Defense Department Invests to Re-Establish Domestic Production of GOEX Blackpowder

[M-Tecs]

https://www.ilovemuzzleloading.com/b...E04w1KZCdqqxZI

Defense Department Invests to Re-Establish Domestic Production of GOEX Blackpowder
In a press release published this afternoon, the U.S Department of Defense announced a $3.5 million investment in the GOEX facility in Louisiana.

The Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Support (IBS) office, through the Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III authority, is supporting a Louisiana facility that produces black powder, a widely used propellant in artillery, firearms, rocketry, pyrotechnics and numerous weapons systems.

The $3.5 million investment by the Department of Defense (DoD) will allow the facility, owned by Estes Energetics, through its Goex subsidiary, to reopen after an accident shut down production. The total cost of the project is $5.3 million over two years, and it will allow production to resume at the Minden, Louisiana facility in two years or less.

This investment will bring a critical defense industrial base asset back to production status and help Goex modernize the facility with the intent of reducing operational risk and improving safety. Goex is currently the only American source of black powder, which also has commercial applications in model rockets, muzzleloading firearms, fireworks, and other industrial processes.

“The Department of Defense’s DPA Title III Program Office continues to deliver on its mission of reshoring and re-establishing domestic production of materials critical to our nation’s national security needs and strategic interests,” said Halimah Najieb-Locke, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to support this U.S. company as it works to restart the American-based supply chain of this important propellant.”

The investment will also allow Goex to hire up to an additional 30 workers in Louisiana.

Estes Energetics CEO, Karl Kulling had this to say about the news

“I’m proud of the entire Estes Energetics team as we continue the 220-year legacy of American-made black powder. Securing the domestic supply chain is vitally important and partnering with the Department of Defense lets us do our part in that mission.”
— Karl Kulling, CEO, Estes Energetics
The news is welcome to muzzleloading enthusiasts. Rumors about the condition of the facility circulated after the explosion in June 2021 but were not confirmed. News has been light about the GOEX plant since their appearance at the 2022 NMLRA Spring National Shoot, it’s nice to hear the team at Estes Energetics is working hard to get American Made powder back into enthusiasts hands.

[uscra112]

Old news but good news.

[pworley1]

Good to hear.

[725]

How old is this press release?

[Finster101]

Just out of curiosity, what use does the DOD have for GOEX? No tinfoil hat. I just don't understand the DOD involvement.

[MUSTANG]

Just out of curiosity, what use does the DOD have for GOEX? No tinfoil hat. I just don't understand the DOD involvement.

A couple of decades ago Black powder was still used for the initiator charge on 60mm and 81mm Mortars.

[shell70634]

They provided black powder for numerous ordnance fuzes, time fuze, ignitors, boosters, and priming systems.

[Eddie Southgate]

So , is this another case where the government is gonna buy up and stash the lions share of their production to keep it out of the public's hands as much as possible ? Maybe the Post Office or the IRS needs some FFG to go with all of the vast quantities of ammo that they have bought over the last couple of years. They have small interest in investing in domestic oil production but a large interest investing in explosives and munitions.

[Finster101]

A couple of decades ago Black powder was still used for the initiator charge on 60mm and 81mm Mortars.

Thanks for the info. As a tanker we didn't hang and drop shells. We shoved up and in. Spent most of my time driving though.

[MUSTANG]

Thanks for the info. As a tanker we didn't hang and drop shells. We shoved up and in. Spent most of my time driving though.

I had a year as a "Tank Commander" when I was working with 4th MarDiv, in a Tank Detachment (we had six M60A1's with that Reserve Unit). Funny to be assigned as the "Expert" on an M60A1 simply because of an assignment - lots of after hours study and after hours hands on in the M60A1 to establish some level of bonafides. Paid off when we went for a 2 week "Live Fire" with the Unit.

[shell70634]

I've used black powder components made by foreign companies. The quality was terrible, sometimes unsafe. IMHO, Goex has a superior product and an excellent safety record. I think the last fatal accident was 1998 or 1999. Without them DOD would be hard pressed to find quality ordnance.

[M-Tecs]

Old news but good news.

The Defense Department investment info was from AUG. 10, 2022

https://www.defense.gov/News/Release...critical-prop/

https://www.hstoday.us/industry/indu...-black-powder/

[barnetmill]

They provided black powder for numerous ordnance fuzes, time fuze, ignitors, boosters, and priming systems.

Could BP have been used in line throwers. There maybe formulations that black powder plant can make that are more useful for other purposes than what works in guns also.
The government I am sure get their share first, but I am hopeful there will be no problems with selling BP to the general public.
I doubt that most antigunners are that concerned with black powder since after all they say the 2nd A only protects black powder muskets of the 18th century.

[26Charlie]

Black powder was also critical in 155mm separate-loading howitzers. A BP charge in the base of the powder bags dispersed the (charge 1 to charge 7) smokeless powder charge selected throughout the chamber and ignited it all uniformly. Big mistake to load the powder in backwards or not against the breechblock where the primer flash couldn’t reach it.

[Eddie Southgate]

About 15 years ago I had a neighbor who was arrested and charged for having a bomb making shop in his garage due to having the chemicals to make fuel for his model rockets and RC airplanes. He got off but it was a big deal and cost him a bunch of hard earned dollars to do so. There were several government agencies combing thru his home and garage , one of his neighbors reported him as a possible terrorist. Nobody but a gun crank wants us to have powder of any kind if it can be at all prevented. Just my 2 cents.

[elmacgyver0]

About 15 years ago I had a neighbor who was arrested and charged for having a bomb making shop in his garage due to having the chemicals to make fuel for his model rockets and RC airplanes. He got off but it was a big deal and cost him a bunch of hard earned dollars to do so. There were several government agencies combing thru his home and garage , one of his neighbors reported him as a possible terrorist. Nobody but a gun crank wants us to have powder of any kind if it can be at all prevented. Just my 2 cents.

This is sick.
The person who reported him should have been made to pay his expenses, not to mention emotional turmoil restitution.

[MarkP]

Aren't the 16" guns on battleships black powder?

[uscra112]

No, but like almost all large artillery they used black as an initiator charge as described above.

[uscra112]

I've used black powder components made by foreign companies. The quality was terrible, sometimes unsafe. IMHO, Goex has a superior product and an excellent safety record. I think the last fatal accident was 1998 or 1999. Without them DOD would be hard pressed to find quality ordnance.

That opinion is pretty much unique, as everyone else who shoots black powder in cartridges says GOEX was only for re-enactors. Swiss still stands #1 with most of those guys. Old Eynsford was getting cautiously positive press before the plant shut down. I never tried any. Still have some GOEX left from when I first started shooting muzzle-loaders, back in the '90s. I could fall back on it if my stocks of Swiss were ever to run out, I suppose.

[shell70634]

uscra112, I was referring to the foreign made black powder components that would be equivalent to those items used by DOD, not sporting use. The burn rate for foreign products was extremely inconsistent. There could have been improvements in the last ten years, but I don't trust Brazilian or South African time fuze that burns at an inconsistent rate. Using US manufactured time fuze I can time a detonation at 10 minutes plus or minus 3 seconds. Can't do that with foreign stuff. Irregular physical properties of the black powder were visible.