[Chad C. Mulligan]

Here’s the DoD news release on the Estes Energetics takeover.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3123353/defense-department-invests-to-re-establish-domestic-production-of-critical-prop/

Retail gun shops don’t carry real black powder because of local fire codes. You can, however order it on the Internet.

And there are several foreign firms that make Holy Black and sell it here. I frankly prefer Swiss (brand) to Goex.

Black powder is used in artillery shell fuses as a initiator charge that in turn causes the main explosive to detonate. It was also used in the big naval guns to start the main propellant charge burning. Substitutes don’t work as well, and also deteriorate with age. Black powder never deteriorates unless you get it wet.

Checking the internet, I find that Estes was expecting to start shipping powder at the end of 2022. This did not happen, and the new ship date was first quarter 2023. No new news about that that I can find.

[kiryandil]

Retail gun shops don’t carry real black powder because of local fire codes. You can, however order it on the Internet.

Right.

One of the reasons this article caught my eye is that I know someone who uses Hodgdon products for black powder firearms [Pyrodex].

As you say, this Hodgdon product isn't ACTUAL black powder, for safety reasons.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Also it got classified as an explosive, so the storage requirements for shops became problematic.