Hodgdon sent around a monthly email this morning which included a Q&A that (while depressing 
) does help to put some context around what is going on with the availability of powder. Anyone else on their email list likely received it, but I thought it would be helpful to pass along to those that might not have gotten it.
******************************************************************
WHY CAN’T HODGDON SHIP MORE POWDER? The current powder situation is due to a record demand for all reloading components and NOT a reduction in the supply of powder. With longtime handloaders looking to stock up and new gun owners looking for ammunition, there is an unprecedented demand for powder and other reloading components. We shipped a record amount of powder in 2020 and will ship even more in 2021. We are doing everything in our power to get the most powder into consumer hands this year. We are running overtime in our facilities, have hired additional staff and have leveraged relationships with shipping partners to add new shipping options.
WHY CAN’T HODGDON BUILD ANOTHER POWDER PLANT? The “normal” powder demand for the U.S. would not support an additional plant. Hodgdon, like most companies, cannot afford to build a new production facility then have it sit idle until demand spikes.
WHY IS HODGDON SELLING POWDER TO AMMUNITION MANUFACTURERS? The heart of our business is smokeless powder for the handloading enthusiast. Yes, we sell some powder to ammo manufacturers, but that is a small part of our business. Every day, we receive calls from potential OEM customers looking for powder to load in ammunition. We politely decline so we can focus on our long-term, handloading customers.
WHY IS HODGDON SELLING POWDER TO THE GOVERNMENT? Hodgdon does not sell powder directly to the government. We sell some powder to manufacturers making ammunition for our military, but that is a small part of our business.
WHY IS HODGDON SELLING POWDER ON AUCTION SITES? We don't. Period. We recently began selling a limited amount of powder on our own websites but prioritize our shipments to our traditional sales channels to maximize powder availability at sporting goods and gun shops.
WHY IS THE PRICE OF POWDER SO HIGH ON THE INTERNET? We do not set sale prices or MSRPs for the price of our powders at retail, nor do we encourage any of our retailers or dealers to sell on auction sites, but we cannot control what happens after we sell to our traditional sales channels.
Source: https://hodgdon.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/hodgdon_social_powder_update-ver6-1.pdf utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=idearanch_hgd_2021
) does help to put some context around what is going on with the availability of powder. Anyone else on their email list likely received it, but I thought it would be helpful to pass along to those that might not have gotten it.******************************************************************
WHY CAN’T HODGDON SHIP MORE POWDER? The current powder situation is due to a record demand for all reloading components and NOT a reduction in the supply of powder. With longtime handloaders looking to stock up and new gun owners looking for ammunition, there is an unprecedented demand for powder and other reloading components. We shipped a record amount of powder in 2020 and will ship even more in 2021. We are doing everything in our power to get the most powder into consumer hands this year. We are running overtime in our facilities, have hired additional staff and have leveraged relationships with shipping partners to add new shipping options.
WHY CAN’T HODGDON BUILD ANOTHER POWDER PLANT? The “normal” powder demand for the U.S. would not support an additional plant. Hodgdon, like most companies, cannot afford to build a new production facility then have it sit idle until demand spikes.
WHY IS HODGDON SELLING POWDER TO AMMUNITION MANUFACTURERS? The heart of our business is smokeless powder for the handloading enthusiast. Yes, we sell some powder to ammo manufacturers, but that is a small part of our business. Every day, we receive calls from potential OEM customers looking for powder to load in ammunition. We politely decline so we can focus on our long-term, handloading customers.
WHY IS HODGDON SELLING POWDER TO THE GOVERNMENT? Hodgdon does not sell powder directly to the government. We sell some powder to manufacturers making ammunition for our military, but that is a small part of our business.
WHY IS HODGDON SELLING POWDER ON AUCTION SITES? We don't. Period. We recently began selling a limited amount of powder on our own websites but prioritize our shipments to our traditional sales channels to maximize powder availability at sporting goods and gun shops.
WHY IS THE PRICE OF POWDER SO HIGH ON THE INTERNET? We do not set sale prices or MSRPs for the price of our powders at retail, nor do we encourage any of our retailers or dealers to sell on auction sites, but we cannot control what happens after we sell to our traditional sales channels.
Source: https://hodgdon.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/hodgdon_social_powder_update-ver6-1.pdf utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=idearanch_hgd_2021
