GOEX Plant Shutting Down?

[Eric Krewson]

My personal stock of black powder is low, we never expect this type of shortages, be it toilet paper, 22 bullets or what ever.

I ran across an old post (2011 I think) where a guy listed all the black powder sellers he knew of.
One was pyrotechnics company that sells components to make fireworks. I pulled up their site and found they also had Goex, Shutzen and Swiss sporting powder. Their prices were good, $18 a pound of Goex, BUT, they don't pay shipping or hazmat plus add sales tax, and  a 3.5% credit card fee. The final delivery price is
$30 a pound to my door or almost twice the normal price.

What the heck, seeing as how my stock of powder is fairly low and I would rather get off my wallet than run out while the shortage deepens and nothing is available anywhere. Every shortage that has come down the pipes so far has taken over a year to recover from, with hunting season coming on I would be running on empty on my 2F supply in short order.

I bought 10# of Goex so I am fixed until the shortage ends or I croak, others will be wringing their hands, buying Pyrodex and using their remaining stock of black to make duplex loads for their flinters so they can keep shooting.

[RAT]

I spoke with Craig Kirkland (Bear River) on the phone this morning. He's completely out of 2F and 3F Goex. He's confident there are stocks in the pipeline. It's just a question of when, how much, and at what price he can get it.

I'm not looking to hoard 50 lbs of the stuff. But getting a 5 lb mixed lot of 2F and 3F would be nice to get me through the next couple of years. I'm pretty sure SOMEONE will buy and re-launch the brand. The only question is how long will it take to get it up and running to full production.

Just an FYI... I'm not anti-hoarding... I just don't have the money and storage space to do it.

The only problem with the recent panic buying is that it never seems to stop. It's been back-to-back. There's never enough time between for things to get back to any sense of normal. It didn't start with Covid last year. With guns and ammo we never got back to normal since the panic buying of 2012.

I love the comment about milk. I saw the same thing last year... with bananas! What the heck is someone going to do with a shopping cart full of bananas that will go bad in 3 days? I felt a sense of ironic symbolism that seemed a fitting Illustration to human beings in general. But then... I'm a pessimist... or maybe even a fatalist. If we can't enjoy the ride... at least we can laugh at it. But then, I occasionally do stand-up at open mic night.

[Eric Krewson]

If someone is really desperate PM me and I will give you the website of the place. They sell out the door so if you live close enough you can buy at normal prices and not fool with hazmat or shipping.

The company is in Mineral Illinois if any of you live close enough to drive over and buy powder without the hazmat fee and shipping.

Out the door;

GOEX is $18

OLDE EYNSFORD  is $20

SCHUETZEN is $16.50

SWISS is $27 for the new caviar ball and $25 for the standard.

[MuskratMike]

There is a muzzleloading blog out there called "I love muzzleloading". If you go to their page today there is a 30 minute audio interview with the marketing director of Hogdon powder on the GOEX issue. The sky is not falling and they are very actively looking for and are in discussions with some interested parties with selling the plant and operations on the GOEX side. Let's all take a breath and quit the panic posts. "There is nothing to fear but fear itself".
Mike

[Clark Badgett]

I got close to the legal limit, so I should be good for a while. I do shoot a lot of BP cartridge guns along with my muzzleloaders.

[Jesse168]

On another Board that I visit had an anouncement that the Gortex plant in Louisana was being closed.  Has anyone else heard anything about this closing?  It is supposed
to be the only black powded plant in the U S.

[bob in the woods]

This isn't the "panic" price. This is the everyday price from Cabela's here

$ 60.00 Cdn.

[MuskratMike]

See post under black powder shooting.

[T*O*F]

On another Board that I visit had an anouncement that the Gortex plant in Louisana was being closed.

Gortex is used in clothing, boots, and sleeping bags.  What's it got to do with muzzleloading?   

[acorn20]

Hey Clark, what is the legal limit to own and store BP on site?

[Eric Krewson]

50#

[Bob Roller]

This isn't the "panic" price. This is the everyday price from Cabela's here

$ 60.00 Cdn.

Upholding the honorable name of greed no doubt.
Bob Roller

[BigAl52]

This isn't the "panic" price. This is the everyday price from Cabela's here

$ 60.00 Cdn.

Looks like Cabelas and Cheaper than Dirt have a lot in common

[Ezra]

Is it because of the June fire and several plant fires and tragedies before?
Or from Lawyers and Insurance Companies pressure?
Or the Woke Syndrome and Cancel Culture, perhaps?

I suspect in our overly litigious society, it’s number 2.  Not to mention they keep having fires and worse.

Ez

[Clark Badgett]

Hey Clark, what is the legal limit to own and store BP on site?

I'm sure it varies by state or even location, but the last I heard it is 50 lbs.

[moleeyes36]

Hey Clark, what is the legal limit to own and store BP on site?

I'm sure it varies by state or even location, but the last I heard it is 50 lbs.

Clark makes a good point, local fire regulations are very often much more restrictive than the federal 50 pound limit. 

Don Richards

[Mad Monk]

While the ATF allows you to receive 50 pounds of black powder delivered to your home via common carrier they also specify storage regulations for that amount of powder on your property relative to the distance from the storage magazine to an occupied dwelling.  The ATF describes legal storage magazines for the powder. The standard wheeled magazine I use will hold 25 pounds and it cannot be stored in the occupied dwelling.
 
Better check your state laws on this also.  Some states insist of licensing any storage of black powder and some will charge for the permit and periodic inspection.

Here in this city the national building codes the city follows allow me no more than 6 pounds of black powder on my property and no storage in my house.

Then if you are dealing with a rental property most leases will not allow storage of any black powder in the rental unit or storage area.

[Daryl]

Seems to me here in Canukville, it's 75 pounds in the dwelling.
Perhaps Taylor can clarify for us up here.

[flinchrocket]

Dang, that should be enough to level the place.

[flinter49]

Hey Clark, what is the legal limit to own and store BP on site?

Here in Illinois, per Department of natural Resources, it's 5#. Yet another reason to move to Illinois huh.

[bones92]

I'm seriously thinking of learning to make my own black powder.

And I should say, anything I decide to do, I usually go way overboard in doing it.   

[bluenoser]

If I am not mistaken, the storage limit in "Canuckville" is 75 KG in a detached building, but only 1 KG in an attached dwelling and 10 KG in a detached dwelling or attached storage unit.
The storage limit for a detached dwelling is considerably more than I would be comfortable with.
Anyone considering the storage of black powder in Canada would be well advised to check the regs on the Government of Canada website.

[Daryl]

Friend of ours had a bunch of BP in his house trailer which caught fire from kids "playing" with matches in his attached shed.
Only a few cans in the cardboard box "whoofed", the other cans had burnt paint.  What blew the roof off the trailer was the "empty"
20 pound propane bottles that BLEW up.
This is not to say BP storage in the house is safe, just what happened in this instance.

[Mad Monk]

Friend of ours had a bunch of BP in his house trailer which caught fire from kids "playing" with matches in his attached shed.
Only a few cans in the cardboard box "whoofed", the other cans had burnt paint.  What blew the roof off the trailer was the "empty"
20 pound propane bottles that BLEW up.
This is not to say BP storage in the house is safe, just what happened in this instance.

This is not the first time I heard a tale about powder cans "whoofing" during a fire.  One of the locals had that happen in his shop where he worked on his BP guns.  Generally the individual containers don't had the strength to produced the required degree of "containment" to produce a real blast.  This is what worked in the favor of shipping 25 pound boxes of black powder by common carrier in the shipping variance that allows it.  But the combustion of the contents of the container is still enough to start or propagate fires.  I had looked at this when Elephant switched from tin cans to the molded plastic bottles.  The seam in the plastic bottles gave way fairly quickly before any pressure could build up inside the bottle.

You mention the explosion of the empty propane bottle.  Most people do not realize how dangerous those propane grill cylinders are.  Same with gas cans for yard tools such as trimmers and mowers.

[Daryl]

Friend of ours had a bunch of BP in his house trailer which caught fire from kids "playing" with matches in his attached shed.
Only a few cans in the cardboard box "whoofed", the other cans had burnt paint.  What blew the roof off the trailer was the "empty"
20 pound propane bottles that BLEW up.
This is not to say BP storage in the house is safe, just what happened in this instance.

This is not the first time I heard a tale about powder cans "whoofing" during a fire.  One of the locals had that happen in his shop where he worked on his BP guns.  Generally the individual containers don't had the strength to produced the required degree of "containment" to produce a real blast.  This is what worked in the favor of shipping 25 pound boxes of black powder by common carrier in the shipping variance that allows it.  But the combustion of the contents of the container is still enough to start or propagate fires.  I had looked at this when Elephant switched from tin cans to the molded plastic bottles.  The seam in the plastic bottles gave way fairly quickly before any pressure could build up inside the bottle.

You mention the explosion of the empty propane bottle.  Most people do not realize how dangerous those propane grill cylinders are.  Same with gas cans for yard tools such as trimmers and mowers.

Yes - exactly, on the "empty" propane bottles, etc. The fellow had 2 such bottles in the trailer. The firefighters said there were only 2 explosions, yet there was likely 75 pounds of powder
in the trailer. I think only one 25 pound bag in the cardboard box that woofed as well. Most of the powder cans were OK.