We’ll be talking about the best places to buy ammo online today. If you’re a gun enthusiast, avid shooter or even just a gun rookie, this is the best place to get great information on the dos and don’ts when purchasing your own ammo. If you know or have heard of a few of these information, what better thing there is to gain more knowledge and spread the word around?
Before beginning, here is a question for all of you to ponder at. Why do people buy ammo online? If you have noticed, it is rather popular purchase method and is used by almost every shooters except, if you left some ammo at home and need it desperately, then you will most probably get it in the nearest ammo shop for instance. Other than that, I’m sure at least 99% of the shooters buy them online.
Benefits of Buying Online
First things first, there are more chances of getting discount when you buy ammunition online. The 9mm Luger ammo I bought recently was discounted upon entering a promo code, I’m sure you can’t get a promo code when you’re purchasing them from the firearm shop. That being said, you get to save a lot of money.
In addition to that, you don’t have to waste petrol and time for a trip to the store (that doesn’t include the congestion to get there and the crowd queuing up to get their own products at the cashier). The point is, buying online is very convenient for you; you just require a computer and Internet and voila, you can make your online purchase with maximum ease.
If you have browsed through online website before (Amazon, for instance), you’ll notice that you have a wide range of options to choose from. There would be pictures, descriptions and most importantly customer reviews, so you can gain a little insight on the product before making the purchase. If you’re looking for a specific or limited design or ammo type, an online website has higher probability of having them due to its vast selection.
And lastly, you get to buy them in bulks. Getting ammo in bulks are extremely important if you are using it for target practice or range training where you most probably will fire hundreds of rounds at a time. Not forgetting, buying in bulks are a lot cheaper (cheaper price per round) than buying them separately.
Next, I’ll introduce the two trusted and reliable weapon and ammo sites I usually buy from; they are the Lucky Gunner and Brownells. Here is a table to differentiate between them, if you’re not much of a reader.
| Name of Products/ Factors | Brownells | Lucky Gunner |
|---|---|---|
| Types of Ammo Offered | Rimfire, Shotgun, Rifle, Handgun | Rimfire, Shotgun, Rifle, Handgun |
| Services | You are able to return the items you don't want after purchase. Excellent customer service. | Great customer service. |
| Shipping Price | Shipping price listed in the link below here | Shipping cost varies. To know the price, you need to enter your shipping zip code into the handy shipping calculator on the website. Click 'get your quote' to know the exact price. |
| Average Delivery Time | 3-5 days via ground delivery while 5-7 working days via standard delivery. | Excellent delivery service of less than a week (2-4 days). Click here is more information on shipping. |
| Pricing (Ammo) | Reasonably priced with sales and clearance available. Ammo in bulk available for a cheaper price per round. | Ammo are reasonably priced. Ammo in bulk available for a cheaper price per round. Deals and special prices available. |
| Extra accessories | Firearm, Weapon (Rifle, Handgun, Shotgun) parts, Magazines, Reloading Supplies, Gun Accessories, Optics, Survival Gear, Cleaning tools | Reloading Supplies, Gun Accessories |
Lucky Gunner
If you have noticed this brand design before, then you’re on the right track. Moving on, the Lucky Gunner is one of the best websites, selling pistol ammunition. They have various types of ammo with different and popular brands such as the Blazer Brass, Hornady, Remington, Winchester and many more. To be honest, I usually get my own ammo from Lucky Gunner.
Why is Lucky Gunner considered one of the best? It’s mainly because it has great shipping services and customer service. So far, I have received all good ammunition with minimal malfunctioned bullets (maybe 3 to 5 out of a 100). For the shipping price on the other hand, you need to enter the shipping zip code in the website’s calculator (it’s really technology savvy), click the ‘get your quote’ to calculate your shipping price.
The customer service is very helpful and friendly. They’ll answer all your questions (logical or not, might I add) and assist you when you have issues with the ammunition. Besides that, the ammo pricing is rather reasonable. There are discounts and special deals occasionally; they are more frequent during the hunting season.
The best part about this website is that ammunition in bulks are available. It comes in handy if you’re an avid shooter who is a big fan of range training or field practice. Not to mention, getting rounds in bulks are a lot cheaper than buying them in 20 or 50 rounds per box. Moreover, the Lucky Gunner website is easy to navigate with; whatever you need, you can find in a jiffy.
It doesn’t lag as well. Overall, the system is rather updated and works smoothly. Other than ammunition, there are various extra accessories available such as reloading supplies and gun accessories to aid in your weapon’s performance and maintenance. However, you should be aware that the Lucky Gunner website DOESN’T sell the firearm and firearm parts.
Brownells
First and foremost, Brownells is a widely used and popular firearm website since as early as 1939. You can find almost any gun equipment, parts and accessories here (you name it, and it is there). Unlike the Lucky Gunner website that mainly sells ammunition, the Brownells website sells almost everything such as gun parts (that Amazon doesn’t).
Let me list it for you, it sells firearms, weapon (handgun, shotgun, rifle) parts, magazines, ammo, reloading supplies, shooting accessories, gunsmith tools, optics, gun cleaning materials and finally emergency and survival gear. Asides from ammunition (ammo I get from Lucky Gunner), I buy almost every other firearm parts in Brownells. And let me tell you, it doesn’t disappoint.
One of the things I love about Brownells is its great customer return policy. In other words, you get to return the purchased products you that you dislike upon receiving them, without any questions asked. You will either get a new one replaced or a refund. In my opinion, this policy is the one that draws the attention of many shooters which results in the products selling like hot cakes. All in all, Brownell does know how to satisfy the customer!
The customer service on the other hand is excellent, with warm and friendly representatives to assist you in any problems regarding Brownell’s products. Moving on to the shipping, the shipping takes around 3 to 5 days via ground delivery and 5 to 7 working days via standard delivery. The shipping price of course differs, depending on how fast you want the product.
For example, standard shipping costs $7.95 (free for Edge members) meanwhile ground delivery costs $15.95 for up to 200 pounds of items (firearms and their accessories don’t weigh light!). The further shipping details are found in the link in the table above.
In terms of product pricing, the prices are rather affordable. If you have noticed, there is a special column under sales and clearance under the Brownells website. You get to purchase cheap products which you can only dream to get in stores. Specifically for the ammunition, it is available in bulks which comes in handy if you’re an avid shooter as well as gun enthusiast. Getting rounds in bulks are a lot cheaper per round so imagine the total amount of money you’ll be saving.
The website is updated well with good technology. But before all that, you need to login where you are required to create an account for free; mainly as a proof that you’re above 21 years old and to save your address and contact details for convenient purchase the second time. Back to the website performance, it doesn’t lag and is really smooth and straightforward.
That being said, you just need to add the ammo to the cart, input in your zip code and analyze the shipping details and voila, you’re good to go.
Online Restrictions
Ammunition and firearms are no joke, you need to obey the restrictions at your area. For example, you need a FFL license in order to buy a rifle (it’s that strict!). These are the few restrictions in a certain states/countries:
- Alaska unfortunately doesn’t allow the shipping of primers and online ammo purchases.
- Connecticut allows the buying of ammo online, provided you have certain certificates and permits to proceed.
- Washington DC bans purchases of ammo online.
- In the New York, the ammunition must be sent to a special seller or need to have a FFL license. There should be no online purchases in the New York City.
- Hawaii bans buying of ammo online and shipping of primers.
- Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles and a few cities in California bans ammunition or tracers from being sold.
- Illinois requires shooters to obtain a FOID card before purchasing the ammo online.
So it’s rather obvious that before you make a purchase, you need to find out the restriction and law of your state. Don’t fret, there are plenty of states that allows the buying of ammo online, provided you have certified license and permits.
Popular Ammunition Brands
There are a few popular brands that managed to catch my eye over all these years. Those brands are the Remington, Hornady, Winchester, Federal, Blazer Brass and PMC. The Remington Hornady and Winchester brands are slightly expensive while the rest are rather affordable, especially if you buy them in bulks.
However, there are many types of ammunition out there which are divided into the 4 main ones; ammo for the shotgun, rimfire, rifle and handgun. Under all these 4 main weapons, there are many cartridge that branches underneath it. So, you have lots of products to choose from according to your preference.
Popular Ammo Calibers
9mm Luger
The 9mm Luger or also known as the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge is a solid round mainly used for hunting, self-defense and range training. The bullet comes in different weight (measured in grains) and types. The main types include the full metal jacket (FMJ) and jacketed hollow point (JHP). The ammo casing on the other hand is mostly boxer-primed brass which comes in handy to prevent corrosion and to ensure easy reloading.
See the difference between the 9mm vs 10mm ammo.
The main factor that people usually take into account is the recoil. In my opinion, it is better to go for the product with 124 grain bullet weight compared to the 115 grain one that is said to have a more powerful recoil. However, the weapon weight also plays a big role in determining the recoil rate; a 300 lb gun would have a higher recoil than a 200 lb gun.
Fancy the best 9mm ammo? Click here.
10mm Auto
The 10mm ammo, or also referred to as the 10mm Auto is mainly utilized by police agents and FBI officers. It is too powerful (great stopping power) to be used for range training as you don’t need all that power just to puncture a hole in paper targets. The 10mm has deeper penetration therefore making it a handy weapon for self-defense and hunting.
Get your very own 10mm ammo.
The recoil is significantly higher compared to the 9mm ammo, however it also depends on the bullet and weapon weight. In terms of availability, it is not commonly used as much as the 9mm and .45 ACP.
.45 ACP
The ACP abbreviation stands for Automatic Colt Pistol. I’m sure you have heard about this cartridge because it is one of the most sought out cartridges in the market. The good thing about it is that, this ammo has moderate recoil (you can solve the problem by getting an extended eye relief on the scope mounted your firearm).
They usually weigh around 230 grains. Apart from that, you can utilize it for either hunting, self- defense or target practice. In Lucky Gunner, they are available in either 20 or 50 rounds per box or in bulks. Getting in bulks is way cheaper as I have mentioned a millionth time here.
You can check out the best .45 ACP ammunition here.
Final Thoughts
My personal favourite ammunition are the .45 ACP, 10mm and 9mm Luger one. I usually buy them from Lucky Gunner, and they provide excellent performance. Majority of the bullet doesn’t misfire or malfunction, thank God for that!
Now that you got your ammunition covered, you need to bring along your weapon and scope (assists in accurate shots) and voila, you’re good to go on a shooting adventure.