the smell of cordite

[TwistofFate]

I receall reading somewhere a while back that cordite has no scent (despite being used in descriptions in may books).

does it have a scent, and if not, what is the scent that many people (mistakenly) attribute to cordite?

[Fear_Itself]

@TwistofFate

I receall reading somewhere a while back that cordite has no scent (despite being used in descriptions in may books).

does it have a scent, and if not, what is the scent that many people (mistakenly) attribute to cordite?

Before or after ignition?

[TwistofFate]

After ignition.

[Padeye]

The references I’ve seen say cordite is nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine so chemically it isn’t any different than any modern double base propellant which does have a smell despite being “smokeless.” The only thing that distinguishes it is the long extruded granules that may be as long as the case it is loaded in. Some original .303 British ammunition has this propellant.

Before burning most smokeless propellants have a solvent like smell. Not sure of a word to describe the burned smell. Deteriorated powder has an acid odor burned or unburned.

[Squink]

the long extruded granules that may be as long as the case it is loaded in.

Really? Is that why they called it cordite?

[Fear_Itself]

@Squink

Really? Is that why they called it cordite?

Yes.

A government committee in Great Britain, called the “Explosives Committee”, chaired by Sir Frederick Abel monitored foreign developments in explosives. Abel and Sir James Dewar, who was also on the committee, jointly patented a new mixture, consisting of 58% nitroglycerin by weight, 37% guncotton and 5% vaseline in 1889. Using acetone as a solvent,** it was extruded as spaghetti-like rods initially called “cord powder” or “the Committee’s modification of ballistite”, but this was swiftly abbreviated to cordite**. It was quickly discovered that the rate of burning could be varied by altering the surface area of the cordite. Narrow rods were used in small-arms and gave relatively fast burning, whilst thicker rods would burn more slowly and were used for longer barrels such as those used in artillery.