Hodgdon is getting on my last nerve

Go to ADI web site, that's where Hodgdon get's their powder. Look under FAQ they explain how they produce/ship powder may show some in-site on shortage...


 
I'm going to vent. I'm probably gonna get kicked off the forum, but I think I'm speaking for most of us when I ask if the people running Hodgdon have their heads up their --- or something. Retumbo, H4350, H1000, Varget, are all STAPLES of the Hodgdon brand, and it's like trying to find pixie dust. Do they want to lose customers? Why is it that a company who makes gunpowder, and has been doing so forever, can't keep up with demand? Are they not investing enough of their profits into the company and their equipment? You would think that the demand for their products would be incentive for them to make more of it.
Am I missing something here? For all of the powder companies out there, now is a great time for them to get their engineers and marketing teams in order and produce powders that are temp stable with comparable burn rates. When I find something that will replace my Hodgdon powders, I'm jumping ship. Their management appears to be about as in touch with their customers as Remington's marketing.
You have so-oooo many options. Several manufacturers are; Alliant, Accurate, IMR (Hogdon), Hogdon, Vihtavuori, Winchester II think Hogdon is the manufacturer) and Ramshot.
Where do you get your powders? I just get mine from our local shooters supply, due to hazmat charges on shipping. Just go to any Shooters website, MIDWAYUSA is my goto for info, Brownell's has a wide selection also. I have never seen what you are having problems with. If you need Load-data, I prefer Nosler load data over others. Don't just rely on one. I believe all bullet manufacturers have some form of load data on their web sites.
 
I agree with OP's sentiments. It's very frustrating. It all becomes a self-fulling prophecy, too. When something gets hard to get, then everyone starts buying much more than they really need, in order to hoard such a rare and difficult-to-acquire resource. 22LR a few years ago, various powders have been like this for years, now all the slow match & magnum powders. Eventually I suppose the market will get saturated. At a gun show a couple weeks ago, I literally could not GIVE AWAY a brick of Eley .22 LR match ammo. Everyone said "meh - I already have more than I need" and wouldn't even sign up for a free drawing for it.
 
I'm going to vent. I'm probably gonna get kicked off the forum, but I think I'm speaking for most of us when I ask if the people running Hodgdon have their heads up their --- or something. Retumbo, H4350, H1000, Varget, are all STAPLES of the Hodgdon brand, and it's like trying to find pixie dust. Do they want to lose customers? Why is it that a company who makes gunpowder, and has been doing so forever, can't keep up with demand? Are they not investing enough of their profits into the company and their equipment? You would think that the demand for their products would be incentive for them to make more of it.
Am I missing something here? For all of the powder companies out there, now is a great time for them to get their engineers and marketing teams in order and produce powders that are temp stable with comparable burn rates. When I find something that will replace my Hodgdon powders, I'm jumping ship. Their management appears to be about as in touch with their customers as Remington's marketing.

Hodgdon Manufacturing...another Urban Legend. Hodgdon is a distributor except for a few very limited examples. Most of the powder you're looking for is made by ADI in Australia and Hodgdon forgets their place in the food chain pretty regularly resulting in supply disruption. Unfortunately, in this country we cannot buy from ADI direct.
 
You have so-oooo many options. Several manufacturers are; Alliant, Accurate, IMR (Hogdon), Hogdon, Vihtavuori, Winchester II think Hogdon is the manufacturer) and Ramshot.
Where do you get your powders? I just get mine from our local shooters supply, due to hazmat charges on shipping. Just go to any Shooters website, MIDWAYUSA is my goto for info, Brownell's has a wide selection also. I have never seen what you are having problems with. If you need Load-data, I prefer Nosler load data over others. Don't just rely on one. I believe all bullet manufacturers have some form of load data on their web sites.
You sure must be looking at a different Midway and Brownells than I am. Neither of them, nor any other popular powder site like powdervalley, has any of the stuff we're talking about, and hasn't for months. I'm also a FFL and no distributor has any of it either. None of these places will let you backorder it, because the supply is so poor. I've been on "notify when in stock" lists at Brownells, Midway, and a host of other retail and wholesale places for MONTHS. Like I said a m inunte ago about hoarding, of course when I do see some, I'm going to buy at least one keg, maybe more, when all I'd really need is maybe a pound or two if the stuff was stocked like normal products.
 
I speak with Jason over at Bruno's every two weeks or so. I buy most of my powder there. In fact, I purchased an 8 lb. jug of RL26 from them three weeks ago when their shipment came in. They haven't had any H1000 or Retumbo in nearly 10 mos, and Jason says he has no idea when he will get any in.

To Tex Hunter: Thanks for educating me on how things really are. I build custom acoustic guitars as a hobby - about one per year. So far (just like Hodgdon), I am proud to state that I am selling everything I make as well. Pretty meaningless statement, isn't it?

The title of this thread was about "Hodgdon getting on my last nerve" and I responded accordingly. Speaking of getting on my last nerve....... as you say - nothing personal.

Cheers
 
To Tex Hunter: Thanks for educating me on how things really are. I build custom acoustic guitars as a hobby - about one per year. So far (just like Hodgdon), I am proud to state that I am selling everything I make as well. Pretty meaningless statement, isn't it?

Not really... what the OP is doing (using your personal example) is equivalent to one of your guitar buyers who didnt get a guitar this year, because you already sold the one that you made for the year, complaining about why you only make one guitar per year and then getting online and saying "azsugarbear is getting on my last nerve... does he (or she/it... dont want to assume) care about losing customers?" Which, if you are perfectly content only selling one guitar a year (constrained supply), and you consistently have more than one person a year who wants to buy a guitar from you... why would you care that the OP goes somewhere else? You have other customers who will still gladly wait to buy a guitar from you (excess demand). More importantly, if the reason that you only make one guitar in a year is that it is financially prohibitive and/or you just don't have enough time to make two without quitting your day job or hiring someone or whatever... then what good does the OP stamping his feet do about it? You cant scale to meet the increased demand, but again, that doesn't matter because you are selling everything you make and still have a wait list.

This is the same thing, just obviously higher volumes. The OP is mad because of unrealistic expectations and general ignorance of basic economics. Hodgdon is a distributor for ADI, they cant just snap their fingers and "make more", that's not how manufacturing works. Why is that people get so emotional when it comes to guns?
 
Just placed an order online...all the popular stuff is out of stock. I try to re-stock a year ahead of when I'll need it as even with rare stuff, if you look out, you can find it from time to time. As those work in so many rounds I maintain 3-4 of them in large quantities at any time.

Anything that will work well in a 6mm CM is unobtanium.
At range yesterday using Norma 204 in 6xc and 6M. Similar results as 4350's and StaBall, temps went from 45-78 yesterday too. No changes in vel or visible pressures...… Took a chance and bought 4lb's at Gshow for $10 ea lb. Now I have a back up for my 6"s.. Next week same powder going in 300wsm. Report next week depending on wether.
 
I'm going to vent. I'm probably gonna get kicked off the forum, but I think I'm speaking for most of us when I ask if the people running Hodgdon have their heads up their --- or something. Retumbo, H4350, H1000, Varget, are all STAPLES of the Hodgdon brand, and it's like trying to find pixie dust. Do they want to lose customers? Why is it that a company who makes gunpowder, and has been doing so forever, can't keep up with demand? Are they not investing enough of their profits into the company and their equipment? You would think that the demand for their products would be incentive for them to make more of it.
Am I missing something here? For all of the powder companies out there, now is a great time for them to get their engineers and marketing teams in order and produce powders that are temp stable with comparable burn rates. When I find something that will replace my Hodgdon powders, I'm jumping ship. Their management appears to be about as in touch with their customers as Remington's marketing.
You could always go back to IMR 4350 or 4891 or something like that. The biggest problems seen to be demand for there powders. For a few years ago you couldn't get anything. Or go back even further say 40 years ago, you didn't have the choices you have today. At lease one guy left the office, but there a lot trying to get into office, that would screw up the supply chain again. That has help to clear things up with items needed to reload. It seem that you can't hardly get brass you want or the amount you want either. I wonder where all it go to. I stop load for several years, because I couldn't get my hands onto the item I need or didn't want to be completely out.
Be happy with what you got. In other countries you couldn't even begin to do what we do here. California (California) is working hard on not allowing anything that has lead in it even at ranges. I feel sorry for the gun shops there.

I wonder how many here are NRA members. I have been from 1970 about 3 months after getting out of Vietnam. I am a way up the food chain with NRA members now.

SSS
Mike
 
Sportsmans here is pretty well stocked. I buy 8,16 or 24 ponds at a time when Im down to my last 8 pounder depending on the powder. Hell they had Benchmark on sale for 140 for 8 pounds last week.

To the OP chill man or do find something else so we have more its not rocket science its all good
That is one reason I live in WY. If it has to do with shooting, they stay as well stocked as possible. But it is election year.
 
What shortage?
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The management at Hodgdon, if competent, should be alarmed at the content of this thread. The US market is the largest market in the world for the products they produce. Just me, but I have no tolerance for the BS excuses. If they don't wake up, in the not too distant future, Hogdon, like so many other mismanaged companies, will go out of business. I like and use a lot of their products, but if I can't get it and find a viable replacement from another supplier, I will not go back unless they get their act together in the very near future.
 
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