Hodgdon buys Western and Ramshot

[Burnt Fingers]

https://hodgdon.com/company/news-media/

[jakharath]

Well that will be interesting.

[dragon813gt]

Consolidation = The Consumer Always Wins

[lawdog941]

IDK. He who controls all of the powder, controls what??

[dragon813gt]

IDK. He who controls all of the powder, controls what??

Cost, consolidation leads to higher costs for the end consumer. Competition keeps costs down. I’m not saying this purchase is a bad thing. It’s just that historically the consumer does not win. And w/ the current political climate one company controlling the supply makes for an easy target to take out.

[freddyp]

If they make something (powder) that you love, better stock up on it before it's discontinued.

[yovinny]

Buying up the competition that was offering lower price alternatives,,, is not a positive influence for consumers, or their pocketbook.

[swheeler]

Not good for us I'm sure prices will continue to rise and slow sellers will be cut from lines, bad deal.

[Black Powder Bill]

My smokless prices have.gome from 18-22$# to 25+$+. Goex I use to get for the state MLer group for 11$ pound shipped back late 90's early 2000. It went from 275$ up 25$ every time I ordered. My last 25# to me was just under 450$. Since 2015 it went from 350-540.

All powder increases shipping is about flat.

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[P Flados]

Remember that none of the US powder vendors make powder.

They place orders with the factories, then they package, distribute and market.

Accurate & Ramshot always seemed higher to me than comparable Hodgdon stuff.

I am not sure what is going to happen with the Norma powders that are made in Sweden and were being marketed through Western.

I really do not see this as a big deal. Alliant is the other US vendor with "competitive priced" powders.

And then there are the other imports, Vihtavuori and Shooters World (re-branded Lovex).

[Black Powder Bill]

Alliant these made in Sweden . I don't think any powder is made here state side except Goex,is there?

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[dragon813gt]

The St. Marks plant in Florida is still making powder. Everything else is foreign made. But a lot of it is made in Canada so it’s not like it has to get here on a slow boat.

[dverna]

I have plenty....but look at the upside.

Powders slated to be discontinued may be sold at discounted prices. That is the time to purchase a large enough quantity to last a decade or two.

When Shooter World was entering the market I bought 35lbs of a powder I had never used for $15./b delivered. There are always opportunities.

Even if powder goes up 25%, will it really matter?

My concern is less about price, but availability and control.

[megasupermagnum]

Alliant these made in Sweden . I don't think any powder is made here state side except Goex,is there?

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Just about all the powder I have is made in the USA. It is actually a consideration of mine. Bluedot, made in USA. 800x, made in USA. American Select, made in USA. H110, made in USA. Goex, made in USA. Those are my core powders. About the only ones I often use that are made elsewhere, are IMR powders. Most of those are made in Canada.

[dragon813gt]

Even if powder goes up 25%, will it really matter?

It will matter to someone. W/ the amount of people here on a fixed income it will definitely effect them if it were to happen. W/ handgun rounds it will effect it to a lesser degree since you get a lot out of a pound. Step into larger rifle cases and it definitely cuts down how much you can shoot.

I realize price increases are a fact of life. And inflation is only going to get worse over the coming years. Less competition means higher prices for consumers. Anyone that’s into computers knows this all to well. Until recently Intel had a stranglehold on CPUs and could charge whatever they desired. AMD brought out a great product, prices decreased while performance increased dramatically. The consumer won on every level. At the same time Nvidia has no competition in the GPU market and has been increasing costs w/ every generation. Consumers have been losing due to lack of competition.

I’m commenting in general terms. I don’t know if Hodgdon’s purchase is going to be bad for consumers. It’s simply that less competition has historically been bad for consumers. I hope I’m completely wrong and we make out. Maybe volume orders will bring prices down. Let’s hope this is the case.

[monkey wrangler]

If only they would buy a primer manufacture. Cant use the powder without primers. I was told a lot of the chemicals used in primers are made in China. These chemicals are just not being shipped to the US in large batches like they used to be.

I would seem national security would demand that the US manufacture some of all the stuff needed to fight a war.

[swheeler]

Just about all the powder I have is made in the USA. It is actually a consideration of mine. Bluedot, made in USA. 800x, made in USA. American Select, made in USA. H110, made in USA. Goex, made in USA. Those are my core powders. About the only ones I often use that are made elsewhere, are IMR powders. Most of those are made in Canada.

800x is made in the USA? I would think Canada

[ABJ]

Not sure how I feel about this, my off the cuff feeling is, it is not a good thing. There are so few players in the field this will make the market share a little lop sided. I think Hodgon will become more sales driven and items like 5744 which cast shooters use a lot of but not compared to pistol powders may get the axe by the bean counters. Remember 4759? I agree with Dragon, competition is a good thing. Also I think it is safer for our country to have multiple sources of powder. Like one poster eluded to, one main supplier is easier to target. Something to think about for sure.
Tony

[megasupermagnum]

800x is made in the USA? I would think Canada

You know, you are right. I saw the USA from my bench. I just realized it say PACKAGED in USA, but manufactured in Canada. Makes sense, being an IMR powder, which I am a big fan.

[farmbif]

WOW
so now there are 5 major powder company owners that supply US reloader, is this correct, Hodgdon, Alliant, Norma and Vihtavuori and shooters world/lovex