Prices for Blackhorn will still make many cringe.

Hunting season is right around the corner, and if the calendar couldn’t tell you, social media and restock notifications would. With this, we’re seeing Blackhorn 209 powder return to store shelves and online inventory.

Cabelas, Bass Pro, Scheel’s, and Sportsmans Warehouse stores around the country are receiving stock according to muzzleloading enthusiasts, but the price is still high with some stores listing it as high as $79.99. On a positive note, prices have decreased from the off-season pricing of $89.99-$99.99 seen during the spring months this year. Hogdon has officially shared no information on whether the price increase is related to raw materials, manufacturing facility time, or market trends. We heard from them in April 2023 with a short update about how difficult it was to get production time at the Canadian production facility due to the increased demand for powder being shipped in ammunition to Ukraine. However, no other updates have been shared.

When I spoke to Hodgdon about their sale of GOEX in 2021, they mentioned their focus on the hunting market and how it differed from the competition market. Hunting is much larger than competition shooting in terms of market size. I have no doubt that their analysts have determined that the hunting community can withstand the price increase of $35 Pre-Hogdon ownership to nearly $80 now in just 3 years’ time, but that doesn’t make the cost affect muzzleloading enthusiasts any less.

With the bottles going from 10 oz to 8 oz after Hodgdon purchased the powder from Western Powders, many shooters will find the bottle accommodates 35+/- shots if each shot is weighed to be 100 grains. Most hunters will find this enough to get sighted in and hunt for 1 year, and with costs going up on everything from gas to tags and licenses, the move seems to be working for Hodgdon.

I hope to see the availability increase and costs decrease, but for now, I think it’s safe to assume this will be the trend for some time. If you have enjoyed shooting competitively with Blackhorn 209 since it’s release, this could be a watershed moment for many of you who like me, aren’t able to afford as much as we used to.