Price Check .223/5.56 Ammo

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sigcurious

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Excluding steel cased stuff, I'm seeing prices of around $360-380/case shipped(~$7/box). Would it be worth waiting a bit to see if a better deal pops up to buy in bulk, or is that price around the usual case price?

I know there's a buying spree going on so I'm not sure a better deal will pop up anytime soon, but I figured I would check since this will be my first bulk .223/5.56 purchase.

Speaking of steel cased though, has anyone used Herters? People talk about the animal brands(wolf, brown and silver bear) but I don't think I've seen any mention of Herters.
 
Herters is tula I believe, just repackedged. That price is about going rate now unfortunately now if u are looking for practice ammo steel is fine as long as ur gun will run it, thats what I use I save the brass cased for serious work.
 
Excluding steel cased stuff, I'm seeing prices of around $360-380/case shipped(~$7/box). Would it be worth waiting a bit to see if a better deal pops up to buy in bulk, or is that price around the usual case price?

it's not really worth it now but 6 months from now it will seem like the greatest thing since sliced bread

I know there's a buying spree going on so I'm not sure a better deal will pop up anytime soon, but I figured I would check since this will be my first bulk .223/5.56 purchase.

it's an election year, democrats are notorious for attempting(and sometimes succeeding) to enact gun and ammo bans. if theres even the slight possibility that a democrat is going to become president(or in the case stay president) then a lot of people buy lots of guns and large stockpiles of ammo, as supply drops and demand rises, so will prices, ammo is going to hit it's all time high by this summer so you had probably better stock up now.

Speaking of steel cased though, has anyone used Herters? People talk about the animal brands(wolf, brown and silver bear) but I don't think I've seen any mention of Herters.

herters is supposedly match grade ammo but a lot(if not all) of it is still steel cased ammo so even though it's a lot more accurate and consequently more expensive than wolf, tula and bear, you are still getting the steel cased crud in your gun.
 
I've shot a number of steel cased offerings in a number of calibers, I also primarily shoot brass cased ammo.

some of the brass may be dirtier than others but the steel is all very dirty stuff. I don't really think that's a misconception; that's an experienced observation.
 
I've fired almost 800 rounds of Herter's 55GR FMJ though my DR200. Runs fine, no issues. It seems very much like Wolf or Brown Bear; maybe a bit more consistent, but very similar

I now mostly use Silver Bear ammo. I've found it just as accurate as Lake City and American Eagle, shoots clean and functions flawlessly.
I got 500 rounds of 55gr HP about 3 weeks ago for $110
 
the steel is all very dirty stuff. I don't really think that's a misconception; that's an experienced observation.
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Really? What kind of ammo are you using? It may be a bit dirtier, but I have never in all the hundreds of rounds of steel cased ammo fired thought it to be "very dirty stuff" I've done a lot of research on steel cased ammo before I started running it through some of my guns and most of the "bad" qualities are pertaining to the older stuff.
 
Thanks for the responses. My primary reason for wanting to go brass over steel, is that I intend to start reloading in the near future(starting with 9mm and .45acp). I figure I might as well build up a stockpile of brass in .223/5.56 for when I get comfortable enough with reloading to start in on that.

I still have about a week, if all the parts arrive when they're supposed to, before my AR comes together, so next week I'll hopefully be putting my first rounds through it with variety of ammo then picking one or two to buy in bulk.
 
Really? What kind of ammo are you using? It may be a bit dirtier, but I have never in all the hundreds of rounds of steel cased ammo fired thought it to be "very dirty stuff" I've done a lot of research on steel cased ammo before I started running it through some of my guns and most of the "bad" qualities are pertaining to the older stuff.
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wolf, tula, brown bear and WWII spam can surplus. with the exception of winchester white box it is all at the bottom of my list for cleanest burning ammo. I have also shot remington, UMC, sellier and bellot, CCI blazer and blazer brass, american eagle, federal champion, black talon, magtech gold, speer lawman, PMC bronze, independence, 3D, BVAC, and a number of twobit reloading brands.

none of it caused nearly as much buildup as tula or brownbear.

OP probably your best options for non-steel, 223 ammo in bulk would be federal or american eagle XM193 ammo. natchesz had the best prices online last time I checked. congrats on your AR build and god bless
 
I figure I might as well build up a stockpile of brass in .223/5.56 for when I get comfortable enough with reloading to start in on that.
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Everytime I go to the range, I pick up more brass than I have fired that day. It's like finding money on the ground. It's gotten to the point I am getting picky and only picking up Lake City, Hornady, and Rem brass.

I second the XM193s. The brass on them are Lake City and are good for bulk reloading.
 
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I now shoot out in the desert, so while there's plenty of stuff laying around, mostly garbage, it's hit or miss what brass you'll find other than your own. Most of the brass I saw last time out that wasn't mine looked to dinged up/stepped on and or corroded for me to consider as a budding novice reloader.

Good to know on the xm193, it was already in the running along with PMC bronze. And well I got eager and just ordered a case of xm193 lol. Now is it Monday yet? The UPS tracker says that's when my lpk and other assorted bits will get here :D
 
I wish! At my local walmart half the shelves in the ammo cabinet were empty when I was there the other day. Although at that price with NV sales tax it would come out to slightly more than I paid including shipping for the case I just ordered. It would be nice to have reasonably price ammo like that available either way though. The LGS near me isn't bad if I needed ammo by the box in a hurry but their prices still leave a lot to be desired.
 
The herters .223 was surprisingly accurate, but I don't live real close to cabellas.
American eagle is some good plinking brass-cased ammo...6$ a box last time I purchased. Hpbt can be had for 10$
 
$159 was the cheapest I saw M855 for online. Not including S&H. Do you have to pay hazmat fees for ammo? I know you do for components.... But laws can and are always so convoluted and dumb... Especially about guns and ammo.
 
While on the subject, has anyone used the Bitterroot Valley stuff they sell at cheaper than dirt?
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I've used BVAC in 9mm. it's not the cleanest or most accurate but it's not bad for plinking and practice ammo
 
sigcurious said:
Excluding steel cased stuff, I'm seeing prices of around $360-380/case shipped(~$7/box). Would it be worth waiting a bit to see if a better deal pops up to buy in bulk, or is that price around the usual case price?

I know there's a buying spree going on so I'm not sure a better deal will pop up anytime soon, but I figured I would check since this will be my first bulk .223/5.56 purchase.

Speaking of steel cased though, has anyone used Herters? People talk about the animal brands(wolf, brown and silver bear) but I don't think I've seen any mention of Herters.
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Go ahead and make your purchase now. I usually shoot around 2k of 5.56 a month, and 1000 round cases have gone from averaging $320 a couple months ago to now running around $360-$370. And it's only gonna go up. People are starting the usually election year non-sense, panic buying and all the garbage that comes with it.

As far as steel cased 5.56 ammo goes, I prefer Brown Bear or Silver Bear, then Wolf. I tried a couple of boxes of Herters, but I had short stroking issues. If you're going to go the steel case route, I'd suggest buying a couple boxes and function testing it in your gun before buying in bulk.
 
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