Got ammo?
You’re going to need it. If you intend to learn to shoot effectively with your firearms, which you should, maybe a lot of it.
I’ve tracked about every ammo order I’ve ever made and counted nearly every round I have ever reloaded, and I know which ammunition and how many rounds I’ve fired out of each of my firearms. I know to the penny how much I have paid for each round of ammo. Yes, I am that anal. I have a good stock pile of ammo for each caliber of firearm I own. I won’t be more specific than that, but the amount would make some people cry in horror and others laugh at the paltry sum. Some might be surprised to learn that having a reasonable (translation=a good bit) supply of ammo isn’t about prepping or preparing for anarchy. Necessarily anyway. I keep a good supply of ammo so I always have plenty to shoot. You know, like at the range…
Buying ammo is a pain in the ass. Don’t get me wrong. You can walk in to an outdoor store, local gun store, or even Walmart and get most of what I need. 
You will however pay a premium for it! Buying ammo can be expensive. And I’m cheap. Frugal maybe the preferred word. Buying ammo can take some work. Finding the best deal takes a little leg work but if you put in a little effort you can save upwards of 25-30% over store prices. That savings adds up. I’ve shot around ten thousand rounds over the last few years and that savings is important. Nothing drives me crazier than seeing one of my buddies go out and spend way to much for ammo at a big box store. So this will be a short guide dedicated to my homies on getting the best deal on ammo possible.
The first place I start when I’m considering buying ammunition is GunBot. It gives me a good jumping off point especially in regards to seeing how the overall market is priced at the moment. It’s not the only ammunition database out there and I can’t say if it’s the best. It’s just the one I happen to use. Another popular option is: AmmoSeek. Ammunition prices can fluctuate quite a bit. Especially if the political climate is hostile at the moment. It wasn’t that long ago that finding rounds of 22lr was an exercise in and of itself. It was going for as much as $.15-.20 a round at times and could be difficult to find at all. Fortunately it has come back down to a more normal $.05/round.
The list below are some of the best places I can recommend for purchasing ammo. The examples below are current as of the published date of this article and are comprised of selections based on common range ammo. Mid-range in quality and reliable plinking rounds. These vendors of course sell all kinds and qualities of ammunition and those higher quality, match, or self defense ammo prices tend to be competitive as well. These examples aren’t sales but represent everyday prices and the general state of the market. I generally like to pay no more than $.20/round for my 9mm ammo and no more than $.30/round for .223/5.56 ammo. In no particular order:
1000 rds of 124g 9mm FMJ Blazer Brass – $172.99
Shipping: $19.03
Total : $192.02 = $.19/round
1000 rds of 55g 223 Wolf Gold – $262.99
Shipping: $18.06
Total: $281.05 = $.28/round
1000 rds 115g 9mm FMJ Federal American Eagle – $185.90
Shipping: $24.34
Total: $210.24 = $.21/round
500rds of 55g 223 FMJ Federal American Eagle – $145.95
Shipping: $18.34
Total: $164.29 = $.32/round
1000 rds of 115g 9mm FMJ Blazer Brass – $182.80
Shipping: $16.00
Total: $196.80 = $.20/round
1000 rds of 55g 223 FMJ Fiocchi – $263.80
Shipping: $16.00
Total: $279.80 = $.28/round
1000 rds of 115g 9mm FMJ Blazer Brass – $189.80
Shipping Free = $.19/round
1000 rds of 55g 223 Wolf Gold – $279.50
Shipping Free = $.28/round
Shipping is an important consideration when purchasing ammunition online. Many of these vendors have sales on popular brands or periodic free shipping that can make their already competitive prices into real bargains. As you can see targetsportsusa.com has free shipping on larger orders but makes up for it by pricing their ammo slightly higher than the other vendors. Nevertheless in the examples above they come out on top for these particular ammo choices. Keep in mind as well that steel cased ammo may also be a good choice and even more economical if it suits you and your firearm. I typically don’t use it with the exception of exclusively in a couple of my rifles such as my SKS, Mosin Nagant and VZ2008. Again, most of the vendors above have competitive prices throughout the entire spectrum of ammunition needs and not just in the calibers shown above. One more word of caution about shipping. I was looking through the AmmoSeek database and found what appeared to be some outstanding deals on decent brass cased 9mm plinking ammo. As little as $.15/round in fact. Placing some in the cart and checking shipping prices revealed a whopping $33.00 shipping charge. Skyrocketing the ammo up to $.22/round. Not the worst price, but not as good as many of the examples above.
Honorable Mentions:
Sportsman’s Guide – Occasional sales and competitive prices if you’re a member.
Cabela’s – Occasionally some good sales and free shipping as well.
J&G Sales – Possibly the best place to buy steel cased/surplus ammo.
AmmoFast – Occasional sales can make their $9.99 flat rate shipping an even better deal.
Freedom Munitions – I’ve never purchased anything from them but have certainly heard of them. Offer both new and re-manufactured ammo. Also $7.50 flat rate shipping on orders over $99.
Academy Sports & Outdoors – Occasional good deals and free shipping over $25 can make for some good prices. I recently got 500 rounds of decent brass cased 9mm rounds for $.17/round
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