Is it illegal to make homemade black powder?

Question

I got into some trouble with the law and the police started an investigation with the U.S. Postal Service. A package was stopped with a total of 18 pounds of 2 of the ingredients to make black powder (charcoal and potassium nitrate). Also included was a ball mill. A search warrant was performed in my room, and they found empty M-60 paper tubes, fuses, and some other fireworks ingredients. The reason I was buying the black powder ingredients was to make fireworks. I'm just wondering if I need to worry about it. (I live in PA, USA)

Answer 1

I suspect you got caught up in a Homeland Security investigation.

The ATF has a number of rules and regulations for manufacturing explosives, which is what you are doing, even though it is just fireworks. Black powder is exempt from SOME of those regulations. Since you were not arrested on the spot, you might be home free. However, I would be contacting the ATF field office to find out if you did inadvertently violate some federal law.

I'll bet good money that you did violate some State law. Most states regulate the hell out of fireworks.

At worst you might be looking at a stiff fine. Assuming you are just ignorant of the law and had no other, more sinister, purpose than some fire works; You might get scorched but not burned at the stake.

Answer 2

It is perfectly legal to make black powder but it is not smart to do so. The grinding process for making it can cause it to ignite and you could be seriously injured or killed. Add to this the fact that the powder that you make will be very inferior to the stuff that you buy. Home made powder tends to separate as it is agitated. The heavier components such as the sulfur and the potassium nitrate tend to settle to the bottom while the charcoal ends up on top. The process for homogenizing the powder is beyond what you can do at home. It involves mixing the powder with water to form a paste. the paste is dried, and then ground into powder again. It then must be seived to get the proper granulation. The grinding and seiving is extremely dangerous. The bottom line is go buy the stuff and don't try making it. It isn't worth it. As for a limit, BATF limits you to a maximum of 50 pounds of black powder. I shoot muzzleloaders quite a bit and I never keep more than around 10 pounds of it at any one time. I usually have a pound of ffffG, 2 or 3 pounds of ffG and maybe as much as 3 or 4 pounds of fffG. If you have a hard tome finding any place that carries real black powder, the black powder substitutes work pretty well for caplocks. If you are shooting a flinter, you will just have to find someone who carries real blackpowder because the substitutes don't work well in a flintlock. They are slightly harder to ignite and a flintlock will not ignite it reliably.

Answer 3

I understand your problem. I made fireworks as a kid. I also shot guns in the city with no problems, but things have changed. If you mix black powder with pistol powder you have a devestating mixture. We probably should try to avoid allowing people to do these things. I don't like it, but it is the reality of the times.

Answer 4

Why buy charcoal by mail ? it's easy to make you can even buy it at the grocery store ,convenience store and walmart.

18 pounds af 2 ingrediants plus the third , that is a lot so you may be looking at the ATF talking to you.

Answer 5

You probably should have investigated the legality awhile ago, but I'll skip the lecture. I believe it's not illegal to own it, but it is probably very illegal to mail it through the postal system....

Answer 6

Explosives are only allowed to be handled and made by authorized police or military experts.

Answer 7

HELL YEAH!