About Hodgon propellants:
The Hodgdon Powder Company, formerly known as B.E. Hodgdon, Inc., was founded in 1952 and has grown to become a significant distributor of
smokeless powder for the ammunition business as well as those who load their own ammunition by hand. The corporate headquarters and production facilities of the corporation are situated in Kansas, United States. In 2003, Hodgdon purchased
IMR Powder Company.
Hodgdon has been distributing
Winchester branded reloading powders in the United States since March 2006. Hodgdon purchased
GOEX Powder, Inc., based in Minden, Louisiana, in January 2009, the sole maker of
black powder in the United States. With these product lines together, Hodgdon is one of the world's leading makers and distributors of gunpowder.
In the early days of World War II, Bruce E. Hodgdon's scientist buddy was casually reminiscing about World War I. He highlighted the amount of leftover smokeless powder dumped at sea by the military after the war, and pondered on how valuable it might have been to handloaders laboring during the Great Depression. He predicted that a similar excess powder problem would emerge after WWII.
The forward-thinking and inventive firm was formed as a family business in 1947. The brand is recognized for its first-rate and comprehensive selection for meeting the needs of every shooter. On the one hand, they are differentiated by their extensive selection of propellants.
Hodgdon, on the other hand, is a market leader in black powder and black powder replacements. Hodgdon acquired IMR in 2003, and Winchester in 2006 to fill out their product line. Hodgdon's focused forces represent the wants and requirements of the individual reloader. Hodgdon is your hunting companion for success.
As the war ended, Hodgdon started examining the availability of excess powder, and sales to handloaders began in 1946. One of the first powders he discovered was
4895, which was utilized for loading. Springfield 30-06 service ammo. He paid $2000 for 25 tons of government surplus 4895 and then bought two boxcars to store it in preparation for resale at 75 cents a pound. His family first packed the powder for sales in their cellar.
He started acquiring 80 tons of spherical powder recovered from dismantled in 1947. Cartridges for British military rifles made in the United States. By 1949, he was selling the powder under the brand name BL type C. The C denoted that the powder burnt "cooler" than standard
Improved Military Rifle (IMR) powders.
He started acquiring powder recovered from dismantled Oerlikon 20mm cannon cartridges in 1949. This powder, which resembled
IMR 4350 in appearance but burned slower, was first advertised as "4350 Data" and then as
4831.
