.303 Brit Black Powder Load?

The US never used cordite as a military powder. It was examined and tested, along with German Ballistite and French Poudre B.

All three were rejected for various reasons and the US military turned to both military and commercial research sources to develop the first smokeless powders in America.
 
Many thanks Mike for this photo, it is very nice... So let me ask how dangerous is that hand full of Cordite, Is it like handling gun powder or is it less stable..???
Click to expand...

If it accidently lit on fire, I'm pretty sure she would have plenty of time to drop it and watch it burn up the rest of the way on the floor without getting burned.
A bigger issue for people handling large amounts of propellents containing NG might be its toxic effects.
Trinitrotoluene, TNT, was particularly infamous for being toxic to the workers handling it in munitions plants during WWII.
 
Headaches from over exposure to nitro & TNT were common. The constant skin contact with the nitro acted as a low-level "patch" leeching a miniute dose of the heart stimulant(s) via skin contact.

There was a (highly irregular & frowned upon) "dodge" to get on sick call in the service. You pulled down a round & shared the cordite with your mates. One round could easily be "mislaid" during a range session with many shooters firing. A little under the tongue would make you look (& feel) like hell. You'd have sweats, discolored skin a temperature & an increased heart rate & pulse. It would wear off after about 30 minutes from removing the cordite. It would also kill you from heart failure if you over did it.:eek:
 
On the other hand, you could get acclimated to it.

When my agency ran a study at Radford, they showed us pictures of the old open vat system of making nitroglycerine. A 500 gallon tank that was filled with glycerine and nitrating acid (nitric + sulfuric acid blend) added gradually. The operator sat on a tall stool and adjusted a hose to keep the incoming acid at the interface between glycerine and nitroglycerine as it formed. They got acclimated to the NG fumes that dialated blood vessels and would come in to work on Monday with a headache from blood vessels in their heads constricting. So as soon as a little nitroglycerine was formed, they would wipe some on their hatbands and put the cap on to get their "fix."
 
From what I have been able to find out, TNT would make people exposed to it pass red urine and would cause skin to take on a yellow color, giving the women who handled it in munitions plants the nickname "canarys".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top