stopped by acadamy today. monarch 7.62x39 non corrosive was 4.99 per box of 20. case of 520 was $139.

For retail that doesn't sound terrible - yes its cheaper at a show or online but not vastly higher for the 520 rounds.

I think the OP is referring to why a single box is 5 bucks when 520 rounds is $139.  If a case is 26 boxes, 26x5=130. Doesn't make sense to me, either, but they've always sold a single 20 round box of Tula for less per round than a full 640 tin. You think you'd be getting a better deal in bulk, when you're really just paying more for the tin. Next time you're in the grocery store look at the cost per ounce of stuff, sometimes the exact same product in a 'super sized' package is actually more per ounce than the 'regular' size.

That 520 round case is in a spam can, which drives up the price.... The $5 20 round boxes are just in the standard cardboard boxes.....