Hodgdon Purchases RCBS!

[Bazoo]

This is interesting. Hodgdon has purchased RCBS. Here's a news article (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/revelyst-announces-sale-rcbs-110000319.html?guccounter=1), and here is Hodgdon's (https://hodgdonpowderco.com/news/hodgdon-powder-company-acquires-rcbs-reloading/) page about it.

I for one think it's a good thing, while Hodgdon has something of a monopoly on powder, they are a good company, and I think this a good direction for RCBS.

https://hodgdonpowderco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2022NRAImage.jpg

[Three44s]

While I prefer more diversity, it sure beats someone like Soros or some foreign en8tity!

Three44s

[Barry54]

Isn’t Vista Outdoors selling the ammunition side to a foreign entity already? It is in the works, if it isn’t done already.

I wonder if Alliant powder will become even more difficult to find?

[Shawlerbrook]

Interesting ! I like Hodgdon and love RCBS. They will have big shoes to fill to keep RCBS on top.

[BNE]

I like both companies and their products. I hope this works out well for all of us.

[deltaenterprizes]

Better than RCBS going out of business if they are having financial difficulties!

[contender1]

Vista Outdoors is basically a bunch of "investors" who bought up a lot of companies,, made it appear they were the "best" and yet,, took a lot of stuff & ruined what used to be great companies. All in the quest for profits. Look at the way they owned (3) of the major .22 RF manufacturers. And look at what the cost of the .22 was & still is. (Thanks Vista!)

As long as Hodgdon keeps it as a private, family owned type of business,, and refuses to let "investor groups" to buy them out,, I see this as a good thing.

Too many investor groups out there nowadays,, all with just one approach to things. "Buy a company,, do things to get good profits,, inflate the value of the company,, and sell after 5-8 years to another investment group." Vista has done it to us for many years by the way they bought companies,, and the products often increased in costs,, the quality suffered in many, and now they are divesting parts of the company.

At the 2023 SHOT Show,, Vista had one of the biggest booths, on the main floor,, and were pushing stuff HARD. Yet,, in 2024,, after Vista sold some stuff,,, (and keeping that crook vanderquack or however his name is spelled,) on as a CEO or whatever,, their booth was NOTHING like it had been in 2023. Much smaller & under a different name. (Revelyst)

I'm GLAD to see Hodgdon get a good product line like RCBS & hopefully they will keep stuff going as it needs to be.

[trapper9260]

I am on the fence on this . I am not sure how this will work out , hope for the best. One dose not know. Also is it going to be a monopoly like the powder companies turn out for how it looks. Time will tell.

[anothernewb]

count me in on the fence as well. Could be good, could be bad. all depends on management and process. Some mergers come out okay with 2 marginal companies combining assets and having a little more insulation against up and down cycles while retaining great customer relations.

Some go bad with the entire lot being sold to investors that are only about the bottom line and not about the product quality or customer service.

[jcullen]

Hope this isn't the end of great CS from RCBS

[Bigslug]

Remember Remington? Or perhaps more to the point, remember Titanic? It seems really efficient to have a lot of folks travelling on one boat. . .right up to the point that boat sinks. . .or in the case of Remington, gets taken over by pirates.

Yes, a manufacturer of reloading propellants absorbing a manufacturer of reloading tools makes some sense, but monopolies and megacorps make me nervous. Color me concerned.

[MUSTANG]

Based ONLY on changes to the Hodgdon Web Site and Reloading information; I am concerned. Seems to me they have lost focus on the Shooter/Reloader support and satisfaction over the last few years - the money will then follow, and acquiring RCBS may or may not return that focus; and of course the Customer Service of RCBS could go down hill as previously mentioned.

Hogdon has always been a reseller of Surplus or other Manufacturer products under their name. That is becoming a problem in todays manufacturing world. Most of the Nitro-Cellulose in the world is being made and exported from China to Western Countries and the USofA. Nitrocellulose is key component of Single Base, Double Base, and Triple Based powders. Seems solidifying/expanding the supply chain of Nitro Cellulose so it is not CCP (Communist Party of China) controlled and not being dependent on them upstream in Powder production for the Hodgdon and other Powders they sell would have been a better focus. But what do I Know; just have a BBA, Master of Science and a couple Credits shy of an MBA so I am not business focused.

Planned Obsolescence is another area of concern. I have a Rock Chucker press I have been using (Heavily) for the last 45 plus years. I am not sure that todays presses from RCBS and others will hold up as well. What happens to existing and previous Quality Control and Lifecycle of products with the Passing of RCBS into the Hodgdon Umbrella? Currently and Unanswerable question; but one I still have.

[Bazoo]

Wow there are some interesting concerns, most of which I hadn't thought of.

[jakharath]

Since the Vista purchase it seems like a bunch of RCBS's stuff started being made in China. Maybe Hodgdon will change that...

[hoodat]

I try to make my default mode optimism, until proven wrong. jd

[Delkal]

Hodgdon is a privately owned company so they don't have to worry about stock prices or profits for shareholders. I can only think RCBS will do better there than being owned by a venture capitol company that only cares about their profits.

[36g]

Was Huntington Die Specialties an inherent part of RCBS or a separate entity?

[Txcowboy52]

Time will tell . We can always hope, but then again you never know.

[Handloader109]

I don't think I own any RCBS items, but they seem to be a leader in reloading equipment. Does ANYONE REALLY think Vista (or their new name) would continue to be the best place for any gun related items? Not I.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[huntersdog]

Vista Outdoors is basically a bunch of "investors" who bought up a lot of companies,, made it appear they were the "best" and yet,, took a lot of stuff & ruined what used to be great companies. All in the quest for profits. Look at the way they owned (3) of the major .22 RF manufacturers. And look at what the cost of the .22 was & still is. (Thanks Vista!)

As long as Hodgdon keeps it as a private, family owned type of business,, and refuses to let "investor groups" to buy them out,, I see this as a good thing.

Too many investor groups out there nowadays,, all with just one approach to things. "Buy a company,, do things to get good profits,, inflate the value of the company,, and sell after 5-8 years to another investment group." Vista has done it to us for many years by the way they bought companies,, and the products often increased in costs,, the quality suffered in many, and now they are divesting parts of the company.

At the 2023 SHOT Show,, Vista had one of the biggest booths, on the main floor,, and were pushing stuff HARD. Yet,, in 2024,, after Vista sold some stuff,,, (and keeping that crook vanderquack or however his name is spelled,) on as a CEO or whatever,, their booth was NOTHING like it had been in 2023. Much smaller & under a different name. (Revelyst)

I'm GLAD to see Hodgdon get a good product line like RCBS & hopefully they will keep stuff going as it needs to be.
It is an Industrial and Technology company that bought Vista for $1.9 Billion in cash.

[Bazoo]

This tells me all I need to know about Hodgdon:



OUR MISSION

Hodgdon Powder Company operates following Biblical principles to honor God. Our mission is to provide quality products and services in a manner which enhances the lives of our employees, families, customers, suppliers, and our communities. In doing so, we deal with integrity and honesty, reflecting that people are more important than dollars, and that our purpose is to bring credit to our Lord Jesus Christ.

From this page: https://hodgdonpowderco.com/hodgdon/#

[deces]

You better get your free service parts from RCBS while you still can. There is no way in Hades, that the Hodgdon family will honor that kind of warranty for long.

[gunther]

Ought to say one for the RCBS employees, that they may keep their jobs.
As far as importing nitrocellulose; that may be due to a lack of economical access to natural gas in parts the US. Thanks to Brandon.

[MUSTANG]

USofA imported about $280 million in Sulfuric Acid in 2023 (Guess where it came from - oh, that was China). The USofA also imported $110 Million in Potassium Nitrate, most coming from Chile or Israel, with less than 10% coming from China. In addition to importing the precursors of Nitrocellulose from China, as I previously stated - we also import significant amounts of NitroCellulose that was manufactured in China.

The principal raw material components of Nitrocellulose are Sulfuric Acid, Potassium Nitrate, and Cotton or wood pulp. All of these materials are readily available in the USofA without importation - provided the USofA allows mining and industrial production.

The Global Nitrocellulose production is about $1.2 Billion annually. Although we focus on it's use in production of munitions; that represents a small % of the use of Nitrocellulose which includes: Printing, Inks, Paints, Wood Coatings, textile products, Nail Varnishes, and many more that we use in day to day life. Dependency on China is a critical risk area.

[imashooter2]

I feel that giant corporate conglomerates are bad for the consumer in general. I hope that there won’t be any change in quality or service, but look at what happened to Boeing after McDonnell management took over.

[Electrod47]

Better them than some entity less motivated to keep their reputation.

[Hondolane]

Spoke with a gentlemen at RCBS repair parts and asked him about the buy out. He stated that the employees were all for it and that this is going to be a good thing for the company. May well be.

[GONRA]

GONRA sez - Hang onto yer olde RCBS dies / presses / tools / etc.
Do NOT sell 'em ! !!

[Handloader109]

Spoke with a gentlemen at RCBS repair parts and asked him about the buy out. He stated that the employees were all for it and that this is going to be a good thing for the company. May well be.We can all hope...

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[ebb]

It may well be a good thing for RCBS but only time will tell if it is good for shooters. I really like the Hodgdon mission statement that was posted here, I don't like paying almost 3 times as much for powder as i did 2.5 years ago.

[Rickf1985]

You see what Hodgdon has done with their powder prices don't you? Just about the most expensive out there. So what do you think they are going to do with RCBS? It is all about the money. And I am sure you can kiss the fantastic RCBS customer service with free replacement parts goodbye!

[Rickf1985]

This tells me all I need to know about Hodgdon:



From this page: https://hodgdonpowderco.com/hodgdon/#

If that creed were true about it not being about the money then explain to me why their powder prices are the highest in the industry? Yea, it is ALL about the money. They may not be a conglomerate but the owners want the money. Same thing has happened with Midway and Lee, younger generation takes over and gets greedy. End result is the company eventually goes under. Family owned or otherwise

[Rickf1985]

Amen to that!!

[Tripplebeards]

I talked to a guy over a Bushnell customer service who was upset they did it.They are moving Bushnell to another state as well. He said he’s not packing up and going with so his last day is July 6th. He also said most jobs have already been eliminated and it’s a skeleton crew there right now. He was planing on buying some RCBS reloading supplies before he left but can’t now since he wasn’t aware it was getting sold. I ended up calling for a neighbor who had a spotting scope that broke and they are replacing under warranty.

[Big Tom]

Well, looking at the recent "price adjustments" for Hodgdon powders, I will for sure stock up on the RCBS consumables/equipment before they triple in cost...

[farmbif]

only time will tell if its a good thing or not. just a little observation here from someone who is not an expert but there are now very limited companies that sell powder to us reloaders and prices are way up but Alliant prices seem much higher than the powders under the hogdon umbrella

[Rickf1985]

You mean like 70.00 a lb. for IMR 4895 and H4895 has been off the shelf for years now. Most of the Alliant prices I have seen were much lower than Hodgdon.

[deces]

You mean like 70.00 a lb. for IMR 4895 and H4895 has been off the shelf for years now. Most of the Alliant prices I have seen were much lower than Hodgdon.

Well, that wont last for long, Alliant will be discontinuing the sale of powder to the public soon. Thanks ukraine....

[Rapier]

Only time will tell, as the proof is in the pudding, but... this buyer could be that Belgian/French bunch that has gone all over the world buying stuff and steadily dinking the poodle, with their woke crapola, it could be much worse than the Hodgson buyer. Figure on Changes, but RCBS has now hired their old marketing manager back. At least someone figured out that sales and marketing, might have something to do with success.
They said RCBS will stay in Redding, but....do not expect that to last too long as CA is not very friendly to free enterprise or tax structures for Corporations or indivuals, plus the state has a negative population transfer situation going on.
If someone makes them a move/land/tax credit deal, well....

[Remmy4477]

I don't know?
I've seen a lot of company's merge, or sell out with the promise nothing will change for the consumer or employees, then six months to a year later everything is different or gone!

Back in the early 70's my Dad worked for Speer-Omark as a machinist. As I recall he was real happy there. Then they shifted stuff around and it went down hill fast, don't remember the details. Dad was pretty upset till Ball Aerospace offered him a better deal. He spent 15 years there.

I have a lot of RCBS stuff, X's two and three with some things. Most of it 1970's vintage, so kind of good with reloading stuff. Back in the 90's I had problems with a then new hand primer and some decaping pins. Called RCBS customer service and they sent me the parts to fix free of charge. Have stuck with there brand since!

Time will tell on this deal. Hoping for the best but not holding my breath!

[MUSTANG]

Apples and Oranges; but examples of "Promises Made = Promises Broken" by Corporate Entities.


Private family owned "Plum Creek" company with very large holdings of forest across Montana. As Plum Creek was negotiating the sale of all Forrest Lands to Warehouser; there were numerous public meetings with joint Plum Creek and Warehouser where the public was repeatedly assured that Warehouser would continue the 100 plus year policy of allowing the public to camp and hunt on those lands. A few months after the sale - No Trespassing signs and gated roads were emplaced and Public Barred access. (PS - Warehouser is now selling much of that Forest to a Georgia Based Timber Company).

There is 3,000 to 4,000 acres along the Muddy River behind the Moapa House we just sold after owning the home and small acreage for about 25 years. About 15 years ago the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) bought up the large acreage along the Muddy River. As the sale was being negotiated, there were numerous meetings with the Public where SNWA representatives assured the local community that the several Dirt roads on the property and trails along the Muddy River would remain "Open to the Public". Residents had been riding horses & bicycles, hiking, bird hunting, etc... there since the late 1800's. Two weeks after the Property closed - Signs went up and gates emplaced - No Public Access.


My point is that when sold - all promises and past "Good Will" is gone. Promises Made & Promises Broken is the word of the day. If it is not in writing; IT DOES NOT EXIST.

[Oddbod]

Well, that wont last for long, Alliant will be discontinuing the sale of powder to the public soon. Thanks ukraine....

Don't you mean "Thanks Putin"?

[Mike_S]

Such a shame. That's how we lose our woodlands and the feds either aren't watching or don't care. Take your pick.