Quote Originally Posted by 12bolts View Post
As I understood it the propellant bags were made of silk, (originally), but now cotton or rayon, or other flammable material so as to be fully consumed during firing. Why would they employ a fibre that is designed to resist burning?
I do not know the answer to why... I asked the same question when it hit the news here. I could guess and say perhaps it was to reduce burning embers landing on the ground near the guns and starting a scrub fire, but that is just a guess on my part. I always worked on the principle that the bags were medium weight cotton or silk as well, so was quite surprised when the news stories talked about "a small amount of asbestos" being in them.