Improved acrylate based radiation curable coating compositions containing nitrocellulose

In an acrylate or methacrylate-based radiation curable coating composition containing at least 10 weight percent of an oligomeric polyacrylate or polymethacrylate having a molecular weight from 800 to 5,000 and an average of 1 to 8 acrylyl groups per 1,000 molecular weight units, the improvement of having present in said radiation curable coating composition from 0.25 to 9 weight percent of nitrocellulose having a viscosity of 1/4 second to 1/2 second, measured by the falling ball method described in ASTM D301-56(65) and ASTM D1343-56(65), and an average nitrogen content from 10.9 to 12.2 weight percent.