2017 IMR New Offerings in 14oz in Place of 16oz

[Load Master]

Does this bother anyone else or is it just me? We have all seen this type of activity at the grocery stores, but I never thought I would see this type of marketing tricks pulled on the reloading community. I would like to believe we, as handloaders are a little smarter at weights than the general public. Aren't we?

IMR is offering up new powders and here and there are sticking in a few containers, the same size as they always have been, but with 12.5% less powder than the full 1 pound. Maybe it is just me, but this seems deceptive and totally against IMR Mission Statement: ....."In doing so, we will deal with integrity and honesty, reflecting that people are more important than dollars and that our purpose is to bring credit to our Lord Jesus Christ."

Does it bother you that they are selling, mixed in with the same size containers, 14 oz and 16 oz containers? I wrote a letter asking why they are doing this. It will be interesting to see their reply, if I ever receive one. Looking at the container photo on their website shows 1 pound, but in the description states this: "Available in 14-OZ, 4-LB and 8-LB Containers"

 

[reddog81]

The picture of the canister you posted says 1lbs. The IMR website says 14 oz. So are they putting 14 ounces in containers marked 1 lbs? That would be very deceitful. I hate it when manufacturers pull these games. Just about anytime you see a container with "new and improved packaging" it means less product.

Does 1 lbs of powder not fit in the container? I would understand if 16 ounces meant the container was over-flowing but i'm guessing that is not the case here.

 

[Walkalong]

700X has always been less than a pound due to bulkiness, but they did not mark it as 1 Lb. Trail Boss is that way as well.

the same size as they always have been, but with 12.5% less powder than the full 1 pound.

Where did this come from? Is it all powders? Just one or two?

 

[Sunray]

"...would be very deceitful..." Advertising 16 ounces but filling with 14 would be fraud. However, what's on a web site isn't necessarily real life. Mind you, lots of stuff get price increases that are avoided by selling a smaller container for the same money. Done in bars and supermarkets all the time.

 

[fotheringill]

Has anyone purchased canned fruit or vegetables in a supermarket lately? They used to be a pound, but is now 14.5 oz. across the board. No price drop either.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

If the bottle is marked 16oz why are you so willing to believe the description is correct and they are being deceitful instead of the description being incorrect or a typo.

There are several powders out there that are very fluffy and light so they are packaged in less that one pound amounts. Clays is one of them and Trail Boss is another. There is no deception there, it is just the nature of the powders.

You suggest the bottle should be a different size, that is ridiculous. The line would not accept a variation in bottle size.

 

[Walkalong]

I know Trail Boss 1 Lb jugs are marked correctly, I'll have to check my Clays. I don't have an old original 700X one any more.

 

[Galil5.56]

Clays, circa 10 years ago at least that I have, were sold in the same sized 'jug', but marked 14 oz. I think my old 700x '1lb' sized metal cans were 8 oz's, and so marked.

 

[rjbmjb]

It looks to me like they changed the weight from 16 to 14 oz, and retailers are either selling old stock or not updating the info on their site. For example, MidSouth lists a 14 oz IMR Green, and the picture of the container clearly states 14 oz, while MidwayUSA is still listing it as 1 Lb and the picture of the container says 16 oz. IMR seems to be adding the to confusion by describing the 14 oz product but using the picture for the 16 oz. I suspect they forgot to update the picture when they changed the description.

 

[Jack B.]

I checked the gram weight shown on the container and 454 grams = 16.01 oz. 16oz.= 1lb. Hodgdon you need to change those labels on some of those new IMR powders.

 

[someguy2800]

Doesn't bother me a bit, I've been buying 700X in 14 oz containers for years and it is priced accordingly. I would be irritated if I ordered a 1 lb jug and received a 14 oz jug but I'm sure the retailers will catch up to the change pretty quick. Its probably more related to an issue with there packaging equipment spilling powder than it is with trying to cheap people out of something.

 

[Load Master]

Hodgdon was quick to respond back with an answer to my question about the photo versus the Text on their website. It was a mistake on the part of the photo, not the text.

The photo was an early rendition of what the marketing expected. They can't fit the powder in the container and that is the reason there is 14 oz and not 16 oz. They are going to correct the photo as soon as they can. It seems like a reasonable explanation. If it won't fit, it won't fit....

 

[Jim Watson]

Must be a lot lower bulk density than Varget or 4064 which have a good deal of headspace in that standard jar.

 

[Reloadron]

Has anyone purchased canned fruit or vegetables in a supermarket lately? They used to be a pound, but is now 14.5 oz. across the board. No price drop either.

Thinking back to when a 1/2 Gallon of ice cream was a half gallon. I seem to recall Hostess Cup Cakes being larger also.

700X has always been less than a pound due to bulkiness, but they did not mark it as 1 Lb. Trail Boss is that way as well.

Thinking way back around maybe 25 years ago when IMR powders came in one pound cans there were a few where it was the standard size can but I want to recall like maybe 14 ounces of powder. A full pound would not fit in the standard size cans.

Ron

 

[hdwhit]

Load Master quoted:
....."In doing so, we will deal with integrity and honesty, reflecting that people are more important than dollars and that our purpose is to bring credit to our Lord Jesus Christ."

Mt. 7:21a: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Luke 6:46: And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

 

[ants]

our purpose is to bring credit to our Lord Jesus Christ.

He gets IMR credit, the rest of us pay up front.

If the jug on the shelf says 14oz and it has 14oz in it, that's fair. I won't complain.

 

[Catpop]

Yea I hate it too! But today everybody is just trying to stay in business. I have actually seen Dupont PB in the regular size IMR can marked 8 oz and the price was $25. Needless to say, i did not buy it.This was back during the Sandy Hook shortage.
If it is 14.5 ozs and marked 16 ozs, then that is breaking the law, pure and simple. The container must indicate what is inside, including weight. Could be a federal interstate commerce law? I know there is a bureau of weights and measurements. We used to get checked when I ran a sawmill and bought logs by weight.

 

[LiveLife]

If the jug on the shelf says 14oz and it has 14oz in it, that's fair. I won't complain.

Containers of IMR Target, Red and Green I got from Powder Valley are clearly marked "1 LB" or "14 OZ" - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-and-vectan-ba-9-5-ba-9.817796/#post-10490012

And Powder Valley's website clearly lists their weights with corresponding different prices of $16 for "14 OZ" and $19 for "1 LB". I do not see any "deceptive" marketing by Hodgdon - https://www.powder-valley.com/products/POWDER/SMOKELESS/Attributes/Brand/IMR/Search.aspx?Collapse=

 

[cfullgraf]

I don't have an old original 700X one any more.

Back in the 1980s when Dupont made and sold IMR powders in the small rectangular metal tins, they sold 700-X was packaged 8 oz. to the tin. In today's round plastic bottle used by Hodgdon, 700-X is packaged 14 oz. to the plastic bottle.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

I would bet it is due to the packaging machinery having a fixed volume, so dense powders are 1lb and less dense powders are typically 14oz. No matter what brand of powder I've ever bought there has been plenty of dead space inside of a 1lb container. Hodgdon has probably based container size on the least dense powder that they package.

 

[Walkalong]

when Dupont made and sold IMR powders in the small rectangular metal tins, they sold 700-X was packaged 8 oz. to the tin. In today's round plastic bottle used by Hodgdon, 700-X is packaged 14 oz. to the plastic bottle.

I couldn't remember the Oz in the "1 Lb" metal can. I first bought some in a paper bag, then later caught a deal on a 5 Lb metal can. ($50 total) I remembered the 14 Oz in the plastic "1 Lb" jug. So I guess now that I think about it, I never had a one pounder either metal or plastic. I have my metal can and a plastic "1 Lb" jug re-labeled by myself.

Anyway, sounds like the confusion has been cleared up.

 

[Kaldor]

Irritating to say the least. But Im betting its a volume issue with some powders as others have said.

Now if they take something like TG which will easily get 1 lbs in a 1lbs container, start selling it at 14oz for the 1lbs price? That might chap me a little bit

 

[Load Master]

Irritating to say the least. But Im betting its a volume issue with some powders as others have said.

Now if they take something like TG which will easily get 1 lbs in a 1lbs container, start selling it at 14oz for the 1lbs price? That might chap me a little bit

Yeah, that would, but it isn't the case. As mentioned earlier, they had a photo on the website that was an early photo op that had the container missed marked. It seems some of the retailers are still using this photo on their websites and are quoting 1 lb of powder when in fact it is 14 ozs. Here is an example at Midway.

 

[splattergun]

It's just one way of raising prices without raising the sticker price. It has been happening for decades in many different industries. As long as the labeling is correct, it's legitimate.
Graphics can be very expensive to replace (have you priced a commercial photographer lately?). Old illustrations in ads or web sites will likely be replaced in due time.

 

[Load Master]

Hodgdon was quick to respond back with an answer to my question about the photo versus the Text on their website. It was a mistake on the part of the photo, not the text.

The photo was an early rendition of what the marketing expected. They can't fit the powder in the container and that is the reason there is 14 oz and not 16 oz. They are going to correct the photo as soon as they can. It seems like a reasonable explanation. If it won't fit, it won't fit....

Well, I was surprised that today in the mail I received two extremely nice hats from Hodgdon. One with the Hodgdon logo and the other with the IMR logo for pointing out the issue on their website. Thanks Hodgdon!