Hodgdon Powder Company announced it would cease manufacturing operations at the GOEX blackpowder manufacturing facility in Camp Minden, La., effective immediately. The closure eliminates the only domestic source of blackpowder in the United States. According to a company press release, Hodgdon will evaluate “strategic options for the blackpowder business,” including a potential sale of the company.
The Camp Minden facility will wind down operations during the evaluation process. All affected employees will be retained through Dec. 31, 2021, to assist during the closure of the facility and will receive severance commensurate with their years of service. “The Hodgdon Powder Co., Inc has been honored to have been a part of the GOEX Powder legacy and sustains a fond appreciation for sporting customers who have enjoyed shooting GOEX Powders,” the release reads.
GOEX Powder has a long, storied history that starts in 1802 with the building of a blackpowder plant on the Brandywine River in Delaware by E.I. Du Pont de Nemours. Production expanded with the building of the Belin plant in Moosic, Penn., in 1912, and the facility supplied military blackpowder during both world wars, as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars. In the 1970s, the Belin plant was incorporated into the GOEX family, and production moved to Minden, La., in 1997. On Jan. 1, 2009, GOEX was purchased by Hodgdon Powder Company, which touted its philosophy of, “We are here today. We were here yesterday. We will be here tomorrow.” Hodgdon spent years updating equipment at the Minden facility, enhancing employee safety and blackpowder quality.
Despite Hodgdon’s efforts, the GOEX facility at Camp Minden has a history of manufacturing incidents stretching back to 1998, including a June 2011 incident where 1,000 lbs. of blackpowder exploded. The latest incident at GOEX occurred on June 18, 2021, when an explosion required the evacuation of 15 employees inside the facility. Nobody was injured, but the plant observed a 24- to 48-hour waiting period to ensure that nothing else at the facility ignited.
https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/hodgdon-closes-goex-blackpowder-plant/
Re: “The closure eliminates the only domestic source of blackpowder in the United States.”
I can’t believe I just read that!! They’re really trying every angle. They really didn’t even give a proper reason as to why. But it’s not difficult to guess. Communism loves castration.
The uncastrated hate communism. The uncastrated find ways.
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That’s right! Restriction always breeds ingenuity & problem-solving. Many times I’ve thought to myself that the only reason these destroyers restrict others & desire harsher & more draconian control is so that the REAL creators among us come up with new things that they can then steal & use to gain more money & power from. I mean that’s pretty much how they got to where they are now. That & nobody physically stopping them. It’s definitely time to stop that vicious cycle once & for all with a solution that stamps home some finality (if you get my drift) 😉
Looks like we’re going back(ward) to making/doing it ourselves again, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Hodgdon owns almost all gun powders made in us. Black powder is rarely used anymore as smokeless powders have replaced it in every cartridge in common use.
I didn’t know only one plant in the US still made it.
Dammit you filthy commies
This is one of my all time favorite past times
Wonder how long it will be that the ingredients to make the stuff yourself will be removed from the hardware stores ?
It’s like I’ve said before
This is no different than Lexington and Concord that sparked a Revolution
You dirty bastards have no idea the Shit storm you are formulating
Just because you remove a commodity from general production , does not mean it won’t still be made
And Blackpowder should be the least of their concerns