WSJ Article on Rebuilding of Estes/Goex (Formerly Hodgdon) BP Factory in Minden, LA

[Allen65]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-u-s-military-has-an-explosive-problem-6e1a1049?mod=hp_lead_pos7

DoD invested $3.5M in the plant to aid in re-opening. Estes is currently running inert materials through the production equipment to validate that everything works as designed, and Estes says production should restart by Summer, 2023.

Lots of good pictures of the facility and its equipment are in the article.

 

[Inigoes]

paywall

 

[delaware_export]

Good to hear. Would be good to have goex back up and running.

and yeah. Paywall.. but your post gives enough details to make the point

 

[John from MD]

I'm willing to be we will have to wait for recreational BP until they catch up with the backlog for rocket motors, aircraft store ejection cartridges, and a host of initiator charges.

 

[Allen65]

I'm willing to be we will have to wait for recreational BP until they catch up with the backlog for rocket motors, aircraft store ejection cartridges, and a host of initiator charges.

It'll be good to have them back online, though. Those other applications have probably been buying from the European BP makers, decreasing availability of Schuetzen and Swiss for us hobbyists.

BP is a necessity for my antique sidelocks; the ignition temperatures of the BP substitutes are just too high for their small flame channels to deliver enough energy to reliably ignite the charge.

 

[John from MD]

I worked up a load for my .50 flint mountain rifle of 10gns of 3f to 40gns of Pyro P and it shot to POI the same as 60gns of 3f. That stretched my supply of 3F quite a bit.

 

[Threeband]

I worked up a load for my .50 flint mountain rifle of 10gns of 3f to 40gns of Pyro P and it shot to POI the same as 60gns of 3f. That stretched my supply of 3F quite a bit.

What diameter ball? What thickness patch?

I haven't shot my Lyman Great Plains in many years, but maybe one day...

 

[John from MD]

What diameter ball? What thickness patch?

I haven't shot my Lyman Great Plains in many years, but maybe one day...

.490 ball, .018 patch lubed with 8 to 1 Ballistol and water. It will make one ragged hole at 50 yards from the bench using a Soule rear sight.