Retumbo Gunpowder

Colorado Redneck · February 27, 2012, 10:20 PM

Any experience with Retumbo? There are a few loads that Nosler has listed using that powder, for 25-06. Being a powder collector and wishing to expand the number of partially used jugs of powder on my shelf, a pound of that came home with me yesterday.

I did a search and didn't find a single mention of Retumbo in TFL, so thought it would be worth running it up the flag pole to see what might surface, good, bad or indifferent.

NESHOOTER · February 27, 2012, 10:25 PM

I use it in my 7mm mag its a slower burning powder, I find it hold better grouping for me than Hunter and I crimp my rounds also, Yes I also tried to shoot uncrimped but on that level of powder I do enjoy it alot.

Colorado Redneck · February 28, 2012, 08:54 PM

Thanks for your response. When time allows, I will try some loads with Retumbo. Maybe report back here if the old short term data storage is still in tune.

Colorado Redneck · March 5, 2012, 09:06 PM

Today was a good day, until the wind came up about 10:30 or so. By that time, I had fired some loads using Retumbo and 110 gr Accubond in 25-06. The velocities were pretty much what the load book suggested. And accuracy was really good. The high end load was 3230 fps and produced a 3 round group that printed 1/2 inch at 100 yards.

It is interesting that Retumbo isn't recommended for 270 and some other common calibers. Anyway, for 25-06 shooters, this may be a good option.

flashhole · March 6, 2012, 04:22 PM

I've been using Retumbo for my 7mm Rem Mag and 25-06 for years. It is an excellet choice for "heavy" bullets. It is very accurate in both guns.

This was set at 150 yards and I was shooting off the hood of my pickup. My 25-06 is a Ruger #1V.

The left most cap has holes compliments of my 7mm Rem Mag. These were set at 200 yards. If you look closely at the top cap you will see it has two different size holes, .257 & .243. That was one shot each at 200 yards. The bet was - one shot each gun - bullet holes could not touch. Got me lots of free beer that night. All loads were Retumbo powder. Like I said, it is very accurate.

NESHOOTER · March 6, 2012, 09:00 PM

CR, glad you had a great results and the wind is just one of those things your never get use to.

flashhole · March 6, 2012, 09:39 PM

Wind is tough to deal with. Whenever I want to do serious shooting like load testing I go first thing in the morning when the wind is usually dead calm. If it gets too breezy I just stop and go home.

NESHOOTER · March 6, 2012, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Wind is tough to deal with. Whenever I want to do serious shooting like load testing I go first thing in the morning when the wind is usually dead calm. If it gets too breezy I just stop and go home.

It was one of those days for me as well today, this morning is was just beautiful and no wind I was so close to going in later to do my work I talked myself out of it and went on with my day mistake got to the range this afternoon wind was about 30-40 mph and I did 2 shot on a 30-06 and cut the same hole despite the wind is when I wanted to end my day on a good note and quit just because I had a smile on my mug and the new test load for it so it will give me something to look forward to do.

AllenJ · March 6, 2012, 10:10 PM

Ok Flashhole, if those targets were meant to show off your shoot ability, IT WORKED

Bottle caps at 200 yards is awesome, I think I'll give it a try once I get my reloads dialed in for my 243. What type rifles are your 243 and 257 and what loads are you shooting in your 243?

flashhole · March 7, 2012, 07:42 AM

The 257 is my Ruger#1V with the heavy bull barrel. At the time I had a Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14 scope on it with fine crosshairs. Very accurate. I have since swapped out that scope for a Burris fixed 6 power scope, Signature model. The crosshairs in that scope are bigger than a bottle cap at 100 yards, not ideal for fine shooting but it works great as a deer rifle and my wife has learned to shoot it pretty well.

The 243 was a CZ 550 Full Stock. It had a Nikon 16 power varriable scope with the Nikoplex reticle. I gave the scope to a relative when I sold the gun. Loved the gun, didn't care for the 243 cartridge. Wish I had kept the scope though. At the time giving it away seemed like the right thing to do.

I put the Zeiss scope on a Kimber 84 chambered in 223. It's not as accurate as the CZ was but it does OK, especially with 63 grain bullets and H-4895 powder. Funny that the CZ cost about half the price of the Kimber but was more accurate. I really liked the single set trigger on the CZ. I felt like I was missing out on something not having a 223 bolt gun but if I had to give up one of my rifles it would be this one.

Another rig I have that shoots scarry accurate is the Rem 700 in 221 Fireball. It started life as a Light Varmint Stainless Flutted but I swapped out the stock for a Boyd's laminate. It has a Redfield 10 power variable and is quite impressive with 40-50 grain bullets and Reloader #7 powder. I self-adjusted the trigger on this gun. It makes me smile.

The 7mm RM is a Sauer 202. I have nothing but praise for German gunmaking. It is an excellet quality gun and shoots great. I use 175 grain bullets and Retumbo. I only pull the trigger on this rig a few times a year when I check zero for hunting season. It has a Burris Signature scope.

homesick · March 7, 2012, 07:51 AM

Flashhole very impressive you really have them dialed in

Colorado Redneck · March 7, 2012, 10:31 PM

My son's Ruger 25-06 77 MKII doesn't like Nosler Partitions. 100 grain ballistic tips are great deer and antelope fodder. Now the 110 gr. accubond seems to be a good fit. There are a couple of boxes of partitions with several bullets left, so maybe Retumbo will work for those too.

This time of year the wind is just about a sure thing in Eastern Colorado. When it starts to feel like spring we all want to go shoot, and the wind is a pain in the neck. After the wind got too strong for me, it was a prime opportunity to look for sod poodles, and much to my surprise a couple of nice little towns were found and marked on the map for latter reference. Life is good. Best 8 months of 2012 are ahead.

Peter M. Eick · March 11, 2012, 04:59 PM

I have had poor performance with Retumbo and light bullets. Stay heavy and you will have better luck.

Fun powder to shoot though. Nice big boom out of the 25/06.

Colorado Redneck · March 11, 2012, 05:36 PM

For the 100 gr ballistic tips, 4831 has performed well. Nice velocities and good groups. There are probably 40 rounds loaded that with that combination, so no need to try anything else.

Was at the gun shop today, and saw that Hornady has Load Manuel #8 on the shelf. Glanced at some calibers that I know about, and they have some different load data. Dang it! Must be gittin old and cranky! Now I suppose I will have to spring for that.

flashhole · March 11, 2012, 05:58 PM

If you shoot Nosler bullets you will be really happy with the Nosler manual. Their accuracy loads have always been spot on in my experience.

March 5, 2012, 09:06 PM	#4
Colorado Redneck Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2008 Location: Northeast Colorado Posts: 1,993	Results with Retumbo Today was a good day, until the wind came up about 10:30 or so. By that time, I had fired some loads using Retumbo and 110 gr Accubond in 25-06. The velocities were pretty much what the load book suggested. And accuracy was really good. The high end load was 3230 fps and produced a 3 round group that printed 1/2 inch at 100 yards. It is interesting that Retumbo isn't recommended for 270 and some other common calibers. Anyway, for 25-06 shooters, this may be a good option.

March 6, 2012, 04:22 PM	#5
flashhole Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2005 Location: Owego, NY Posts: 2,000	I've been using Retumbo for my 7mm Rem Mag and 25-06 for years. It is an excellet choice for "heavy" bullets. It is very accurate in both guns. This was set at 150 yards and I was shooting off the hood of my pickup. My 25-06 is a Ruger #1V. The left most cap has holes compliments of my 7mm Rem Mag. These were set at 200 yards. If you look closely at the top cap you will see it has two different size holes, .257 & .243. That was one shot each at 200 yards. The bet was - one shot each gun - bullet holes could not touch. Got me lots of free beer that night. All loads were Retumbo powder. Like I said, it is very accurate. __________________ ,,, stupidity comes to some people very easily. 8/22/2017 my wife in a discussion about Liberals. Are you ready for civil war?

March 7, 2012, 07:42 AM	#10
flashhole Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2005 Location: Owego, NY Posts: 2,000	The 257 is my Ruger#1V with the heavy bull barrel. At the time I had a Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14 scope on it with fine crosshairs. Very accurate. I have since swapped out that scope for a Burris fixed 6 power scope, Signature model. The crosshairs in that scope are bigger than a bottle cap at 100 yards, not ideal for fine shooting but it works great as a deer rifle and my wife has learned to shoot it pretty well. The 243 was a CZ 550 Full Stock. It had a Nikon 16 power varriable scope with the Nikoplex reticle. I gave the scope to a relative when I sold the gun. Loved the gun, didn't care for the 243 cartridge. Wish I had kept the scope though. At the time giving it away seemed like the right thing to do. I put the Zeiss scope on a Kimber 84 chambered in 223. It's not as accurate as the CZ was but it does OK, especially with 63 grain bullets and H-4895 powder. Funny that the CZ cost about half the price of the Kimber but was more accurate. I really liked the single set trigger on the CZ. I felt like I was missing out on something not having a 223 bolt gun but if I had to give up one of my rifles it would be this one. Another rig I have that shoots scarry accurate is the Rem 700 in 221 Fireball. It started life as a Light Varmint Stainless Flutted but I swapped out the stock for a Boyd's laminate. It has a Redfield 10 power variable and is quite impressive with 40-50 grain bullets and Reloader #7 powder. I self-adjusted the trigger on this gun. It makes me smile. The 7mm RM is a Sauer 202. I have nothing but praise for German gunmaking. It is an excellet quality gun and shoots great. I use 175 grain bullets and Retumbo. I only pull the trigger on this rig a few times a year when I check zero for hunting season. It has a Burris Signature scope. __________________ ,,, stupidity comes to some people very easily. 8/22/2017 my wife in a discussion about Liberals. Are you ready for civil war?

March 7, 2012, 10:31 PM	#12
Colorado Redneck Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2008 Location: Northeast Colorado Posts: 1,993	Nice to read about good results with Retumbo My son's Ruger 25-06 77 MKII doesn't like Nosler Partitions. 100 grain ballistic tips are great deer and antelope fodder. Now the 110 gr. accubond seems to be a good fit. There are a couple of boxes of partitions with several bullets left, so maybe Retumbo will work for those too. This time of year the wind is just about a sure thing in Eastern Colorado. When it starts to feel like spring we all want to go shoot, and the wind is a pain in the neck. After the wind got too strong for me, it was a prime opportunity to look for sod poodles, and much to my surprise a couple of nice little towns were found and marked on the map for latter reference. Life is good. Best 8 months of 2012 are ahead.

March 11, 2012, 04:59 PM	#13
Peter M. Eick Senior Member Join Date: August 3, 1999 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 2,991	I have had poor performance with Retumbo and light bullets. Stay heavy and you will have better luck. Fun powder to shoot though. Nice big boom out of the 25/06. __________________ 10mm and 357sig, the best things to come along since the 38 super!

February 27, 2012, 10:20 PM	#1
Colorado Redneck Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2008 Location: Northeast Colorado Posts: 1,993	Retumbo Gunpowder Any experience with Retumbo? There are a few loads that Nosler has listed using that powder, for 25-06. Being a powder collector and wishing to expand the number of partially used jugs of powder on my shelf, a pound of that came home with me yesterday. I did a search and didn't find a single mention of Retumbo in TFL, so thought it would be worth running it up the flag pole to see what might surface, good, bad or indifferent.

February 27, 2012, 10:25 PM	#2
NESHOOTER Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2009 Posts: 517	I use it in my 7mm mag its a slower burning powder, I find it hold better grouping for me than Hunter and I crimp my rounds also, Yes I also tried to shoot uncrimped but on that level of powder I do enjoy it alot.

February 28, 2012, 08:54 PM	#3
Colorado Redneck Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2008 Location: Northeast Colorado Posts: 1,993	Thanks for your response. When time allows, I will try some loads with Retumbo. Maybe report back here if the old short term data storage is still in tune.

March 6, 2012, 09:00 PM	#6
NESHOOTER Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2009 Posts: 517	CR, glad you had a great results and the wind is just one of those things your never get use to.

March 6, 2012, 09:39 PM	#7
flashhole Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2005 Location: Owego, NY Posts: 2,000	Wind is tough to deal with. Whenever I want to do serious shooting like load testing I go first thing in the morning when the wind is usually dead calm. If it gets too breezy I just stop and go home. __________________ ,,, stupidity comes to some people very easily. 8/22/2017 my wife in a discussion about Liberals. Are you ready for civil war?

March 6, 2012, 10:10 PM	#9
AllenJ Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2009 Location: Northern California Posts: 1,766	Ok Flashhole, if those targets were meant to show off your shoot ability, IT WORKED Bottle caps at 200 yards is awesome, I think I'll give it a try once I get my reloads dialed in for my 243. What type rifles are your 243 and 257 and what loads are you shooting in your 243?

March 7, 2012, 07:51 AM	#11
homesick Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2011 Location: Central Florida Posts: 378	Flashhole very impressive you really have them dialed in

March 11, 2012, 05:36 PM	#14
Colorado Redneck Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2008 Location: Northeast Colorado Posts: 1,993	Heavy bullets For the 100 gr ballistic tips, 4831 has performed well. Nice velocities and good groups. There are probably 40 rounds loaded that with that combination, so no need to try anything else. Was at the gun shop today, and saw that Hornady has Load Manuel #8 on the shelf. Glanced at some calibers that I know about, and they have some different load data. Dang it! Must be gittin old and cranky! Now I suppose I will have to spring for that.

March 11, 2012, 05:58 PM	#15
flashhole Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2005 Location: Owego, NY Posts: 2,000	If you shoot Nosler bullets you will be really happy with the Nosler manual. Their accuracy loads have always been spot on in my experience. __________________ ,,, stupidity comes to some people very easily. 8/22/2017 my wife in a discussion about Liberals. Are you ready for civil war?