Tag Archives: Black Powder

Estes- yes, the Model Rocket Guys- save the only Black Powder works in the U.S.

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Goex, a name in black powder that goes back to the 19th Century, is set to return to the market with a little help from Estes.

Estes Energetics on Monday announced it had acquired the assets of the Goex brand from the Hodgdon Powder Company, including the only remaining commercial scale black powder factory in the United States. A sister company of the famed model rocket brand, Estes Energetics plans to restart production of black powder at the Goex plant in Minden, Louisiana. Estes had previously used Goex products in its rockets.

“We are extremely excited to extend the relationship with our loyal customers as we ramp up production to satisfy pent-up demand later this year,” said Karl Kulling, CEO of Estes Energetics.

Goex traces its roots back to 1802 when E.I. Du Pont de Nemours broke ground on his original black powder plant along the Brandywine River in Delaware.

Expanding to Belin, Pennsylvania in 1912, the Du Pont works provided military-grade black powder during World Wars I and II, as well as the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Rebranded as Goex in the early 1970s, the plant was moved to Louisiana in 1997.

Purchased by the Hodgdon Powder Company in 2009, the plant’s processes and equipment were modernized and sold powder under not only the Goex brand but also in the Olde Eynsford and Reenactor labels.

However, Hogdon announced last September that it would cease production and wind down the Goex facility “while an evaluation process on the future of the black powder business takes place.”

Aaron Oelger, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Hodgdon Powder Company, talked about the announcement that Hodgdon was closing and selling GOEX Blackpowder, in the below interview last year. 

The Maxim 50, err 47

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The first “silencer” was developed and patented by Hiram Percy Maxim in 1909 and he continued to patent new designs into the 1930s, when he withdrew from the market in the wake of the National Firearms Act of 1934, which placed a (for then) outrageous $200 tax on transferring the devices, which had to be registered with the federal government.

Currently, there are over 1.3 million suppressors on the NFA’s NFRTR list, in all 50 states (law enforcement and dealers have to register theirs as well) with the devices approved for civilian use and ownership in 42 states, and for use in hunting in 40 of those.

Well, SilencerCo last week introduced a brilliant idea: a .50-caliber in-line 209 muzzleloader with a 9-inch “moderator” welded to the end of the barrel, making possibly the first commercially available suppressed black powder rifle. Since the ATF says BP guns are primitive weapons, and the can is permanently attached to said primitive weapon, then it is not a NFA-regulated suppressor.

Which means that, as far as Washington is concerned, it can be bought online via mail-order, and shipped to your door everywhere in the country with no tax stamp or NFA paperwork.

SilencerCo is sending me one to T&E, and it looks simple and very cool.

Touting a significant reduction in recoil and smoke as well as 139dB sound performance, the overall length of the system is 45-inches while weight is 7.4-pounds.

They recommend 100 grains of Blackhorn 209 powder and projectiles that do not have wadding or plastic that separate upon firing, for example, Federal B.O.R. Lock Z or Hornady FPB rounds.

Unfortunately, while the feds say the Maxim 50 is 50-state complaint, at least three states disagree, so they are just shipping to 47 states at the current time.

Still, 47 is higher than 42…and the genie is out of the bottle.

Modern paper cartridges for your 19th century hand cannon

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I have a Ruger New Army and an old Colt SAA ’73 and love to fire them- but I have to admit they are a tremendous pain to load those old cap and ball guns.

Terril James Herbert, one of my fellow writers over at Guns.com (who has a YouTube channel– Mark3SMLE), has a great primer on how to fix that by using a new take on the old paper cartridges used back in the 19th Century with these cap guns.