Which gunpowder is better for hunting - smoky, smokeless, history, types

It is known that the translation of the word “gunpowder” means “dust”, and it was invented hundreds of years ago.

The exact time of the invention of gunpowder is still unknown. However, even from school, many remember that black gunpowder appeared before our era in China. Alchemists from the Middle Kingdom were interested in many issues, including such materials for work as coal and saltpeter. Through experiments, they obtained a mixture of sulfur, saltpeter and coal, which burned at 300°C.

History of origin

First appearance

The first information is found in 808, after the Chinese alchemist Qing Xuzi composed a substance by mixing charcoal, sulfur and other impurities with half of the saltpeter in various proportions. The resulting mixture was flammable and was later used for fireworks and incendiary bombs.

Around 850, in the same China, Zheng Yingyu first made explosive gunpowder. It was this process that was described in 1044 by Wei Boyan.

In China, various types of weapons were used that involved the use of explosives: hand grenades, mines, the first rockets. The appearance of this weapon dates back to the 11th-13th centuries. From the end of the 11th century, Chinese warriors began to use a tube closed on one side with an arrow inserted and a portion of gunpowder - the ancestor of the modern gun.

Later, the manufacturing secret became known in other countries, then migrated to the Mongols, Arabs and Indians, from where it came to Europe.

The appearance of gunpowder in Europe

The first person to describe gunpowder in Europe was the Byzantine Mark the Greek. There is a very high probability that this is a pseudonym behind which are translators and copyists of books who became owners of an Arabic book.

The exact date of composition of the Byzantine manuscript is unknown, but it dates roughly from the period between 1220 and 1300.

A monk from England named Roger Bacon is also known, who described a certain remedy made from nut coal, saltpeter and sulfur, which is capable of making sounds and releasing fire. This happened in 1242, but the Englishman did not leave a recipe.

In 1330, artillery pieces were invented. This time the palm belongs to a German monk named Berthold Schwartz. This is confirmed by the fact of the battle for the city of Cevidale between Italian and German troops, in which the latter used firearms.

Another historical fact is the Battle of Crecy between the British and French in 1346, when the Anglo-Saxons used cast bronze cannons that could fire volleys. Gunpowder was placed in the blind edge, the fuse was brought out, and a core made of lead, stone or iron was located closer to the muzzle of the cannon. The charge was ignited from the side, the substance inside the gun exploded and, due to the expansion of gases, the core was ejected.

In the 19th century, smokeless gunpowder was invented almost at the same time: first, in 1884 in France, Paul Viel invented the pyroxylin variety, then 4 years later, Alfred Nobel invented the ballistic version, and a year later, Frederick Abel and James Dewar from England received the cordite version.

Obtaining gunpowder in Russia

This substance first reached Russia only in 1389. The first gunpowder factories in the country appeared only in the 15th century; they produced a smoky powder substance for shooting. Lumps were formed from it, thanks to which the charge was carried out more easily and gave more gases, that is, it increased the force of the shot.

In the middle of the 15th century, a grained version of gunpowder was invented, when it was rolled out in combination with an alcohol mixture into a dough-like mass and then passed through a sieve.

A big push to the development of production occurred during the reign of Peter I. Three large factories were built in St. Petersburg, Sestroretsk and Okhta, which were named after the place of their construction.

In 1748, Mikhail Lomonosov conducted experiments and tests of black powder, later continued by the French Antoine Lavoisier and Marcelin Berthelot.

How to get gunpowder

In the modern world, the role of inventors and inventors is assigned by fate to increasingly Western people. The work of introducing fiction into life is very often done by the hardworking, but less creative, Chinese. But in the old days, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, it seems, were greater dreamers. At least they gave you and me what we will learn to produce today - gunpowder. Mastering the method of extracting this substance will be our little revenge for the thousands of ideas borrowed by the Chinese, for millions of tons of low-grade consumer goods :).

And since you love to learn, which, by the way, is very commendable, be sure to pay attention to the game schoolchild simulator cheat code which will allow you to learn everything you can in the fascinating world of this game!

Alas, China did not share the secret of gunpowder production, so it cannot be made in Minecraft. At least without resorting to cheats. It's a little sad, but not so much that you lose heart. Because gunpowder can be obtained. And also found in powder flasks, excuse me, in treasuries. If the search does not inspire you, then let's return to mining. You can get it by killing one of this explosive trio in Minecraft: a creeper, a witch or a ghast. Moreover, the creeper must be finished off before it explodes, otherwise the gunpowder will disappear into oblivion. In addition, in the demo version this substance, 22 units of it, can be found in a chest dug up at the spawn.

If you still want to dilute the vanilla a little with a mod, then here’s a tip for you - Craft Gunpowder Mod. With its help you can forget about creepers. Few ingredients, but a lot of gunpowder.

Gunpowder in Minecraft wasn't always called that way. Since the first beta it suddenly became grey. But with the release of Beta 1.3, the community returned it to its previous name. In the very first versions of Indev, the drop of mobs was random. And sometimes chance made interesting adjustments to the killing of a pig - instead of the expected pork, gunpowder fell out of it. These are the interesting facts from the “life” of the popular substance. And then let's find out where in Minecraft it is used, and what can be done with it.

Varieties

Gunpowder has long been used not only in military affairs. At one time, they managed to appreciate its benefits in other areas, including hunting. Hunters should be very familiar with what types of gunpowder to use and which gunpowder is best for hunting in certain conditions.

Smoky

The history of gunpowder began with the creation of black gunpowder, and other types of gunpowder were invented much later.

Today there are two varieties - selected and ordinary black powder.

The substance has a granular structure. The grain size affects the quality of the mixture, which determines the speed and force of the bullet.

Depending on the size of the fraction, the mixture receives a number in ascending order from the largest to the smallest:

large (0.8 – 1.25 mm);
medium (0.6 – 0.75 mm);
small (0.4 – 0.6 mm);
very small (0.25 – 0.4 mm).

To determine quality, you can be guided by certain characteristics. Black powder should be a uniform black or slightly brown color, without inclusions of foreign shades. The fractions are distinguished by a polished surface and the absence of a whitish coating or foreign impurities. If you gently crush the grain between your fingers, it does not crumble, but only splits into several separate particles.

If black powder is poured, it should not form lumps or leave dust during the process. Otherwise, its use can be dangerous for the hunter himself: the dust ignites much faster than the bulk of the mixture, and can provoke an explosion in the barrel of the gun, damaging it.

Among the advantages it should be noted:

long-term storage without loss of properties if the humidity regime is observed;
low cost compared to other types;
rapid flammability, even if the cartridge has a weak primer;
weak dependence on the quality of wads, rolling, charging density;
poor sensitivity to temperature changes;
low impact of powder gases on the barrel.

Of course, there are also disadvantages:

complete loss of properties when wet;
contamination of the weapon barrel with carbon deposits;
thick smoke when fired;
impossibility of use in semi-automatic weapons;
relatively low shot flight speed;
reports strong recoil when fired and accompanies it with a loud sound.

The substance is highly flammable, and combustion of a large mass provokes a powerful explosion. In terms of impact, the smoky one is approximately three times inferior to its smokeless counterpart.

Smokeless

This variety was invented much later than its older “colleague in arms.” At the same time, smokeless powder, also known as colloidal, differs significantly from smoky powder in its properties, composition and characteristics, and has its own advantages and disadvantages of use.

In the hunting environment, it is customary to use the pyroxylin variety of colloidal substance. Nitroglycerin varieties are occasionally used, but they are not very popular.

Smokeless gunpowder is obtained by treating pyroxylin with an oxidizing agent based on an alcohol-ether mixture. The net result is a homogeneous jelly-like substance. The resulting mixture is subjected to mechanical processing, resulting in a granular structure of the substance.

Smokeless powder is distinguished by the ability of uniform combustion and gas formation, which in turn allows, by changing the size of the fractions, to control and regulate combustion processes.

Color can vary from yellow-brown to completely black. At the same time, within one batch, an extraordinary shade of the mixture is acceptable. To obtain a more uniform color, the graphitization process is used - treatment with powdered graphite, which also eliminates the sticking of grains.

Pros:

insolubility in water, low hygroscopicity;
cleaner and more effective than its smoky counterpart;
When dampened, it does not lose its properties completely;
when dry, it completely restores its properties, can be dried at temperatures up to 34°C;
no smoke when fired;
relatively quiet sound of a shot.

Minuses:

vapors contain carbon monoxide, which is dangerous to humans;
negative reaction to temperature fluctuations;
faster wear of the weapon due to the high temperature inside the barrel;
the need for sealed storage under certain conditions, otherwise weathering occurs;
limited shelf life;
very high combustion temperature, ignition without explosion - danger of fires;
cannot be used in guns whose passport prohibits its use.

Little-known facts about obtaining the powder composition

By the beginning of the 20th century, black powder was already outdated and was being massively replaced by smokeless compounds. But this time was also the peak of perfection of the old recipe - b o

There has probably not been a greater variety of compositions in the entire almost thousand-year history of this substance.
If you turn to the pages of the reference book “Science and Technology”
of 1912, you can find recipes for at least a dozen types of gunpowder (mine, English hunting, English military, French, Russian, American, German, etc.). And no less mentions of other varieties, differing in the proportions of the main components and the method of their production. Because it was these things that greatly influenced the characteristics of the final composition.

Use of gunpowder

TNT. It would be strange if the invention of the Chinese were not used when crafting dynamite in Minecraft. Nobody surprised us here, and gunpowder is one of the components involved in the creation of TNT. In addition to it, you also need to place regular or red sand on the workbench. The explosive mixture needs five units, sand – four.
Fire ball. To make this igniting block in Minecraft, you need gunpowder. This time we only need one unit of it. And also one unit each of fire powder and regular or charcoal. Despite the fact that in the picture you see this arrangement of resources, they can be placed in any order, you will still achieve your goal.
Star. It is impossible to make this fireworks component without the hero of our article. But in order to pamper yourself with contemplation of fireworks in Minecraft, you still need to obtain and then place dyes in the grid. Any quantity of dyes can be placed; they are responsible for the color of the explosion. Gunpowder is responsible for the nature and shape of the fireworks. And again, the order in which resources are placed is not important.
Rocket. Gunpowder and paper in Minecraft are used to craft a soaring, exploding pyrotechnic rocket. Crafting it requires placing one unit of the specified components on the workbench.
Fireworks. The same paper with gunpowder in combination with the already familiar star can, if placed one at a time on a workbench, lead to the creation of a magnificent fireworks display in Minecraft. How great it will be depends on you: on how you craft the star. The components of both the rocket and the fireworks can be placed in the grid in any order.