What does cordite smell like?

“Enjoy your books, but wonder why you (and other authors) use ‘the smell of cordite,’ a gunpowder that was last used in WW2 by the British using leftover obsolete powders in their long weapons. The smell is distinctive, unlike earlier black powder, and not at all like the subsequent gunpowders.

What is the smell of a fired gun?

There is no Cordite whatsoever in modern ammunition. With modern ammo you can smell the pungent Nitroglycerin after firing. Modern powder is basically sawdust soaked in nitro coated with graphite. In very simple terms, the shape and coatings control the burn rates.

When did they stop using cordite?

Nitro-cellulose propellant however was extensively used during the first and second world wars. The last . 303 ball cartridges manufactured at Radway Green in 1973 were loaded with nitro-cellulose powder and not cordite, cordite having last been used for the . 303 cartridge in the 1960s.

Is cordite still made?

Cordite was also used for large weapons, such as tank guns, artillery, and naval guns. Production ceased in the United Kingdom around the end of the 20th century, with the closure of the last of the World War II cordite factories, ROF Bishopton.

Is there a smell of cordite in the air?

Of course, you won’t get any smell when using air guns (for the best ones click to read the review here) but with real guns, there’s definitely a smell. To smell Cordite you’d have to have people firing very old ammunition.

Is there such a thing as a cordite gun?

I have been guilty of having the smell, or swirling of, Cordite in the air after gun play. The other night watching TV I heard one of the techs on CSI (someplace or other) saying that she smelled Cordite in a room, which is more than unlikely since Cordite hasn’t been around since WWII. There is no Cordite whatsoever in modern ammunition.

When was cordite invented as a military propellant?

Burning a strand of cordite from a .303 British round. Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom since 1889 to replace gunpowder as a military propellant.

What does cordite look like in a blanket?

Fun fact: instead of powder, cordite actually looks like tiny spaghetti noodles. * Gunpowder – A blanket term OK to use in any setting, even if the material isn’t too powder-y. This gets the gold star as the best go-to term.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAKTrayTcc4