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Interesting NGeo program

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Primal Survivor, which I guess is a series. Anyway, today's program "China's Last Gunmen" is about the Biasha people of China, farmers who make and shoot muzzle loaders. Apparently a big deal in China. And they make their own gunpowder. The guns are like long, very long pistols, no butt stock and are aimed and fired at eye level. They make these guns (techniques touched on briefly, I assume they made the barrels. Longer section on powder making than making the guns....so far. I'm watching it now.

Surprisingly, they are apparently cap locks. Odd looking things, banded down several times, kinda like an Jezail, (sp). Showed them shooting them, a long cone upon which I couldn't see a percussion cap. The show is mostly about surviving and while guns are central, they aren't exclusive to the purpose of the show.
 
Back in the eighties I made a few pounds, sulfur and willow grow wild in the ozarks and lots of bat droppings. It shot ok and I had to increase charges a bit to seem to get the same effects.
I tested it with a cva mountain pistol shot at oak slabs. Just to see how deep a charge would go.
Umph.
I’m glad I’ve tried it but unless the Zombies take over I can’t see me ever trying it again. Getting salt peter out of dried bat poop wasn’t fun. It’s against the rules to talk about, it so no description here, just suffice to say unpleasant. I think it’s illegal now to make powder anyway.
 
The guys in China got salt peter from natural sources, not from bat manure. I read somewhere (at least I think I did) that urine was collected way back when to create salt peter.

It may be illegal now, but back when I was in middle school, we tried to make it with varying degrees of non-success.

Kits are available for making it; just Google them and you'll find any number for sale. Apparently, it's legal to make it for your own use on your own property, but illegal to sell it to anyone without an FFL.

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Legal or illegal it doesn't matter here.

Rule # 42: Members may not discuss the making of black powder or post links to web sites that offer instructions for making black powder.
 
Hello, please do not make black powder, buy it if you can. The quality of commercially made black is much higher than anyone could reasonably make at home, and you won't risk a nasty explosion which can ruin your reputation with the neighbors, not to mention the sneers from other black powder shooters witnessing your spasmodic attempts to shoot the stuff. Explaining the acute fragrance in your kitchen to the nice officers of the BATF&E can be embarrassing too. Odor, Sir, What Odor?
 
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