[Amadeus]

During my years as a shooter I have noticed something interesting. Handguns and rifles; when fired, smell --- well the smoke anyway -- they smell very different than shotgun smoke. Has anyone else noticed the olfactory difference?

So why does gunsmoke smell different when blasting from shotty shells than it does from brass-cased ammo?

Kinda curious.

[Fumbler]

Its because the powder used is different. ;)

Each powder has a unique smell because they have their own unique formulas. If you happen upon someone who reloads both pistol and shotgun ammo and find handgun cartridges and shotshells that they loaded with the same powder (many powders used in handguns and shotguns are the same) and you shoot both you'll find that they smell the same.

In commercial ammo, many handgun powders, rifle powders, and shotgun powders smell similar as a group but different than the other groups because their formulas within the groups are somewhat similar.
:)

[Amadeus]

That makes complete sense. I suspected the reason was something similar to that. But now the questions becomes, why use different powders?

Commercial manufacturers are always in the market to boost their profit margin. What not standardize their powder formulas for all ammo types? Or do shotguns have qualities that demand different powders than rifles and handguns?

[Ifishsum]

It relates to the bore diameter, projectile weight, velocity and chamber pressure. Shotguns use faster powder because the size of the bore allows for more expansion room - pressure doesn't build as quickly so they use a quicker powder to get the velocity they're after. The smaller the gauge, the slower the powder. There's a lot more to it than that, but you get the idea.

[Fumbler]

Probably the biggest factor in powders is how fast they burn.

Here are some generalizations:
Pistols use the faster powders because they need to generate high pressure in a short amount of time before the bullet exits the short barrel.
Rifles use slow powders to generate high pressures for a longer amount of time. If you used a very fast powder in a rifle it would not keep its high pressure long enough to make use of the longer barrel and in many cases the bullet would actually start to decelerate within the barrel because the friction between barrel and bore would be greater than the force of the gas on the bullet.
Shotguns use powders in the same burn rate as pistols and smaller caliber rifles...but I have no clue why. :confused:
I suspect it has something to do with shot patterning. If the shot cup was still being propelled hard by the gas as it exited the barrel I would think the wad would be thrown around and patterns would suffer. Maybe someone can tell us for sure why shotguns use small charges of fast burning powders.

[CleverName]

Now I'm not a reloader, but I've always heard that putting pistol powder in rifles was a big no-no - the faster burning powder spikes "harder" or something and you have a grenade. Or something along those lines. Anyways there's a chance of having an unanticipated fragmantation event with your rifle.

[Ifishsum]

A rifle bullet has more resistance in the bore than a shotshell wad, and it needs a slower start to get it moving without raising pressure. Think of running into the back of a stalled car at 20 MPH instead of pushing it slowly at first and then increasing your speed to 20.

[Amadeus]

I am beginning to understand. Great answers. Thanks for the information.

By the way, am I alone in my appreciation for the smell of shotgun smoke? I don't know what it is but standing behind the firing line, watching the clay shooters, the dull "PLOWM" of shotgun blasts echoing into distance, that smell of shotguns, the scent of smoke mixing with the fresh breeze, it's just ---- special.

[Nnobby45]

Now I'm not a reloader, but I've always heard that putting pistol powder in rifles was a big no-no.....

Well, you're right about that! Good grief :uhoh: When handloading, you FOLLOW THE MANUAL. The manual for a specific caliber doesn't recommend pistol powder when rifle powder is required. Since both pistol and shotgun powders are fast burning, lots of shotgun powders are also excellent pistol powders.

[Ifishsum]

your not alone Amadeus...I absolutely love the smell of nitro powder, expecially shotshell powder.

Blackpowder and pyrodex, I don't like so much.

[45auto]

Nothing like the smell of shotgun powder in the morning. ;)

[lucky_fool]

Nothing like the smell of shotgun powder in the morning.

Especially if it's waking you up :what:

[White Horseradish]

Am I the only one that kinda likes the smell of Wolf?

[PJR]

The worst smelling powder I've encountered was in Norinco surplus .223 ammo. I liked shooting it in my Mini 14 because when I did not only did the rifle shoot like sh**, it smelled like it too. :D

Shotguns powders smell the best. To paraphrase a famous movie, "I love the smell of American Select in the morning.... it smells like victory." ;)

[Amadeus]

Shotguns smell blissful. Handguns and rifles mostly just smell like gunpowder. Unless one is indoors at a range with poor ventilation. Then the stuff starts to take on a flavor. And that's not cool.

As for wolf ammo. I'm not crazy about the smell. Not because it smells bad. It just doesn't smell the way I think powder should smell. Kinda oily and sulfuric.

[Fumbler]

Now I'm not a reloader, but I've always heard that putting pistol powder in rifles was a big no-no - the faster burning powder spikes "harder" or something and you have a grenade. Or something along those lines. Anyways there's a chance of having an unanticipated fragmantation event with your rifle.
Generally that is true. With fast powders a little bit goes a long way, so a small mistake in loading a volumous rifle case can be catastrophic.
However, many very experienced reloaders do use very fast powders in large rifle cartridges obtain low velocities. If you load it so the big spike is still less than the maximum pressure then it will be safe.

Many people over at the www.accuratereloading.com forums load things as big as the 300 winmag with Blue Dot (a pistol/shotgun powder that is about in the middle of pistol burn rates) and get excellent accuracy. If you wanted low velocity and loaded small amounts of slow rifle powders then you get more erratic burns and less accuracy.

So yeah, it generally is a no-no but it is practiced by some...but hell if I'd risk it, I'll leave that mess up to those people. :eek:

[fecmech]

One of the best smells imo are the Federal promo shells which still have the paper basewad in the hull. They smell somewhat like shotshells did when I was a kid and first started hunting. Back in the 50's and early sixties shotgun shells were made out of waxed cardboard tubes which had a very distinct odor when fired. Brings back a lot of pleasant memories to this old fart! Nick

[kudu]

The best of the best is the Federal Gold Medal Paper target shells.

[Preacherman]

Of course, if you reload, you can add your favorite scent (in powdered form, of course) to your shotshells, and perfume the air around the firing point...

:neener:

[GunnySkox]

Speaking of powdersmells, I've probably had about 200 or so rounds of .223 (variously WWB and UMC value pack) in this dry-box thing for a couple of months, and the last time I shot it, it stank of the most foul nastiness..

It's got this intense bitter, sour smell.. And the box smells sickly sweet when I open it up. What is up with that?

~Slam_Fire

[Moonclip]

Some Remington value birdshot smells like dogs&^t when fired! Armscor 357mag ammo smells a little like BO or like a guava maybe?

Aguila 22 rimfire has a very acidic/pungent smell sometimes. I have rapid fired 10rds in an indoor range stall and the smell was so bad I had to step back.

Some milsurp ammo seems to leave a foul smell on my hands and guns when I get home.

[scout26]

Nothing like the smell of shotgun powder in the morning.

Smells like Freedom......

[chris in va]

Nastiest stuff I've fired was some bulk lead reloads in 9mm. Not only did it smell foul, but after 50 rounds you couldn't see the target anymore from the smoke. :barf:

[Ryder]

The same powder can be used in pistols and shotguns. I don't smell shotgun smoke while firing my pistol using shotgun powders. Could it be the plastic case that makes the difference? We were taught in college how to identify a plastic through smell by burning it.

[Nnobby45]

So yeah, it generally is a no-no but it is practiced by some...but hell if I'd risk it, I'll leave that mess up to those people.

The point is that you don't risk anything when handloading. You follow the manual. There are some books that list low velocity loads for big game cartridges for taking small game, and pistol powders are sometimes listed.

What concerns me is the casual discussion by non handloaders who leave the impression that experimenting with different powders is actually engaged in by individuals. Not by anybody whose mental capacity is on par with one who is approaching puberty, it isn't. NO EXPERIMENTING. USE THE DANG MANUAL.

If your definition of experimenting is trying different loads found in the manual, then you've got it right and you may be mature enough to own guns or even start hand loading :) .