http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/training/firearms-training/module03/fir_m03_t06_03.htm http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/training/firearms-training/module03/fir_m03_t06_03_a.htm
Smokeless Primers Home > Propellants, Firearms, and Ammunition Development > Evolution of Ammunition > Primer Evolution > Smokeless Primers In the 1920s, lead styphnate was used as an initiating compound because it did not produce corrosive residues. Many other mixtures were tried and some were released for market trials. The combination of materials that worked best was a blend of lead styphnate, antimony sulfide (fuel), and barium nitrate (oxidizer). By the 1930s, all U.S.-made commercial primers were using this basic formula. Styphnate priming compounds may contain other materials in addition to the three main compounds, such as the following: Sensitizer - makes the material more shock sensitive. The most prevalent sensitizer is tetracene. Finely powdered aluminum - added fuel used to project incandescent particles into the propellant. Organic binder - keeps the dried primer pellet consolidated, e.g., gum acacia. Dye - facilitates visual inspection of primers during manufacturing. A Boxer primer used for a rifle or handgun has a minimum of three components: the metal cup, the priming compound, and the anvil. Many have an additional component-a thin paper cover between the compound and the anvil. This is known in the industry as the foil paper because original percussion caps had a layer of foil over the mixture for protection. Shotshell primers are more complex. Because the shotshell case is largely nonmetallic, an extra part, the battery cup, is added to better support the anvil and resist operating pressures. In addition, the large flash hole has a paper or thin plastic cover, a relatively recent feature. The lead styphnate percussion primer has remained nearly unchanged in form or chemistry since the 1930s. The discharge residue of these primers contains lead oxides and nitrates. Recent concerns over airborne lead in poorly ventilated indoor ranges have led to the investigation of lead-free primers and toxic metal-free primers. Future primer development will undoubtedly focus on additional improvements to low-toxicity compounds.
Today, reproduction percussion firearms are popular for recreational shooters and percussion caps are still available, though most now use non-corrosive compounds such as lead styphnate Lead styphnate Lead styphnate , whose name is derived from styphnic acid, is a toxic explosive used as a component in percussion cap and detonator mixtures for less sensitive secondary explosives....(still in use today!) A cartridge primer is a small copper or brass cup, containing a precise amount of stable but shock-sensitive explosive mixture, with ingredients such as lead azide or potassium perchlorate (older compositions) Potassium perchlorate Potassium perchlorate is the inorganic salt with the chemical formula potassiumchlorineoxygen. Like other a perchlorates, this salt is a strong oxidizing agent....causing rust and pitting in barrels and actions. . Cartridge primers are 4 to 6 mm in diameter (standard sizes are 0.175 inches and 0.210 inches for handgun and rifle cartridges). Corrosive primers use stable, long-lived explosives that generate corrosive residues in a gun, usually metallic oxides, which, when exposed to moisture, form hydroxides. They are popular in military applications because they work reliably under severe conditions, but more careful attention must be paid to cleaning the weapon after every use. Noncorrosive primers are somewhat less reliable when stored for many years, but far easier on guns. Most civilian ammunition uses noncorrosive primers. New on the market in the late 1990s are lead-free primers, which address concerns over the lead and other heavy-metal compounds found in older primers. The heavy metals, while small in quantity, are released in the form of a very fine soot. Some indoor firing ranges are moving to ban primers containing heavy metals due to their toxicity. Lead-free primers were originally less sensitive and had a greater moisture sensitivity and correspondingly shorter shelf life than normal noncorrosive primers. Since their introduction, lead-free primers have become equal in performance to lead-based primers, and are gradually gaining popularity. The invention that made the percussion cap possible using the recently discovered fulminate Fulminate Fulminates are Chemistry Chemical compound which include the fulminate ion. The fulminate ion, CNO- is a pseudohalic ion, acting like a halogen with its charge and reactivity.... was patented by the Rev. Alexander John Forsyth Alexander John Forsyth Alexander Forsyth was a Scottish Presbyterian clergyman who invented the percussion ignition.He was educated at King's College, Aberdeen, and succeded his father as minister of Belhelvie in 1791.... of Belhelvie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1807. It consisted of priming with a fulminating powder made of fulminate of mercury, chlorate of potash, sulphur Sulfur Joshua Shaw Joshua Shaw Joshua Shaw was an Anglo-American artist and inventor.... , an English-born American, is sometimes credited with the development of the first metallic percussion cap in 1814, but his claim remains clouded with controversy as he did not patent the idea until 1822. Shaw’s percussion caps used a mixture of fulminate of mercury, chlorate of potash, and ground glass contained in a small metallic cup. The copper cap containing the detonating composition, now made of three parts of chlorate of potash, two of fulminate of mercury and one of powdered glass. Rimfire A case with a hollow bulge, or rim, around the back end. This rim is filled during manufacture with an impact-sensitive primer. In the wet state, the primer is stable; a pellet of wet primer is placed in the shell and simply spun out to the full extremes of the rim. (For more on the exact process and one set of chemical compounds that have been used successfully, see , a 1932 Remington Arms patent by James E. Burns.) In the dry state, the primer within the rim becomes impact-sensitive. When the rim is then crushed by the hammer or firing pin, the primer detonates and ignites the powder charge. Rimfire cartridges are single-use and normally cannot be reloaded. Note: Most chemicals used are "controlled" substances, even the "red Phosphorus" used in making "srtike anywhere" kitchen matches. It is also used somehow, (dont ask me!) in making "crystal meth." Potassium Chlorate and Potassium Perchlorate are both used with aluminum powder to make M-80's and is now classified as a part of a low base explosive chemical compound. Neither chlorate should ever be mixed with Sulfur, as spontaneous detonation may occur. Potassium Nitrate is used to a degree, but must be mixed with a "sealant" to prevent it from absorbing atmospheric moisture and making it useless. (hygroscopic nature) Lead Azide, and Fulminate of Mercury is nearly impossible to get anywhere, and not recommended for making in a home lab. They are both Extremely dangerous and sensitive to friction and shock. It is even becoming difficult today to purchase aluminum powder in a 200-600 fine mesh. All the potassium primer mixtures are corrosive by their nature of being a salt. Some primer mixtures incorporate amounts of antimony, another well controlled chemical. This addition to any oxidized mixture becomes relatively unstable to any shock or friction, as is the case with most oxidizers and finely powdered metals. For instance, using a small percentage of either aluminum, antimony, or magnesium powder, added to a black powder mixture, increases the "brissance" of the explosion dramatically. The metal powder addition also makes the mixtures very hazardous to handle. That all I have!
Dragonfly could you please use the edit button when you want to add to your post. When you split a post up into 10 parts it makes it hard to read.
So what else is Potassium Chlorate and Potassium Perchlorate used for that it could be bought or recovered from (without bringing attention to my front door??)? Seems to be some useful stuff! \ Screw primers I saw a flintlock .50 at my local gun shop yesterday!
Sorry about the additions, I wasnt able to add on to existing post. In regards to percussion cap bp rifles, etc, a good source of composition for primer materials. But you'll have to "experiment" on the removal by dissolution of them, to remove those dried mixtures. Or, use caps? Hmmmmmmm.....
