Tannerite Question

Posted: 6/9/2003 1:35:52 PM EDT

How stong is it compared to dynamite?
Some of the California crew got together and played with some Tannerite last weekend.
One word...WOW!
A six target charge gave a 5/8" X 24" metal disc 6 seconds of recorded hang time.
I think it flew for 5-6 hundred feet and it landed perpendicular to the ground half way embeded.
Does anyone know how it compares to dynamite,as in terms of 1 tannerite target equals 1/3 or 1/2 of a stick of dynamite?
Videos can be seen at calguns.net in general gun discussion under "what you missed from shootingman".

Posted: 6/9/2003 1:43:04 PM EDT

[#1]

Kind of a tough question because the velocity of dynamite differs from brand to brand. I figure the most powerful dynamite would have the velocity of nitroglycerin (the active explosive) or something close to it. That's 7700 meters/sec.

The chemical engineer who tested it out thinks Tannerite explodes in the neighborhood of 5000-7000 meters per second.

Posted: 6/9/2003 2:04:01 PM EDT

[#2]

So it really is true...

The bullet is completely destroyed by the blast before it gets through the target.

Either that, or it becomes a very high speed piece of shrapnel!

Posted: 6/9/2003 2:51:46 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
So it really is true...

The bullet is completely destroyed by the blast before it gets through the target.

Either that, or it becomes a very high speed piece of shrapnel!

View Quote

Not necessarily. Depends on the projectile. Reactive armor only works on HEAT (Monroe effect) rounds.

In my HE air rifle pellet experiments, never did I see 100% breakup of the .177" pellets (including Cro Magnums). Contact with aluminum cans full of water showed about 1/2 the pellet remains as a conical projectile and thus, usually penetrates BETTER than the plain hollowpoint. The frontal nose is shattered into countless frags from vapor to small, DANGEROUS frags. A 3/4" hole is made in such a can with the metal displaced to the outside.

Back to Tannerite, depending on bullet construction, it could completely penetrate the target without much deceleration. If the velocity is high enough and detonation is delayed until the bullet is completely buried, it will see only a minimal velocity loss.

A varmit bullet MIGHT be stopped but a M2, not likely.

Posted: 6/9/2003 2:59:36 PM EDT

[#4]

OK, I give. What is Tannerite ?

Posted: 6/9/2003 3:08:27 PM EDT

[#5]

Something the libs and gov.org will start to whine about as soon as they find out the 'Masses' can buy it! [rolleyes]

It will(the ban) all start in Kalifornia..... [rolleyes]

Posted: 6/9/2003 3:15:35 PM EDT

[#6]

Just out of curiosity, why do you guys buy this stuff instead of getting your on Ammonium Nitrate and either Fuel Oil or Nitromethane. It
would be MUCH cheaper that way. All are still readily available with no licensing requirements.

Ed

Posted: 6/9/2003 3:34:09 PM EDT

[#7]

Um, because NH4NO3 prill is getting hard to find. And where are you getting CH3NO2?

And its slightly illegal to mix...and possibly possess both.

BTW ANFO will NOT reliably detonate without a good primer. Even a #8 will not properly do it.

But Astrolite? Different story.

Play it safe, use Tannerlite.

Posted: 6/9/2003 3:46:50 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
Just out of curiosity, why do you guys buy this stuff instead of getting your on Ammonium Nitrate and either Fuel Oil or Nitromethane. It
would be MUCH cheaper that way. All are still readily available with no licensing requirements.

Ed

View Quote

The Tannerite you shoot isn't ammonium nitrate, it's some kind of flash powder. Although Tanner sells kinepak-style explosives under the name Nitrosticks, I dont think they'd explode when shot.

Posted: 6/9/2003 3:51:52 PM EDT

[#9]

You can blow a big beaver damn with 20 ounces of Tannerite.

Posted: 6/9/2003 4:24:05 PM EDT

[#10]

Keith-J

You can still get prilled ammonium nitrate. Not around urban areas though. Last I bought was from a farm co-op place in Kansas. You are right that it is extremely hard to detonate under normal conditions, so I'm not sure about the play it safe remark.

I have zero experience with Tannerite. What does it look like ?? If it is a dark powder, it probably is some sort of Potasium Chlorate/Antimony Sulfide compound or something similar. White powder could be just potasium chlorate and any one of serveral other chemicals. You'd have to get the mixture just right in order to have it set off by a rifle round but not by mishandling.

I would actually be more concerned with safety by not using a relatively inert primary explosive with a more sensitive (but stored separately) initiating charge.

Just my two cents. Have fun guys, but do be careful.

Ed

Posted: 6/9/2003 4:40:06 PM EDT

[#11]

Tannerite is Ammonium Nitrate with some kind of Zirconium Hydride/Aluminum/? powder.

The main component certainly has the caking and swelling properties of Ammonium Nitrate. It is white, the sensitizer is a fine dark powder.

Sensitising Ammonium Nitrate with Nitromethane can be very dangerious.

Posted: 6/9/2003 5:08:15 PM EDT

[#12]

do NOT mix tannerite and steel targets/containers or other dangerous objects...like a 5/8" x 24" metal disc (80 lbs. if it were made of steel!!!).

i've seen the destructive power of improperly used explosives and the results ain't pretty!

Posted: 6/9/2003 5:22:33 PM EDT

[#13]

If Tannerite's main ingredient is ammonium nitrate, it probably has a velocity around 3000-4000 meters per second. Ammonium nitrate's about the weakest high explosive there is.

Posted: 6/9/2003 5:37:43 PM EDT

[#14]

Mechandy where did u guys go shoot at?

Posted: 6/9/2003 6:50:52 PM EDT

[#15]

We were at the edge of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.
130 miles NE of Reno.
It's near the place the Brit set the land speed record.
I agree with you about the danger with metal objects CAMPYBOB.
Danger shots were about 200 yards out and were set up to shoot away,but still scary.

Posted: 6/9/2003 7:10:34 PM EDT

[#16]

where does this stuff stand with the BATF?

We here in Oklahoma start getting real nervous when someone starts to mention ANFO. I lost a 2 year old nephew at Murrah.

Posted: 6/9/2003 7:24:23 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
where does this stuff stand with the BATF?

We here in Oklahoma start getting real nervous when someone starts to mention ANFO. I lost a 2 year old nephew at Murrah.

View Quote

... I'm sorry about your loss. But it wasn't the ANFOs fault. Kinda like saying people in Lower Manhattan get nervous when they hear about Boeing.

... On the bright side, it's still legal. Go get some, it's a blast (pun intended)

[url]http://www.tannerite.com/[/url]

Posted: 6/9/2003 7:50:53 PM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
do NOT mix tannerite and steel targets/containers or other dangerous objects...like a 5/8" x 24" metal disc (80 lbs. if it were made of steel!!!).

View Quote

I think it was 1/2" steel. But they were damn heavy either way to cart around.

I've seen it done twice with great effect.

And on a car, and on a decent sized wheel.

Tannerite's strength doesn't seem to be sufficient to burst steel, rather than just deform it.

Lastly, the bullets can penetrate the targets. We had other material behind a tannerite bottle for one shot and it penetrated both. (223 at about 100 yards)

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