My thoughts on the situation with GOEX | #saveGOEX
This video is a bit different, I promise we'll be back to powder-burning fun soon but this has been requested a lot so I wanted to address it.
This video is my thoughts and my thoughts alone, I'm not speaking for anyone, just letting you know what I think and how I'm feeling.
We still don't have any news on if GOEX has found a new home. No official news has come out since the interview we did with Aaron Oelger, VP of Sales and Marketing at Hodgdon.
As of writing on October 29,2021 a buyer hasn’t stepped forward or a deal hasn’t been made. With time ticking down to the December 31 deadline, enthusiasts are getting a little nervous, myself included.
The #SaveGOEX Petition has crossed 6000 signatures, and it’s caught the attention of industry representatives out there, I know it has. Please continue to sign if you can and spread the word, we need to show as much support as we can for the GOEX brand to keep American made blackpowder.
As concerns over powder continue, Swiss/Schuetzen is hoping to have more powder here in the states by the end of the year. While Swiss/Schuetzen are a favorite among muzzleloading enthusiasts, the brand doesn’t have the recognition GOEX does with new shooters and it can be a little hard to find for new shooters. I recommend everyone visit the Schuetzen website to learn more and find a distributor in your area. Your best bet may be to invest in a bulk order to save money on the hazmat fees.
Swiss/Schuetzen are great supporters of small shoots around the country, often donating an entire CASE of powder for prizes. Visit their website to learn more.
As much as the community wants to support imported powders, with a recent ban on imported modern ammunition, many muzzleloaders are concerned the same thing could happen with imported powder, including blackpowder. While this is a concern, I’m hopeful that blackpowder being such a niche product, we can slip by any import bans for some time, if they were to occur. To be honest, I watch this stuff very closely and I’ve not seen any whispers of a blackpowder import ban, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Reports are also coming in that Graf & Sons Powder is in limbo now as well, it was originally made through GOEX. A restock is a ways off at this point, if GOEX is purchased and starts back up.
My main concerns
As much as I love Swiss/Schuetzen in my competition muzzleloaders, it’s hard to imagine a world where we don’t have an American made blackpowder. This is the compound, the mixture, that aided the United States in making the most free country in the world. It helped a rag tag group of rebels beat back a world super power, and defined a generation of legendary men and women. I can’t be 80 years old and tell my grandkids about this neat thing we used to do call “Muzzleloading” - that we can’t do it anymore because when the last US powder company closed we just gave up, I just can’t.
Until that December 31 deadline, I’m going to continue to ask for someone to purchase GOEX to keep this great tradition going.
To put my money where my mouth is, I’ll give any buyer of the brand 2 years of free work in marketing, promotion, consulting, whatever you need to get the brand going again. I have a lot of data that would be useful to someone looking to keep this going. I don’t have any seed money but I have an undying passion for muzzleloading and the people who enjoy muzzleloading - I want to help.
If you are that person or that group, please get in touch with me, I’ll tell you everything I know, I’ll give you all my ideas all the data if you can keep this going. It’s too important to give up and let it die.