Posted: 3/27/2008 12:15:57 PM EDT
I posted this in the Michigan HTF, but was hoping for a quicker response by posting here I just picked up the "German black flake" 600 mesh aluminum via mail order, but where can I pick up the Ammonium Nitrate locally? Also, there seem to be some differences in the description of A/N. Is there any difference? This is all I need, right? ETA: If you must, please include the lectures, warnings, and references to the dump truck in the second half of your response (so I don't have to read it) 
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Depending on your state, you may not be able to find it anywhere. Even if you do, good luck getting them to sell some to you. Unless you're a farmer, they're probably not even going to give you the time of day, especially if they don't know you from Adam and you walk in asking for "Ammonium Nitrate". There's a bill pending right now that's already passed in the House and will likely pass in the Senate any time now that will regulate the sale of AN through the Homeland Security Dept. ALL non ag sales will immediately stop at that point. I'm beginning to think you're better off just buying Tannerite while you can. 
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As someone else said, you'll need to go to a farm supply store to get it. They will TRY to sell you something called urea which is what you don't want. They'll probably ask you why you want AN and not urea and just tell them you've had better luck with it (which you will have better luck in getting it to go boom than urea, which won't). When we were in Ohio it was hard to find as the feed/farm supply stores didn't want to carry it anymore due to it being such a good oxidizer for explosives. Anyway, mix up the prill and aluminum in the correct ratio (95% AN to 5% AL by weight... and you'll need a scale that measures to the gram) and blast away. BTW, wait until you get to where you're going to shoot it to mix the two, though. If you mix it beforehand then you're breaking the law on transporting explosives. What I do is put the AN in pre-weighed bottles and write how much AN is in the bottle on the top as well as how much AL I need. Since I have a 2-3 groups of the same size plastic bottles, it's a piece of cake. I just pick from the bottle size for how big of a boom I want. Also use some plastic baggies/plastic wrap and measure out the AL you need for one charge, seal it up, and mark how many grams of AL it has in it. For an added "kick", put a small baggy full of Bullseye pistol powder in with the AL/AN charge. Just be sure to keep it separate with the plastic baggy within the charge (mix up the Al/AN together until it's all grey, then drop entire baggy into the bottle). I've never tried mixing Bullseye within the AN/AL mix, but if you want to try it and possibly blow yourself up, don't blame me. I just figured that since the Al/AN will detonate the nitroglycerin in the Bullseye while it's in the baggie, there's no sense in mixing the powders together since I'm not sure what can/will happen. Have fun and don't do anything stupid. |
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Basically, you're not going to find it at feed stores anymore. I tried every feed store within a 150 mile radius. And I live in a rural farming community. However, you can still get it off of ebay. Prices there run 2.25 - 4.00 per pound for fertilizer grade. potassium nitrate will also work. Also just as hard to find in some places. Calcium nitrate might work, I've heard. Not to be confused with calcium ammonium nitrate, which is just Ammonium Nitrate prills covered in calcium carbonate. However, I've heard of people separating the calcium carbonate from the ammonium nitrate. |
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I said the farm supply store because that's where I bought the last stuff that I used many years ago. I had to mix up some ANFO to augment the dynamite that I was using to blast my basement. Back then I could buy 50# of dynamite for $45 and drive away with it. Maybe things have changed?
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No. Its not illegal in most States to make and use binary explosives on site. eta: Maybe if they found a bunch of wrapped up towels and "Dirka Dirka" pamphlets next to the fertilizer... |
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IT PISSES ME OFF to no end you can't buy ammonium nitrate in stores any more. last year I went for some to put on my lawn which was apparently planted over broken concrete and rock powder cause it goes yellow so fast. Nobody had any, they sold me some other crap called potassium nitrate or sulphur nitrate or some crap that was "just as good or better" WHATEVER. I did crap for my lawn and I think made it yellower! Piss me off. My lawn looks like hell now and nothing I've tried works as good as AN did. 
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are you sure thats going t work... I always use 2/4 micron german black.... Just asking.|
The U.S. gov't and BATFE are schizophrenic. You can't buy ammonium nitrate easily but just as powerful an explosive can be made from ammonium perchlorate. It's like the whole handgun restrictions. You need a NICS check but if you get a C&R then any handgun on the list gets shipped right to your door. 
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I need to go back and check my "Mesh/Micron" again......
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Everyone is right about AN getting hard to get. AP (ammonium perchlorate) is easy to get, but it is more pricy than AN. It's like the BATF and the short-sited judge in the Firefox case really didn't pay much attention to AP for some reason. Anyway, mixed with Al or Mg powder, in a 75:25 proportion, makes a very shattering, chest-thumping target. It is much better (more bang with much less material) than AN. Here is the source for it. There is no limit, but there will be a hazmat charge, so you will want to get with your friends and order as much of it as you can (just like reloading powder). ------------------------------------------------------ "We also have unscreened Ammonium Perchlorate Bimodal - floor sweepings Slight debris, which should not affect it's general purpose use. Requires Hazmat fee by UPS. Stock #C108DEB 10lbs - $3.75/lb 30lbs - $3.00/lb" ----------------------------------------------------- Source: http://www.firefox-fx.com/Internet%20Specials.htm Regards, Joel |