Hodgdon Purchases RCBS!

[Bazoo]

This is interesting. Hodgdon has purchased RCBS. Here's a news article, and here is Hodgdon's page about it.

I for one think it's a good thing, while Hodgdon has something of a monopoly on powder, they are a good company, and I think this a good direction for RCBS.

[Three44s]

While I prefer more diversity, it sure beats someone like Soros or some foreign en8tity!

Three44s

[Barry54]

Isn’t Vista Outdoors selling the ammunition side to a foreign entity already? It is in the works, if it isn’t done already.

I wonder if Alliant powder will become even more difficult to find?

[Shawlerbrook]

Interesting ! I like Hodgdon and love RCBS. They will have big shoes to fill to keep RCBS on top.

[BNE]

I like both companies and their products. I hope this works out well for all of us.

[deltaenterprizes]

Better than RCBS going out of business if they are having financial difficulties!

[contender1]

Vista Outdoors is basically a bunch of "investors" who bought up a lot of companies,, made it appear they were the "best" and yet,, took a lot of stuff & ruined what used to be great companies. All in the quest for profits. Look at the way they owned (3) of the major .22 RF manufacturers. And look at what the cost of the .22 was & still is. (Thanks Vista!)

As long as Hodgdon keeps it as a private, family owned type of business,, and refuses to let "investor groups" to buy them out,, I see this as a good thing.

Too many investor groups out there nowadays,, all with just one approach to things. "Buy a company,, do things to get good profits,, inflate the value of the company,, and sell after 5-8 years to another investment group." Vista has done it to us for many years by the way they bought companies,, and the products often increased in costs,, the quality suffered in many, and now they are divesting parts of the company.

At the 2023 SHOT Show,, Vista had one of the biggest booths, on the main floor,, and were pushing stuff HARD. Yet,, in 2024,, after Vista sold some stuff,,, (and keeping that crook vanderquack or however his name is spelled,) on as a CEO or whatever,, their booth was NOTHING like it had been in 2023. Much smaller & under a different name. (Revelyst)

I'm GLAD to see Hodgdon get a good product line like RCBS & hopefully they will keep stuff going as it needs to be.

[trapper9260]

I am on the fence on this . I am not sure how this will work out , hope for the best. One dose not know. Also is it going to be a monopoly like the powder companies turn out for how it looks. Time will tell.

[anothernewb]

count me in on the fence as well. Could be good, could be bad. all depends on management and process. Some mergers come out okay with 2 marginal companies combining assets and having a little more insulation against up and down cycles while retaining great customer relations.

Some go bad with the entire lot being sold to investors that are only about the bottom line and not about the product quality or customer service.

[jcullen]

Hope this isn't the end of great CS from RCBS

[Bigslug]

Remember Remington? Or perhaps more to the point, remember Titanic? It seems really efficient to have a lot of folks travelling on one boat. . .right up to the point that boat sinks. . .or in the case of Remington, gets taken over by pirates.

Yes, a manufacturer of reloading propellants absorbing a manufacturer of reloading tools makes some sense, but monopolies and megacorps make me nervous. Color me concerned.

[MUSTANG]

Based ONLY on changes to the Hodgdon Web Site and Reloading information; I am concerned. Seems to me they have lost focus on the Shooter/Reloader support and satisfaction over the last few years - the money will then follow, and acquiring RCBS may or may not return that focus; and of course the Customer Service of RCBS could go down hill as previously mentioned.

Hogdon has always been a reseller of Surplus or other Manufacturer products under their name. That is becoming a problem in todays manufacturing world. Most of the Nitro-Cellulose in the world is being made and exported from China to Western Countries and the USofA. Nitrocellulose is key component of Single Base, Double Base, and Triple Based powders. Seems solidifying/expanding the supply chain of Nitro Cellulose so it is not CCP (Communist Party of China) controlled and not being dependent on them upstream in Powder production for the Hodgdon and other Powders they sell would have been a better focus. But what do I Know; just have a BBA, Master of Science and a couple Credits shy of an MBA so I am not business focused.

Planned Obsolescence is another area of concern. I have a Rock Chucker press I have been using (Heavily) for the last 45 plus years. I am not sure that todays presses from RCBS and others will hold up as well. What happens to existing and previous Quality Control and Lifecycle of products with the Passing of RCBS into the Hodgdon Umbrella? Currently and Unanswerable question; but one I still have.

[Bazoo]

Wow there are some interesting concerns, most of which I hadn't thought of.

[jakharath]

Since the Vista purchase it seems like a bunch of RCBS's stuff started being made in China. Maybe Hodgdon will change that...

[hoodat]

I try to make my default mode optimism, until proven wrong. jd

[Delkal]

Hodgdon is a privately owned company so they don't have to worry about stock prices or profits for shareholders. I can only think RCBS will do better there than being owned by a venture capitol company that only cares about their profits.

[36g]

Was Huntington Die Specialties an inherent part of RCBS or a separate entity?

[Txcowboy52]

Time will tell . We can always hope, but then again you never know.

[Handloader109]

I don't think I own any RCBS items, but they seem to be a leader in reloading equipment. Does ANYONE REALLY think Vista (or their new name) would continue to be the best place for any gun related items? Not I.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[huntersdog]

Vista Outdoors is basically a bunch of "investors" who bought up a lot of companies,, made it appear they were the "best" and yet,, took a lot of stuff & ruined what used to be great companies. All in the quest for profits. Look at the way they owned (3) of the major .22 RF manufacturers. And look at what the cost of the .22 was & still is. (Thanks Vista!)

As long as Hodgdon keeps it as a private, family owned type of business,, and refuses to let "investor groups" to buy them out,, I see this as a good thing.

Too many investor groups out there nowadays,, all with just one approach to things. "Buy a company,, do things to get good profits,, inflate the value of the company,, and sell after 5-8 years to another investment group." Vista has done it to us for many years by the way they bought companies,, and the products often increased in costs,, the quality suffered in many, and now they are divesting parts of the company.

At the 2023 SHOT Show,, Vista had one of the biggest booths, on the main floor,, and were pushing stuff HARD. Yet,, in 2024,, after Vista sold some stuff,,, (and keeping that crook vanderquack or however his name is spelled,) on as a CEO or whatever,, their booth was NOTHING like it had been in 2023. Much smaller & under a different name. (Revelyst)

I'm GLAD to see Hodgdon get a good product line like RCBS & hopefully they will keep stuff going as it needs to be.

It is an Industrial and Technology company that bought Vista for $1.9 Billion in cash.