What Hodgdon Powder does

Hodgdon Powder Company, founded in 1947 in Shawnee, Kansas by Bruce and Amy Hodgdon and their sons JB and Bob, is a privately held manufacturer and distributor of smokeless gunpowder propellants, muzzleloading propellants, and reloading products serving the shooting sports and ammunition handloading markets. The company's core technology is the formulation and manufacture of extruded rifle powders, spherical ball powders (manufactured underwater under the licensed BALL POWDER process), and muzzleloading propellants, with proprietary differentiators including CFE copper-fouling additives, Enduron temperature-stable chemistry, and Blackhorn 209's low-residue formulation. Hodgdon sells through a multi-brand portfolio — Hodgdon, IMR (acquired from DuPont in 2003), Winchester Smokeless Propellants (licensed from Winchester Ammunition in 2006 and produced at the St. Marks, Florida plant), Accurate, Ramshot, Blackhorn 209, Triple Seven, Pyrodex, and White Hots — and added reloading equipment via the May 2024 acquisition of RCBS from Revelyst/Vista Outdoor, which added an Oroville, California manufacturing facility and more than doubled headcount.

The company monetizes primarily through one-time product sales of packaged propellants (1lb, 4lb, and 8lb containers), muzzleloading pellets, reloading accessories, and reference publications (the Hodgdon Annual Manual, which documents more than 11,000 loads). Go-to-market combines direct e-commerce at shop.hodgdon.com, a dealer locator network, distribution through major sporting-goods retailers (Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, MidwayUSA, Brownells), an extensive regional wholesale distributor base, and community engagement through a 14-person sponsored shooting team competing in PRS, NRL, and Run-and-Gun events, plus an affiliate program. Customer segments span individual handloaders and muzzleloader hunters (primary), competitive precision rifle shooters, OEM/commercial ammunition manufacturers, and dealers/distributors. Following the September 2025 appointment of Mike Stock as President and CEO, the company is transitioning from founder-led family stewardship toward professionalized management, with the RCBS integration representing the largest operational expansion in the company's history.

Name

Hodgdon Powder

Legal name

Hodgdon Powder Co. Inc.

Website

https://hodgdonpowderco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hodgdon Powder Company manufactures and distributes smokeless gunpowder propellants, muzzleloading propellants, and reloading equipment across multiple brands including Hodgdon, IMR, Winchester, Accurate, Ramshot, Blackhorn 209, and RCBS, serving handloaders, hunters, and competitive shooters via dealers, online retailers, and direct e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Smokeless Propellants

NAICS

Explosives Manufacturing (32592)

SIC

Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) (3480)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Arms Propellants (Smokeless Powder) (IMAEALAG)

Keywords

• Smokeless gunpowder
• Ammunition reloading
• Muzzleloading propellant
• Reloading data
• Reloading equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Shawnee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Smokeless Powder Sales: Hodgdon generates revenue through the sale of smokeless powders for rifle, pistol, and shotshell applications under multiple brand names including Hodgdon, IMR, Winchester, Accurate, Ramshot, Blackhorn 209, Triple Seven, Pyrodex, and White Hots.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Hodgdon Powder Company manufactures and distributes smokeless gunpowder propellants for rifle, pistol, and shotshell ammunition reloading under multiple brand families including Hodgdon, IMR, Winchester (licensed), Accurate, Ramshot, and Blackhorn 209. The company also produces muzzleloading propellants (Triple Seven, Pyrodex, White Hots), and following the May 2024 acquisition of RCBS, manufactures ammunition reloading equipment.

Product overview

Hodgdon Powder Company is a manufacturer and supplier of gunpowder and reloading products, founded in 1947. The company operates as a unified platform offering multiple powder sub-brands (Hodgdon, IMR, Winchester, Accurate, Ramshot, Blackhorn 209) along with muzzleloading propellants (Triple Seven, Pyrodex, White Hots), reloading equipment (RCBS, acquired 2024), and reference publications (Annual Manuals, Reloading Data Center). The core product is smokeless rifle, pistol, and shotshell powders distributed under various brand names, complemented by muzzleloading propellants and pellets, reloading accessories, and educational resources including manuals and an online data center. The RCBS acquisition added ammunition reloading equipment to the portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IMR: IMR (Improved Military Rifle) brand - Legendary powders originally introduced under DuPont in the 1930s, acquired by Hodgdon in 2003. Includes popular reloading powders like IMR 3031, IMR 4064, and IMR 4350.
• Winchester
• Accurate
• Blackhorn 209
• Ramshot
• Triple Seven
• Pyrodex
• White Hots

Products and services

• Hodgdon Smokeless Powders Flagship Hodgdon brand of smokeless propellants covering the full range of burn rates for rifle, handgun, and shotshell reloading. Includes popular offerings such as Varget, H4350, H4831, CFE BLK, CFE Pistol, and Extreme powders for handloaders and competitive shooters.
• IMR Smokeless Powders IMR (Improved Military Rifle) brand of legendary powders originally introduced under DuPont in the 1930s, including IMR 3031, IMR 4064, IMR 4350, and other rifle and handgun reloading powders.
• Winchester Smokeless Propellants Family of ball powder propellants manufactured under license at the St. Marks, Florida facility. Includes products such as StaBALL Match, 748, 231, WST, and StaBALL HD for rifle, handgun, and shotshell applications.
• Accurate Powders

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 11,000 load data combinations available for handloaders
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RCBS Reloading (acquired from Revelyst/Vista Outdoor)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2024Hodgdon acquired RCBS Reloading from Revelyst (a segment of Vista Outdoor Inc.) effective May 2, 2024. The acquisition adds the RCBS manufacturing facility in Oroville, California, and more than doubles Hodgdon's headcount. RCBS is a maker of ammunition reloading equipment, positioning both iconic brands for growth under Hodgdon's expertise in production, manufacturing, and the shooting sports industry.
• Winchester AmmunitioncoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 March 2006In March 2006, Hodgdon Powder Company and Winchester Ammunition announced that Winchester-branded reloading powders would be licensed to Hodgdon. Hodgdon manufactures Winchester Smokeless Propellants under license at the St. Marks plant on the Florida gulf coast.
• IMR (DuPont)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2003In 2003, Hodgdon Powder Company acquired the IMR brand from DuPont Corporation, bringing these prestigious powders under the Hodgdon umbrella along with Hodgdon, Winchester, Accurate, Ramshot, and other brands.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Norma: Norma Precision AB is a Swedish manufacturer of reloading powders and loaded ammunition distributed across North America. Norma competes with Hodgdon across rifle reloading powders and operates within the same specialty reloading retailer and OEM channels.
• Lee Precision: Lee Precision manufactures reloading presses, dies, and loading tools for entry-level and price-conscious handloaders. Lee is a direct competitor to RCBS in reloading equipment at the value end of the market, often competing for the same customer wallet share of reloaders.
• Lyman Products: Lyman Products (Lyman, Pachmayr, Tac-Star) is a leading U.S. manufacturer of reloading presses, dies, and shooting accessories. Lyman is a direct competitor to RCBS (now part of Hodgdon) in reloading equipment and competes within the same gun-shop and catalog-retail channels.
• Vihtavuori: Vihtavuori (Nammo Lapua, Finland) is a premium manufacturer of smokeless propellants distributed in the U.S. via Beretta. Vihtavuori competes directly with Hodgdon in precision and benchrest rifle powders, often going head-to-head on Hodgdon-dominated calibers such as 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester.
• Alliant Powder: Alliant Powder is Hodgdon's closest U.S. competitor in smokeless propellants for handloading, offering competing rifle, handgun, and shotshell powders under the Alliant brand. Both compete head-to-head for the same handloader customer base, the same burn-rate categories, and the same retail/distributor channels.

Broad incumbents

• Winchester Ammunition: Winchester Ammunition is both Hodgdon's propellant licensee (since 2006, manufacturing Winchester Smokeless Propellants at St. Marks, FL) and a broader ammunition-industry incumbent. The license relationship plus overlapping distribution makes Winchester a hybrid partner/competitor to Hodgdon.
• Hornady: Hornady is a major U.S. manufacturer of bullets, loaded ammunition, and reloading components with a broad portfolio. It overlaps with Hodgdon via reloading components (competing with RCBS) while also acting as an adjacent customer of Hodgdon powders — Hornady bullets routinely appear in Hodgdon-published load data.

Others

• Berry's Manufacturing: Berry's Manufacturing produces cast lead and plated projectiles popular with handgun reloaders who use Hodgdon handgun powders. Berry's is an ecosystem participant whose bullets commonly appear on Hodgdon-published load data lists — comparable as an adjacent category player, not a direct propellant competitor.
• Speer (Vista Outdoor): Speer (along with sister brand CCI) produces reloading components — bullets and primers — that are commonly paired with Hodgdon propellants. Speer/CCI were part of the same Revelyst parent that previously owned RCBS, making them former-sibling brands in the broader Vista Outdoor reloading ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Sierra Bullets: Sierra Bullets is a U.S. manufacturer of premium rifle and handgun projectiles used by handloaders. While not a direct propellant competitor, Sierra bullets are routinely paired with Hodgdon propellants in published load data — making Sierra an adjacent peer within the same handloading ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hodgdon Powder