Alliant Powder

What Alliant Powder does

Alliant Powder is a United States-based manufacturer of smokeless propellant powders used by ammunition reloaders, operating as a sub-brand of Vista Outdoor (now linked to thekineticgroup.com corporate identity) and headquartered in Lewiston, Idaho. Its product portfolio spans four application categories — rifle, handgun, shotshell, and muzzleloader — with named product lines including Reloder (rifle, covering SKUs such as 10X, 15, 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25, 26, 33, and 50), AR-Comp (AR-platform rifles), Sport Pistol (competition handgun), and Herco (shotshell and magnum handgun, in production since 1920). The core technology is nitrocellulose-based propellant chemistry differentiated by burn characteristics, density, temperature stability, and lot-to-lot consistency, with proprietary formulations targeted at specific use cases such as polymer-coated bullet compatibility, .50 BMG long-range shooting, and high-volume semi-automatic AR cycling.

The company sells finished powder in 1lb, 4lb, 5lb, and 8lb canisters exclusively through an authorized dealer network across North America, with no direct-to-consumer e-commerce and no publicly disclosed pricing. Its go-to-motion is channel-led, supported by a content-heavy website that functions as a primary customer touchpoint through the Reloader's Guide (load data and recipes), Ask the Experts Q&A, Safety Data Sheets, and beginner reloading education. The customer base is a long tail of hobbyist reloaders, hunters, and competitive shooters including championship-level benchrest and long-range competitors; there are no named B2B or institutional accounts in the source material. Revenue is generated through one-time product unit sales to end reloaders via retail partners, with the brand monetized primarily through dealer-channel volume rather than direct contracts.

Name

Alliant Powder

Legal name

Alliant Powder

Website

https://alliantpowder.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alliant Powder manufactures and distributes smokeless propellant powders for ammunition reloaders in North America, selling through an authorized dealer network to hobbyist, hunting, and competitive shooting customers under its Reloder, AR-Comp, Sport Pistol, and Herco brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Smokeless Propellant Powders

NAICS

Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing (332992)

SIC

Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) (3480), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Arms Propellants (Smokeless Powder) (IMAEALAG)

Keywords

• Smokeless propellant powders
• Ammunition reloading supplies
• Rifle reloading powder
• Shotshell reloading powder
• Handgun reloading powder

Headquarters

HQ city

Lewiston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Smokeless Powder Sales: Revenue generated from the sale of smokeless propellant powders to ammunition reloaders. Products sold in various canister sizes (1lb, 4lb, 5lb, 8lb) through authorized dealer network.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Alliant Powder manufactures and markets branded smokeless propellant powders for ammunition reloaders. The catalog is segmented by application—rifle, handgun, shotshell, and muzzleloader—and includes application-tuned formulations such as Sport Pistol, Herco, AR-Comp, and the Reloder series. Products are packaged in standard canister sizes (1lb, 4lb, 5lb, 8lb) and sold exclusively through a network of authorized dealers.

Product overview

Alliant Powder is a manufacturer of technically superior smokeless powders for ammunition reloading, serving the shooting sports and reloading community. The product portfolio includes rifle powders (AR-Comp, Reloder series including 7, 10X, 15, 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25, 26, 33, 50), handgun powders (Sport Pistol, Bullseye, Power Pistol, Unique), and shotshell powders (Herco, Red Dot, Green Dot, Blue Dot, Clay Dot, Steel, Unique). Products are organized by application type (Rifle, Shotshell, Handgun, Muzzleloader) and include both standard canister sizes and specialty formulations. The company provides a Reloader's Guide with recipes for combining their powders with specific ammunition components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sport Pistol Smokeless pistol propellant designed for precision and action competition shooters. Features a low-muzzle-flash formulation optimized for polymer-coated bullets to prevent polymer dissolution at the bullet base, with extremely reliable cycling and excellent charging and case fill characteristics.
• Herco Smokeless heavy shotshell and magnum handgun propellant in production since 1920 for 10-, 12-, 16-, 20-, and 28-gauge target loads and magnum handgun applications. Updated formulation delivers cleaner burning and improved flow characteristics with no changes to reload data.
• AR-Comp Smokeless rifle powder developed specifically for AR-style rifles, suitable for fast action and high-volume AR shooters as well as traditional rifles. Delivers consistent performance across temperature extremes and is appropriate for heavy 223 and 308 match bullets.
• Reloder 50 Smokeless rifle powder formulated for long-range 50 caliber rifle shooting, providing superior velocity, cleaner burning with less residue, and lot-to-lot consistency. Density is specifically created for 50 caliber application, including .50 BMG competition use.
• Reloder 33 Smokeless magnum rifle powder specifically formulated for the long-range .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, with superior lot-to-lot consistency and suitability across a variety of large magnum rifle cartridges.
• Reloder 26 Smokeless rifle powder providing outstanding efficiency in magnum rifle cartridges.

Quantifiable outcome

• RL50 powder achieved smallest aggregate of 8.2 inches at World Championship match in challenging wind conditions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ramshot: Smokeless reloading powder brand (now distributed by Hodgdon) producing rifle, handgun, and shotshell powders including Big Game, TAC, and True Blue; directly competes with Alliant's Herco shotshell and Reloder rifle lines.
• Norma Precision (Beretta Group): European precision ammunition and propellant brand within the Beretta group; produces Norma reloading powders (e.g., MRP, URP, 204) that compete with Alliant's specialty rifle powders in the U.S. reloading market.
• Vihtavuori (Nammo): Finnish precision propellant brand owned by Nammo, recognized for reloading powders targeting long-range and benchrest shooting; directly competes with Alliant's Reloder family in the premium rifle propellant category.
• Hodgdon Powder Company: Largest U.S. competitor in smokeless reloading propellants; explicitly listed alongside Alliant in the Smokeless Shotshell Powder market report, sells through the same authorized dealer channel to the same reloader end customers, with a broader SKU portfolio.
• Accurate Powder: Smokeless powder brand owned by Hodgdon producing rifle and handgun propellants including the well-known 4064, 4350, and 3100 series; competes head-to-head with Alliant's Reloder and Sport Pistol SKUs at the same authorized dealers.
• IMR Powder: Historic smokeless powder brand now under Hodgdon; produces rifle, handgun, and shotshell powders that directly compete with Alliant's Reloder, Sport Pistol, and Herco product lines through the same U.S. reloading dealer channel.

Others

• Shooters World: U.S. reloading components retailer and distributor carrying Alliant alongside competing brands and private-label imported powders; competes with Alliant at the retail and online direct-to-consumer level rather than at the manufacturing layer.

Regional players

• Nobel Sport: Italian/Spanish shotshell and reloading propellant manufacturer; primarily serves European sporting markets but its powders are intermittently imported to North America, providing a regional alternative to Alliant's Herco and shotshell line.

Broad incumbents

• Winchester Smokeless Propellants (Olin): Major ammunition manufacturer (Olin/Winchester) selling branded reloading powders such as WST, WSF, 231, and 296; broader sporting/firearms portfolio but directly overlaps with Alliant in the reloading propellant category at shared dealer counters.

Emerging players

• Lovex (Explosia): Czech propellant manufacturer producing reloading-grade smokeless powders (D073, S011, S035) distributed through specialty importers in North America; niche player addressing the same reloader end user as Alliant.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Alliant Powder