Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Finally Found "Retumbo" - $72.00 Pound!

A gun shop I have frequented for more than a quarter century had "Retumbo" powder on their shelf for the first time in MANY years this past Friday - sadly it was $72.00 per pound with a limit of two pounds!
Well I do NOT use this powder but I have two friends that have asked me to look for it for them - I carry a want list of items in my wallet for friends who ask me to be on the lookout for hard to find items during my travels.
Anyway I was SO disappointed in this shop over this obvious "price gouging" that I did NOT even try calling my friends to see if they were willing to go this exorbitant price.
I have heard rumors that this powder is used by the military and has caused this long time shortage - I don't know?
BUT.... I do know I will not have any part of $72.00 for a pound of reloading powder.
Sad situation on a couple of levels.
Rant over.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG, while $72 does sound a tad high, the price doesn't seem excessive as a form of gouging.

I fear these prices are the new Bidenomics normal.

Have you priced ammo lately?

I saw a pound of Retumbo in a local shop the other day for $74. I was going to try that powder in my 6.5 PRC's, but I'll be sticking with H1000 and IMR 7828ssc.

That’s a ridiculous price. And that is gouging.

The current MSRP on Hodgdon’s website is $65.99/1lb, and $413.99/8 lbs. And it’s listed as available.
Obviously hazmat and shipping will run the price up.

Commercial deliveries to businesses the hazmat charge is the same and can be prorated among all the other hazmat items, keeping the cost down for the store .

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1009211569?pid=211569

Add in Hazmat, shipping....

I bought a 8# jug of Retumbo last year and paid to much for it but it's my go to powder for several guns no regrets here. Rio7

No thinks

RIO7: Well I am glad you found that powder and are still shooting up a storm - to bad it was costly for you.
I have an aversion or caution when it comes to "big bores and heavy recoiling Rifles - so NO need of Retumbo around my place.
The economics and satisfaction aspects of "reloading" are dwindling away it seems to me.
Brass for many calibers is getting harder and harder to find along with high prices once found!
1,000 Remington 9 1/2 Magnum primers at the same shop was $112.99!
Sheesh.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Not paying that price for any powder. Well not until I someday run out or have to. Ha.

Not that the powder needed for them is necessarily more $ per lb than another powder, but there's a lot of those slow powder hungry magnums sitting in the back of the safe these days. High powder prices and gobs of it with every shot doesn't make for much shooting.

Personally never owned anything larger than 30-06 case capacity. Even those for just regular shooting I prefer shooting 150 gr bullets with less of a faster burning powder.

Bunch of it was here local for $354 per keg. It’s all sold now. Any price over MSRP is the retailer gouging.

ShadeTree: I am with you.
I have shot such big kickers as the 458 Winchester Magnum, 338/378 Weatherby Magnum, 375 H&H Magnum and 460 Weatherby Magnum in the past and I just don't enjoy them!
But I am careful not to denigrate those who do.
About every other year I get tasked to sight in several 300 Winchester Magnums and 300 Weatherby Magnums for an Elk Hunting friend of mine and his family - takes me about three weeks to get rid of the "flinches". If he and his family had NOT done me so many Hunting favors in the past I would refuse to do this horror of a labor for them.
I am NOT a big bore or a "magnum" fan - so no Retumbo for me.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I just picked up 9.5 lbs. of RL-26 and gladly paid more than the Retumbo price!

Anybody looking for Blackhorn 209? It's "only" $180 / lb.

Cry me a river about Retumbo . . . .

There's this device called a Lead Sled - many on the 'Fire diss it, but it has a legitimate purpose

56 on Natchez now

My daughter was flipping through the new Natchez catalog that was in the mail yesterday. She stopped on the powder page and her eyes bugged out of her head. She had no idea....

No I'm certainly not dissing them either. They have their place, just was never for me. I'm in the same boat with a few people that always get me to shoot their magnums. I'll go up to 300 WM unbraked, after that braked, and prefer a lead sled.

I was in Cabela's in Raleigh NC this week and walked to the powder rack and couldn't believe the pricing on powder, i wasn't looking for anything i was just curious on the pricing. I was stunned when i saw the price of their powder, IMR4350 was $74.99 a pound and several others were even higher than that, H4350 was 64.99 a pound. Both these powders are $58.95 at our local gun shop but the guy said they would be increasing soon, it was $53.95 just a month ago. I'm 62 and thankfully I'm set on reloading supplies for the rest of my life, not because I'm a hoarder but because i bought plenty of component's years ago before things got crazy. If i ever were to get in a situation where i needed components I'd refuse those prices and just shoot factory loads. I still have several empty metal powder cans in my reloading room with a $19.95 sticker on them as well as primers with $1.99 per hundred stickers on those. I never thought i would see prices like this in the reloading world. I feel bad for anyone trying to get into reloading. It used to be a fun hobby and still is ....but .... it's become a very expensive one! Mike

while the rapidly rising prices of components the last few years sure makes a person pay attention and shop around..
it does not alleviate the fact if you want to play you're going to pay.
I guess if you don't want to pay you this will have an auction and sell the toys off.

Yeah but jpro not only are your daughters attractive but apparently pretty bright too. Maybe you should round up your girls and haul them to the convenience store and have them buy you some lotto tickets to see of course how lucky they are? Mb

It’s clear many here think powder prices will come down, especially if “we” just don’t buy it at these prices. I feel for them, but I doubt we will go back to the “old” prices. If you need it, probably just as well to buy it now.

IMR 4350 $75.00/LBS in Sportsman's Warehouse in Cheyenne WY

Retumbo was available at Powder Valley on the 7th (Not anymore.) With Shipping and Hazmat it is around $54 a pound if you buy 8# chug.

Every time I read threads like this, I am happy I figured under Trump's Administration that the DemcoRATs would back in power some day.. so I just purchased tons of stuff under his administration, on a monthly basis.

that may sound bad to some, like I was hoarding or something. But at the time, no one seemed to mind, because the shelves were full and the pricing was low.

Well during those times, I was spending a lot less than folks are spending now, just to lay in a small supply of something.

for those that find it, and are willing to pay those prices, Hope you enjoy having it available.

Just sad everyone is getting raped so bad on things. Glad I'm getting old and worn out, but I have my needs met for the most of my shooting career.

Just a Hunter: My two friends needing RETUMBO are my age but they are not computer savy.
I will keep an eye on "Powder Valley" for them - that is a more humane price - thank you very much for that.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I stocked up on a bunch of powder over the years but I had been looking for 7828SSC . Ended up paying $59 a pound which at this point is more than I've ever paid for a pound of any powder. Bad thing with the Retumbo most rounds that use it a pound won't go far. My load in 300 RUM is over 90 grains.

I bought 8 pounds of Retumbo a few months ago when there seemed to be quite a bit available. As I recall it cost about $460. Not cheap, but I thought it was worth buying, and now I'm using it in loads for my 6.5 PRC.

Geez! I used to flinch at a dollar a round for loaded ammo. At that price, I'll have a buck a round in powder alone in my 30-378.

At these prices, I went back to shooting my bow. Problem is my rotator cuffs are real bad lately. I will start making my own black powder , and round balls and patches.. The only thing left is the #11 primers. . I will find a way. I might also just shoot my 22 lr. There is a glut of them for less than a dime. Cant even get a primer for the price of a 22 lr now days.

Not everyone was reloading during the Trump admin times. I had the press and everything, but didn’t start until the end of 2019, and within three months of slowly getting up to speed, Covid hit. I was still able to find powders and primers here until July of 2020, and then off and on the next two years. I bought when I had the additional funds to do so and stuff I wanted/needed was in stock.

Didn't take long to be out of stock again.

I done the same thing. I figured those "rats" would lie, cheat and steal their way back into power, so I started buying the supplies I would need to last the rest of my life, or to the point that I couldn't use it. I allocated all my fun money for a while, even worked more than a few OT shifts to buy supplies. There'll be no 75 dollars per lb for me!

Went to local cabelas in Louisiana looking for H1000. Was in the area so figured I'd stop in and check. Retumbo was $62.99, had 7 on the shelf if anyone is looking.

Retumbo is 70 a pound at one of the LGS, they have some crazy prices though $100 for imr-4064 that was sold out, RE7 is 70 as well. Any Alliant powder is between 70-100 a pound they like to turn a buck.