Quote Originally Posted by stevef View Post
It will not ignite unless there is a source of a spark or from, grit, flame, or static.
It cannot be detonated by pressure at all.
Some shells in the early days of MLR artillery - 1860s and thereabouts - didn't have a fuze. The BP bursting charge was loose in a shaloon bag inside the shell, and relied on friction between the granules on impact to fire it. This must've worked often enough in some conditions to have been adopted - but what you say is true in everyday circumstances .

Of course it's safe enough under proper storage where a proper 'H&S' attitude is taken.

But note the incidence of stories of accidental firing in this thread, and consider the fact that all of them are about black powder, and none are about anything else....

Regards,
MikB