231
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Ok. To the guys that are saying Hodgdon is going to stop making 231/HP38....where did you hear this from? Can you verify your source? I just called this morning and Jim was kinda pissed, he said he gets almost 100 calls a week about this RUMOR! We had a nice chat and he assured me that I was Golden for the next ten years AT LEAST! I asked why there is no notice on their website and he said there is one on their Facebook page. I suggested he post on the site as that is where most customers will look. So, you guys telling stories STOP! You will create a hoarding and drive up the price! Isn't powder expensive enough? I will refrain from saying what I REALLY feel...maybe you folks have actual PROOF....
One or two people posted that crap on several websites and it took off like wildfire. Makes one wonder just how much more is not true?
Too many pseudo gunsmiths making a grab for business also.
Well, Hodgdon only have themselves to blame as the original "rumor" was a posted fairly long email response FROM Hodgdon to an inquirer which basically said quite candidly that Hodgdon was having trouble getting 231/HP38 from GeneralDynamics/St. Marks because said supplier wanted to concentrate on newer formula powders that were quicker to make and resulted in less waste and suggested that at some point in the future 231/HP38 was going to go away. I read the posted email (from Gary in their customer service dept.) and that's what it said. I sent Hodgdon an inquiry and got a email from the same "Gary" that was a just a one line response that said the powder(s) in question had not been discontinued nor had Hodgdon been told they were going to be BUT said nothing about any of the other stuff that was referred to in the response to the original inquirer. Sounds to me like somebody at Hodgdon "spoke out of turn" about some stuff that wasn't intended for public consumption. As far as I can see, the "crap" (if in fact is actually IS "crap") was the original email from Hodgdon.
What do "pseudo gunsmiths" (whatever the heck they are?) have to do with this?
If you're really upset about this hoarding and gouging, you should direct most of your angst and vitriol toward the "gun-rights media" from the NRA on down who with their almost incessant daily drum beat of boogyman rumors and tinfoil hat stuff keep the pot stirring. That's done more to fuel this mess we're in than this silly little thing. Hell, out here in Indiana we've still got idiots talking about the supposed "FEMA internment camps" (yeah right) in Indianapolis for gawd's sake.
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I shouldda stayed in school and gotten a chemistry degree...we need another plant to manufacture powder!
And some 22 LR to go along with it!
snip...
This is of course very true. The suppliers of canister powders to the US market are all in one way or another dysfunctional from a business perspective. The sad reality is that Hodgdon is (at least in my opinion) the least dysfunctional of the bunch, which is of course not saying much. It is an industry that simply does not either know how to or doesn't care to communicate with their customers.
Funny you should say this. I'm an adult that takes college classes sort of as a hobby. It's getting close to the time where I should be thinking about deciding on a major. This semester I'm taking Organic Chemistry 1, then in the spring I'm taking O-chem 2. To get an AS in Chemistry all I would need is Calculus 1 & 2, General Physics 1&2 and one more Chemistry class. Also I need to take college trig which is a pre-req for calc 1. I have all the general ed classes from way back. So by taking 1 class/semester, I will get that degree in 2019!!!
This all started with me taking an algebra class to "expand my mind". that was 4+ years ago.
Actually, we have plenty of production capability-the problem is the sky-is-falling scare tactics which stampede the herd and cause everybody to go nuts and start hoarding everything whether it's guns, ammo, or reloading components. The other problem is that you have 3 of the 4 major domestic suppliers dependent on one source of supply (GD/St. Marks) for the bulk of their popular powders. And up until lately, nobody was importing much from overseas. Now you're seeing Vectan (France), Lovex (Czech), ADI (Australia), and Maxam (Spain) powders started to be marketed more aggressively here. All of these companies have tremendous manufacturing capabilities and are already serious players in the world market but just haven't been promoted here. Maxam, who also make the Rio shotshell line, plan to formally introduce their powders under the Rio brand starting later this year.
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697 Posts
I got 5 pounds of W231 from Cabela's yesterday. Didn't have any small pistol primers though...
^^^ Why there's a powder "shortage".
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I talked to Hodgdon personally. They confirmed that they are NOT discontinuing 231.
As did I. The key word here is "they". "They" (Hodgdon) aren't discontinuing it according to their responses/clarifications but "they" don't manufacture it and can't dictate what General Dynamics does or doesn't do now or in the future in regards to what they want to produce or not produce. "They" (Hodgdon) didn't discontinue the Clays powders either this year, ADI in Australia did. The bottom line is that if you market ball/spherical powder and want to source it domestically you are at the mercy of General Dynamics/St. Marks for your supply. And people forget that General Dynamics themselves have a HUGE small arms ordnance business producing ammunition for military markets on their own (a few years ago they got a contract for a BILLION rds. of 5.56 ammo from Uncle Sam) so one guess who gets taken care of first when it comes to powder.
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