| St. Marks Powder, Inc. | |
| Foundation: | 1998 |
| Location: | 7121 Coastal Hwy, Crawfordville, Fla. 32327 |
| Industry: | Manufacturer of ammunition components |
| Products: | ball propellants |
| Homepage: | https://www.gd-ots.com/commercial_powder.html |
| Parent: | General Dynamics |
St. Marks Powder is a subsidiary of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems manufacturing ball propellant[1] in Crawfordville, Florida. The company is a member of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI).[2]
Large-scale ball propellant manufacture began during World War II at the Olin Corporation plant in East Alton, Illinois. Population growth of the St. Louis, Missouri, metropolitan area encouraged finding a more remote location for a modern production plant. The St. Marks manufacturing facility was built in 1969 on a large plot of undeveloped swampland south of Tallahassee, Florida, at near sea-level elevation between the St. Marks River and the Gulf Coast.[3] Plant operation was transferred to St. Marks Powder in 1998.[4]
The facility manufactures over 95 percent of propellants used in United States military small arms ammunition.[5] Similar propellants are sold to commercial manufacturers of rimfire and centerfire ammunition[1] or marketed by Winchester and Hodgdon Powder Company for civilian handloading.[6] Other propellants are used for military mortar rounds,[7] rocket-assisted projectiles,[8] or dispersing non-lethal agents used for crowd control, marking, or area denial.[9]