Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Hodgdon is discontinuing the IMR Enduron line of powders ?

For those who are retired and their biggest/best hobby is working up loads in rifles and spending time at the range, it hurts. If a fellow shoots hundreds of rounds per year or perhaps a thousand, it really hurts.
17 Hornet you’ll be seeing more of me than the belted cartridges at least that’s what my crystal glass is saying.
Might have to sell rifles to shoot others.

Let me know if you are ready to pony up for a new manufacturer.

I know how to make it happen. Bet I could get it going for ~$20 million.

Well, nothing on this earth lasts forever so roll up the sleeves and start experimenting with other powders.

I'd guess they are moving focus to the powders with highest demand and/or least overhead to produce when compared to price and demand. ....but...that's just a guess....

I have a 243 Win. and a 6.5 Creedmoor that do very well with IMR4451. I'd miss it more if they didn't also do very well with IMR and H 4350.

For most of my purposes if they keep the 4895 and 4350 spigots turned on I'll be fine.

The Enduron powders were not being shipped to Hogadon so finally Hogadon told them to go pound sand

I have 8-10 lbs of new unopened IMR 4451 that I bought when I could not find H4350 several years ago. I would trade it for H4831sc or H4350 or MRP. I am past the age of experimenting with the latest or best new thing and am happy to stick with what I have already determined works well for me.

I am thinking the same thing tcp. But then who can guess what’s going to happen tomorrow. Im glad I have an 8 pounder of IMR4350 and some H4350 & IMR4451.

“Not sure what’s happening here.
What it is, isn't exactly clear.”

Where’s the Winchester, Remington, Federal & CCI primers? Why are only commie primers available?

Why the discontinuing of bullets and powders?

Why are the prices sky high with the powder we can find?

CCI and Federal have been available online fairly regularly for the better part of the year, they just sell out fast once they come in stock... especially LR and SP primers. They don't come cheaply, though


All in stock atm of posting, but likely not to be in a few hours.

https://www.natchezss.com/cci-stand...m-military-nato-sensitivity-1000-ct.html


https://www.natchezss.com/cci-standard-primers-400-small-rifle.html

https://www.natchezss.com/cci-standard-primers-450-mag-small-rifle.html


https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product/cci-550-small-pistol-mag-primers-1000/


https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product/federal-gm155m-lg-pstl-mag-match-1000/

https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product/federal-gm200m-sm-pstl-mag-match-1000/

To paraphrase Buffalo Springfield.

I "experimented" considerably with IMR4451 in rifles where I used H4350 for years. Overall I found 4451 worked a little better, in both accuracy and velocity--the last because it's (or was) a double-based powder. In fact just worked up a new-to-me all-around load in my New Ultra Light Arms Model 24 .30-06 a couple years ago, using the 175-grain Barnes LRX and 4451. The first 3-shot group at 100 yards with the max load listed in Hodgdon's data went a little over half an inch--which is how that rifle has shot from the get-go (acquired it in 1996) with several handloads. Plus, velocity was a little over 2800 fps. Hard to beat that!

Luckily, I still have around 7 pounds left in the last 8-pounder purchased, which will last a long time. BUT I won't be able to mention any such excellent 4451 loads in articles....

I have a couple of pounds of 4166, 4451 and 7977 and a pound of 8133 so I guess I’ll be doing less experimentation and just loading rounds for use.

I think the US primer shortage is due to folks buying and hoarding bricks of 1,000 instead of the occasional sleeve of 100 as needed to reload plinking or hunting cartridges. I’m sure the Covid unemployment benefits inhibited production volume for some.

Many times I almost bought that 4451 because you touted it as better than H4350. Now I'm glad I never made the purchase and stuck with H4350. But who knows how long Hodgden is going to keep producing that powder. They are doing some crazy schidt. They basically have a damn monopoly on some powders after buying multiple companies. Now we are at their mercy..

From Powder Valley's Facebook page

You say you know how to make it happen.
So there is some credibility.

I don't think you could build much of a powder plant for $20 million.

Apple's, Oranges, I know. But...

Have insight into a new gas station.
Built on the site of a station that was 60+years old.
Operated by the builders for 30years.

$125k+ just for design and approval.
Literally paperwork before even rewarding a contract.
$2.1 million, total. And the ground was already owned.

For nice, but not huge gas station.

Will, that sucks.

I doubt that many are buying and hoarding at the today’s prices. Buying in desperation and rationing is more like it. When this all started (this go-round anyway) many here called for prices to be raised to discourage bulk buying, for whatever purpose. Might be working because the ones I see for sale are often available for a fair length of time before they disappear, or maybe gas and groceries are getting priority over hobbies.

I still think the largest factor causing the shortage was the great demand for ammunition. The vast majority of shooters aren’t handloaders. Now that the standards like 9mm, .223, .308 etc are in good supply, even going on sale, maybe there are enough primers left over for handloaders, or if sales demonstrate that folks will pay $.10 apiece for primers, the balance has tipped in favor of selling primers over reserving them for factory ammo. Since most, maybe all of the primer makers are part of conglomerates that also make and sell ammo, they’re in total control of the supply, able to parlay it to their best advantage. I’d like very much to know if the prices we see now are reflections of wholesale price increases, or retailer decisions.

Been a long time since I bought single flats of primers; not since I started loading more than one batch of hunting ammo every few years, learned about lot variations, and went through a couple of shortages. I shoot way too much now to buy like that, even if gas wasn’t $3.60 a gallon.

Just out of curiosity; what powder companies are not owned by Hodgdon?

Since Hodgdon doesn’t make powder, only bottle and sell it, could this really be a decision by the actual powder manufacturer, maybe influenced by military contracts?

Never started with them, so no problem for me. It does point out one good reason for “hoarding”, as some like to call the sensible acquisition of stuff that others use frequently. If one goes to the expense and trouble to develop good loads, it makes sense to secure enough of the components involved to make more for actual use. Some years back I noticed that W780 gave excellent velocity with 160gr NPs in the good ol’ .270. Tried it and it was a winner, so I picked up a second jug. Good thing, as it was dropped soon after. I have what I need for that excellent load for myself and my son’s need in the foreseeable future, assuming Nosler doesn’t drop the partitions, that is.