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Welcome back to another edition of the TFB Round Table sponsored by Ammunition To Go! For those who are first joining us, this is a multi-part series where TFB will discuss the characteristics of great ammunition for specific applications. This could vary from big game hunting, plinking, precision rifle matches, small game hunting, or even pistol competitions. Chances are there is someone here at TFB who can offer you advice on buying the right round for your task at hand. This week I will offer up some suggestions on ammunition to suit the survivalist inside everyone. This week’s topic applies to normal life just as much as it does when pondering the end times. Prepper or not, listen up everyone! Let’s dive right into the 10 BEST Cartridges to Buy in Bulk!
TFB ROUND TABLE: WHAT’RE WE LOOKING FOR HERE?
Whether you are finding yourself going through all your ammunition at the range, looking for a solution to the weekly drive to the local gunshop, or are stuck in the thick paranoia-filled air that surrounds us whenever there is some sort of wave being made out in the world, buying bulk ammunition could be the not as temporary antidote as just buying a box of 50 rounds here and there. Here are some points everyone in their own unique predicament should consider:
- Ammunition Availability
- Personal Ammo Needs
- Commonality of Calibers
- Price Per Round
- Type of Ammunition
Now when considering stocking up on bulk ammo it should be noted that ammunition constantly flip flops its availability. That is why it is first and foremost on the list. Kind of hard to get yourself stocked up when there is nothing that you are looking for available. The biggest tips with that in mind are to keep an eye on all of your sources and how fast they are selling their stock of ammo.
Consider your personal ammunition needs. What are your firearms chambered in? Are you thinking of adding a new one to the collection in a specific new caliber? Maybe keep a steady supply at hand in the event you add that new gat to the gun rack.
The commonality of calibers is a huge thing to keep in mind, especially if you are the survivalist/prepper sort of person. In a much fantasized about event such as the collapse of society as we know it, shared ammo in most firearms found scattered about the wasteland would be a huge advantage. Putting all of that tinfoil aside be sure to track the most commonly owned guns/cartridges you can think of. A no-brainer would, of course, be 9mm (the most common round in the world). From there, others that probably come to mind are NATO cartridges such as 5.56×45 and 7.62×51. I would even go as far as to add 7.62×39 to that list of popular chamberings found around in this specific scenario.
9×19, 5.56×45, 7.62×51, 7.62×39
Price per round is for the more thrifty bunch out there. If everyday life is relatively normal and ammunition is not flying off the shelves with some sort of catastrophe on the horizon, pricing out bulk units of ammo will yield you the best savings. I myself am no math wizard and am very easily confused if ever put into a situation where I need to calculate anything, but fortunately, it is very easy to sort out the price per round. Essentially it’s the cost of the ammo you intend on purchasing divided by the number of rounds in the package. Make sure to apply the shipping or tax in your area to the price!
Type of ammunition is another more situational contemplation. If you are an avid target shooter just get the normal and usually cheaper FMJ stocked on everyday shelves. If we all put on our post-apocalypse worn-out sheriff hat for a second it would be very mindful to go out and stock up on bulk self-defense rounds. I am talking hollow pointed zombie-killing kind of stuff.
TFB ROUND TABLE: The list
All and all, everyone is going to have their own list in mind since it’s kind of a fluid thing on the basis of what chamberings they may have access to. For sake of the list itself though, I have compiled ten cartridges that I think would be the best to buy in bulk in the long run.
- .22 Long Rifle: Common, Versatile, and Handy
- 9mm: Arguably the Most Common Cartridge
- 38 Special: Can be Used in a Firearm Intended for .357 Magnum
- 10mm: Nothing New but Increasingly Popular and Impressive
- 45 ACP: An Oldy but a Goody
- 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem: Extremely Common and Versatile
- 7.62×51 NATO/.308 Win: Extremely Common and Versatile but with More Boom
- 30-30 Win: Common High-Powered Bush Hunting Cartridge
- 7.62×39: Common Cartridge and More Common Outside the USA
- 12 Gauge: Very Utilitarian with Lots Ammunition of Options
As always, thank you for reading TFB! Be safe out there, have fun while shooting, and we will see you next time for the TFB Round Table brought to you by Ammunition to Go! Also, let us know what you think in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
TFB’S ROUND TABLE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY AMMOTOGO.COM
Federal Champion 22LR 36 Grain CPHP 525rd
This is .22 Long Rifle Federal Champion 36gr. Copper Plated Hollow Point Ammo. This is some great inexpensive ammo for plinking or small game hunting. This ammo is packed in 525rd. value packs, 10 value packs per case.
Magtech First Defense 9mm 124 Grain Bonded JHP 1000rd
The First Defense ammo line from Magtech is a superb choice for duty and personal protection in the woods, at home, or own the streets. These 9mm Luger rounds feature bonded jacketed hollow-point (JHP) projectiles with a standard NATO weight of 124 grains which offers manageable recoil for efficient follow-up shots. Bonded JHP bullets have their jackets permanently attached to their lead cores; this produces unyielding weight retention and unfailing expansion in a target after passing through barriers like plywood, drywall, denim, leather, and auto-glass. The result is a bullet that is more likely to function correctly and transfer maximum energy into a target in order to end a fight with authority.
Each of these 9x19mm cartridges also features a non-corrosive Boxer primer which is adorned with a moisture-blocking material and installed into a reloadable brass casing; this sealant protects propellant from moisture and ensures reliable ignition in dire situations. Magtech is Brazilian outfit with a rich history dating back to 1926. Their experience with international relations and meeting stringent contract criteria empowers them to create high quality ammunition in effort to meet and exceed FBI testing standards.
Fiocchi 38 Special 158 Grain JHP 1000rd
These .38 Special hollow points from Fiocchi make a great carry or training load for your .38 or .357 Magnum revolver. Each cartridge fires a heavy 158 grain bullet at 850 feet per second. These are standard pressure rounds that are slightly hotter than target ammunition. Fiocchi ammo uses non-corrosive Boxer primers and brass cases. Grab this 1,000 round case for great bulk savings!
Blazer Brass 10mm 180 Grain FMJ 1000rd
https://www.ammunitiontogo.com/product_info.php/pName/1000rds-10mm-blazer-brass-180gr-fmj-ammo
The only thing that should come out of your target shooting session worse for wear is your target. That’s what makes this 10mm cartridge from Blazer’s Brass line of ammunition such a great choice! Its 180 grain projectile wears a full metal jacket, enabling it to feed smoothly before preventing your bore from fouling up with lead residue.
Better yet, this round’s bullet has a protected base. That means the volcanic heat of ignition can’t disturb the lead in the bullet’s core, preventing the aerosolization of a heavy metal that is particularly nasty when it gets inside your lungs. If you spend a lot of time pegging targets indoors, this is the round for you.
Blazer’s Brass round has a high quality brass casing, so handloaders can doubly benefit from this case of ammo. CCI’s non-corrosive Boxer primer and specially formulated propellant both burn extra clean, so you can leave the BoreSnake back at home!
Federal Personal Defense 45 ACP 185 Grain Hi-Shok JHP 1000rd
This 45 ACP cartridge by Federal features a 185 grain projectile. That’s relatively light for its caliber, so it does a good job of preventing the muzzle flip that could make rapid fire less accurate. The bullet is a Hi-Shok, which is equivalent to the Hydra-Shok in nearly every way save for the absence of a center post in its nose cavity. The Hi-Shok is capable of reliable penetration and equally reliable expansion once it has entered its target — what’s really beautiful about it is that its low price permits the shooter to train extensively with their self-defense ammunition.
These rounds’ projectiles are designed to facilitate feeding in a semi-automatic pistol, a feat that their highly uniform brass casings also contribute to. You’ll be able to quickly dump a magazine full of these rounds very accurately on target, making them just the ticket for affordable personal protection. Federal’s state of the art factory and dogged commitment to quality control allow them to make the kind of budget-friendly load that you can count on in a dangerous situation.
Hornady Frontier 223 Rem 55 Grain FMJ 1000rd
https://www.ammunitiontogo.com/product_info.php/pName/1000rds-223-rem-hornady-frontier-55gr-fmj-ammo
This 223 Rem Frontier ammo is available to you for a song, because Hornady manufactures it in partnership with the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant. The gargantuan industrial complex’s perfectly streamlined production process does more than simply make this ammo exceptionally affordable. Lake City has given the rounds high quality brass casings with annealed necks and shoulders, so they’re supple enough to be handloaded a multitude of times. The rounds’ non-corrosive primers and clean burning propellant are similarly well-made, and that Hornady has applied their exacting quality assurance protocol to their production guarantees that they’ll do everything you’d like them to at the range.
This round sports a 55 grain projectile, so it will perform just like what the AR-15 enthusiast is best accustomed to. The bullet wears a full metal jacket not only to lessen its residue impact on the bore, but to ensure positive functionality in all types of semi-automatic firearms. Hornady makes an especially concentric jacket with virtually zero runoff, so this bullet will fly straight and true to boot.
Federal Lake City .308 / 7.62 NATO XM80CS 149gr. FMJ 500rd
This 7.62×51 Federal Lake City XM80CS 149 grain, full metal jacket ammo. This 7.62 NATO ammo is loaded to U.S. and NATO Military Specifications (mil-spec). Each round is brass cased, boxer primed, and non-corrosive.
This bulk ammo will attract a magnet so make sure you know your local range’s rules as it relates to magnetic ammo before you dive in deep for a bulk purchase! This 7.62×51 ammunition comes loose-packed in 500 round boxes, making it an ideal choice for folks looking to stockpile.
Prvi Partizan 30-30 Win 170 Grain FSP 200rd
https://www.ammunitiontogo.com/product_info.php/pName/200rds-30-30-win-prvi-partizan-170gr-fsp-ammo
Does your rifle have a tubular magazine? Then you know you don’t want to load a round in it that’s capable of igniting the primer its tip touches while the thing’s slung over your shoulder — it’s bad for the rifle, it could be bad for your shoulder, and at best it wastes a cartridge. That’s why you should invest in this fine 30-30 Win round by Prvi Partizan: With so flat a meplat, its bullet won’t turn your hunt into something you’d rather have done without.
This cartridge’s 170 grain flat soft point projectile has a strong copper partial jacket, so it’s totally capable of penetrating a rugged quarry’s hide and then going far, far deeper. As this bullet penetrates, the lead in its tip will cause it to expand rapidly yet in in a controlled fashion, establishing a wide wound channel that few creatures have the salt to lope away from. Prvi Partizan makes all of their components in-house, and their production process and quality assurance protocol ensure that this round’s brass casing and non-caustic Boxer primer are poised to complement your hunt perfectly. Invest in a whole case, just in case!
Tula Cartridge Works 7.62×39 124 Grain HP 1000rd
Your AK or SKS will eat up this 7.62x39mm ammunition from Tula, which is why it comes in a 1,000 round case that will push your per-shot cots way down. These cartridges fire a 124 grain hollow point bullet and can be used for both target shooting and inexpensive hunting. They are loaded in Russia using non-corrosive Berdan primers and non-reloadable polymer coated steel cases.
Fiocchi High Velocity 12 Gauge 2 3/4″ 9 Pellet Nickel Plated 00 Buckshot 250rd
This is 12 Gauge Fiocchi High Velocity 2 3/4″ 9 Pellet Nickel Plated 00 Buckshot Ammo. This ammo has nickel plated shot to increase the velocity and improve penetration. This ammo travels at 1325fps and is considered a full power round. This is premium ammunition at an affordable price. It comes packed in 10rd. boxes, 250rds, per case.
