The Hodgdon name is recognized by almost every shooter. Whether one handloads for cartridge arms or shoots muzzleloaders, the company has products specially tailored for virtually every shooting application. To appreciate the historical importance and impact of Hodgdon in America, we really need to look at two similar entities, distinct, yet intertwined.
Hodgton is known as The Gunpowder People, and for good reason. The company supplies handloaders and ammunition manufacturers with a comprehensive assortment of propellants for all sorts of firearms, and is always coming up with innovative products to fill yet another reloading niche. Its a corporate kaleidoscope, where new reloading combinations are continually forming, much to the delight of shooters. Plus, comprehensive loading data for its products are available from the company, free for the asking.
Theres another equally important facet of Hodgdon. The Hodgdon family includes not only those folks who are related to the companys founder, Brewster (Bruce) Eltinge Hodgdon, but also the employees of the company, who are considered part of the family – kin and kith.
While Bruce was always interested in shooting, he swerved into the powder business in a roundabout way. Rumor has it that, around the start of World War II, Bruce was talking with a friend who lamented that the government had burned tons of leftover gunpowder after World War I, simply because there was no market for it. Bruce surmised that a similar situation might exist after World War II. He also figured there would be a demand, so he started investigated just what hed have to do to buy surplus gunpowder from the government. On November 26, 1947, using his life insurance policy as collateral, he borrowed the princely sum of $1,500 from his bank. After cutting through seeming miles of red tape, he found himself the owner of 50,000 pounds of surplus 4895. Now what?
Bruce wasnt really sure whether there were enough reloaders who would buy it. Recall that, in those days, right after the war, returning GIs were busy building homes and families and didnt have a lot of spare cash to spend on guns and ammo. Further, handloading was still in its infancy. Many shooters regarded the practice as dangerous alchemy, and ammunition companies did nothing to dissuade people from that notion; handloaders were competition.
Nevertheless, Bruce persevered. He moved an old boxcar to a rented farm field to store the powder, placed a one-inch ad in American Rifleman, and waited. Fortunately, he was right about the demand, and the orders came. A 150-pound keg of 4895 sold for all of $30, plus shipping. And, so, in 1947, an American icon was born. In 1952, B.E. Hodgdon, Incorporated, was formed. As for the $1,500 note? Bruce paid it off on February 11, 1948, just 76 days after the loan was obtained.
When the supply of government surplus powders ran out, the company turned to newly manufactured propellants ranging from smokeless to blackpowder and it substitutes, all with unique features tailored to specific uses. The company ventured into various retail businesses, too, but these were ultimately sold so the firm could concentrate on its core business, propellants.
In 1947, Hodgdon bought what was then rural land and built a new office building, where it remained for 65 years. However, as the decades rolled on, a residential/commercial city evolved around them and, as the company grew, it needed more space.
In August 2011, Hodgson bought a new and vacant building in Shawnee, Kansas, about eight miles from the original offices. The move was completed in April 2012. The new digs provide 9,000 square feet, compared to 3.500 in the original, a welcome addition for the thriving entity.
Today, Hodgdon has three facilities. The main office, as noted, the packaging and distribution plat in Herington, Kansas, and the Goex Black Powder Co. in Doyline, Louisiana. There are 16 employees at the main office, about 45 to 50 in Herington, and about 30 at Goex. It is important to note that the Hodgdon Company is family owned, but is not family run. A board of 11 directors provides the leadership, but only four are members of the Hodgdon family. In fact, the company has strict protocols that must be followed before a family member can be considered for a managerial position in the company.
To read more about the history of Hodgdon and many other great firearms and ammunition companies, get a copy of The 68th edition of Gun Digest. The 560 page volume not only carries detailed round-ups of all of todays firearms, ammo and optics but dozens of articles and features on all types of shooting and firearms and the companies behind them. To read more like this, purchase “Gun Digest 2014, 68th Edition” from Gun Tests.
