Re: COLONIAL WEAPONS

Gunpowder:

75% potassium nitrate
15% carbon
10% sulfur

Of course mixing it wet is a big step in quality, and safety, but there
are
other things you can do to improve performance.

A smoothbore muzzle loader could be produced by a length of rod bored
out.
You might have to "test" a few to make them safe though.  It would be
innacurate as hell, but would work as a shotgun.

Bill

									
				       
		    Roger Books 					
				       
		    <books@jumpspace.net>	    To:    
gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU 			    
		    Sent by:			    cc: 		
				       
		    owner-gzg-l@lists.CSUA.Be	    Subject:	 Re:
COLONIAL WEAPONS			   
		    rkeley.EDU						
				       
									
				       
									
				       
		    01/29/02 03:29 PM					
				       
		    Please respond to gzg-l				 

On 29-Jan-02 at 16:21, Jakim Friant (jmodule@yahoo.com) wrote:

> My suggestion does depend on the idea that colonists
> still have a link (however thin) back to the
> infrastructure of the homeworld.  But I think that if
> that link was completely lost then the colonists would
> find themselves armed with bows/spears before too
> long, regardless of the technology they started with
> (at least for a while).

Too extreme.  _I_ could, if I had to, start with raw materials
and end up with a muzzle loader.  Give me a few books and
it would be a no-brainer.  Black powder is not a biggy, although
I would need to look up proportions.  All you really need
to know are what goes in and you mix it wet.