Flash Powder- Where to buy it?

[MassHunter2190]

This is firearms related because I want it to make those little explosive targets that you can buy for $10 bucks which gives you enough powder to make 10 small targets.

First off, I want to make sure that this would all be legal to do.

If it is pefectly legal....

Does anyone know where I can buy flash powder?

Or does anyone know where I can buy Potassium Perchlorate and Aluminum Powder? (If legal)

Thanks in advance

 

[Chris Rhines]

Manufacturing flash powder is probably illegal. It is definitely an excellent way to end up with fewer fingers and eyes than you started with. Perchlorate-based explosives are very sensitive.

- Chris

 

[Flyboy]

I'm not entirely certain about the legalities; I know there are people who make their own fireworks and such, and I think they're legal, in some jurisdictions anyway. However, I'm going to second what Chris said: flash powder is very dangerous stuff. It's at least a couple of orders of magnitude more sensitive than black powder, and I think it's actually an explosive (supersonic shockwave), rather than a deflagrant (as with smokeless powder). Making flash is an excellent way to lose weight, one limb at a time.

If you're dead-set on doing it, consult your local laws, a good chemistry textbook, and see if you can find a pyro group in your area. And be extremely careful when you mix the stuff--if you don't know what a sheet of paper has to do with mixing flash, and why, you have no business trying to mix it.

If you're interested, PM me and I'll send you some of my collected links on pyro stuff. I've some good stuff on the subject, but I really don't want to reproduce them here for fear of giving somebody ideas.

 

[Red Dragon]

One thing you can do is buy the legal versions of the M-80s (M-120's or whatever they call em) and just attach them to small targets. IIRC they are pretty much the same thing. Most explosive fireworks (legal ones, of course) contain some amount of flash powder. Anything with 50 mg or more of flash powder is illegal. The illegal M-80s contained 3 grams,which was commonly said to be equivalent to 1/4 stick of dynamite (although dynamite is a semi-stablized nitroglycerin with sawdust)

anyway, maybe try buying the legal and lower yield M-80esque fireworks, take em to the range, fire a couple of rounds at 'em, see if it works, and then go to town

of course, do so at your own risk *etc. etc. etc. and all that liability stuff, and be careful.

 

[boofus]

Buy a couple tubs of Tannerite and just use really small amounts of it. Over on www.ak-47.net someone discovered how to brew his own, maybe ask around there?

 

[Chawbaccer]

I just checked Ebay, they have the ingredients you need.

 

[Third_Rail]

Perfectly legal to make, as long as you don't store it or make exploding devices. Guess what exploding targets count as.


BTW, Skylighter.com and DiscountPyro.com have better prices than Ebay, and they're not anti-gun.


And on the subject of flash being dangerous? Two people I used to know are both dead because of it. If you make it, keep the quantities less than 1 gram - that way you'll only lose a finger or two instead of your life.

At quantities over .5 gram unconfined, it no longer deflagrates (burns really fast), it detonates (boom). That is a really, really small amount.

 

[m39fan]

Word of advice: DON'T! Buy the Tannerite targets and avoid possibly being the next Darwin Award! Seriously, the stuff you're asking about is extremely unforgiving and powerful. It's not worth the risk.

BE SAFE,
Mike

 

[Preacherman]

When in doubt concerning anything even remotely explosive, check the ATF regulations (available online) to make sure you're legal. Don't try to evade or ignore their regulations, as they're terribly unsympathetic towards violators, and Mongo the Barbarian makes for poor company in your cell.

 

[Third_Rail]

Preacherman, FP is legal to make as long as you don't store it or make any exploding devices - that is, if you're using it for M-80s, you're in violation. Any salute of any kind and you're in violation - if you're using it for super-fast stickymatch, it's okay... dangerous as all hell, but legal.

 

[Control Group]

and I think it's actually an explosive (supersonic shockwave), rather than a deflagrant (as with smokeless powder)

You know, I've known for a long time that many "explosive" substances don't actually explode, they just burn really fast, but I've never known the actual distinction between rapid combustion and explosion. Thanks go out to Flyboy for clueing me in.

I also didn't know the verb "to deflagrate," and vocabulary expansion is always good, so thanks for that, too.