I'm new to the AR world and have been looking online for some decent priced ammo to take to the range. I'd like to buy in bulk to save some money and stock up but I would hate to buy ammo that doesn't work well with my gun. Does anyone have any recommendations on ammo to buy and what to avoid from common complaints?

I'm thinking about getting like fifty rounds of different brands to experiment and then buy in bulk accordingly--does that sound like a solid idea?

And lastly, what would the best defense ammo be to stock up on between .223 and 5.56? I see everywhere that they're basically the same bullet but I also see others saying 5.56 is better. I know, I sound like a newbie. I appreciate the time in advance.

Wolf gold 223 55gr is great and cheap. Also pmc bronze 223 55gr is slightly more expensive but super nice (my preferred). I also stock up on pmc xtac xp193 in 556 55gr.


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I'm good with cheap, brass cased at 55gr or green tip 62gr for plinking and home defense. Winchester/Federal/Independence/PMC all seem to travel down the barrel well for me in my experience. I prefer 5.56 but have a lot of .223 also. Personally I stock up when there's free shipping. Ammoman and or the 10 boxes of 20 at PSA often get you free shipping. Enjoy.

Thank you, guys. I'll look into those and definitely check out ammoman.

I don't shoot any steel case ammo out of my AR's

Mine shoots anything including cheap steel cased Wolf. Buy whatever you like. It will shoot just fine. No worries.

Solid idea.

Self defense ammo is another topic altogether. Depending on your living circumstances and where you live will make a big difference in whether you load a penetrator or something more fragile. With just my wife and myself with my nearest neighbor 100 yards away, I lean toward penetrators like any ammunition purported to be for hunting deer or hogs.

Each rifle is different as to what brand, weight, and type of bullet it likes best. Your plan on trying out some of each is a good idea.

As far as what type of bullet to get will depend somewhat on where you live. If in an housing development, where homes are closer together, a frangible or a hunting round designed for quick expansion might be your best choice. To minimize the possibility of a missed shot exiting your house and entering your neighbors.

If things are a little more open, then a more hardy bullet might be better. You will still want expansion but it can be at a slower rate. You'll want something with a soft tip. A full metal jacket round will just punch through and move on until it looses enough energy to stop in something else.

Full metal jacket rounds and match rounds are for the range where there is a solid backstop.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of steel ammo for my handguns to be honest. Plus I've read about some general trouble with them so I'm steering clear.

So I went ahead and bought a few different brands on TargetSportsUSA after comparing deals and availability with PSA, AM, and other sites and am going to test em out. I'm on a budget so I couldn't be too diverse. I'll buy accordingly there after and eventually venture to other brands and bigger quantities from other shops.

As for self defense, I'm mainly asking about it for SHTF purposes. I live in a tight community with a lot of people in the house; plus I'm not as familiar with my AR as my handguns. I know the important thing is to just get to know my rifle before worrying about that but I'd still like to have some.

I'm not a SD expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I can't figure out why someone would say 5.56 is better for SD than .223.

It seems to me the biggest factor as pertains to SD is the type of bullet. But for a given bullet, does it really matter if it's traveling at 2,900 fps as it leaves the barrel as compared to 3,200 fps? In terms of protecting you and your family I assert it makes no difference.

OR

SGAmmo.com has decent prices on 5.56 in small quantities as
well as in bulk. Lots of different brands and bullet weights.
Their shipping is also very reasonable.

For defensive purposes the two most widely regarded loadings are Federal 62gr TBBC (Tactical Bonded is their .223 loading, the 5.56 loading isn't commercially available outside of seconds), and Winchester RA556B. At a more affordable price point, Speer Gold Dot (55, 64, and 75gr) and Federal Fusion / Fusion MSR (same bullet construction as Gold Dot) are great choices. Many of the bonded soft points are loaded to and designed to work at .223 velocities.

PSA is currently selling the 55gr and 64gr for $9.99 for a box of 20 which is a highly competitive price. Every couple of weeks or so, (it seems), they also include free shipping for orders of 10 or more boxes.

I've taken advantage of these sales and free shipping offers and if the round appeals to you it may be worth your while to monitor the site.

ETA:

I also recommend Wolf Gold for the range as my good friend Kadonny mentions in the next post.

__________________
642-1, M&P15 TS

Wolf Gold for range work, M193 for HD.

__________________
Still carrying my S&W 642

I grabbed some Bear 223 from Bulkammo today..
Got 500 Rounds for $119.00...
Great for plinking...

The same can be said about steel ammo VS brass ammo. Why would you not want to shoot steel ammo? I have watched several video's of champion/professional shooters using WOLF POLYFORMANCE ammo and they NEVER had a problem! That's what convinced me to choose some from sgammo.com
Anywhere from .20 cents per round VS .25-.35 cents per round! Do the math!
When I got my Sport 1 a few years ago I installed an extractor spring upgrade kit. It shot those steel ammo cases out like it was nothing. When I just recently bought my Ruger AR-556 I did the same upgrade. It spits the steel cases out much better than before.

In another thread the (never ending) steel/brass debate is getting kicked around. I don't shoot steel cases for multiple reasons. Most importantly is I reload - so that obviously eliminates steel cases. However before I reloaded I still only shot brass, because the thought of putting a steel anything into my steel chamber, frankly, "gives me the willies". I know of the data that the money saved using steel can be used buy worn parts. But even with that, I just couldn't bring myself to put steel on steel. I completely and utterly admit it's an emotional decision. But the fact of the matter is I can't get past it - and I was literally willing to pay the price for that.

Taking it back to 5.56 vs .223 for home defense - I can see how someone might emotionally conclude the extra 300 fps out of a 5.56 makes that cartridge theoretically a better SD round. And if someone wants to decide for that reason - go for it.

I'm just trying to understand "the why" of someone saying "5.56 is better for SD".

OR

On the SD ammo question... Just remember that you are a civilian and you are not bound to use FMJ ammunition... I am using Federal XM193 for practice and I am reloading my brass with Sierra 55gr. Spitzer Boat-tail soft point bullets at 3100 fps.. I do not figure that I will be up against much body armor, using my weapon for self-defense and home defense, and I want a bullet that will inflict the most possible damage to anyone I have to shoot..

JMHO

I was going to ask the same question but did some research and found this thread. I am also new to the AR platform and recently purchased a Sport II model. I plan on building a rifle to have another and possibly different AR. I bought a box of Federal REM .223/55 and American Eagle 5.56/62, both FMJ. Since I plan to keep my Sport II as a primary home defense weapon, I planned to purchase as much SD ammo as I could afford at the time. I got 200 rounds of .223/77 remanufactured ammo from Freedom Munitions. I plan to stock up on at least 1000 rounds of SD ammo but probably within the range of 60 to 70 grains. The SD ammo I have might not be as good for SHTF situations that require shooting at longer distances. I won't consider PMC but I will probably look at other choices, including remanufactured ones from reputable companies like Freedom Munitions. I have yet to shoot my rifle since I got it but I will get the chance to shoot the SD rounds that I got and maybe the FMJ ones at an introductory AR course in about two weeks. Since my barrel has a 1/9th rifling twist, several people told me that the SD rounds I have are too heavy for my barrel to stabilize and thus shoot accurately. But since this rifle will be mostly for SD and CQB purposes, I realize that any ammo will do the job. I guess the only thing I need to be concerned about is choosing the best ammo for plinking and long-distance target shooting. According to quite a few opinions, .223/62 seems the most ideal for target/distance shooting for the kind of rifle I have. What do you guys think? I appreciate any input since I am still new to the AR platform.

A 1/9 twist should stabilize 75gr bullets and may stabilize 77gr. The only way to find out for sure will be to shoot them. 69gr OTM ammunition is fine for 300 yard target work, but tend to get blown around by the wind much past that. The OTM bullet doesn't make a bad SD load either.

I use bulk LC xm193 ammunition for teaching or plinking where accuracy is less of an issue than cost. I buy Sierra 52gr MK bullets bulk and handload them for 200 yard or less match shooting and generalized use where accuracy is important.

Yes and no. I have a 1/9 Colt along with a 1/7 Colt. The ammo best suited for 1/9 is under 70 gr but that doesn't mean that heavier doesn't work. People tend to repeat stuff but never try it or even look up what is ment but "not stabilizing". The ammo will work just fine it just won't get you little tiny groups everyone tries for. It's still perfectly capable of center mass shots.

For range use I buy whatever is in 223/556. Most common is M193 or XM193 (same thing) which is 55gr. That ammo will work just fine unless you're trying to go past 500 yards and or on a windy day. Stock up on 55gr and try others as well ....nothing wrong with that

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Certainly thank ya for that....

I know that there are many opinions about what the best ammo and grain is for a 1/9 twist but if you had to stock up on ammo for multipurpose use, mostly self defense in and out of the house (for SHTF situations as in the L.A. riots where Koreans had to arm themselves on rooftops), what would be a good choice? 55 grain, 62 grain, etc.?

I have my AR ready for home defense. I have researched the best ammo (at any cost) for HD purposes. Does it really matter what the round costs when you need to protect your family and home? My LGS recommended (because the local LEO's buy it), Hornady TAP, which is available in 55 and heavier weights. I chose the 55gr because I do not want too much penetration, and the 55 gr will do a lot of expansion damage without too much penetration through the walls of my home, not offering much of a threat to the neighbors.

I loaded one magazine with the Hornady but, my primary HD magazine (from my own research) is Winchester PDX-1, Defender 60gr ammo. That is the most effective defensive round I have found for my purposes, and from all reports I have seen is the best HD ammo available for my AR.

Im an urban area penetration is secondary to expansion. A round that expands and destructs, may not penetrate through doors and walls, but really, do you truly want it to? All you want is a round that will stop the bad guys in their tracks.

FWIW,

Rick

Thank you Rick. I appreciate your opinion and I will take it into serious consideration. I want to be able to practice with the self-defense ammo I plan to purchase. For me it makes little sense to purchase FMJs (in the case of my hand guns) if I'm not going to use them in a real life and death situation. And that includes having my red dot zeroed in for the particular ammo I will have loaded in my magazines. I want to practice with what I'll use in those kinds of situations. I have very good experience with the Winchester PDX-1 Defender ammo for my .40 caliber hand gun, but the Winchester Ranger Law Enforcement ammo are top-of-the-line in my personal experience. I see that they do make .223/64 ammo but there was a recall on them back in 2011. If they're up to par or if their .223/55 or whatever else they have for ARs are just as good as the ones I've used for my .40 full-sized hand gun, I won't hesitate to get as many boxes as I can of these Winchester Rangers if and when I see them. I may try all types of brands and suitable grains for my particular rifle (except the dreaded PMC Korean brand) but I've yet to find a range nearby where I can fire my rifle. If I need to purchase bulk ammo urgently, at least I'll have an idea what brands and grains to get right away and which ones to stay away from.

Do soft points cycle in the Sport II? I have a .30 carbine that eats them up, but others say their MI Carbines won't feed them reliably. Waiting for my AR to come next week.

I called S&W customer service today with a question. The conversation drifted to ammo. He said to not use any steel or imported ammo. I asked about PMC and Wolf Gold, he was adamant about only American made ammo. I know their are 2 sides when it comes to shooting steel, but these are brass cased ammo by major players in the market. He kept saying it could blow up the guns due to higher pressures. I never heard of Smith only recommending American made ammo before.

I don't see why they shouldn't. The only issue I've ever seen with rounds not feeding is hollow points and that was in pistols. I've never seen a rifle having a problem with feeding ammo unless there was a something wrong with the rifle or the magazine. Of course, pistol hollow points tend to have huge, gaping holes for hollow points, where rifles tend to be much smaller.

He's misinformed.

There is nothing wrong with any of those rounds as long as you understand the capabilities and limitations of them. Many here have run steel and had no problems. If you think you will ever want to reload, you will want only brass cased cartridges. Most bulk ammo will not give you the accuracy of a premium round (but some rifles actually shoot better with bulk ammo) but is accurate enough to have some fun at the range and to serve as a "just in case" stash.

As far as the ammunition blowing up the rifles, yeah no. That is a bunch of BS. As you browse around, you will see threads on the subject but shooting 5.56 NATO, 5.56x45, or .223 Remington ammunition will function perfectly fine in a 5.56 chambered rifle like the M&P15.

I knew that, just wonder what else he has told people.