What type of powder do model gun caps contain?

Hi, I was just curious and thought I'd ask here. What chemical compound do the model gun caps contain? Is it the same Armstrong's mixture like in children's toy cap guns or something else? Also, considering I see many people shoot their model guns indoors, would the volume of smoke be safe or could it cause long term health risks? I ask this because the model gun caps appear to produce a lot of smoke compared to blank firing guns. My blank firing Glock produces almost no smoke at all. I'm pretty sure these blanks contain the same smokeless powder as real ammunition because it smells the same as the ammo I used when I went clay pigeon shooting. Sorry if this is a silly question, I was just curious and I like to compare real blanks with plug fire cartridges. I find it amazing how something so small with very little powder can blow-back a heavy spring loaded bolt. Isn't energy a wonderful thing.

Main ingredient is red phosphorus, 0.01g per cap. I do not know about remainder of the compound.

You might find the following article interesting for other information:
https://mp40modelguns.forumotion.net/t1949-history-of-modelgun-industry

Ah, thanks smootik . Your article makes for interesting reading, I'll read it all tonight. 0.01g doesn't seem a lot but it obviously has the power to properly cycle model guns which makes it all the more fascinating.

Hi
Yes in essence it is a form of Armstrongs Mixture, but as with most explosive compounds it is the way the force is contained / directed that provides the power. For reference most common "party poppers" use about 10 times as much explosive compound as is found in a modelgun cap !!
A single non safty match can provide a huge amount of force that can easily deform steel if contained in the correct way!

In New Zealand during the Maori Wars, percussion caps were prohibited to be sold to the local Maoris.''
But of course they could buy tobacco and matches. ''
Being an enterprising people, they used the "strike anywhere" red phosphorous match heads as percussion caps on their muskets! (They placed the phosphorus inside the percussion hammer)
While not 100% fool-proof they worked well enough to continue fighting! ''
Moral of the story: matches can be used as percussion caps - possibly also as modelgun caps
- but for obvious safety reasons NOT TO BE RECOMMENDED! '

Kiwigunner

Wow that’s an interesting piece of history and another case of necessity being the mother of invention.

8ace

I used match heads on my Marushin Uzi to give the ejecting shells a bit of a boost, and it worked......and I'm still alive!

Ozzie, Don't tell the Maoris over here - they'll ask for a royalty for intellectual property! ''