The smell of burnt gunpowder?
Can't for the life of me find a description for what burnt gunpowder smells like.
I've no interest in cordite after being told (with apparently some deep-seated frustration!) cordite hasn't been used since WWII and that it is an oft used inaccurate description utilised by writers creating gun-play scenes.
So...striving for accuracy of some degree...what the heck does burnt gunpowder smell like? I cannot find anyone that has said more than 'that burnt gunpowder smell' and, being a brit, is somewhat hard to just wander out and find out first-hand.
The closest I've come across is dynamite smells banana sweet and another saying oily sweet. I found out modern propellants used with handguns generally use a nitroglycerine (main component of dynamite), sawdust and graphite concoction...though some use nitrocellulose too.
So is there a description that won't have seasoned gun users panning my work? Can you detect the sawdust and graphite at all, even as just a trace? I'm not looking for cast-iron perfection (but if that springs up then great 
), but having no first-hand experience of handgun propellants I'm in need of help!
Anything you can provide would be greatly appreciated 
Ham and eggs: a day's work for a chicken; a life-time commitment for a pig.
It depends on the grade of powder. But i would say you have a hint of charcoal, with a semi sweet spell of hot metal.
As your attorney, my advise to you is to start drinking heavily(er).-Tuffy
Yeah, 'gunpowder' is really the best description for it. Though the context you're using it in would probably be important. I shot off 200 rounds at the range with my Glock 19 last weekend and I honestly can't even recall even smelling it.
Maybe try using an emotion to describe the smell? Or a taste? Connect some senses together kind of thing.
awesome one and all .
sweet hot metal seems to be a recurrent theme so i think that'll be my basis - the other variations like dirt i can put down to the different powders used by the different users (at least it sounds blaggably logical which i'm happy with!).
nathaniel parker - i wanted a tangible base first that wasn't ridiculous before doing anything else. emotion generated by smell is normally from a memory so it's somewhat arbituary; that said, great idea for a cheeky bit of extra characterisation/hints about their past so muchos kudos to you too for suggesting that .
Ham and eggs: a day's work for a chicken; a life-time commitment for a pig.
The more I think about it, I would also include the smell of burning carbon in there too. But I imagine even less people know what burning carbon smells like than gunpowder.
Yeah - I feel the same way. I've been trying to think about this and every way I can come up with describing gunpowder smell, basically is just another form of gunpowder.
It smells like fire works! duh...
I know the smell, but it's a hard one to describe without sounding cliche.
We're specifically describing gunpowder, and not black powder, right? Gunpowder always has a vague sexual smell to me, but that's probably my own issue...
Tuffy the Dump Truck may rarely increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke. The risk may be greater if you have heart disease or increased risk for heart disease (for example, due to smoking, family history of heart disease, or conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes), or with longer use. Tuffy should not be taken right before or after heart bypass surgery. Also, Tuffy may infrequently cause serious (rarely fatal) bleeding from the stomach or intestines. This effect can occur without warning symptoms at any time while taking Tuffy. Older adults may be at higher risk for this effect. (See also Precautions and Drug Interactions sections.) Stop taking Tuffy and get medical help right away if you notice any of the following rare but serious side effects: bloody or black/tarry stools, persistent stomach/abdominal pain, vomit that looks like coffee grounds, chest/jaw/left arm pain, shortness of breath, unusual sweating, weakness on one side of the body, sudden vision changes, slurred speech. Ask your doctor if Tuffy is right for you.
Bitter or burnt is a common descriptor,as well as acrid or metallic, sometimes it's just easier to use 'gunpowder'.
Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me alone.
~The Zen of Sarcasm
It smells like fire works! duh...
I know the smell, but it's a hard one to describe without sounding cliche.
Yeah that would be it, I worked in an armory for a year and when you would disassemble a weapon, no matter what the type, what you were cleaning out was the burnt up carbon. If you needed something I might compare it to a cross between the smell of sulfur and burnt hair....almost one of those things that smells like you shouldn't be smelling it but you have take another whiff. A burnt natural earthy type smell.
your friendly neighborhood.....
this probably will be of no help. but try to find someone that is blind and around guns a lot and ask them.
Go buy some gunpowder, pour yourself a little pile, and toss a match at it. its not going to explode just give you a little flash. You can buy gunpowder for a reasonable price at most stores that have a decent firearm section. And when i say little i mean like a tea spoon. And this way you can judge for yourself.
As your attorney, my advise to you is to start drinking heavily(er).-Tuffy
Burning sulfur is mainly what I smell. For some reason this smell is also associated with dark entities like demons and satan. To a pyromaniac, this smell activates pleasure sensors because it is associated with the experiences of shooting off guns and fireworks.
http://www.mrdartsmouth.blogspot.com/
http://www.jandersonguy.blogspot.com/
Metal, burning... but for me, the most descriptive thing about smell was "sharp". It simply cuts into nostrils.
I once lit a charcoal art pencil on fire in school. Although not 100% exact, it was close. What it reminded me of the most was the smell left on the hand and fingers after firing a couple hundred rounds out of a pistol. The smell the pencil left on my fingers after handling it when the flame went out was similar.
Last One Dead Is A Sissy
I don't know if this my opinion would be of any use to you, but burnt gunpowder has always smelled like metal and dirt to me.
Take that for what it's worth.