The 2026 edition of the “Hodgdon Annual Manual” is part technical encyclopedia, part culture diary, part generational handoff. Hodgdon Powder Company, the family-born outfit that grew into the country’s largest supplier of smokeless and blackpowder substitute propellants, has updated its flagship manual that totals than 12,000 loads spanning Hodgdon, IMR, Accurate, Ramshot and Winchester propellants. More than 116 rifle and pistol cartridges receive fresh data, along with more than 1,000 shotshell loads, pulling the manual closer to something like a yearly operating system update for reloaders.
But the “2026 Hodgdon Annual Manual” also carries a distinctly human heartbeat. The cover pays tribute to John Brewster “J.B.” Hodgdon, who co-founded the company in 1947 and passed away in June 2025 at age 88. His influence threads through the company’s history and, as the team makes clear, through this edition.
“This year’s Annual Manual reflects our continued commitment to both new and experienced reloaders,” said Aaron Oelger, vice president of marketing. “For 2026, we expanded our educational focus with a series of Reloading 101 articles for beginners and advanced Reloading 301 features for seasoned handloaders. This edition also includes a memorial honoring J.B. Hodgdon, whose influence continues to guide our work.”
The educational expansion pairs with deep-dive features on the cartridges that have recently captured the attention of shooters, including the 22 ARC, 22 GT, 25 Creedmoor, 30 Nosler and 338 ARC, along with loading popular subsonic cartridges. The manual also marks the 50th anniversary of Pyrodex, a longtime staple in the blackpowder substitute world, and resurrects Fred Huntington’s 1967 essay “Why Reload,” a classic rumination that still resonates in an era of digital everything.
The new edition, priced at $14.99 with shipping included, is available wherever magazines are sold and through Hodgdon’s website. For a company that began as a family project around salvaged wartime gunpowder, the 2026 manual feels like both a technical achievement and an emotional milestone—half reference book, half reminder of the legacy that built a modern propellant juggernaut.
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