Here’s some that go in and out of stock from Palmetto State Armory who has done a decent job of keeping supply during weekdays. I recommend signing up for alerts.
Or try out their All Ammo section since they have a weird distinction between bulk and regular ammo.
Why Buy Ammo Online?
A survey of gun owners conducted by the NSSF found that 53% of gun owners bought ammo online and that 86% of those cited lower prices and quantity discounts.
Lots of Ammo
I’ve only bought ammo a couple of times at gun stores or the range because I forgot to bring my online bought ammo.
But every time I go, it’s not surprising to see prices 50% higher than what you’ll find online…even after factoring in shipping!
I’d like to also add in variety and tax savings.
Without the restraint of a physical location, online sellers can have tons of selection.
Some guns just like different ammo better than others. I like to order a couple of types to see what shoots best in a new gun, and then later put in a bulk order. Plus, our suggestions will likely be out of state for you…so no sales tax!
Why Is There No Ammo?
Short answer is supply and demand.
People started hoarding during the start of the pandemic in March 2020 along with millions of new gun owners who also needed ammo.
Popular 5.56 and .223 Ammo
Then came the protests and civil unrest in June which further depleted sales.
Retailers and suppliers are unsure when supply will return as COVID has disrupted global supply chains for ammo components and raw materials. Plus social distancing has slowed down packing operations.
One thing is for sure…if ammo is in stock it’s likely a higher price than before.
They will usually be one of the best prices for cases (1000) rounds of popular calibers…like .223/5.56, 9mm, and .45 ACP.
Green Tip 5.56 XM855 Penetrator Rounds
And sometimes you’ll even find free shipping for cases…otherwise it may be about $20-30 bucks.
Their shipping used to be excruciating slow about ~5 years ago, but now with their in-house firearms selling like hotcakes…they’ve got their ammo shipping down as well.
My go-to place to buy ammo online is Lucky Gunner for their selection, real-time inventory, and fast shipping, and shipping estimator. I’ve been a customer of theirs for over 6 years.
XM193 Rounds
I find a lot of other retailers skimp in website tech or their shipping departments. There have been too many times where the following has happened:
I find a great price, order, my credit card is charged, and then I get an email a couple days later that they are out of stock. Now I can either wait for a backorder or get a refund which ties up my credit card for a week.
I order and it takes a week or two to ship out my order.
I try to see my shipping costs and I have to create a login and enter all my details first.
LuckyGunner is great since they take care of the three problems above. You get to see their live inventory next to each product, they have a 110% guarantee that your stuff will be shipped the next business day, and you can easily calculate shipping without creating a login.
3. Brownells
Brownells is where I get most of my specialty tools and gun parts. They also have unparalleled customer service, reasonable shipping, and some good ammo deals.
They are caught up in all the website technology which I love, so you can add all the ammo to your cart, input your zip code, and see the shipping. Makes it much easier to compare across websites.
They stand behind their products and I’ve found it really easy to return stuff. However, I’m pretty sure you can’t return ammo for safety reasons. But for parts and tools, they are the best!
4. Cabela’s
Hunters and fishermen know and love their local Cabela’s and since their acquisition by Bass Pro, Cabela’s ammo prices have dropped even further!
Best of all, they almost always have the best hunting ammo you can find in almost every caliber you can think of.
Don’t forget to look at the Cabela’s branded gear also, everything from optics to rifle bags to jackets can be found with their brand name on it and so far I’ve never been disappointed with the quality or price!
5. Sportsman’s Guide
From power tools to guns and ammo, Sportsman’s Guide has almost everything under their roof – kind of like a Cabela’s and Harbor freight mixed into one!
While their standard deals are good, their deals with a Sportsmen’s Guide membership are even better! 10% off of gear and 5% off of guns and ammo, those savings can add up huge in a year of shooting.
Plus they offer ammo back-ordering.
Other Suggestions
These didn’t make our regular list but desperate times call for desperate measures and they might have some stuff left…
These are just my recommended ammo brands based on price, availability, and what worked in my guns. I shoot a decent amount so I usually go for the budget brands. I haven’t had a problem with any of the below.
Popular Pistol Calibers
PMC: Cheap and plentiful rounds that I have used in almost all my calibers. Made in South Korea.
Federal/American Eagle: Also cheap and plentiful rounds made in the USA. I use them interchangeably but word on the street is that AE is Federal’s line that is sold online and in gunshops. Federal Champion is their budget line usually found at Walmart.
Blazer: Another budget brand that sometimes seems too good to be true. Be aware that the super cheap one might be aluminum cased instead of regular brass. I’ve never tried aluminum casings in pistols since I wanted to keep my brass for eventual reloading, but my buddies and I have had no problems in handguns running Blazer Brass.
Tula: My go-to AK round brand. Super cheap with polymer coated steel cases. Who cares…it’s an AK!
Lake City: While US government-owned, Lake City also sells surplus ammo and brass through a lot of vendors. They also sell parts and supplies to other brands so it’s not uncommon to find ammo from Federal with brass or bullets made by Lake City. All of it is quality stuff!
Others: I’ve also had good success with Sellier & Bellot, and Fiocchi, but they are normally a little higher in price. And if in doubt, just google the brand and caliber to see if there’s any complains in online gun forums.
Recommended Ammo for Common Calibers
A quick overview of the different calibers and types of bullets out there so you’ll know all the useful acronyms such as FMJ for full metal jacket or JHP for jacket hollow point.
Even though we go through 18 calibers in the article above, you’ll probably only see/need a handful of the most common ones. So we’ll start with those first.
You can shoot .223 ammo in a 5.56 barrel, but since 5.56 may have higher pressures, you should not shoot them in a .223 barrel.
Popular 5.56 and .223 Ammo
I always get my barrels in 5.56 so there is no problem. Ammo is around 25-40 cents each at the most standard 55 gr bullet.
You’ll also see some designations of XM and M followed by 193 or 855 for Federal & American Eagle.
XM means it was rejected from military use for some reason but still meets commercial specifications. M means it meets mil-spec. 193 means it is a 55 gr FMJ-BT (boat tail) while 855 is 62 gr FMJ-BT with a steel penetrator for added penetration against hardened targets.
And our favorite range plinking round goes to PMC Bronze since the brass is great for reloading and it’s a little softer shooting than the others (perfect for competition).
I’ve shot over 5,000 rounds of 9mm before I started reloading for competitions. Price is around 25 cents a round. I prefer 124 gr instead of 115 gr which seems snappier in recoil, but I recommend trying out both to see which one you like better.
9mm (115gr vs 124gr vs 147gr)
I also recommend sticking with brass cartridges instead of cheaper aluminum/steel.
I’ve shot over 2,500 rounds of 45 ACP and also go with my standard budget list of manufacturers. Price is around 40-50 cents a round. There’s not too much variation in weight so I stick with the standard 230 gr.
The good ole AK-47 rounds. My rule is to go with ammo from countries that used the AK but to watch out for corrosive ammunition(which is pretty good shooting stuff, you just need to put more effort in cleaning afterward).
You also need to check with your shooting range rules to see if they allow magnetic (bi-metal) or non-brass ammunition such as Wolf/Tula.
Popular 7.62×39 Ammo
If they don’t, you will have to go with more expensive brands or corrosive ammunition. The general weight is around 122 gr and costs from 25-35 cents each. Brass cartridges will be more.
Another of those rounds that are almost identical but with some differences in pressure and dimensions. Unless you really know what you are doing, keep to using the round intended for your rifle.
Popular .308 Winchester and 7.62x51mm Ammo
Since most 308/7.62x51mm ammo will be in long-range (sniper) rifles, we’ll also include some Match ammo.
Most commercial ammo will be around 147 gr and around 60-70 cents each while match ammo is around 168 gr and $1.50 a round. I went almost straight into reloading to get the max accuracy out of my guns so take my suggestions with a grain of salt.
12ga Shotgun Shells, Opened (L to R: Bird, Buck, Slug)
The shotgun is unique since there are so many different types of ammunition.
We’ll cover basic target birdshot (#8-#9 is great for clay shooting), buckshot, and slugs. Remember for birdshot, the larger the #, the smaller the pellets. And that 00 (double-aught) buckshot is great for self-defense while slugs are one solid piece of lead.
Popular 12ga Shotgun Ammo
2-3/4″ refers to the length of the shell which will fit almost all 12ga shotguns. The problem arises from 3″ magnum shells.
Prices will vary from 25 cents for target shots to around 50 cents – $1 for buckshot and slugs. I’ve shot tons of Fiocchi and Estate birdshot, and love the Winchester Military Buckshot.
I looked at prices on the sites you mentioned, bu found that the prices, with shipping added in, were no better that I can get locally. Looks like they aren't so competitive after all.
3 years ago
Quig
Although, in all fairness, I have to say that I went back and discovered that the S/H stayed constant, even though the number of rounds went up. This greatly improved the cost per round. Bottom line, if you want a couple hundred rounds, you can probably match or beat the prices locally, but if you are willing to buy in lots of 500 rounds or more, you can make some significant savings.
3 years ago
Jeff
Eric,
I reload most of my ammunition, except .22's of course, but do make frequent purchases of .22 LR & 9mm for my pistols. I do price comparison shopping on line. 9 out of 10 times I purchase from "Cabela's" when they have a sale and are offering free S/H on $99 orders. My last order was for 300 rds. of PMC 62 gr. 5,56mm green tipped ammo. $119 delivered (zero sales taxes in my state) and it comes with a $15 dollar "Plano" (with Cabela's name on it) 50 cal. plastic storage box. Now that's a good deal on some very good ammo. .33 cents a round when one removes my Cabela's discount and cost of storage box. Sportsman's Guide also offers some great prices on ammo (not always though) with frequent free S/H offers on orders as low as $45. Best if you join their shopping club to receive the best discounts, price and free S/H. I've been with them over 4 years now.
3 years ago
Steve
Watch out for the shady tactics of FREEDOM MUNITIONS. They offer free shipping and then jack up the ammo price to cover it. In my case, my total bill with "free shipping" as a new customer, was more than if I had just bought it outright! They offered to give me 5% off on my next purchase... Seriously? Why would I ever deal with these clowns again?
3 years ago
Bill
where I'm getting confused is where I just bought a Salvage F62. Planned on using both FMJ for target and HP for self defense, but have been advised by various references - including Salvage - not to use Hollow Points in this rifle, as have tendency to jam. Ofcourse there if nothing in the owners manual that mentions this. So when someone goes to buy a 22 cal,- regardless of brand - how are they to know this.
3 years ago
Malcolm Jones
Hi Eric,
Love your site and articles. I recently decided to buy a firearm for the first time for home defense and chose the S&W M&P M2.0 9mm. My question is, what is the best brands of ammo to buy for the gun whether FMJ or Hollow Point. Your insight is greatly appreciated.
-Malcolm
3 years ago
Eric Hung
Hey Malcolm, I'd get a bunch of FMJ for practice and some hollow points for defense. Also make sure to actually shoot those HP's to make sure they run smoothly in your gun. This article should help: http://ecoplace.vn/?mask=best-9mm-ammo-self-defense-range/
3 years ago
Tony
I personally use Hornady Critical Defense. They might be a bit pricey depending on where you go but you get what you pay for.
3 years ago
Malcolm
Thanks. I went with AE FMJ and Federal JHP....From LuckyGunner.com....great prices...
3 years ago
Christopher Scott
Love to buy from y'all!
3 years ago
MikeM
I'm a little surprised not to see Midway on here as it ticks a lot of the boxes for me - good prices, accurate inventory, usually next day shipping. Granted, I've not tried the other sites (probably will try at least a couple to compare) and YMMV but so far so good for me with them.
3 years ago
Eric Hung
I like Midway for the really hard to get small parts. But for ammo I still like the ones I rec.
3 years ago
Dean Thomas
Hi Eric,
very informative. I have a small online ammo company named Hyperion Munitions Inc. was founded and is still run 100% by Veterans in Tampa, Florida. Our goal is to provide recreational shooters and local law enforcement with low cost reliable training ammunition.We are doing great ,providing all type of ammo with best quality with lowest cost
3 years ago
Quig
Hi Dean. I Checked out your site and the prices look good - until I added shipping. What started out as a very competitive $.40/rd turned into $.73/rd after shipping. I'd love to support your site, but I can't justify the nearly double price. I'd have to buy 500 rds to make it worth while.
3 years ago
raymond
Eric, i purchase a used 38 special and just when to the indoor range. Can please tell me the right FMJ bullets you recommend and JHP and also where to buy it, if possible?
thanx
ray
3 years ago
Eric Hung
As you know, I'm a fan of lucky gunner. I prefer the slightly heavier 158 gr rounds compared to the 128 gr rounds. I'll have a specific article regarding 38/357 up soon.
3 years ago
Richard Castellanos
Cool
3 years ago
Jim
This is a quite a professional looking site. Writing style is concise but thorough and gramatically correct. Love your efforts man.
4 years ago
Eric Hung
Thanks so much Jim!
3 years ago
Allen Cooper
Hi Eric,
I inherited a S&W .44 Spl from a relative. Can you please tell me about what type of cartridges to buy for practice and for home defense? Also, what do I need to know about the grains?
Can you recommend an on-line site to purchase the cartridges?
4 years ago
ehung
Hi Allen, I would recommend Lucky Gunner which is linked first in this article. I actually don't have any experience with the .44 Spl but I usually go with whatever is cheapest for practice and then a well-reviewed JHP (jacketed hollow point) round for defense.
4 years ago
Allen Cooper
Thanks Eric. I noticed that their are different grains for each caliber. What do I need to know about grain when selecting the right cartridge?
Thank you.
Allen.
4 years ago
ehung
Hi Allen, my general recommendation is to go with the grain you like shooting plinking ammo with.
4 years ago
Allen Cooper
Also, I was told there are restrictions on the type of cartridges that can be used for indoor ranges. Can you provide info?
4 years ago
ehung
You'll have to call the range in question since I've seen rules all over the place.
4 years ago
Roaster
OK How come the makers of Xtac 5.56 went from m193 to mx 193 to xp193 now . whats the difference in the ammo ? I know what the m stood for whats xp mean ?
4 years ago
ehung
As far as I know, XP is their brand's designation of ammo that mimics the military version.
4 years ago
Oliver lynch
Looking for 220 swift bullets hoping to get Remington bullets 2000 for first order can simply licence and papers to ship and import them to Ireland
4 years ago
ehung
Hi Oliver, wish I could help you but not sure about those bullets and export laws!
4 years ago
David A Matz
Hi Eric,
Really enjoy your insights and valuable information. I'm a geriatric greenhorn, and recently qualified for CC. Bought a Glock 19, Gen 4, and spend considerable time soaking up articles and YouTube tutorials. Also do a lot of dry practice/fire 3-5 times weekly. Appreciate that you provide a great deal of useful information to new enthusiasts.
My experience with the couple of local gun shops has not been positive. Seems that all the ostensible friendliness and willingness to help ended when the receipt was handed to me. I now need to buy a quality IWB holster and gun belt. I'm clueless, and have been all over the internet as well as YouTube.
Would greatly appreciate your input on what products/makers I should rely upon for quality, durability, comfort, and affordability regarding the holster and gun belt.
My apologies in advance for the length of this post.
Thank you, and wishing your continued success.
David
4 years ago
Holli
I got an awesome at cabelas. Not bad priced either. It goes over one should and straps around you middle. They come complete apart so you can decide where to position gun shoulder support everything. Very comfortable and cool looking too.
3 years ago
Mike
A good gun holster is made by Crossbreed for IWB carry. I have three of them. I have seen reviews on Alienware holsters that they are extremely comfortable so you might want to check those out.
3 years ago
Tony
Alien gear holsters are great. Not only are they comfortable but they have a lifetime warranty. Plus if you ever switch to another gun, you just contact them and tell them what new gun you have and they'll swap out the shell for the new gun at no charge. You just pay the shipping. I've been using their holsters for years and I have about 7 handguns. Every time I get rid of one and get a new one they just replace the shell for my new gun.
Plus they always have sales on combos if you buy more than one holster. No I don't work for them, I'm just a loyal customer. Lol
3 years ago
ehung
Hi David, thanks so much for the comments and glad I've helped you out a little.
However, I might be in the same boat as you for IWB holsters since I don't have a CCW license yet. But for belts I've always been a fan of Uncle Mike's and regular non-IWB holsters I've always like Safariland.
4 years ago
Vinay
Hi Eric ... I am new to guns and recently purchased my first hand gun - a .357 magnum revolver. Any suggestions for practice and home defense rounds for this caliber? I really enjoyed the simple yet in-depth articles. Bookmarked for repeat reading and reference, thanks much! - Best, Vinay
4 years ago
ehung
Hi Vinay, thanks for the question! I don't have a .357 magnum myself yet (on the list!) but have shot several of my friends'. For practice rounds I would go with .38 special since those will most likely fit in your revolver. They are much cheaper and you can get used to the reduced recoil too. Home defense rounds just get something hollow point. The sheer power of the .357 will take care of the rest! I would recommend Gold Dot or Federal.
38 Leave a Reply
Looking for reloading Supplies
We've got you, Gerald! http://ecoplace.vn/?mask=best-place-to-buy-reloading-supplies/
I looked at prices on the sites you mentioned, bu found that the prices, with shipping added in, were no better that I can get locally. Looks like they aren't so competitive after all.
Although, in all fairness, I have to say that I went back and discovered that the S/H stayed constant, even though the number of rounds went up. This greatly improved the cost per round. Bottom line, if you want a couple hundred rounds, you can probably match or beat the prices locally, but if you are willing to buy in lots of 500 rounds or more, you can make some significant savings.
Eric, I reload most of my ammunition, except .22's of course, but do make frequent purchases of .22 LR & 9mm for my pistols. I do price comparison shopping on line. 9 out of 10 times I purchase from "Cabela's" when they have a sale and are offering free S/H on $99 orders. My last order was for 300 rds. of PMC 62 gr. 5,56mm green tipped ammo. $119 delivered (zero sales taxes in my state) and it comes with a $15 dollar "Plano" (with Cabela's name on it) 50 cal. plastic storage box. Now that's a good deal on some very good ammo. .33 cents a round when one removes my Cabela's discount and cost of storage box. Sportsman's Guide also offers some great prices on ammo (not always though) with frequent free S/H offers on orders as low as $45. Best if you join their shopping club to receive the best discounts, price and free S/H. I've been with them over 4 years now.
Watch out for the shady tactics of FREEDOM MUNITIONS. They offer free shipping and then jack up the ammo price to cover it. In my case, my total bill with "free shipping" as a new customer, was more than if I had just bought it outright! They offered to give me 5% off on my next purchase... Seriously? Why would I ever deal with these clowns again?
where I'm getting confused is where I just bought a Salvage F62. Planned on using both FMJ for target and HP for self defense, but have been advised by various references - including Salvage - not to use Hollow Points in this rifle, as have tendency to jam. Ofcourse there if nothing in the owners manual that mentions this. So when someone goes to buy a 22 cal,- regardless of brand - how are they to know this.
Hi Eric, Love your site and articles. I recently decided to buy a firearm for the first time for home defense and chose the S&W M&P M2.0 9mm. My question is, what is the best brands of ammo to buy for the gun whether FMJ or Hollow Point. Your insight is greatly appreciated. -Malcolm
Hey Malcolm, I'd get a bunch of FMJ for practice and some hollow points for defense. Also make sure to actually shoot those HP's to make sure they run smoothly in your gun. This article should help: http://ecoplace.vn/?mask=best-9mm-ammo-self-defense-range/
I personally use Hornady Critical Defense. They might be a bit pricey depending on where you go but you get what you pay for.
Thanks. I went with AE FMJ and Federal JHP....From LuckyGunner.com....great prices...
Love to buy from y'all!
I'm a little surprised not to see Midway on here as it ticks a lot of the boxes for me - good prices, accurate inventory, usually next day shipping. Granted, I've not tried the other sites (probably will try at least a couple to compare) and YMMV but so far so good for me with them.
I like Midway for the really hard to get small parts. But for ammo I still like the ones I rec.
Hi Eric, very informative. I have a small online ammo company named Hyperion Munitions Inc. was founded and is still run 100% by Veterans in Tampa, Florida. Our goal is to provide recreational shooters and local law enforcement with low cost reliable training ammunition.We are doing great ,providing all type of ammo with best quality with lowest cost
Hi Dean. I Checked out your site and the prices look good - until I added shipping. What started out as a very competitive $.40/rd turned into $.73/rd after shipping. I'd love to support your site, but I can't justify the nearly double price. I'd have to buy 500 rds to make it worth while.
Eric, i purchase a used 38 special and just when to the indoor range. Can please tell me the right FMJ bullets you recommend and JHP and also where to buy it, if possible? thanx ray
As you know, I'm a fan of lucky gunner. I prefer the slightly heavier 158 gr rounds compared to the 128 gr rounds. I'll have a specific article regarding 38/357 up soon.
Cool
This is a quite a professional looking site. Writing style is concise but thorough and gramatically correct. Love your efforts man.
Thanks so much Jim!
Hi Eric, I inherited a S&W .44 Spl from a relative. Can you please tell me about what type of cartridges to buy for practice and for home defense? Also, what do I need to know about the grains? Can you recommend an on-line site to purchase the cartridges?
Hi Allen, I would recommend Lucky Gunner which is linked first in this article. I actually don't have any experience with the .44 Spl but I usually go with whatever is cheapest for practice and then a well-reviewed JHP (jacketed hollow point) round for defense.
Thanks Eric. I noticed that their are different grains for each caliber. What do I need to know about grain when selecting the right cartridge? Thank you. Allen.
Hi Allen, my general recommendation is to go with the grain you like shooting plinking ammo with.
Also, I was told there are restrictions on the type of cartridges that can be used for indoor ranges. Can you provide info?
You'll have to call the range in question since I've seen rules all over the place.
OK How come the makers of Xtac 5.56 went from m193 to mx 193 to xp193 now . whats the difference in the ammo ? I know what the m stood for whats xp mean ?
As far as I know, XP is their brand's designation of ammo that mimics the military version.
Looking for 220 swift bullets hoping to get Remington bullets 2000 for first order can simply licence and papers to ship and import them to Ireland
Hi Oliver, wish I could help you but not sure about those bullets and export laws!
Hi Eric, Really enjoy your insights and valuable information. I'm a geriatric greenhorn, and recently qualified for CC. Bought a Glock 19, Gen 4, and spend considerable time soaking up articles and YouTube tutorials. Also do a lot of dry practice/fire 3-5 times weekly. Appreciate that you provide a great deal of useful information to new enthusiasts. My experience with the couple of local gun shops has not been positive. Seems that all the ostensible friendliness and willingness to help ended when the receipt was handed to me. I now need to buy a quality IWB holster and gun belt. I'm clueless, and have been all over the internet as well as YouTube. Would greatly appreciate your input on what products/makers I should rely upon for quality, durability, comfort, and affordability regarding the holster and gun belt. My apologies in advance for the length of this post. Thank you, and wishing your continued success. David
I got an awesome at cabelas. Not bad priced either. It goes over one should and straps around you middle. They come complete apart so you can decide where to position gun shoulder support everything. Very comfortable and cool looking too.
A good gun holster is made by Crossbreed for IWB carry. I have three of them. I have seen reviews on Alienware holsters that they are extremely comfortable so you might want to check those out.
Alien gear holsters are great. Not only are they comfortable but they have a lifetime warranty. Plus if you ever switch to another gun, you just contact them and tell them what new gun you have and they'll swap out the shell for the new gun at no charge. You just pay the shipping. I've been using their holsters for years and I have about 7 handguns. Every time I get rid of one and get a new one they just replace the shell for my new gun. Plus they always have sales on combos if you buy more than one holster. No I don't work for them, I'm just a loyal customer. Lol
Hi David, thanks so much for the comments and glad I've helped you out a little. However, I might be in the same boat as you for IWB holsters since I don't have a CCW license yet. But for belts I've always been a fan of Uncle Mike's and regular non-IWB holsters I've always like Safariland.
Hi Eric ... I am new to guns and recently purchased my first hand gun - a .357 magnum revolver. Any suggestions for practice and home defense rounds for this caliber? I really enjoyed the simple yet in-depth articles. Bookmarked for repeat reading and reference, thanks much! - Best, Vinay
Hi Vinay, thanks for the question! I don't have a .357 magnum myself yet (on the list!) but have shot several of my friends'. For practice rounds I would go with .38 special since those will most likely fit in your revolver. They are much cheaper and you can get used to the reduced recoil too. Home defense rounds just get something hollow point. The sheer power of the .357 will take care of the rest! I would recommend Gold Dot or Federal.