When I was about 17, like my teenagers, I had a fascination with explosives. Anything that set on fire, exploded, or generally made a mess or a loud noise was just another toy to add to my collection.

One of my favorite projects was called the "mini-boom". It consisted of a shotgun shell that had a hole carefully worked into it via a manual file with a point. From there, a fuse was inserted, secured with wax, and the device was ready to light and toss. It made quite a noise!

However, there was a celebration coming up and I needed to make a batch of the little things. Genius struck. Why waste time manually forming the holes?

I borrowed my dad's electric drill and went to work. I carefully held the shell in my hand, lined up the drill bit to the side... and BLAM!

Buckshot went everywhere. My chest was red with powder burns. The drill bit and the connector would never see the light of day again.

To this day, my father does not know how I broke his drill. I also learned a valuable lesson regarding gunpowder and potential sparks.

Submitted on 01/13/2013

Submitted by: Joseph G.
Reference:

Copyright © 2013 DarwinAwards.com

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
Thanks, Joseph, for a very unique angle on the teenager making homemade explosives story!

James said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
Buckshot went everywhere, eh?! Glad you don't leak from a hundred holes when you drink water! :-) Thanks, Joseph!

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