Black powder/nitrates laws question - Victoria

[Riddik]

Hello, so I just thought it would be better to ask then it biting me in the ass later.

I'm looking at getting into some diy black powder, making a cannon, making rockets etc. seem like good fun. The problem is I keep finding conflicting information on the laws online and I cant find anything in the laws themselves. Some people say its 100% fine to possess black powder/potassium nitrate as long as its under a certain amount, yet BP is an explosive, not a propellant, so you need an explosives licence to have it, but you can use a cannon under a category B gun licence, and it just goes on...

So yeah, what I'm looking for is:
Can I purchase KNO3 (potassium nitrate) just off the internet without the feds knocking on my door?
Am I able to make small quantities of BP for personal use?
A category B licence allows me to use a cannon, but does it let me possess BP, which is classed as an explosive? I kind of expect it wouldn't, because laws like doing that to people...

So yeah, am I able to do this with just a gun licence, and if not, what do I need to be able to legally and whether or not its not worth it. I also read somewhere the people who monitor this sort of stuff is worksafe, which I'm fairly confident wouldn't be coming out here any time soon anyway.

Thanks in advance

[Noisydad]

Making your own BP is illegal in Australia. Plus there are some other good reasons not to and all are easy to research on google and Youtube - 1/ Home made stuff is half as dense as commercial BP which means you need twice the volume to achieve the same weight and that creates burn rate issues. 2/ With no means of reliably testing the brew rhere is no way to know if each batch is the same so point of impact will be different with each batch making it useless for competition shooting or hunting. 3/ History is full of gun powder factories that went BANG! Even the big historical zmanufacturers like Dupont, Hazard etc have blown up factories. Your fingers work best on your hands! Check this out...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch-g5shlGxw
However, by all means have a crack at BP shooting - it's the best fun you'll have with a rifle and can guarantee you'll be hooked on your first go! Be warned, BP shooting is highly addictive!

[No1Mk3]

G'day Riddick,
With regards legalities, it is perfectly legal to own BP without an Explosives Licence as it is still recognized as a firearms propellant. There are limits on the quantity which are smaller than nitro based propellant. Yes, you can buy KNO3 on the internet and YES, the Feds will come looking if you do as it is a restricted product needing a special licence. Compounds containing Potash can be purchased from any gardening supply but extracting a pure enough amount to be useful is almost impossible. As Noisydad has pointed out you cannot make your own powder legally as for that you do need an explosives licence, even though many people do make small amounts of powder now and then, which fails miserably. Don't under-estimate Worksafe, they can be anywhere, especially if you post on a public forum like this one, Cheers.

[Riddik]

Alright thanks guys, I thought as much.
I guess I'll be getting the required licenses, better safe then sorry.
I could just go buy some, but I'm more interested in making some, something fun to do.
Too bad about the KNO3 for now, I guess I'll just have to use NH4NO3 instead for rocket fuel or something similar, I'm fairly certain theres no restriction on that.

Thanks for putting something more concrete in the search results fellas, Cheers.

[Download]

1) You can own black powder. Depending on your state, either your firearms act or your explosives act authorises shooters to posses explosives such as ammunition, primers, smokeless power and blackpowder. There will be limits in place which require you to get a magazines licence if you exceed them (it's normally 3kg, some states have special rules for propellants that let you have more).

2) Every state requires you to have a license to manufacture explosives and explosive articles. Each states exempts making ammunition from this. The exact wording may encompass more things (for example here in SA its says "nothing in this act shall be construed as prohibiting the manufacture of safety cartridges for private use"). You should check your state's exact wording to get the lowdown. It probably does not allow you to make blackpowder.

3) You can't make a canon, it's legally a firearm and you need to be a licensed manufacturer to do so. You live in Victoria where there are two small firearms manufacturers. If you speak to them, they may be able to help you make the registered bit of your canon, or make custom canon for you.

4) Potassium nitrate has a number of legitimate uses, primarily as a hydroponic fertilizer. It's legal to own and can be bought online.

[on_one_wheel]

Making your own BP is illegal in Australia. Plus there are some other good reasons not to and all are easy to research on google and Youtube - 1/ Home made stuff is half as dense as commercial BP which means you need twice the volume to achieve the same weight and that creates burn rate issues. 2/ With no means of reliably testing the brew rhere is no way to know if each batch is the same so point of impact will be different with each batch making it useless for competition shooting or hunting. 3/ History is full of gun powder factories that went BANG! Even the big historical zmanufacturers like Dupont, Hazard etc have blown up factories. Your fingers work best on your hands! Check this out...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch-g5shlGxw
However, by all means have a crack at BP shooting - it's the best fun you'll have with a rifle and can guarantee you'll be hooked on your first go! Be warned, BP shooting is highly addictive!

Hmmm ... thanks Noisy, I was actually thinking about trying to make some BP but now you've given me 2 good reasons not to.

[No1Mk3]

G' Morning all, well it's my morning anyway, just getting ready for work and checking the webs. First off a mea culpa to Reddick, Potassium is quite legal in small quantities without question as Download mentioned, it is Ammonium that is now licenced and restricted, Sodium is also OK but KNO3 works better, in so far as I ever got any of it to work well. About the cannon though, it is perfectly legal to make your own up to the point of the flash hole. Before that it is just an ornament and I have made many for people. The flash hole must be drilled by a gunsmith, at which point he well apply to VicPol for a serial number and registration, you apply for your PTA when that is done, and remember Vic Law specifically forbids hunting with your cannon (Really!)

[Noisydad]

[

Hmmm ... thanks Noisy, I was actually thinking about trying to make some BP but now you've given me 2 good reasons not to.

Both of your fingers?

[hzj80]

I've previously used black powder to make model rocket igniters which I needed to be more reliable than the average Estes igniter when launching rockets with multiple motors. You don't want to ignite one out of three or five motors, it makes for an unbalanced and therefore dangerous rocket.

I have thought about making some more of those - do most LGS carry black powder, and do they look at you funny if you ask for it?

[on_one_wheel]

[

Hmmm ... thanks Noisy, I was actually thinking about trying to make some BP but now you've given me 2 good reasons not to.

Both of your fingers?

that's probably fitting for the 10 other reasons

[Noisydad]

I've previously used black powder to make model rocket igniters which I needed to be more reliable than the average Estes igniter when launching rockets with multiple motors. You don't want to ignite one out of three or five motors, it makes for an unbalanced and therefore dangerous rocket.

I have thought about making some more of those - do most LGS carry black powder, and do they look at you funny if you ask for it?

Lots of LGS's don't stock it due DG freight costs and they have to store it separately requiring more space. They need to move a lot to make the freight viable. There's only two brands available here. Price can vary from $80/kg to $120/kg for Wano and don't even look for Swiss coz you cant afford it even if you can find a retailer.
There's two kinds of Wano powder. The 1-4 F and 1-4 P. The "P" powder burns a little hotter, faster and cleaner than "F" powder. However in BP shooting faster isn't always better.