Recently, readers have inquired whether some ammo brands are better than others. And if so, who are the all-stars? With certainty, not all ammo brands are created equally. Stay tuned and we’ll let you know which ones are the best.
What Is The Use?
The first thing to figure out is what you’re using the ammo for. Asking which ammo is the best is kind of like asking which vehicle is the best. The first thing I’ll inquire about is, what do you want to use it for? Target shooting? Hunting? Self-Defense? Competition? Stockpiling? I’m sure there are other uses that escape my mind at the moment.
Some bullets fulfill a host of functions, so we can get double duty from them. Generally speaking though, we get what we pay for.
Ammo Brands
There are a few manufacturers who stand out above others. Remember when I said we get what we pay for (I just said it, so I hope you do)? That’s not necessarily to say the most expensive ammunition will be the very best. However, if you’re after high quality ammo, it’s going to be on the higher end of the financial spectrum.
Most of us are familiar with some of the higher-end manufacturers. Federal, CCI/Speer, Hornady, Nosler, Remington, and Winchester, among others, are some American companies that produce top notch ammunition. These companies use specially blended powders and other top notch components such as brass, primers, and projectiles. If you want the best quality ammo, these are the ones you should look at.
Let’s break ammunition uses down into a few common categories. In the meantime, we’ll take a look at some of the brands that seem to stand out among them.
Hunting Ammo Brands
If you’re seeking quality hunting ammunition, you’ll pay a premium for it. Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is as this is written. Prior to the Great Ammo Famine of the Covid Era, hunting ammo that cost a dollar a round was considered expensive. Now, that’s considered to cheap (if you can even find it for that price).
Take heart, though, there are some brands that won’t break the bank and are excellent rounds. One offering in 6.5 Creedmoor, which is a popular caliber, is Hornady’s American Whitetail in their 129 grain Interlock rounds. This ammo is spectacularly accurate. I fired a 200-yard group in my Ruger American Predator rifle that measured just over one inch. For hunting ammunition, that is amazing accuracy (approaching that of match-grade). This is one of the reasons why I included Hornady in my list of great ammo makers. As of this writing, the 6.5 Creedmoor American Whitetail sells for $21.99 per box, a stellar price these days.
All of Hornady’s ammunition shoots consistently and performs well on game in the field. They also make hunting ammunition in other calibers, such as .30-30 Winchester 150 grain Round Nose Interlock, which goes for $31.99 per box as I write this. Federal and Barnes also make great .30-30 rounds. Of course, they also cover the bases for the entire gamut of popular hunting calibers. Chances are your favorite caliber is represented.
Target/Training Brands
In this category, we normally don’t spend the most on ammunition since we’ll blow through it in higher quantities. Often, military surplus ammo will do okay in this role unless long range precision is the name of the game.
The nice thing is most quality ammo brands have versions of their ammunition that is economically priced for target shooting and training. They realize people can’t pay a couple dollars per round for an afternoon of target shooting enjoyment.
Similarly, if someone is going to a training school, they can’t afford to blast through hundreds (possibly thousands) of rounds of premium ammunition. PMC makes some decent ammo that’s great for training and target shooting as does Sellier & Bellot and CCI.
Competition Ammo Brands
If you’re into long-range competition, you’ll likely seek out match ammunition. Hornady has match ammo for many calibers, including the 6.5 Creedmoor, and it is supremely accurate.
If shooting closer-range competition, then you don’t need to be as picky with ammo selection. If you’re shooting pistol competition, you can use most full metal jacket rounds from the names mentioned above. I’ve shot competitions with FMJ ammo that I also use in training and it shot just fine, so there’s an overlap in uses there.
Stockpiling
Why stockpile ammunition? So you’ll be prepared for a rainy day. Remember a little bit ago when I talked about the Great Ammo Famine? Chances are it will happen again at some point. You don’t want to find yourself paying an arm and a leg for ammo that you could have purchased at a reasonable price.
Also, let’s say, for some reason, the ammo supply dries up for awhile. Then what? You’ll have to operate with what you have on hand. It’s best to have some extra stashed away, just in case. There’s no better time than the present to store some away.
It really depends on what your intentions are. If you’re stockpiling pistol self-defense rounds, you’ll likely want to store at least some premium ammunition along with some FMJ rounds.
If it’s something like 5.56mm/.223, then I recommend mostly FMJ rounds because you get the most bang for your buck. Incidentally, this is one of the most popular calibers in America and there are some great deals for quality ammo in this caliber.
If you’re stockpiling some hunting calibers, your choices may be fairly limited to premium hunting rounds. Unless, of course, you’re after something like .308 (7.62×51 NATO). Prices vary widely, but there’s plenty of less expensive ammo in this caliber.
Self-Defense/Duty Ammo Brands
For pistol rounds, this is really where the rubber meets the road. With terminal performance in rifle bullets, the velocities are normally so high the construction of the bullet is less important than with pistol rounds. Pistol bullets travel at comparatively lower velocities — where bullet construction becomes very important.
For example, Speer’s Gold Dot 124 grain +P hollow point is in use by over 3,000 law enforcement agencies in the US and abroad. This includes the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection, and a large host of others.
These agencies use it because of its superior terminal ballistics and the fact that it defeats various barriers (set per FBI protocol) while penetrating sufficiently to take a bad guy down. It will pass through specified layers of clothing, wall board, steel, glass, and other obstacles but retains enough energy to penetrate humans trying to kill us.
Ammunition that performs to those levels is not cheap, but it’s well worth the price of admission. Personally, if I’m going to bet my life on carry ammo, it’s going to be ammo like this. Is it cheap? No. Is it worth it? Absolutely!
Federal’s Hydra-Shok is another line of ammo that I really like. It’s been around for a few decades and has undergone some evolutions in its tenure. Currently, it’s one of the top performers for defensive ammunition and I also carry it in some of my pistols. It’s also used by many law enforcement agencies in the United States.
Hornady’s Critical Duty defensive ammunition is another great round with documented performance on the street. As an added benefit, it’s not technically a hollow point since it uses a Flex Tip bullet. Because of that, it can be used in states restricting hollow point ammunition. It also comes in boxes of 25 rounds, whereas most other companies package their rounds in 20-round boxes.
Parting Shots
Not all ammo brands and ammo are created equally. In general, if you want top performance, go with the big names mentioned here. If you’re shopping for defensive ammunition for your carry guns, be especially mindful of the big brands because it absolutely does make a difference. Don’t skimp, spend the money. It’s crucial with handgun ammo performance.
For rifles, especially semi-autos intended for defense, bullet construction is less crucial due to their velocity. Often, surplus-grade ammunition will suffice.
As we’ve discussed here, evaluating what you’ll be using the ammunition for is important so you can buy appropriately. With a little research, making the right decision is easy.
