[Hostage]

The thread that had the expert is from earlier last year and it will be a chore for me to find it but I may have bookmarked it. It was quite detailed. It was evident that the writer had the facts and experience.

Here's a wikipedia link on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokeless_powder

Military commanders had been complaining since the Napoleonic Wars about the problems of giving orders on a battlefield obscured by the smoke of firing. Verbal commands could not be heard above the noise of the guns, and visual signals could not be seen through the thick smoke from the gunpowder used by the guns. Unless there was a strong wind, after a few shots, soldiers using black powder ammunition would have their view obscured by a huge cloud of smoke. Snipers or other concealed shooters were given away by a cloud of smoke over the firing position. Black powder is also corrosive, making cleaning mandatory after every use. Likewise, black powder's tendency to produce severe fouling caused actions to jam and often made reloading difficult.

Here's a youtube video that explains and shows why it's important:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yceuluh_pJE

[DuncanWaring]

That’s “smokeless powder”, not “smokeless black powder”.

There’s “smokeless powder”, and “black powder”, but no such thing as “smokeless black powder” (to the best of my knowledge).

Yes, the supply of smokeless powder has been intermittent for about five years now.