Tannerite went poof not Boom: How to fix?

TXAZ · January 7, 2018, 02:09 PM

Had 1 lb of some year old tannerite I thought was good. Opened the bottle and it was hard crunched it up, mixed it, hit it with a .50BMG at 100 yards, went poof not Boom. One guy said it had absorbed moisture.
The plastic bottle was mostly intact slightly shredded and all tannerite was gone.
I have one more, any suggestions on how to get the next one to go BOOM?
Can I gently warm the white beads unmixed or ???

T. O'Heir · January 7, 2018, 02:58 PM

"...a .50BMG at 100 yards..." That's probably your issue. Might be too big at the wrong speed. However, the stuff supposedly does such moisture out of the air and harden into a single clump.

TXAZ · January 7, 2018, 03:06 PM

Not too big and well over (@2800 FPS) the minimum speed.
Done it before same distance.

geologist · January 7, 2018, 04:29 PM

It sounds like the ammonium nitrate prills have absorbed moisture. I would put them in a sealed bag with a moisture absorbent pack.

MagnumWill · January 7, 2018, 08:55 PM

That would be interesting. I’ve got some year old stuff as well, i’ll have to try it.

Double Naught Spy · January 7, 2018, 11:29 PM

Yeah, we did tannerite at 500 yards with Barrett M82A1s at a class I took. The .50 will work just fine.

**Mike Irwin** · January 8, 2018, 08:13 AM

"One guy said it had absorbed moisture."

That's your answer. The fact that it was hard and blocky means that yes, it drew moisture, and there was likely still a lot of moisture locked up in the ammonium nitrate, which made it burn rather than explode.

The only way you can fix it is to keep your tannerite from getting damp.

January 7, 2018, 02:09 PM	#1
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	Tannerite went poof not Boom: How to fix? Had 1 lb of some year old tannerite I thought was good. Opened the bottle and it was hard crunched it up, mixed it, hit it with a .50BMG at 100 yards, went poof not Boom. One guy said it had absorbed moisture. The plastic bottle was mostly intact slightly shredded and all tannerite was gone. I have one more, any suggestions on how to get the next one to go BOOM? Can I gently warm the white beads unmixed or ??? __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

January 7, 2018, 02:58 PM	#2
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	"...a .50BMG at 100 yards..." That's probably your issue. Might be too big at the wrong speed. However, the stuff supposedly does such moisture out of the air and harden into a single clump. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

January 7, 2018, 03:06 PM	#3
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	Not too big and well over (@2800 FPS) the minimum speed. Done it before same distance. __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

January 7, 2018, 08:55 PM	#5
MagnumWill Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Central Colorado Posts: 1,001	That would be interesting. I’ve got some year old stuff as well, i’ll have to try it. __________________ Those who hammer their swords into plow shares will plow for those who didn't...

January 7, 2018, 11:29 PM	#6
Double Naught Spy Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Forestburg, Montague Cnty, TX Posts: 12,716	Yeah, we did tannerite at 500 yards with Barrett M82A1s at a class I took. The .50 will work just fine. __________________ "If you look through your scope and see your shoe, aim higher." -- said to me by my 11 year old daughter before going out for hogs 8/13/2011 My Hunting Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

January 7, 2018, 04:29 PM	#4
geologist Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2005 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 247	It sounds like the ammonium nitrate prills have absorbed moisture. I would put them in a sealed bag with a moisture absorbent pack.

January 8, 2018, 08:13 AM	#7
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,379	"One guy said it had absorbed moisture." That's your answer. The fact that it was hard and blocky means that yes, it drew moisture, and there was likely still a lot of moisture locked up in the ammonium nitrate, which made it burn rather than explode. The only way you can fix it is to keep your tannerite from getting damp. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

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