IMR Powder
The history of IMR® Legendary Powders actually begins in 1802 when a young E.I. DuPont built a black powder plant in Delaware.
By the mid-1840s the Gold Rush and industrial expansion ushered in the need for a better explosive than black powder. The twin 1845 discoveries of nitrated cotton and nitroglycerin began the transformation to a new explosives future. IMR powders started in 1892, ushering in the transition from black powder to smokeless powder. The earliest powders were designated MR meaning Military Rifle. In the 1920s an improved version of the powders were introduced. These Improved Military Rifle powders carried the IMR title in front of a four digit number.
Originally, IMR powders were built in a facility at Carneys Point, in New Jersey across the river from the black powder operations. This plant, built in the 1880s, was a key provider of gunpowder to the U.S. military and its Allies during World War I. As the U.S. moved out of the Depression and headed towards World War II the need for increased capacity was satisfied through the construction of additional powder plants modeled after Carneys Point. One of the locations of the newly constructed plants was Valleyfield, in Canada. This plant continues to be the primary supplier of IMR Legendary Powders today.
Hodgdon® Powder Company purchased IMR Powder Company in October 2003 and continues to manufacture IMR Powders to the same exacting performance criteria and quality assurance standards that shooters have come to expect.
By the mid-1840s the Gold Rush and industrial expansion ushered in the need for a better explosive than black powder. The twin 1845 discoveries of nitrated cotton and nitroglycerin began the transformation to a new explosives future. IMR powders started in 1892, ushering in the transition from black powder to smokeless powder. The earliest powders were designated MR meaning Military Rifle. In the 1920s an improved version of the powders were introduced. These Improved Military Rifle powders carried the IMR title in front of a four digit number.
Originally, IMR powders were built in a facility at Carneys Point, in New Jersey across the river from the black powder operations. This plant, built in the 1880s, was a key provider of gunpowder to the U.S. military and its Allies during World War I. As the U.S. moved out of the Depression and headed towards World War II the need for increased capacity was satisfied through the construction of additional powder plants modeled after Carneys Point. One of the locations of the newly constructed plants was Valleyfield, in Canada. This plant continues to be the primary supplier of IMR Legendary Powders today.
Hodgdon® Powder Company purchased IMR Powder Company in October 2003 and continues to manufacture IMR Powders to the same exacting performance criteria and quality assurance standards that shooters have come to expect.