M-80s are a class of large firecrackers, sometimes called salutes.[1] The Simulator, Artillery, M80, was originally made in the early 20th century by the U.S. Military to simulate explosives or artillery fire;[2] Later, M-80s were manufactured as fireworks. Traditionally, M-80s were made from a small cardboard tube, often red in color, approximately 1½ inches (3.8 cm) long and 9/16 inch (1.4 cm) inside diameter, with a fuse or wick coming out of the side; this type fuse is commonly known as cannon fuse or Visco fuse, after a company responsible for standardizing the product. The tubes often hold approximately 2½–3 grams of pyrotechnic flash powder; one source states that an M-80 has at least 3 grams of explosive.[3] Some contain up to 5 grams or more.
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M-80s are not authorized under the Explosives Act, thus making importation, possession, transportation, storage or manufacturing illegal in Canada.[4]
In Germany there is a military hand grenade simulator called "DM22" containing about 5g of flash powder. It is the successor to the "DM12" which contained ~16g flash powder but was considered too dangerous years ago (bangers available for the general public in Germany are not allowed to contain flash powder, only black powder). For comparison, the Quarter stick contains ~35 grams of powder.
Due to property damages and bodily harm caused by M-80s, Class C fireworks—now known as Consumer Fireworks (class 1.4G), as opposed to Display Fireworks (which were Class B, and are now 1.3G)[5]— civilians are no longer allowed to carry a pyrotechnic device containing more than 50 milligrams of pyrotechnic flash powder. In 1966, M-80s and cherry bombs were banned by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Child Protection Act of 1966. Furthermore, they were then made illegal by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) in the 1970s. In 1975, U.S. federal regulations were passed to limit all consumer-grade fireworks in the United States to a maximum of 50 milligrams flash powder, down from a previous maximum of 200 milligrams (though firecrackers mounted onto a rocket stick, or other aerial firework devices, such as Rockets, Roman Candles, and Cakes, may have up to 160 mg).
The M-80 was originally created for the military as a simulator for live explosives. The M in the name stood for Military and the 80 referred to the size of the tube. Complete with end-caps, the cardboard tube was sized to hold exactly 80 grains (not grams) of black powder. This was a definition of size, not content. The "powder" content was typically on the order of 35 to 45 grains, because leaving an air gap allows buildup of pressure before the case ruptures, thus making a louder bang with a visible flash. After M-80s became commercial fireworks, the bursting charges varied with the manufacturer and included black powder, flash powder, chlorate/sulfur/antimony sulfide powder and even sawdust impregnated with a small amount of nitroglycerin, to name a few known varieties. [This information comes from a 1965 fireworks manual ]
Numerous injuries accompanied their use during the 1950s and 1960s, and still occur, as M-80s are still produced and sold - primarily on Indian reservations. Despite instructions to only ignite the product on the ground (many M-80s even have the words "do not hold in hand" written on the tube[1]), many users attempt to light an M-80 while holding it, then throw it before it explodes. Others attempt to relight a device that went out. Due to their illicit nature, M-80s may also contain unstable compositions, such as picric acid, nitroglycerin or chlorate/sulfur mixtures, which adds to the possibility of injury. There have been documented cases of users losing their fingers or hands[6]. Peter Criss, drummer for the rock band Kiss, was a victim of an M-80 during a 1976 Richmond Coliseum concert when a fan threw an M-80 onto the stage, nearly knocking him off his drum riser and leaving him with partial hearing loss for the remainder of the night.[7]
M-80s can still be legally manufactured in the United States by those holding a federal explosives license. Federal and state officials sometimes distribute them to farmers to scare away wildlife encroaching on their crops.[8]
While there are currently many firecrackers sold legally in the United States today to consumers under names such as "M-80 Firecracker", "M-8000", or "M-##" (where ## is a number), none of these contain more than 50 mg of flash powder, and the name is just a lure to make consumers think they are more powerful than they are[9]. These firecrackers most commonly have a small capsule with up to 50 mg of powder and a fuse in it. Surrounding the capsule is plaster or a similar material, and finally a red tube and two plastic endcaps. Because of the size of these firecrackers, buyers are occasionally deceived into thinking that the entire tube is full. Also the fuse, at times, protrudes from the ends of these firecrackers, as opposed to the middle of the tube in real M-80s. Genuine M-80s have paper endcaps, and contain 50–60 times more powder. (Contrary to urban legend, an M-80 that contains 3,000 mg of powder is not equivalent to a quarter-stick of dynamite. Dynamite generally contains a stable nitroglycerin based high explosive, whereas M-80s or any other kind of firecracker contains a low explosive powder, like flash powder or black powder.)[8] Some illicits, however, contain(ed), or were reported to contain, small amounts of picric acid (similar to TNT), for greater effect.
M-80s containing the full original explosive charge continue to be manufactured, bought, and used illegally in the United States. However, in many other countries where regulations are less stringent, large firecrackers such as the M-80 and its equivalents continue to be legally produced, sold, and used. Note that despite their destructive potential, the M-80 being classified as an explosive is debatable . They produce varying strengths of shock waves. As a result, several governments have classified such large salutes as explosive devices.