Hodgdon Powder is celebrating 70 years in business serving the reloading community. To cap off this milestone in longevity they are releasing a book documenting their historic march from one man’s vision into the dominant reloading powder company in the world. This book is aptly named “The Gunpowder People.”

The Shooting Wire was first to announce Hodgdon’s book being published for the public summarizing the beginnings of the company.

Born in 1910, founder Bruce “B.E” Hodgdon launched Hodgdon Powder Co. after serving in the military in World War II. Hearing how the U.S. government scrapped surplus gunpowder by the shipload after World War I, Hodgdon took out a loan against a life insurance policy in order to buy surplus 4895 gunpowder in 1947. With an ad in American Rifleman in January 1948, Hodgdon was selling powder to the handloading public.

This book was not something that was necessarily planned by Hodgdon themselves. Instead, an employee approached the company wanting to do this project and Hodgdon decided to move forward with it.

To condense the 70 year history of a company into one book along with all of the family, heart-felt memories along the way was no easy task, but the Hodgdon family believes it has been manifested in “The Gunpowder People.” Some of the accomplishments and important dates to note over the course of 70 years by the Hodgdon Powder Company are:

• 1910 – Founder Bruce “B.E.” Hodgdon was Born
• 1947 – Company is Founded
• 1948 – Begin selling through the American Rifleman
• 1976 – Pyrodex is Established
• 1997 – Bruce Hodgdon Passed Away
• 2003 – Purchased Competitor IMR
• 2005 – Begin Licensing Winchester Powder
• 2009 – Purchased GoEx Blackpowder

This book is now available on Hodgdon’s newly re-designed website under the full title of “The Gunpowder People: The Official Authorized History of Hodgdon Powder Company,” by James W. Bequette. It retails for $44.95.