What are good prices on .223/5.56 Ammo?

[01rednavigator]

I was going to post this in the Ammo/Reloading section but it seems like that is mostly about reloading so I figured I would get a better response here.

last year I bought a Ruger Mini 14 Tactical, it is my first semi auto rifle other than a 10/22.

I know what good prices are on 45 acp, 22, 357, 38, and 30-30 but I have never paid any attention to prices on .223/5.56 as I have never had one.

I have not even shot my Mini 14 yet. I want to start stocking up on 2.23/5.56 and I just want to make sure I don't get screwed. This time of year they always have tons of sales on ammo and I am hoping I can find some good Black Friday deals.

Right now Bi Mart has a Federal 100 pack of .223 boat tail for $34.97. Is that a good price?

Read More

 

[Dreams of Steel]

My best suggestion on price-checking ammo is to figure out your price per round, then check out cheaperthandirt.com and see what they are selling it at. Factor shipping costs in and make an educated decision. Or do what I did and start reloading! You'll be surprised how much fun it is and you get to save some money too! Savings can vary on caliber and components used, but I am cranking out .45ACP for about .19 each with copper plated bullets and outstanding accuracy.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Well that equals out to 35 cents per round which is the going rate.
$350 for a 1,000 rounds. And that is good ammo. I like PMC .223, it has never even had a hiccup in thousands of rounds fired. I have been bit by the reloading bug but I'll tell ya, it's not for everyone.
You can save a buck or fifty on the cheap dirty stuff like Wolf & Tulammo. It is steel cased so it might feed ok in your Mini 14 but most do not use it in an AR...
YMMV

 

[WAYNO]

I still figure to spend 30-cents a round for quality brass-cased ball ammo. You can get it pretty much every day at BiMart for 35-cents a round.

WAYNO.

 

[Dreams of Steel]

I just checked CTD and they are at 28.1c per round for the crappy Tula steel cased junk. I don't mind Tula or Red Army Standard for my AK but I watched a friend have repeated jams in an AR using Tula, to the point of having an empty case jam in the chamber and we had to use a cleaning rod (now unusable) to remove the stuck case. The problem seemed to be that the steel case expanded enough to have more force than the extractor had and the case lip ripped through. I have no experience with the Mini 14 so I don't know how steel cased ammo runs in them, but I would avoid it all the same. $34.97 sounds like a decent price to avoid headaches like that.

 

[11Charlie]

If you watch sites like cheaperthandirt.com or SGAmmo.com you can find it cheaper but then your adding shipping.

I found that if your buying in bulk then its worth paying the shipping which will lower the cost per round. Last time I purchased I bought 2000 rounds through cheaper than dirt and If I recall correctly it came to .30 per round with shipping.

 

[CountryGent]

I just checked CTD and they are at 28.1c per round for the crappy Tula steel cased junk. I don't mind Tula or Red Army Standard for my AK but I watched a friend have repeated jams in an AR using Tula, to the point of having an empty case jam in the chamber and we had to use a cleaning rod (now unusable) to remove the stuck case. The problem seemed to be that the steel case expanded enough to have more force than the extractor had and the case lip ripped through. I have no experience with the Mini 14 so I don't know how steel cased ammo runs in them, but I would avoid it all the same.

My experience with the steel cased Tula stuff in .223 Rem was overwhelmingly bad. I had close zero jams in the Mini-14 until I used that. It would jam 2-5 times on a 20-round magazine in the Mini. I still had some floating around and tried it in the AR-15. It turned it into a single shot: bang, jam, clear, chamber, bang, jam (expletive), clear .... until I said enough already.

 

[coupeowner]

Here is a deal on American Eagle 62gr at $0.33/round shipped (120 rds @ $40) if you buy $200 worth.

American Eagle 5.56mm 62gr FMJ Steel Core Ammunition 120rd Mini-Can - XM855LPC120

 

[Kruel J]

+1 that steel cased ammo isn't the greatest. If I can find brass for around .32 or so, I'd jump on it.

 

[01rednavigator]

Thanks everyone for the input, I will always spend the extra for brass. I don't like using steel cased in any of my firearms, I have heard that the newer Mini 14's will run steel cased fine if you use factory mags but I will always spend the extra in brass.

 

[No_Regerts]

A lot of that steel stuff is lacquered and it makes chambers get all gummed up.

 

[WAYNO]

Thanks everyone for the input, I will always spend the extra for brass. I don't like using steel cased in any of my firearms, I have heard that the newer Mini 14's will run steel cased fine if you use factory mags but I will always spend the extra in brass.

Actually, feeding is not the issue with commie ammo. Ignition is.

I've owned numerous Mini 30's and Mini 14's. Some will fire the commie ammo regularly, some will not. And it's really not an issue of how hard the primer is hit, but how deeply it's hit.

Berdan primers often require a deeper dent than boxer primers. So if you've got a Mini with a little extra protrusion on the firing pin but still within specs, ya might be okay.

And as far as shooting Rooshkie ammo...Never my first choice, but I can remember during the worst part of the last ammo shortage, there were times that Rooshkie ammo was all we could find in .223. Even though it's not my first choice, I do need to know if my Mini will fire it, if it's the only ammo available.

WAYNO.

 

[Flopsweat]

I run the cheap Tula stuff all the time in AR pistols and rifles. None of them jam. I'm talking about factory built and home built from a stripped receiver, rifle length buffer, carbine length, pistols from 7 1/2 to 12 inches, rifles from 10 to 18 inches and so on. It pays to clean the gun every 300 to 500 rounds or so, and it's really messy, but it runs fine for me and several people I know. For close in practice, it's a bargain. If you're going to shoot it at 100 yards or more you better have a big target. I do try to stay away from Wolf since I had trouble with it in other calibers, but Wolf doesn't even make the ammo, they just buy it and label it. But I can tell you that Tula runs great. For longer distances, any domestic brand will run pretty well. I've had some Israeli stuff that was really accurate too, but that may have been 7.62.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

I shoot for $10 a full mag or $0.33 per round for 55 grain range ammo. You can get Speer Gold Dot soft point in 55 or 64 grain for $0.50 a round shipped on special from PSA every few weeks.

 

[nammac]

If you watch sites like cheaperthandirt.com or SGAmmo.com you can find it cheaper but then your adding shipping.

I found that if your buying in bulk then its worth paying the shipping which will lower the cost per round. Last time I purchased I bought 2000 rounds through cheaper than dirt and If I recall correctly it came to .30 per round with shipping.

I'd add www.targetsportsusa.com to that list... They usually have good prices on .223/5.56

 

[ditchtiger]

gun-deals.com - User-Submitted Gun & Ammunition Deals

 

[Camelfilter]

Keep your eye on the classifieds here, $.32/.33 per round have popped up for sale. Probably moreso, and a bit cheaper given the national elections over.

Once you do break your mini in, as suggested above do try some steel cased just to see if it will function or not. You never know. Mine does fine, I just don't prefer it. Good value on that ammo though, if yours does function with it.

I took my mini to the range once, and dang it if I didn't leave my ammo for it at home. Dohhh! The range office had .223, but only steel cased Tulamo. So I was still able to shoot it, and that put a smile on my face...

 

[Camelfilter]

Oh & don't forget about Ammo seek. Kinda handy to give you a general idea price wise, but then you can get specific in your search on there-case type, new or reloaded, projectile weight/type etc etc.

Remember to factor in shipping, which usually is not listed on Ammoseek.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I generally buy 5.56/.223 by the thousand at gun shows! For practice or plinking I use commercially remanufactured rnds.
I also like PMC and American Eagle.

I do not use commie ammo, except in commie rifles (7.62X39)!

 

[Diamondback]

I think the guideline I saw was 30 cents 55gr., 32-33 for 62gr and 35 for 77gr.