Ammo

Choosing the Right Ammunition

Not all ammunition is created equal, and the right choice depends on what you’re doing. Training ammo, defensive ammo, and hunting ammo serve different purposes and are built differently. Using the wrong type won’t just underperform — it can be unsafe or damage your firearm. Here’s a plain-language breakdown of the key distinctions.

FMJ vs. Hollow Point vs. Soft Point

Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) — A lead core encased in a harder metal jacket. FMJ does not expand on impact, which makes it ideal for range training — it’s cheaper, cleaner, and easier on your barrel. It is not recommended for self-defense because it over-penetrates and transfers less energy to the target.

Hollow Point (HP/JHP) — Designed to expand on impact, creating a larger wound channel while limiting over-penetration. The gold standard for self-defense and home defense handgun ammunition. Modern hollow points from Federal HST, Hornady Critical Defense, Speer Gold Dot, and Winchester PDX1 are highly consistent and reliable. Always carry hollow points in your defensive handgun.

Soft Point (SP/JSP) — A partially exposed lead tip that expands on impact but more slowly than a hollow point. Common in hunting rifle ammunition where controlled expansion at distance is important. Good choice for deer and medium game hunting.

Handgun Ammunition Guide

9mm Luger — The most popular handgun caliber in America. Affordable for training, wide selection of defensive loads, and excellent performance from modern hollow points. Our best-selling handgun caliber by a wide margin. Stock up on FMJ for practice and keep quality hollow points loaded for carry.

.45 ACP — The classic American pistol cartridge. Heavier bullet, more felt recoil, typically lower capacity than 9mm. Still a top choice for 1911 shooters and those who prefer a larger caliber for home defense.

.380 ACP — Lighter recoil, smaller package. Popular in subcompact carry pistols. Modern .380 hollow points have improved significantly — Federal HST and Hornady Critical Defense .380 are solid defensive choices.

.38 Special / .357 Magnum — The classic revolver pairing. .38 Special for everyday carry and practice, .357 Magnum for maximum power. Most .357 revolvers chamber both.

10mm — A powerful semi-auto cartridge favored for bear country carry and hunting. Significant recoil but excellent terminal performance at distance.

Rifle Ammunition Guide

5.56 NATO / .223 Remington — The standard AR-15 caliber. Affordable, widely available, and well-suited for varmint hunting, target shooting, and home defense. Not interchangeable in all chambers — 5.56 can be fired in a .223 Wylde or 5.56 chamber, but .223 should be used in .223 SAAMI chambers only.

7.62x39mm — The AK caliber. Hard-hitting at moderate ranges, typically affordable, and effective for deer hunting inside 200 yards. Available in FMJ for training and soft point for hunting.

.308 Winchester / 7.62x51 NATO — The workhorse hunting and precision caliber. Excellent selection of hunting loads for deer, elk, and larger game. Also widely used in semi-auto platforms (AR-10, M1A).

6.5 Creedmoor — Outstanding long-range ballistics with manageable recoil. Excellent for deer and elk hunting to 600+ yards. One of the fastest-growing hunting calibers we stock.

.22 LR — The best training caliber made. Inexpensive, low recoil, and available in bulk packs that make range sessions affordable. Every shooter benefits from regular .22 LR practice.

Shotgun Ammunition Guide

Birdshot — Small pellets for bird hunting and clay target shooting. Not recommended for home defense — insufficient penetration at typical defensive distances.

Buckshot — Larger pellets, with 00 buckshot being the gold standard for home defense. Each shell contains multiple projectiles that each penetrate to defensive depths. 12 gauge 00 buckshot is the most widely recommended defensive shotgun load.

Slugs — A single large projectile for extended range accuracy from a shotgun. Used for deer hunting in slug-only zones and for targets beyond effective buckshot range.

Frequently Asked Questions: Ammunition

What is the difference between FMJ and hollow point ammunition?
Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) bullets have a lead core enclosed in a harder metal jacket that prevents expansion on impact. FMJ is the standard choice for range practice and target shooting because it is less expensive. Hollow point (HP) ammunition has a cavity in the tip that causes the bullet to expand on impact, creating a larger wound channel and reducing over-penetration. Hollow points are the standard recommendation for defensive carry and home defense use. Never carry FMJ for self-defense if hollow points are available.

What is the best self-defense ammunition?
Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot, and Hornady Critical Defense/Critical Duty are the three most widely recommended defensive handgun loads, all backed by extensive law enforcement and independent testing. In 9mm, Federal HST 124gr or 147gr and Speer Gold Dot 124gr are the standard professional recommendations. These loads expand reliably across a wide range of barrier conditions and meet FBI protocol standards for terminal performance.

Does ammunition expire?
Ammunition stored properly (cool, dry, away from solvents and humidity) has an essentially indefinite shelf life — military and government agencies regularly test decades-old stored ammunition and find it reliable. Modern commercial ammunition is manufactured to tighter quality standards than older military surplus. Ammo stored in humid environments or extreme temperature swings may degrade faster, but properly stored ammunition will outlast most shooters’ needs.

How much ammunition should I have on hand?
For defensive purposes, 200–500 rounds of your carry ammunition is a reasonable reserve. For training, most instructors recommend shooting at least 500 rounds to verify a new firearm’s reliability before carrying it. For long-term storage, 1,000+ rounds of your primary caliber provides a meaningful reserve against supply disruptions. The 2020–2022 ammunition shortage demonstrated that availability can drop rapidly during high-demand periods.

What is the cheapest way to buy ammunition?
Buying in bulk (500–1,000 round cases) from retailers like Impact Guns typically produces the lowest per-round cost for most calibers. Steel-cased ammunition (Wolf, Tula, Barnaul) is less expensive than brass-cased but may cause accelerated extractor wear in some firearms. Signing up for in-stock alerts on popular calibers allows buying when prices are lowest. For most common calibers, price per round is lowest on 9mm, .22 LR, 5.56, and 7.62x39.

See Also: 9mm Ammo • .223/5.56 Ammo • .308 Win Ammo • .22 LR Ammo • .45 ACP Ammo