Corrosive Ammo Gases & Health?

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All, I wanted to share something with you and get some feedback. First let me tell you about something called cordite farts. Yes farts that smell just like cordite. Funny it can be but this is something that I have experienced first hand as a former gunner in the Royal Cdn Artillery way back. How this happens is when on sustained live fire artillery missions continued exposure to the burnt cordite propellant from firing artillery shells gets breathed into the lungs and or ingested into the body.

Now don't ask me how but after a day or so while still playing army, all the gunners develope a strange ordour coming out the rear end? These were jokening called cordite farts! and strangley the gas smelled just like the burnt cordite from the arty shells.

Now I have not experienced this strange occurance for almost twenty years, as that is how long since I left the artillery.

But this past Saturday my son and I went to the range for a shoot. I fired about 60 rounds of corrosive Cech ammo out of my SKS. Now mind you I fire off my left shoulder and as such am exposed to more propellant gases than a Righty I think, anyway the next day I had a fit of smokers cought, with lots of flem being cleared out of my lungs. And Today I am having those smelly gas emissions that strangely smell just like the burnt gun powder from those corrosive bullets!

I am no doctor, but this can't be good. And I wonder just how that stuff would make it into one's digestive tract in the first place, I can understand the lungs because you breath it in. That coughing fit was more of a worry though I must say.

I am just wondering if any of you out there have any similuar experience with corrosive ammo?:popCorn:
 
I believe what makes corrosive ammo corrosive is the chlorate, so you may breathe in a little chlorine gas or chlorine oxides. Nothing serious(I am studying chemistry and have been gassed by a bit much chlorine a few too many times with no issues).
Assuming I am not forgetting any strange ingredients in corosive ammo, I would worry more about the lead in the primers, which is in pretty much all ammo. I think its in the powder and not the primers that causes these farts.
 
I live for that cough/phlem combo! Nothing beats the smell of fresh burnt gunpowder......:) If it is really bothering you bad, send me your guns and I'll dispose of them for you so it does not happen again....:)
 
One way or another...

Simple: if you can't get it out by breathing, your body will try to get rid of it through the intestines or the kidneys; it all depends on the stuff.
The same happens with cold blueing solutions if you breathe them for too long.
I remember once visiting a pig raising and fattening farm. There was a terrible ammoniacal stench inside the place and soon after returning home, I began experiencing abdominal cramps and had to go to the bathroom.
Let me tell you, the place smelled like a pig pen for about twenty minutes! bet it beat your "cordite farts" flat! :p
PP.
 
Interesting observation.
Years ago (early 1970's) I did a lot of bullseye shooting in an indoor range that had less then stellar ventilation. By the end of the morning the range had a defined "fog" of gases about 6 feet off the floor. The following week I would occasionally cough up grey phlegm, being asthmatic this did create a concern. Also, on the day of the shoot I had a strange sweet after taste that was similar to the odor of the powder gases. I never did get gun powder farts though.
There very well may have been chloride compounds in the powder gases that may have created the farts you mentioned. There may also be some sulphur compounds also present which would give the gas more of a rotten egg aroma.
The only thing that may be suggested is...what ever you do...DON'T TRY TO LIGHT YOUR FARTS!!!!!! If you do you just may become a new Canadian satellite.
Cheers
 
First off the bullets are not corrosive, it is the primer components that are.
Second, everything from primer to cordite is toxic in your system over time.

Use in ventilated areas.
 
jokester

gunasauras said:
I live for that cough/phlem combo! Nothing beats the smell of fresh burnt gunpowder......:) If it is really bothering you bad, send me your guns and I'll dispose of them for you so it does not happen again....:)
Click to expand...

I new one of you nutz out there was going to crack me up!:D
 
Another Nut

Alonzo said:
Interesting observation.
The only thing that may be suggested is...what ever you do...DON'T TRY TO LIGHT YOUR FARTS!!!!!! If you do you just may become a new Canadian satellite.
Cheers
Click to expand...

WHERE'S MY LIGHTER!:evil:
 
Never had a problem like that after firing hundreds of rounds through my MG34 using surplus German and Portugeuse ammo. I usually go through 300-400 rounds each time I take it to the range. next time I'll conduct a fart poll with the other shooters. :)
 
As Calum said, everything in a corrosive cartridge is toxic. Lead is also highly toxic but lets assume your not licking it. Any particulates you breath in, (like gunsmoke) are pushed back up your airways into your throat along with phlem (mucociliary elevator) by the cilia
-->microscopic hairs on epithelium in your airways, and is then swallowed mostly unconsiously at night when your sleeping. Example: many smokers develop stomach cancer. Undigestible components like particulates with metals, oxides and methylamine groups generate inflammation in the intestine aggravating your normal bacterial flora = bad gas. A little ain't gonna kill you but don't hotbox yourself all day while shooting without some ventilation, I guarantee it's not good for you. Wash your hands after alot of shooting before your nose mining!:runaway:
 
ilovepotatos said:
I didn't read a single post in this thread. Just thought I'd point that out.
Click to expand...

Spam much?

You're getting almost as bad as Gibbs.

"I have no value to add to this thread whatsoever" :slap:

Anyways... I've breathed in more than my fair share of gun smoke. Shooting C6's in the supported role is always fun, expecially on a calm day when there is a gentle wind blowing from the muzzle back to your face. After a few bursts you just learn to time your breathing, unless you're in a confined area and you're SOL.

I first heard the 'cordite fart' stories from the reserve armoured guys who used to crew the Cougars. I once made a comment about the Cougars not needing a fume extractor because the 76mm gun was so dinky. You should have seen the looks I got. :D
 
Cordite contains nitroglycerin - a potent vaso dilator if ingested. These guys probably gave themselves low blood pressure and a gray palour. Clever...

Corrosive primers containing potassium chlorate should not be an issue. Chlorate changes to chloride (table salt component), hence the rusting issue. Some very old primers use fulminate of mercury. Exposure to mercury is something I would actively try to avoid.
 
When was fulminate last used anyway? I know the ruskies used it longer sue to cold weather reliability.

In the corrosive primers, what else is the ingredients other than potassium chlorate?
 
Mercury primers were found to weaken brass cases and reduce reloading life, especially after the switch to smokeless powder with its higher pressure loads. I don't know about the Russians but the US Army stopped using these primers around the turn of the century.

Corrosive primer composition - I don't have any literature handy but likely the other component is something like antimony sulfide.

Modern non corrosive primers contain lead by the way. Its not good for your health to be exposed to lead fumes either (indoor ranges), but I can't say how much lead is contained in firearm-sourced aerosols and whether the lead comes mostly from the primer or simply from the bullets themselves.
 
Tyler said:
Spam much?

You're getting almost as bad as Gibbs.

"I have no value to add to this thread whatsoever" :slap:
Click to expand...
No he's not!!
Anyways... I've breathed in more than my fair share of gun smoke. Shooting C6's in the supported role is always fun, expecially on a calm day when there is a gentle wind blowing from the muzzle back to your face. After a few bursts you just learn to time your breathing, unless you're in a confined area and you're SOL.

I first heard the 'cordite fart' stories from the reserve armoured guys who used to crew the Cougars. I once made a comment about the Cougars not needing a fume extractor because the 76mm gun was so dinky. You should have seen the looks I got. :D
Click to expand...
Shooting C-6's, sounds like fun!:D
 
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