lesmok semi smokeless

[hickstick_10]

Years and years ago there was a powder called lesmok semi smokeless, it was kind of a mix of smockless and black powder. Obviously its not available anymore but i was wondering has anyone tried to cook up some semismokeless powder of there own? any out there ever experimented with it or used the stuff? And if so whats your recipe

Regards
Mike

 

[Mike Irwin]

While making smokless powder isn't particularly difficult, it involves a lot of precision work with strong acids, poisonous chemicals, and access to a good lab to make sure that you don't do yourself in.

It's not something that should be attempted lightly, and it is most decidedly not something you should try and then stuff into your favorite gun to test the results. Small variations in the manufacturing parameters can result in BIG changes in the end results.

That said, what you do outside of TFL is your own business, but I have a big frownie face when it comes to actually sharing recipes and manufacturing methods here.

Please don't.

 

[hickstick_10]

point taken

I just was thinking someone might have done something like mixed, unique and Goex half and half, but if its that dangerous I'l let go of that idea

 

[jaguarxk120]

Here's what Earl Naramore said in his book on handloading (second printing revised 1962). Page 170." Semi-smokeless powder. It will not develop high velocities, is not ordinarily found in trade channels and while it is a good powder, especilly for the old blackpowder cartridges , its virtues are not sufficiently great for anyone to put themseleves out to obtain it."

 

[Mike Irwin]

Well, there are CERTAIN applications where small amounts of smokeless powder can be mixed with black powder, specifically a few grains of smokeless like Unique or Red Dot at the bottom of a caseful of black powder in a cartridge rifle application like the .45-70.

The smokeless powder promotes much cleaner burning of the black powder, cutting down on fouling, but not messing with ballistics.

Such charging is generally only used in cartridge rifles, and it's against the rules in some competitive events, such as NRA Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Silhouette competition.

 

[ballardw]

I'm not sure that semi-smokeless is actually mixed black and smokeless powder. I have a canister of some from Laughridge that looks uniform. My grandfather used in 45-70 but I'm not sure quite what the charge was. I fired some of those rounds about 30 years ago and they definitely were not black powder but did have noticeable smoke.

 

[Mike Irwin]

"I'm not sure that semi-smokeless is actually mixed black and smokeless powder."

It wasn't.

King's Semi-smokeless powder was based largely on nitrated wood pulp, giving it roughly 20% nitrocellulose.

Lesmoke powder actually had charcoal as part of the mixture and contained only 10 to 20% nitrocellulose.

It was the filler components that gave much of the smoke in these, and similar, powders.

Apparently they also left a fair amount of barrel residue, as well.