What do Guns use as propellant?

Gunpowder has been widely used as a propellant in firearms, artillery, rocketry, and pyrotechnics, including use as a blasting agent for explosives in quarrying, mining, and road building. Gunpowder is classified as a low explosive because of its relatively slow decomposition rate and consequently low brisance.

What is the propellant used in most firearms?

nitrocellulose
Gunpowders or smokeless powders are the propellants in use today. This substance is produced by combining nitrocellulose (nitric acid and cotton) with ether and alcohol to produce a low explosive. Although called smokeless powders, they are neither smokeless nor in powder form, but in granule form.

What is a bullet without gunpowder?

A blank is a firearm cartridge that generates a muzzle flash and an explosive sound (muzzle report) like any normal gunshots. The shooter experiences less recoil than a live round and the firearm may be modified to allow a blank to cycle the action, but without shooting a projectile (e.g. bullet or shot).

How is black powder manufactured?

Black powder consists of a fuel (charcoal), an oxidizer (saltpeter or niter), and a stabilizer (sulfur) to allow for a constant reaction. The reaction would be slow, like a wood fire, if not for the oxidizing agent. Carbon in a fire must draw oxygen from the air, but the saltpeter in gunpowder provides the oxygen.

Is cordite still used?

Cordite was never used in bullets. It was a type of gunpowder used to propel the bullet. AFAIK, it is not used anymore. Somebody probably has some ammo left over that contains cordite, so it could still be in use in that sense.

Do modern weapons use gunpowder?

Yes, modern guns do use gun powder, but smokeless powder has replaced traditional black powder. Smokeless gun powder (nitrocellulose) is a cleaner burning propellant, with a controlled burn rate, that reduces fouling.

What is a Caseless weapon?

Caseless ammunition, or rather caseless cartridges, is a configuration of weapon-cartridge that eliminates the cartridge case that typically holds the primer, propellant and projectile together as a unit.