In an email sent out by the Maine Powder House, a distributor of GOEX, Schuetzen and Swiss Blackpowder, muzzleloading enthusiasts are getting an update on GOEX sporting blackpowder availability.

Last year Estes (the new owners of GOEX) told the dealers that they would have sporting powder back in production by December 2022, they even sent out a price sheet. Unfortunately,that has not happened - and we are now being told GOEX will be back in production "sometime 2023" with no clear date or reasonable timeframe.

This is an understandble and frustrating update for longtime fans of the American made blackpowder brand. Anyone involved in manufacturing right now is excperiencing delays and increased costs, even Apple’s latest computers are rumored to have been ready to launch last October, but weren’t released until recently due to production delays.

“Sometime 2023”

“Sometime 2023” in January at least gives muzzleloading enthusiasts 11 months to choose from, and I’m glad we are getting this news now. The notification doesn’t soften anxious wait for many, but keeping communication open with the community is important for businesses in muzzleloading. It’s a small market, but it’s one that likes honesty.

Maine Powder House went on to comment on the progress Estes Energetics has made, both in hiring and plant updates.

Estes has made progress in the past 12 months. They've obtained all necessary permits and licenses, replaced the building and equipment that was lost in June 2021, hired back most of the GOEX Hodgdon employees and have made several more new hires to aid in production. They also signed an agreement this summer with the Department of Defense, allowing the DoD to invest in the GOEX operations to help it get back up and running while improving safety and technology. Click here to read the news release by the DoD. Hopefully this agreement with the DoD will not hamper any expectations for sporting powder production, but time will tell and we will just have wait and see what happens this coming year.

Expanding the GOEX worforce

While not an indication of when powder will be releasing for muzzleloading enthusiasts, Estes Energetics has been hiring for several positions in Janury 2023. In job listings posted in mid-January, Estes Energetics shared they are looking to bring on more engineers, logistics specialists, and maintenance staff to “modernize and expand the only black powder plant in the US, and work on other exciting chemical production projects”.

CEO Karl Kulling shared their goal of continuing to make black powder and build new chemical production lines.

Some have speculated this could mean other types of black powder or black powder substitutes, but it’s important to remember that sporting powder is only one segment of the Estes Energetics business.

As for my personal thoughts on this, I think it is to be expected and I don’t intend any of this reporting to be critical and I don’t encourage any negative comments about GOEX or any of the muzzleloading manufacturers out there. It’s not easy to start and run a business right now and to bring one that manufacturers blackpowder back from the dead must be even tougher. I’m not paid to write about anything, positive or otherwise.

If you are in need of powder, Schuetzen and Swiss are readily available to keep you shooting.

I’ll be doing my best to bring you the latest news of GOEX and any other muzzleloading news as it happens with my best effort. Thank you for reading!