Hodgdon Closes GOEX Blackpowder Plant

by
posted on September 28, 2021
Goex Blackpowder Plant Closes F

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.

 

Latest

Rem 360 Buckhammer Rifleman Review 4
Rem 360 Buckhammer Rifleman Review 4

Rifleman Review: Remington 360 Buckhammer

Remington Ammunition's 360 Buckhammer is a straight-wall hunting cartridge that's designed to give deer hunters an ideal round for their Midwestern hunt.

New For 2025: EAA Girsan Witness2311 Brat, Match and MatchX

European American Armory Corp. (EAA) introduced an affordable variation of the double-stack 1911 design with their Girsan Witness2311 in 2023, continually adding additional chamberings and slide length options. New for 2025, the company is adding three new versions of the Witness2311 with the Match, MatchX and Brat models.

Review: Citadel Trakr

At less than 4 lbs., this repeating rifle is easy on the back while also being extraordinarily easy on the budget.

Freedom Munitions To Move Ammo Component Production To Idaho

Freedom Munitions has announced it will be consolidating its projectile component production from X-Treme Bullets out of Nevada into its Lewiston, Idaho, facilities.

Rifleman Q&A: A Curious Concoction

My husband owns an antique fowling piece, and we wish to establish a possible date range during which it could have been made.

Model 1918: The Sniper Rifle That Never Was

Despite the best efforts of the Ordnance Department and civilian contractors, the quest for a suitable U.S. rifle with which to arm World War I snipers eventually led to a dead end.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.