassium chlorate and sulfur should be "strictly
avoided." How would that same author write directions for yuou to store
gasoline in your garge? What would he say about people who smoked while
filling a gas tank on their lawn mower? We live with risks every day, but
some common sense rules will reduce most fo them to an acceptable level.
  The following list contains just such rules for sulfur-potassium chlorate
mixtures. These are not the only safety rules; just the ones havind to do
with shelf life. There are other safety rules dealing with mixing and
handling. I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO FOLLOW THEM ALL!!

    1. Use only powdered sulfur, never flowers of sulfur.
    2. Use the purest grade chemicals available.
    3. Make sure that an antacid such as baking soda is included in the
       mixture -- 2% is recommended.
    4. Keep the mixture dry.
    5. Don't mix the ingredients any further ahead of time that is
       necessary. Five days is the maximum length of time recommended for
       storing either mixture itself or primers containing the mixture.

  In the case of shells which have been primed and loaded and sitting around
past the five day limit, what you should do, ideally, is to pull the bullet
and gunpowder from the shell and detonate the primer. What you really do, of
courst, is your decision. But, to be safe, the primer should be detonated.
  There is one other ingredient not yet discussed: namely, ground glass.
When reloading a primer, it is impossible to get the anvil back into the
primer cup exactly the way it was when it came from the factory. The space
between the ancil and the rear wall of the primer cup will be larger than it
should be. An abrasice, such as ground glass, can be added to the recipe to
give the necessary pinching efffect between the jparticles of the mixture to
cause detonation. Many old-time primer recipes call for ground glass as an
ingredient.
  I first attempted to obtain ground glass by rubbing a bottle on a piece of
sandpaper. I realized that the grit from the sandpaper came loose and fell
into the glass powder. In fact, I realized that the grit from the sandpaper
was just as good for the intended purpose as was ground glass -- and easier
to come by, too. Simply rub two pieves of sandpaper together -- rough face
to rough face -- and capture the falling grit.
  After all the forgoing discussion an warnings, the recipe itself is quite
simple. A smaller amount may be mixed if the ratio between the ingredients
is maintained.

       Potassium Chlorate                              3 teaspoons
       Sulfur                                          2 teaspoons
       Baking Soda                                   1/8 teaspoon
       Sandpaper Grit                              1 1/2 teaspoons

  All sources and authorities agree on one thing: THE ACT OF MIXING SULFUR
AND POTASSSIUM CHLORATE IS DANGEROUS! Personally, I belive that the real
danger is that the recipe is so simple and the blending is so simple that
people lose respect for it. A fancy laboratory set-up with lots of glass
tubing and bubbling liquids and bad smells and toxic fumes commands
respect. Two simple powder, on the other hand, that you can handle
seperately with no risk, that you can mix at the kitchen table, and that
look about as dangerous as cinnamon and sugar, don't command respect.
Tragedy can result. This is a --> !!!BANG!!! <-- primary explosive you are
dealing with.
  Potassium chlorate is sometimes seen in a crystalline form rather than as
a powder. The above recipe assumes the powdered form. Crystalline potassium
chlorate can be crushed into a powder, but the crushing must be done
between a wooden rolling pin and a wooden bread board -- or similar
non-sparking utensils. Be careful to clean up with a damp cloth any residue
left behind. ( And rinse out the cloth!) Potassium chlorate and sulfur are a
primary explosive when mixed together. Don't leave smears of one to het
mixed with traces of the other.
  The safest way I know of to mix the aboce recipe is to pout the
ingredients back and forth between two sheets of paper or between two
saucers. The saucers need to be of non sparking material such as glass or
plastic.
  Place the sulfur, baking soda, and grit on one sheet of paper (or saucer).
Then add the jpotassium chlorate (with any explosive mixture, the oxidizer
is added last). If using paper, bend it slightly to form a trough and pour
the ingredients onto a second sheet. Pour back and forth 50 times, until the
ingredients are thoroughly mixed. The grit never will become uniformly
mixed. Just be sure some grit is included in each primer cup that you fill.
  Use small pieces of paper for scoops, just as with match tipp primers,
previously discussed. Also, tamp or press the mixture into the primer cups
with the rear end of a wooden match stick, just as with the match tip
primers.
  You will find that the sulfur-potassium chlorate mixture won't pack into
the primer cups as well as the match tips do. If you push down in the center
of the cup, the powder you are trying to compress squishes up around the
edges. It can be very frustrating.
  The solution is to pack as much in with the match stick as you can, then
pack in as much more as possible with your fingertip. It's messy, no doubt
about that. Let the nail polish dry before assembling the jprimer in the
shell casing with the anvil.
  Some safety tips: Don one primer at a time. When you are finshed with it,
set it down a distance away for drying. With your fingernail (not with a
metal knife blade) scrape all residue from the outside of the primer cup
while the nail polish is still damp and soft. Work on a large non-metal
surface and have your materials pushed back at arm's length. Primers are
notmally considered throwaway itmes. If you attempt to recycly one, extra
efforts and precautions are necessary.
  To hace the one primer you are working on at th emoment go off accidently
might burn you, but it probably won't blind you (you might consider wearing
safety glasses, of course) or burn down your house. But having one go ogg
and set off a bunch more, or fall into a dish of primary explosive that was
too near, could be disaster.
  Another thing. Holding and manipulating the tiny primer cup with your
fingers is difficult. However, don't use tweezers or needle-nose pliers to
grip the tiny cups. Crushing the mixture between two metal surfaces is how
the mixture is detonated. You would feel very foolish (wouldn't you?) if you
pinched some spilled dust between the plier jaw and the outside of the
pirmer cup and set it off.
  Don't use metal containers for storage or metal utensils for handling. Use
only non-sparking, non-metallic implements. I don't like the idea of glass
storage containers either. The thought of glass shrapnel dosen't turn me on.
I think plastic is best. Many vitamins today come packed in plastic jars
which will do nicely to store your primary explosive for primers.
  Assembling the fineshed primer in the shell casing is done exactly the
same as it was for match tip primers. Primers using potassium chlorate are
corrosive to your gun. The same admonitions about cleaing your arm that I
gave in the section on match tip primers apply hear, also.
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