Cordite was the primary product of the Nobel plant, used to propel ammunition from 16-inch cannons on naval battleships.
It was soon discovered that the high burning temperature of
Cordite quickly eroded the rounded Metford rifling, which led to the 1895 adoption of a new type of rifling designed by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield (RSAF), which increased barrel life and led to future Lee rifles being referred to as the Lee-Enfield.
Both used the same charge of
Cordite but a bullet of 225 grains.
Over the years the chemical composition of
Cordite (58 percent nitroglycerine; 37 percent nitrocellulose; 5 percent mineral jelly) was only changed slightly, and its physical appearance very little.
Cordite was a mixture of nitroglycerine (see 1847) and nitrocellulose (see 1834) to which some petroleum jelly was added.
Officially known as the Cartridge SA Ball .303 inch
Cordite Mark II Special, it was loaded with a 215-grain soft-point bullet which, it was soon discovered, was far more effective against the fanatical tribal warriors on the North West Frontier and Afghanistan than FMJ ammunition.
Since England was committed to
cordite propellant in a major way during WWI it continued in use even as other more modern propellants were phased into service.
The lingering tang of
cordite was harsh as it hit the back of my throat, and the deafening crack was unmistakable as the bullets roared from the barrel.
In a recent interview published in the new Sydney-based poetry tabloid
Cordite, John Kinsella discussed his interest in hybridizing, a term he defines as "picking out the eyes of the best and creating some sort of new form that apparently shows us something new." Indeed, Kinsella is an eloquent advocate of experimentation and undertakes in his own work a synthesis between two trends traditionally antagonistic in Australian poetry circles: the pastoral and the urban.