# Tannerite?



## drsx (Sep 8, 2010)

Who's made it? Shot it? Had experience with it? FYI for those that don't know its the stuff used to make exploding tergets etc.

I had some firends who recently did it, unfortunatley I wasn't able to make it out.


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

I've used it. In my experience I've found that it can be awesome, but you have to go big or go home. Making one really big target is by far better than making a few little ones. The little ones simply aren't impressive and are a waste IMO. Anything over a pound usually makes a pretty good bang. It's a lot cheaper to buy in bulk from tannerite than it is to buy pre-made ones, especially the star reactive target brand ones from bela's.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Im confused why this is in the recipe section of the forum? Since this isnt really per-se a "how to make tannerite" thread, I'll move it to the firearms section to give it the proper attention it deserves


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Why is this in Recipes?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Whoops, Bax* and I were on it at the same time. Good, I won't get hit for over-moderating.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

If memory serves me correct, Mikevanwilder has made it before...


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## drsx (Sep 8, 2010)

Hahah well I posted it in recipes because I was sort of expecting some one to post recipes. Not that you can't google it. Just was looking for personal experience.


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## gregkdc (May 19, 2008)

95% ammonium nitrate with 5% 350 mesh flake aluminum works great with most rifles. Fertilizer is ok if you dry it first and grind it up into a powder. 1/2 pound targets are plenty you really can’t hear that much of a difference with bigger ones. The problem is finding a place to shoot it.


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

gregkdc said:


> 1/2 pound targets are plenty you really can't hear that much of a difference with bigger ones.


Have you ever made anything as big as a 3 pounder? a 1/2 pound target will break a watermelon, a 3 pound target can have 4 watermelons stacked on top of it and after an hour of looking you still won't find any pieces left.


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

Oh and I don't ever grind up the Ammonium Nitrate. I get the same results either way.


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## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

I would love to give this stuff a try. I actually heard something about explosive targets being illegal on public land. Am I wrong?


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## gregkdc (May 19, 2008)

Last Man Standing said:


> Oh and I don't ever grind up the Ammonium Nitrate. I get the same results either way.


I think it may depend on the type and quality of your ammonium nitrate. I have made mine with fertilizer ammonium nitrate and the majority of targets would only mildly pop and have partial detonations. When I started grinding up the AN in a blender all of that changed with very good results.  I should add that the whole batch doesn't need to be ground up but a good amount of it should be to get it to work. The Star targets use blasting ammonium nitrate that is made with a voids and air pockets in it to make it easier to detonate. Grinding up the AN makes it nice and fluffy with lots of air pockets not to mention you get a better mix.



MadHunter said:


> I would love to give this stuff a try. I actually heard something about explosive targets being illegal on public land. Am I wrong?


Yes it is illegal in some counties according to this BLM fire ban.
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/ ... r_2011.pdf

I wonder if they allow them up at the Heber shooting range, isn't that Summit county?


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

Interesting info greg, I may have to tinker with that sometime. Where do you pick up your fertilizer grade material? You can PM me if you would prefer it. What kind of containers have you had the best experience with? I've had the best results with an empty bottle of pre-workout supplement that I take before I go to the gym. It's shaped just like the big star target containers. But at 30 bucks a tub, it ain't that practical.



gregkdc said:


> MadHunter said:
> 
> 
> > I would love to give this stuff a try. I actually heard something about explosive targets being illegal on public land. Am I wrong?
> ...


You're right about them being illegal in certain counties, but I had it further explained to me by a DNR sheriff. He says that explosives have always been illegal on public land, but they're allowed on private land if zoning and city/county code allows it. With the introduction of tannerite and the sort, many counties have banned it outright whether it's on public or private, using fire danger as the reasoning. This leads some people to believe that if one county says hey, this stuff is illegal now, that it must mean it is legal elsewhere. It sort of is, but only on PRIVATE property. It wasn't the answer I wanted to hear, but at least I know the law now. 

I want to find a private range that will allow it as well.


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## drsx (Sep 8, 2010)

Thanks for the good info guys.


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

Last Man Standing said:


> gregkdc said:
> 
> 
> > 1/2 pound targets are plenty you really can't hear that much of a difference with bigger ones.
> ...


I would like to add that exploding targets make for a fun tradition after you are finished with your Halloween jack-o-lanterns.


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

gregkdc said:


> 95% ammonium nitrate with 5% 350 mesh flake aluminum works great with most rifles. Fertilizer is ok if you dry it first and grind it up into a powder. 1/2 pound targets are plenty you really can't hear that much of a difference with bigger ones. The problem is finding a place to shoot it.


This might be a dumb questions, but is the 95%/5% ratio according to weight or volume?


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

UtahHuntingDirect said:


> This might be a dumb questions, but is the 95%/5% ratio according to weight or volume?


By weight.


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## gregkdc (May 19, 2008)

Last Man Standing said:


> Where do you pick up your fertilizer grade material?


It's a local guy but I haven't bought any for a few years the word on the net is that it has gotten harder and harder to buy it so I don't know if he even carries it any more. I will PM you.



Last Man Standing said:


> What kind of containers have you had the best experience with?


I like to use the little half sized or 8 oz Arrow head water bottles. I weigh the aluminum and place it in the bottle. I then mix the AN in when I get to the range and wrap the whole thing up in a few layers of orange duct tape. The tape makes it easier to see and holds the target together if you graze it.


Last Man Standing said:


> You're right about them being illegal in certain counties, but I had it further explained to me by a DNR sheriff. He says that explosives have always been illegal on public land


This was always my interpretation of the law as well. In fact if you search the Utah code it clearly states that explosives are illegal on division lands. The confusing part is that when you read that fire order restricting exploding targets they don't define them as explosives but rather pyrotechnique devices. Last those codes always allow the AHJ to make the final say to allow for special occasions etc. so if the BLM says they are ok in a particular county then as fare as I can tell they are.


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

gregkdc said:


> ...It's a local guy but I haven't bought any for a few years the word on the net is that it has gotten harder and harder to buy it so I don't know if he even carries it any more. I will PM you....
> 
> ...I like to use the little half sized or 8 oz Arrow head water bottles. I weigh the aluminum and place it in the bottle. I then mix the AN in when I get to the range and wrap the whole thing up in a few layers of orange duct tape. The tape makes it easier to see and holds the target together if you graze it....
> 
> ...This was always my interpretation of the law as well. In fact if you search the Utah code it clearly states that explosives are illegal on division lands. The confusing part is that when you read that fire order restricting exploding targets they don't define them as explosives but rather pyrotechnique devices. Last those codes always allow the AHJ to make the final say to allow for special occasions etc. so if the BLM says they are ok in a particular county then as fare as I can tell they are.


I've heard that it's gotten darn near impossible to do it without having proof of a farming purpose for it. I've heard of people who had the FBI interrogate them and their family just because they bought enough at one time to draw suspicion.

Good to know about the waterbottles, I've been thinking about wrapping some of mine pretty tight, in hopes of boosting the pressure and making a bigger boom.

The laws on them are pretty mickey mouse. It's to the point where two officers of the same agency have a totally different answer as to the legality of it. Honestly, I think that ambiguity is the Govs way of being able to ticket people using them dangerously, but still being able to do it themselves. I think a lot of the laws these days leave a dangerous amount of leeway for double standards to emerge from.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I bought some Tannerite a while back to shoot. And although it was entertaining, I wouldnt likely rush out to buy more. It just wasnt worth the price tag of $7 per 1/2 lb of Tannerite.

I'd rather shoot expired canned food and still have some visual cues that I am on target without spending an arm and a leg


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## Narient (Jan 9, 2011)

I agree with Bax. 12-packs of Shasta make for some cheap, exciting targets. Just make sure you clean up your mess.


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

Narient said:


> I agree with Bax. 12-packs of Shasta make for some cheap, exciting targets. Just make sure you clean up your mess.


I definitely agree. For everyday target use, soda from walmart is the best. I like the tiki-punch best, the unnatural blue can is easy to spot and it makes a pretty convincing pink mist.


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## gregkdc (May 19, 2008)

No go on the ammonium nitrate. I went to my supplier and he said that homeland security took it off the market about a year ago. He said that now they have calcium ammonium nitrate so you can't use it in a bomb.


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

That's too bad. I guess it makes sense and I'm glad they keep us safe, but it sucks that a few bad eggs can ruin it for the rest of us.


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## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

The ironic thing is that a terrorist or bomb maker will always be able to get it (or someother quemical) and we are S.O.L. 

It's the same as gun control, it only applies to law abiding gun owners and not to criminals. If guns ever become outlawed criminals will still have guns. It's the nature of the beast.


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

MadHunter said:


> The ironic thing is that a terrorist or bomb maker will always be able to get it (or someother quemical) and we are S.O.L.
> 
> It's the same as gun control, it only applies to law abiding gun owners and not to criminals. If guns ever become outlawed criminals will still have guns. It's the nature of the beast.


I agree and disagree somewhat. I do think that no matter how regulated something is, there will always be somebody who can find a way to circumvent the law. But I think that this is a little different than gun control. I think a black market supply of AN would be much harder to come by than a gun. There will always be an illegal gun market. I think that homeland security taking this stuff of shelfs will keep a lot of amateurs like that time square bomber from getting their hands on it. He screwed it up and no one was hurt, but if it had gone off it would have been big. Without AN it wouldn't have been too bad.


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## amadkau (Sep 7, 2011)

I've never wanted to mess with mixing it myself. The 1 pounders make an impressive explosion. Shot them with223 and 30-06.


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## wapiti67 (Oct 2, 2007)

Alittle advise from someone who makes explosives and works with them as part of my job...DO NOT set ammonium nitrate off on public land...this is a federal offense. But, if you still want to do it, boil the AN to 100 C and keep adding ice to the mixture to settle the impurities to the bottom..once you get it to 100C for 5 min. take it off the heat and let it settle and cool...when it is at 38C, slowly pour the solution through 4 layers of cheese-cloth and let it cool. When cool enough to handle with your hands, place the now solid white powder back in a filtered funnel and pour Acetone through it...the solution will again solidify and the remaining powder is now free of contaminants and will detonate with much better results...by adding powdered sugar or powdered aluminum, you can further amplify the brisonce.


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## gregkdc (May 19, 2008)

Taking regular AN off the market does absolutely nothing to make people safer, and actually causes it own national security risks. 
I asked my supplier if farmers could buy AN and he said no unless they have an explosives license. He went on to say that other forms of nitrogen like urea don't start working until the temp reaches 70 degrees. If you want to make your crops green you have to use a nitrate or wait till things warm up. The fact that this is the nation’s food supply that is being delayed is in my mind its own national security problem. 
Also as wapiti has pointed out there are always ways around any obstacles the feds putt in place to prevent bomb making. The sad reality of our security situation is that I can walk into any Wal-Mart and using untraceable cash buy all of the ingredients needed to make a variety of high explosives including nitroglycerin, and even if they took all of the precursor chemicals off the market a person could still utilize products like bleach to make a bomb. The reality of it is that this doesn’t make anyone safer maybe just a little harder for terrorist to get their hands on explosives.


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## Afishnado (Sep 18, 2007)

I've gotten the tannerite off ebay a couple of times. (PM me and I'll give you the contact info.) I paid $105 including shipping for 20lbs. We have a riot seeing how far we can send bowling balls into the air.


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

Afishnado said:


> I've gotten the tannerite off ebay a couple of times. (PM me and I'll give you the contact info.) I paid $105 including shipping for 20lbs. We have a riot seeing how far we can send bowling balls into the air.


That's my kind of fun right there.


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