Handgun Powder Market Report 2025

The handgun powder market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $1.65 billion in 2024 to $1.75 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1%. The growth during the historic period can be attributed to increased procurement by law enforcement, expanded military training activities, a growing hunting culture, greater availability of reloading equipment, and heightened consumer interest in sport shooting.

The handgun powder market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $2.18 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7%. The growth projected in the forecast period is driven by rising civilian firearm ownership, increasing demand for self-defense weapons, growing popularity of recreational shooting sports, expanded reloading activities among enthusiasts, and a stronger emphasis on shooting accuracy and customization. Key trends include improvements in powder formulations for cleaner burns, adoption of smart reloading technologies, technology-enhanced production for consistent grain structures, development of eco-friendly and low-residue powders, and advancements in packaging and storage safety.

The increasing popularity of recreational shooting and hunting is expected to drive the growth of the handgun powder market in the coming years. Recreational shooting and hunting involve using firearms or bows for sport, target practice, or game harvesting as leisure activities. This rising interest is fueled by a growing enthusiasm for outdoor sports, which provide opportunities for relaxation and skill development in natural environments. Handgun powder is commonly used in these activities because it offers low recoil, cost-effectiveness, and accurate performance, making it suitable for beginners and small-game hunting. For example, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), in 2022, about 625,000 hunters in the U.S. harvested around 8.25 million mourning doves (±7%). In 2023, the number of hunters rose to roughly 1.02 million, with approximately 16.76 million mourning doves (±4%) harvested, more than doubling the previous year's total. Thus, the growing demand for recreational shooting and hunting is positively influencing the expansion of the handgun powder market.

Leading companies in the handgun powder market are concentrating on business growth through the development of innovative gunpowder products designed to offer shooters advanced propellants that improve reliability, optimize accuracy, and cater to a broad range of firearm uses. These companies invest heavily in research and development to enhance burn consistency, minimize muzzle flash, and promote cleaner shooting performance. For instance, in May 2025, Precision Reloading, a U.S.-based firm, broadened its powder selection to include renowned brands such as Hodgdon, Winchester, and Vihtavuori, giving shooters more reloading options. These advanced handgun powders provide temperature stability and optimized pressure curves, ensuring greater accuracy and dependable performance across various conditions. They accommodate a wide range of calibers and shooting styles by maintaining consistent burn rates and pressures. This expansion increases customization possibilities for precision shooting enthusiasts, ultimately improving ballistic precision and reloading versatility.

In November 2024, CSG, an industrial and technology group based in the Czech Republic, acquired Kinetic Group for an undisclosed sum. This acquisition aims to strengthen CSG’s footprint in the U.S. defense and ammunition market by gaining control of prominent American ammunition brands. Kinetic Group is a U.S.-based manufacturer specializing in handgun powder.

Major players in the handgun powder market are Nammo AS, Eurenco, Rheinmetall Denel Munition (Pty) Ltd., Shooters World, Hodgdon Powder Company Inc., Norma Precision Inc., Natchez Shooters Supplies, Explosia a.s., Nobel Sport Italia, Alliant Powder, Vihtavuori, Western Powders Inc., Deccan Industrial Explosives Private Limited, Narendra Explosives Limited, Prophet River Firearms, GOEX Black Powder, Poudrerie d'Aubonne SA, Maxam Outdoors S.A., Lapua, Precision Reloading.

North America was the largest region in the handgun powder market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in handgun powder report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The countries covered in the handgun powder market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

The sharp hike in U.S. tariffs and the associated trade disputes in spring 2025 are notably impacting the aerospace and defense sector by raising costs for titanium, carbon fiber composites, and avionics materials largely sourced from global suppliers. Defense contractors, locked into fixed-price government contracts, absorb these added costs, while commercial aerospace firms face airline pushback on higher aircraft prices. Delays in component shipments due to customs bottlenecks further disrupt tight production schedules for jets and satellites. The industry is responding by stockpiling critical materials, seeking waivers for defense-related imports, and collaborating with allied nations to diversify supply chain.

Handgun powder is a smokeless gunpowder specifically designed for use in pistol and revolver cartridges. It acts as a chemical propellant that burns quickly to generate gas pressure, propelling the bullet through the shorter barrel of a handgun. This powder is crucial for managing pressure, velocity, and recoil, ensuring reliable and safe operation of pistols and revolvers.

The primary types of handgun powder include smokeless handgun powder, black handgun powder, and other variants. Smokeless handgun powder produces minimal smoke upon ignition, providing cleaner and more efficient performance compared to traditional black powder. Its applications span hunting, shooting sports, military use, and others, serving key end users such as ammunition manufacturers, shooting ranges and training centers, civilian shooters, and law enforcement agencies.

The handgun powder market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides handgun powder market statistics, including the handgun powder industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with the handgun powder market share, detailed handgun powder market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the handgun powder industry. This handgun powder market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenarios of the industry.

The handgun powder market consists of sales of single-base powders, double-base powders, and black powder. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is, the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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