The cheapest calibers to shoot, ranked by live cost per round
Which 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.
If you want more trigger time for the same money, the caliber you shoot matters as much as the deal you find. This guide covers the calibers shooters ask about most, starts with a live ranking of all of them by median in-stock cost per round, explains why some have traditionally cost less to shoot than others, and then shows live, in-stock offers for each one, cheapest per round first.
The short answer
- Rimfire: .22 LR has traditionally been the cheapest way to shoot. It's a simple cartridge made in enormous quantities.
- Handgun: 9mm has typically been the least expensive centerfire handgun caliber to practice with. Its practice ammo has usually cost less than .45 ACP, .40 S&W and .38 Special, and usually less than .380 ACP too.
- Rifle: 5.56 NATO, .223 Remington, 7.62x39, 300 Blackout and .308 Winchester are all in the ranking. Full-size cartridges like .308 use more material per round, which tends to push their price up. Steel-case loads, common in 7.62x39, can bring the cost per round down if your rifle and range allow them.
- Shotgun: 12 gauge and 20 gauge are priced per shell, and the load type (birdshot, buckshot or slugs) matters, so compare like with like.
These are long-running patterns, not guarantees. Prices change often, and a sale or a supply swing can shuffle the order, so check the live ranking below: the live table shows today's medians.
Calibers at a glance
The ranking below puts all 13 calibers in this guide in order of median in-stock cost per round, cheapest first, using the same figure as each caliber page. Calibers without a current median (no in-stock offers with a known round count) go to the bottom. Shotgun gauges are priced per shell and mix every load type, so compare them with each other rather than with rifle or handgun calibers.
Each caliber page shows the lowest and median in-stock cost per round, the number of retailers, and when prices were last checked. For a quick side-by-side of the cheapest in-stock offers in popular calibers, see Deals.
Why some calibers cost less to shoot
Every cartridge is a case, a primer, powder and a bullet. What those parts are made of, how much of each goes in, and how many rounds a factory turns out explain most of the price gap between calibers.
Rimfire is simpler to make
A centerfire cartridge has a separate primer pressed into a pocket in the base of the case. A rimfire cartridge like .22 LR doesn't. Its priming compound is spun into the hollow rim of the case itself, so there's one less component to make and seat. The trade-off is that rimfire cases can't practically be reloaded, and rimfire is limited to low-pressure cartridges. For plinking and practice, that rarely matters, and manufacturers turn out low-cost .22 LR in huge quantities.
Volume keeps popular calibers cheap
Calibers that sell in huge numbers are made in long production runs, which spreads the cost of tooling and setup across far more rounds. 9mm is the clearest example: it has been the world's most popular centerfire handgun cartridge for decades, and U.S. law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have moved back to it. That's a big part of why 9mm practice ammo has typically cost less than .45 ACP, .40 S&W or .38 Special. It's also why a smaller cartridge isn't automatically cheaper: .380 ACP is the smaller of the two, but it has usually cost more per round than 9mm. Sales and supply swings can flip any of these, so check the live ranking above for today's medians.
Bigger cartridges use more material
Ammunition is built from copper, zinc (together, brass), lead, steel, powder and primers. A .308 Winchester round uses more of all of them than a 5.56, and a .45 ACP carries a bigger bullet than a 9mm. More material tends to mean a higher price floor, however many rounds a factory makes.
Case material: brass, steel and aluminum
Brass is the traditional case material and the only common one that's practical to reload. Steel is cheaper than brass, which keeps the per-round price down, and steel-case ammo is common in imported loads, especially 7.62x39. Aluminum-case ammo is also marketed as affordable range ammo. Both steel and aluminum cases are single-use, and some firearm manufacturers advise against steel. Our brass vs steel case guide covers the trade-offs and range rules.
Bullet type and box size
Within one caliber, full metal jacket (FMJ) range ammo generally costs less per round than defensive hollow points. See FMJ vs hollow point. Bulk packs often, but not always, cost less per round than small boxes, which is exactly why comparing by cost per round beats comparing box prices. More in cost per round, explained.
Rimfire
.22 LR runs in a huge range of rifles and handguns, and it has long been the go-to for shooting a lot for little. The ranking above shows how its median compares today. Browse every rimfire caliber on the rimfire ammo page.
22 LR
Handgun calibers
If you already own a handgun, your caliber is decided, and the useful question is how to shoot it for less. If you're choosing, cost to practice is worth weighing alongside fit, recoil and capacity. Browse them all on the handgun ammo page.
9mm
Long the usual benchmark for affordable centerfire practice; the ranking above shows where it sits today. For choosing a load, see best 9mm range ammo.
.380 ACP
Popular in small carry pistols. It's the smaller cartridge, but compare it with 9mm in the ranking above before assuming either one is cheaper.
.38 Special
A long-running revolver favorite, and a common choice for practice in revolvers chambered for it.
.40 S&W
.45 ACP
Rifle calibers
Browse every rifle caliber on the rifle ammo page.
5.56 NATO and .223 Remington
They look the same from the outside, but they're listed separately for a reason. SAAMI says .223 Remington is safe in a rifle with a military-specification 5.56 chamber, and it lists 5.56 NATO in a .223 Remington chamber as an unsafe combination. Buy what your barrel is marked for. Details in .223 vs 5.56.
7.62x39
Budget 7.62x39 is often steel case, and many steel-case loads use bimetal (steel-jacketed) bullets, which some ranges don't allow. Try the magnet test before you buy a case of it.
300 Blackout
It was designed to run in an AR-15-pattern rifle with only a barrel change, using standard 5.56 bolts and magazines. If you're weighing the two and cost matters most, compare this table with the 5.56 table above.
.308 Winchester
Shotgun gauges
Shotgun ammo is priced per shell. A box of target birdshot and a box of slugs are very different products, so compare within one kind of load and one shell length. The tables below mix all load types, so use the caliber page filters to narrow them down. Browse every gauge on the shotgun ammo page.
12 gauge
20 gauge
How to compare fairly
A low number only helps if the ammo suits your firearm and your purpose. A few habits keep the comparison honest:
- Compare like with like. Same caliber, similar bullet weight and type, and a case material your firearm's manufacturer approves.
- Add shipping at checkout. Cost per round uses the listed price. Divide the delivered total by the round count to compare two retailers fairly.
- Check the "last checked" time. Ammo prices and stock change often. Every offer on Price Dope shows when it was last checked.
- Look at the price history. Product pages show D.O.P.E. price history, so you can tell a real drop from a normal price. See how D.O.P.E. price history works.
- Check your range's rules. Some ranges ban steel-case ammo or bullets that stick to a magnet.
Here's what a gap in cost per round means over a range trip. Example math only, not current prices: 200 rounds at $0.30 a round is $60, and at $0.50 a round it's $100. Plug in any listing:
Sources
- American Rifleman (NRA), What you should know about .22 rimfire (rimfire priming spun into the rim, cases can't be reloaded, pressure limits, low-cost .22 LR made in huge quantities).
- American Rifleman (NRA), Back to basics: primers (rimfire priming inside the rim instead of a separate primer; Boxer vs Berdan primers).
- National Institute of Justice, Primer manufacture (archived firearms examiner training; rimfire priming is integral with the case).
- American Rifleman (NRA), Making ammo: a behind-the-scenes look (copper, steel, lead and brass as raw materials in ammunition manufacturing).
- NRA Shooting Sports USA, Cartridge case materials explained (steel is cheaper than brass and keeps the per-round price down; steel common in imported loads; aluminum as budget single-use cases; brass reloadability).
- American Handgunner, The rise and fall and rise of the 9mm Luger cartridge (9mm as the world's most popular centerfire handgun cartridge; FBI adoption).
- Handguns, Five reasons the 9mm dominates the self-defense market (9mm practice ammo typically cheaper than .45 ACP, .40 S&W and .38 Special, and usually cheaper than .380 ACP; law enforcement returning to 9mm).
- Firearms News, The history of the 300 AAC Blackout cartridge (designed for the AR-15 with only a barrel change; uses standard 5.56 bolts and magazines).
- SAAMI, Frequently asked questions (.223 Remington and 5.56 NATO interchangeability).
- Wolf Performance Ammunition, Steel cased ammo (steel-case loads with bimetal jackets in published specs).
Cheapest calibers FAQ
What is the cheapest ammo caliber to shoot?
.22 LR has traditionally been the cheapest caliber to shoot. It's a simple rimfire cartridge that manufacturers make in enormous quantities. Among centerfire handgun calibers, 9mm has typically been the least expensive to practice with. Prices move and sales can shuffle the order, so check the live ranking at the top of this guide: the live table shows today's medians. Each caliber page lists current in-stock offers by cost per round.
What are the cheapest ammo calibers for a handgun?
Traditionally, 9mm practice ammo has cost less than .45 ACP, .40 S&W and .38 Special, and usually less than .380 ACP too, even though .380 is the smaller cartridge. If you're open to rimfire, a .22 LR pistol has generally cost less still to shoot. That's the long-run pattern, not a guarantee, and sales can change the order: the live ranking in this guide shows today's medians.
Is there an ammo cost comparison chart by caliber?
Yes. The live ranking at the top of this guide compares 13 calibers by median in-stock cost per round, and each Price Dope caliber page works as a live chart for one caliber. It shows the lowest and median in-stock cost per round, how many offers are in stock, how many retailers are covered and when prices were last checked. The Deals page shows the cheapest in-stock offers per round for popular calibers side by side.
What are the cheapest types of ammo?
Within any caliber, full metal jacket (FMJ) range ammo usually costs less than defensive hollow points, steel- and aluminum-case loads usually cost less than brass, and bulk packs often, though not always, cost less per round than small boxes. Those are general patterns; the live offer tables for each caliber show today's prices. Check your firearm manufacturer's guidance and your range's rules before buying steel-case or bimetal-jacketed ammo.
Why do some calibers cost more than others?
Mostly materials and volume. Bigger cartridges use more brass, lead, copper and powder. Calibers made in huge quantities, like .22 LR and 9mm, spread production costs over far more rounds, which is a big reason they've traditionally been among the cheapest to shoot. Rimfire cartridges are also simpler to build, because the priming compound sits inside the rim instead of in a separate primer.
Does cost per round include shipping and tax?
No. On Price Dope, cost per round is the listed price divided by the number of rounds. Shipping, taxes, fees and coupons are set by the retailer and may not be included, so check the final price at checkout.
Prices shown come from connected retailers' latest checks and change often. Price Dope doesn't sell anything and may earn a commission from retailer links. Disclosure · How we collect prices · Editorial standards
