Don’t have stock of your favorite brand of ammunition and what to buy instead?
I am talking about the best ammunition brand for hunters, target shooters and those who want to protect themselves
Over time, many of us are thinking of stockpiling ammunition.
If you’re looking for another brand because you can’t find your favorite flavor, or you want to get an idea of which brands suck and which don’t, here’s an overview of the best ammunition brands around.
Not having something on this list doesn’t mean it’s not good ammunition, it may mean it’s a little expensive, hard to hold, or you know… maybe it’s bad. Still, there is plenty of good ammunition.
But the best is here.
Ed. Note: This is not a sequence from best to worst — we just feel like typing it. We know you like Hernandez the most, but please be polite in the comments. We also have feelings.
And yes … almost everything is sold out but the stock is slowly declining ..
The best ammunition brand
- Federal premium
Federal premium ammunition has been in one form or another since the 1920’s and they have become one of the leading ammunition manufacturers in that period.
These are so admirable, you’ll almost certainly find federal ammunition on the shelf sold anywhere (assuming panicked buyers didn’t snatch it).
Whatever type of ammunition you are looking for, they are sure to have some options, ranging from cheap bird shot and plinking-grade .22LR to more expensive match-grade centerfire rifle ammunition for you PRS people that do not reload your own.
Gold medal matches are a great option if you really want to hit something far away.
They also have a number of calibers of their own, such as .224 Valkyrie which was all the rage a few years ago and some more mysterious things like the .327 Federal Magnum.
No, it’s not a typo. It’s really a thing that exists and for that stuff.
Apparently, this is another stab at the .357 Magnum Power with a small cartridge, which allows a full six shots on a revolver where the .357 Magnum will drop you with just 5.
Will you rush and buy one? Maybe not, but it’s pretty nice, and I’m betting none of your friends. And don’t worry, Federal and other manufacturers create lots of protective and target loads for it.
Lastly, their American Eagle Line (the red ammunition box on each shelf) is a great budget option that can really run on some of the more expensive things, especially with their 9mm and .45 ACP.
Some federal ammunition that may be in stock:
American Eagle 5.56 55 g XM193
American Eagle 9mm 115 / 124gr
American Eagle 5.56 XM193 (stripper clips)
- CCI
Cascade Cartridges, Inc. dates back to about 1951, when the company was founded by Richard Spear (… from Spear to Vernon Spear’s brother, which we’ll cover later) and Arvid Nelson.
If you haven’t heard of CCI, or at least seen it on store shelves, you’ve probably never bought any ammunition. They are probably the biggest names in Rimfire ammunition, and for good reason.
Their Stinger and Standard Velocity .22LR are two of the most popular rounds on the planet, and you can find them for sale almost everywhere.
Their Mini-Mag .22LR is one of the best of the best, and it’s an industry-standard. For this reason, they are mostly associated with Rimfire ammunition, including .22LR, .22WMR, and .17HMR. As far as the latter goes, their V-Max staff is top notch.
Although they don’t just make great rimfire ammunition. In fact, far from it. CCI actually makes our most favorite handgun practice ammunition line, the blazer brass.
It’s one of the best budget-friendly centerfire munitions on the market, and you know best we’ve shot many, many thousands of rounds of it. For cheap plunking gunpowder that can act as a competition ammunition in a pinch, this is not a bad thing.
Check out some potential in-stock CCI ammunition:
PSI to CCI Blazer Brass (Assorted Calibers)
CCI Blazer Brass (Assorted Calibers) from Lucky Gunner
- Spear
Spear was founded by CCI (and almost every shooting sports and outdoor company on the market) owned by the same parent company, and as I mentioned, was founded by Vernon Spear, the brother of Richard Spear, the founder of CCI.
The idea, at least as I was told, was that CCI would make cartridges and primers and spare bullets. Today, Spear makes lots of bullets, and they’re very popular with reloaders, but they also make some really nice high-resource ammunition.
They are, in fact, one of the leading manufacturers of defensive ammunition in general, and many large police departments and government agencies believe in the spare hollow point above all else.
The Spear LEO is so popular with shooters that they actually have an ammunition called “Lawman” that is specifically designed for duty use.
They also created the ever-popular Gold Dot Line, one of the industry standards for carrying ammunition (I actually loaded them now).
Oh, and just like CCI, they make all their stuff right here in the US. Lewiston, Idaho to be specific.
- Celiar and belt
Celia and Belt, or “S&B” you’ll see it a lot, a Czech manufacturer that has been making ammunition since the days of percussion caps.
They are actually one of the oldest continuously-functioning companies in the world. After Napoleon’s death, they made a lot of percussion caps for the French infantry.
In other words, although the name may be unfamiliar to people outside of Europe, Celiar & Belt is a company that should be aware of.
They make a lot of ammunition, including some really nice match-grade stuff and high-end hunting ammunition. Their Hunting Amor line with SBT gaming bullets is a great choice for hunters looking for extra precision.
They also have 6.5 × 55 and 303 British items in their huge catalog, so if you have an old European gun, especially some kind of Millsarp, they have a good chance of making ammunition for it.
Really, there’s a good chance they’ve been making ammunition for it since the beginning!
- Provi Partizan
Prvi Partizan is another European manufacturer worth knowing. They are another company with a long history, going back to 1928. They are a Serbian company that primarily manufactures ammunition for the Serbian army and national police units.
Today, Provi Partizan ammunition is available worldwide, including at your local sporting goods store.
Believe it or not they are actually the third largest ammunition supplier in the United States, so you should have no problem finding their products.
And if you have, say, a rifle you picked up at a gun show that has been chambered up in something as ridiculous as the 7.65x53mm Argentina, the Provi Partizan has a good chance to round it up.
They’re actually one of the only manufacturers to actually make 8mm labels, so if you have one of those historic guns and you really want to shoot the heinous thing, this is a great place to start looking at Prvi Partizan.
Of course, they also offer some more standards and they are all tough.
Prvi Partizan is one of the most easily available budget plunking options in our area, and I bet you can get your hands on something too. It’s certainly military-grade stuff and it’s far from the quality of the match, but it pushes every time.
Split shot
There are so many great ammunition brands out there and hopefully, now you have a better idea of the ones that are best suited for your personal needs. Whatever your purpose or budget, there are various manufacturers of great ammunition that you can use.
There has never been a better time to buy factory ammunition than this because as shooters we have a lot more quality ammunition than ever before.
I hope that if you are overwhelmed by the abundance of ammunition manufacturers, or want to know what is worth collecting from the store to try, then the next time you look at its walls, you may have a better idea of what your hard-earned cartridge box is. What dollars to spend.
