Intel
Explainers, buying guides and how-tos from Price Dope. New posts as they’re approved.
- Explainers5.56 vs 300 Blackout: cost per round and usesBoth run in an AR-15 with the same bolt and magazines, but they're built for different jobs. Here's how 5.56 NATO and 300 Blackout compare on origins, bullet weight, velocity, suppressors and short barrels, plus cost per round for each.
- Explainers9mm 115 vs 124 vs 147 grain: what changes and what it costsBullet weight changes a 9mm load's velocity, recoil feel, point of impact and whether it's subsonic. Here's what SAAMI and manufacturer data say about 115, 124 and 147 grain, plus live cost per round for each weight.
- ExplainersBuying ammo online: age checks, shipping and state rulesCan you buy ammo online? In most places, yes. Here's how retailers check your age, how ammunition ships, which states add their own rules, and what Price Dope's shipping-restriction notices mean.
- Buying GuidesThe cheapest calibers to shoot, ranked by live cost per roundWhich calibers cost the least to shoot? A live ranking of 22 LR, 9mm, 5.56, 7.62x39, 12 gauge and more by median in-stock cost per round, plus why some calibers have traditionally cost less than others.
- Explainers5.56 NATO vs .223 Remington: what's the difference?They look identical and fit the same magazines, but they're loaded to different standards. Here's what that means for which ammo your rifle can safely fire.
- Buying GuidesBest 9mm range ammo: how to chooseGood practice ammo is ammo your pistol runs reliably, at a cost per round you can keep shooting. Here's what to look at, followed by live prices.
- ExplainersBrass vs steel case ammo: what's the difference?What the case is made of changes how it's primed, whether you can reload it, what your gun's maker recommends, and whether your range will let you shoot it.
- ExplainersBuying a gun online: how FFL transfers workWhy guns bought online ship to a licensed dealer, what happens at pickup, and the federal basics to know before you order.
- ExplainersCost per round, explainedHow to compare a 20-round box with a 1,000-round case, what the number includes, and what it leaves out.
- ExplainersFMJ vs hollow point: what's the difference?How the two bullet types are built, what each is usually used for, and the range and legal rules worth checking before you buy.
- ExplainersHow D.O.P.E. price history worksWhat our price history records, where you'll see it, how the Deals page uses it, and what it can't tell you.
