Tannerite

I know I am probably grasping at straws, but maybe someone remembers the old style Tannerite. I bought a case of 20 bottles about ten years ago and cannot remember the mixing formula. I have contacted David Tanner several times and he has not responded.
The case has 20 white powder filled bottles marked Tannerite that weigh 7.6 oz. each. It has one big jar "black colored powder" that is 3" tall and 4" in diameter marked Zirconium Hydride. It has a large mixing cup and a plastic spoon that I estimate would hold two tablespoons. I have had experience mixing Potassium Perchlorate and "German Blackhead " before and this is nothing like that. Any suggestions ?.

Dividing the Zirconium Hydride by 20 should get your there?

This is what I found: Tannerite target consists of an 8:1 ratio of oxidizer to catalyst, which come in separate containers and are mixed and shaken together prior to use.

Just a heads up to people who use Tannerite. I was at a friends house who had shooting times at his farm once a month and he would put Tannerite behind targets at a distance and when people would shoot them it would give them a ten because the target would blow up and we all had fun. The amazing thing that happened is he took the piece of wax like paper that the Tannerite was wrapped in and had tiny fragments stuck in it and threw it in the bonfire and it blew up with enough force that the wood came out and everyone was jumping out of their chairs. Haven't tried to duplicate this so I don't know if it was an anomaly or not. Just be careful because Tannerite is not supposed to explode when burned but it did in this case. I don't know how big the pieces in the paper were but will ask.

I have 3 four pound jars of another brand ,shockwave. it has the dark powder pre measured in a packet in the jar of the white stuff so I do not have to measure. unfortunately there are no ranges near me that allow me to shoot it anymore.

Seems like around here, they made tannerite illegal on public land due to fire danger. Didn't seem to me that it caused any sparks, flame, smoldering, etc. with the splosion , but around here these days ya can't be too careful.

I will say that the kids love it. jd

It's okay if you have a place to safely set it off but too many city folks come to the boondocks where they have a 1/2 acre cabin lot and think it's a good place to set it off. Often it riles up the natives and law enforcement has to intervene. Used properly it can be useful to help a shooter learn how to shoot long range with accuracy.

How far do the targets need to safely use Tannerite? I know the amount would matter but for those small packs I see around. Thinking about some for when folks come out.

I used to shoot a 20oz plastic drink bottle of it at 50 yds. without issues. Home brewed stuff.

A friend told me he once put a 1gal metal gas can, haf full of gas on an open field, and shot at it with an '06. Don't remember how long the shot was, but the resulting fireball was impressive.

A favorite fun trick I discovered with the rimfire sensitive kind (might work with regular?) everyone gets a kick out of: Get you some HD aluminum foil a tear off an 8in square or so. Put a heaping tablespoon of mixed binary in the middle. More if you like but 1.5 to 2 TBSP worth is just right for stretching the fun out of a kit of it. Wrap the foil up around the mix and compress into a tight ball by hand. Makes a nice golf ball size target for. 22's. When hit the aluminum foil creates a very bright flash! It may actually increase the power a bit from vaporized aluminum. It is consumed by the blast. Sure is brite and louder that way!

A long time ago I shot a pound can of BP at about 250yds in a gravel pit with my Ruger M77 6mm Rem. I had found some old 244 Rem 90gr factory loads I was shooting for the brass so wasn't sighted in for the load. The first shot just missed. Holding a few inches off the can at the 2nd shot there was a big orange flash in the scope followed by a loud wuuummmp! The end of the pit was filled with a huge white cloud of smoke. About that time a Cessna flew over and I wondered what he was thinking but no law enforcement showed up. Didn't really know how it would go but now you all know.

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Originally Posted by MrWolf

How far do the targets need to safely use Tannerite? I know the amount would matter but for those small packs I see around.

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We never shot more than 3-4 oz. charges of it at a time in cardboard containers, but 50 yards was our minimum.
Nothing ever bounced back more than 10-15 yards, and that was just dirt from the ground in front of it.

Little balls of it about a inch behind cardboard targets was always a hoot, and nobody shot their eye out.

Tannerie is legal.

https://youtu.be/wnXOMMjBcEU

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Originally Posted by Winger Ed.

We never shot more than 3-4 oz. charges of it at a time in cardboard containers, but 50 yards was our minimum.
Nothing ever bounced back more than 10-15 yards, and that was just dirt from the ground in front of it.

Little balls of it about a inch behind cardboard targets was always a hoot, and nobody shot their eye out.

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Thanks. That is the info I was looking for.

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Originally Posted by MrWolf

Thanks. That is the info I was looking for.

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We had a lot of fun with it.
After a couple of big blasts, we discovered was more economical to shoot farther and farther away at smaller amounts of the stuff.

I used to make it from scatch. My local feed store had 50# bags of ammonium nitrate fertalizer. You get a cheap blender somewhere and grind up the AN until it is about like table salt. It was 95 parts to 5 parts of 300 mesh flake aluminium. Now you must only mix this at the place you plan to shoot it, never transport it because you need a special license for that. Took a couple shots most times but overall it worked great.

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Originally Posted by Cosmic_Charlie

I used to make it from scatch. My local feed store had 50# bags of ammonium nitrate fertalizer. You get a cheap blender somewhere and grind up the AN until it is about like table salt. It was 95 parts to 5 parts of 300 mesh flake aluminium. Now you must only mix this at the place you plan to shoot it, never transport it because you need a special license for that. Took a couple shots most times but overall it worked great.

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The problem is finding the fertlizer now. Nobody around me has it.

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Originally Posted by Faret

The problem is finding the fertlizer now. Nobody around me has it.

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That may be the case, it was a available 15 years ago in my AO.

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Originally Posted by Cosmic_Charlie

That may be the case, it was a available 15 years ago in my AO.

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Thank the meth epidemic and Tim McVeigh.

As for distance with Tannerite the farther away the better especially if something metal is near it. FRAG happens!

I did once dispose of a tree stump with 3 or 4 pounds. Makes a mess.

lawn mowers are good too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS9USKP0f2o