Rifle Powder
Rifle powder and shotgun powder are really the same from a practicle standpoint. They are both nitrocellulose based propellants. They will be referred to as gunpowder in all future references. Smokeless gunpowder is made by the action of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acid upon cotton or some other cellulose material. This material is then dissolved by solvents and then reformed in the desired grain size. When dealing with smokeless gunpowder, the grain size is not nearly as important as that of black powder. Both large and small grained smokeless powder burn fairly slowly compared to black powder when unconfined, but when it is confined, gunpowder burns both hotter and with more gaseous expansion, producing more pressure. Therefore, the grinding process that is often necessary for other propellants is not necessary for smokeless powder. owder costs about $9.00 per pound. In most states any citizen with a valid driver's license can buy it, since there are currently few restrictions on rifles or shotguns in the U.S. There are now ID checks in many states when purchasing powder at a retail outlet. Mail-orders aren't subject to such checks. Rifle powder and pyrodex may be purchased by mail order, but UPS charges will be high, due to DOT regulations on packaging.