With the largely unexpected closure of the GOEX plant at Camp Minden, Louisiana the end of the line likely has come to black powder production in the United States.
The firm’s parent company, Hodgdon, announced September 27th the immediate cessation of operations at the site while the company evaluates its “...strategic options for the black powder business.”
In its press release announcing the closure, Hodgdon said “The business will wind down operations while an evaluation process of the business takes place. Strategic options for the GOEX and Olde Eynsford brands of black powder, along with the manufacturing capabilities, will include a potential sale of the business.
“All affected employees will be retained through December 31, 2021, to assist in an orderly closing of the site and will receive severance commensurate with their years of service to the company.”
GOEX black powder was first made in 1802 in Delaware by the fabled E.I. Du Pont de Nemours Company; a firm well acquainted with manufacturing powders for military ordinance. That extended through many of the nation’s conflicts.
“Today, GOEX manufactures black powder used for sporting applications such as civil war re-enactments and flint lock firearms, and is a vital component for industrial and military applications. It remains as the only U.S. manufacturer of black powder.
“GOEX has over a 200 year history of black powder manufacturing in the United States and GOEX Powder, Inc. intends to be a good steward of this company’s history and tradition,” the GOEX web site says.
Production of GOEX black powder shifted to the Louisiana site in 1997 with the product line being bought by the huge gun powder manufacturer Hodgdon Powder Company in 2009.
However, the Louisiana plant has seen its share of explosions; one in June, 2011 when one-thousand pounds of the product blew up. The latest incident occurred less than three months ago that required evacuating the employees for up to two days to ensure that no further incident would be encountered.
And the US EPA said in a November 13, 2012 release that “Today's blast is at least the seventh at (GOEX) since it moved to the (Camp Minden) site in mid-1997.”
Also, according to the Louisiana EPA, “Camp Minden is almost 15,000 acres in size and located mostly in Webster Parish, Louisiana. The facility was formerly known as the Louisiana Military Ammunition Plant, which is a National Priorities List Superfund site primarily because of problems caused by groundwater contamination, remediation is on-going.”
Muzzle-loader enthusiasts who prefer black powder over substitutes are concerned that the loss of GOEX will hurt their pursuits. Such users as Revolutionary War and Civil War re-eactors, muzzle-loading competitors, and some hunters will either have to scrounge around and horde what the can find or else find a substitute instead.
“I’m glad I bought enough a while back to last me for a few years,” said outdoors writer Tom Cross who typically uses a traditional flintlock rifle during Ohio’s muzzle-loading-only deer-hunting season. “I don’t shoot all that much.”
Cross said he also has an in-line muzzle-loader that he has used with Pyrodex – a black powder substitute also made by Hodgdon - but that he hasn’t tried it with his flintlock.
There are at least two foreign-made black powder products – Schuetzen/Swiss and Slovian-made KIK - but their availability has proven challenging for some interested buyers in the U.S..
It is likewise uncertain how the demise of GOEX will impact the manufacture of fireworks, though it is known that both that product and Olde Eynsford are used in fireworks production.
Also, several web sites do exist that provide “recipes” for the making of black powder by the hobbyist.
The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says this on the subject: “Black powder is an explosive material for purposes of federal explosives laws and regulations.
“However, the law exempts from regulation commercially manufactured black powder in quantities not exceeding 50 pounds (as well as percussion caps, safety and pyrotechnic fuses, quills, quick and slow matches, and friction primers) intended to be used solely for sporting, recreational, or cultural purposes in antique firearms as defined in 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(16) or in antique devices exempted from the term "destructive device" in 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(4).
“Regardless, persons engaged in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in black powder in any quantity must have a federal explosives license, and comply with record-keeping, storage and conduct of business requirements.”
By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
JFrischk4@gmail.com
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