Grabagun’s Ammo Guide Part 3: The Best Rifle Ammo
One of the oldest and most versatile categories of firearms, rifles have been around for centuries and have many different applications. For activities like hunting, plinking, shooting targets, shooting long-range, or shooting competitions, rifles, as well as rifle ammo, provide the range and accuracy you need.
As with every category of firearms, there are lots of different choices of ammo for rifles. There are different calibers, brands, and types of rounds that are better suited for different types of shooting. Some of the top brands we’ll be looking at include Sig Sauer ammo, Winchester ammo, Remington ammo, Federal ammo, and CCI ammo. Additionally, there are several different types of bullets that can be purchased, each with a different application in mind. These are the main categories that we’ll cover today:
Common Rifle Ammo Types
• Full Metal Jacket (FMJ ammo) – A lead bullet that’s fully encased in a copper jacket. They can be round or flat-nosed depending on the caliber, and they’re typically used in target and range shooting. They punch a clean hole through a target and are not recommended for defense purposes, as they can continue to travel out of an exit wound.
• Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP ammo) – A lead bullet with a hollowed-out point and a jacket on part of the body of the bullet. This jacket helps keep the bullet together and maintains good velocity and trajectory while in flight. The hollowed point of the bullet allows it to expand and stop once it hits a target, making it a great choice for self-defense and hunting applications.
• Boat Tail Ammo (BT) – These rounds have feature a bullet with a tapered base that looks similar to the shape of a boat. This tapering allows the bullet to fly with more accuracy and stability.
Now that we’ve gotten that context out of the way, we’ll look at some of our most popular rifle ammo. While this doesn’t cover every conceivable caliber, we have tried to cover some of the most popular ones. These options deliver quality performance at a reasonable price, allowing you to hit your mark over and over.
22LR Ammo
Despite being the smallest caliber on our list, the .22lr round is still wildly popular among shooters. It’s a great round for plinking, target practice, and hunting small pests like birds, snakes, and squirrels. It’s incredibly lightweight and easy to use, delivering low recoil in pistols and rifles alike. It also is one of the most affordable rounds out there, making it easy to stock up. Some of our favorite 22lr ammo choices include:
Remington Thunderbolt Brass .22 LR 40 Grain 500 Rounds Round Nose
A great round that you can stock up on, this Remington Thunderbolt .22lr ammo makes it easy to plink or hunt small game. With each box containing 500 rounds of the 40-grain round-nose lead Remington ammo, you’ll never need to worry about how much you’re shooting!
CCI Mini Mag .22LR 36 Grain Copper-Plated Hollow Points
If you’re looking for a .22LR round that’s specifically meant for hunting, this CCI Mini Mag ammo is right for you! These copper-plated CCI ammo hollow points deliver high muzzle velocity and the ballistic performance necessary to take out smaller varmints with ease.
.223 / 5.56 Ammo
Another extremely popular ammo with a variety of uses, .223 Remington / 5.56 NATO ammo is the common caliber used in AR15s and comparable modern sporting rifles. For those that don’t know, the 5.56 is a higher-pressure version of .223, which is why it’s the standard NATO round for the category. Therefore, any rifle that can handle 5.56 can handle .223, but never the other way around. Some of the applications of this category include plinking, target shooting, competition shooting, and hunting smaller game/varmints up to the size of hogs. A few of our recommendations for these calibers include:
PMC Ammunition X-TAC Brass 5.56 NATO 55-Grain FMJBT
For those that want to shoot for fun or a competition, PMC ammo is a great choice! These rounds of 55-grain 5.56 ammo deliver precise accuracy thanks to their aerodynamic boat-tail FMJ design. They’re reasonably priced rounds you can count on.
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Winchester USA White Box Brass 5.56 NATO FMJ 150 Rounds
A great option for those that want to stock up on quality 5.56 NATO ammo, this box of Winchester White Box is a great choice. Each box contains 150 rounds of quality Winchester ammo so you can focus more on hitting the target and less on how many rounds you’re putting down range.
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PMC Bronze Brass .223 Rem 55-Grain FMJBT
For those that have a rifle chambered in .223 Rem exclusively, this PMC ammo is a great choice for precision shooting. With a moderate price point and excellent performance, each box has 20 rounds of 55-grain full metal jacket boat-tail rounds which will always hit your mark.
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300 Blackout Ammo
Another caliber that’s popular in tactical shooting, target shooting, and some hunting, 300 blackout was created with the specific purpose of being a subsonic round, it’s easily paired with a suppressor for a quieter shooting experience. While there are 300 blk rounds that aren’t subsonic, we’re going to stay focused on the subsonic ones. Our top recommendation for this caliber is:
Sig Sauer Elite Performance .300 Blackout 220 Grain OTM Subsonic Rounds
If you’re looking for 300 blackout rounds that deliver competition-level performance, look no further than this Sig Sauer ammo. Each round features a 220 grain open tip match-grade projectile with a muzzle velocity of 1000 fps, making them easily-suppressed subsonic rounds. They’ll shoot with the precision you need, round after round.
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6.5 Creedmoor Ammo
Used primarily for distance shooting, 6.5 Creedmoor provides excellent power and range. It can hit a target with an excellent level of precision even when that target is upwards of 1,000 yards out. Because of its accuracy and ballistic performance, it can also be utilized for hunting medium and some large game. Our top recommendations for this caliber include:
Winchester White Box Ammo 6.5 Creedmoor 20-round 125 Grain Open Tip Range
For those looking to shoot targets or do distance shooting, these Winchester White Box 6.5 Creedmoor rounds will provide you with the performance you need! This Winchester ammo is open tip rounds meant for range use, delivering the precision and accuracy you need to hit your mark.
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Hornady Precision Hunter Brass 6.5 Creedmoor 143 Grain ELD-X
If you want to hunt with your 6.5 Creedmoor rifle, these Hornady Precision Hunter rounds from will provide the performance you need. This Hornady ammo features 143 grain ELD-X (extra low drag expanding) rounds, which are designed to perform ike a hollow point. They make it to the target and then expand, taking down game with ease.
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308 Winchester Ammo
Likely the most popular hunting round in North America, we turn to the 308 Winchester. This round delivers excellent ballistic performance that makes it capable of taking out larger game like bear, moose, and elk. It can also be fun to use for target practice due to its power and speed. Some of our recommendations for this caliber include:
PMC AMMUNITION BRONZE .308 Win 147 Grain FMJBT
This boat-tail FMJ round in 308 Winchester is a great choice for target practice and time at the range. Each round delivers premium performance at an affordable price with the consistency and accuracy that you demand. Get these rounds of PMC ammo and shoot with confidence today.
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Hornady American Whitetail Brass .308 Win 150 Grain Interlock Spire Point
A great choice for hunting, these rounds of Hornady ammo deliver the performance and design necessary to take down game. They’re 150-grain rounds with a unique interlocking spire point, which helps the bullet stay together and maintain its speed and trajectory until it makes it to the target.
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7.62×51 Ammo
The most powerful caliber on this list, 7.62 ammo delivers exceptional performance and range. Similar to the .308 Winchester, this rifle ammo can easily be used for long range shooting and can also be used for big game hunting. With muzzle velocity and muzzle energy upwards of 2,500 fps and 2,500 ft lbs respectively, it delivers high-power performance. A few of our picks of 7.62×51 ammo include:
MagTech First Defense Tactical 7.62×51 147 Grain FMJ
If you’re looking for quality performance in a target round, look no further than this MagTech ammo. The First Defense Tactical line is manufactured with top-quality components to ensure it meets the most stringent military and law enforcement requirements. Each box of 7.62 ammo 147-grain full metal jacket rounds delivers high-quality performance you can trust.
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Winchester Match 7.62×51 175 Grain BTHP
A great option for quality bulk ammo, this Winchester white box FMJ 45 ACP ammo contains 100 rounds while remaining affordable in price. It’s great for when you want to stock up on more ammo and have extended time at the range to practice. The bullets are 230 grain and the casings are brass for a traditional look and feel. These deliver performance you can trust.
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As we’ve seen here, picking the right rifle ammo for your gun and shooting application can be a bit of a challenge. With that in mind, we hope the ammo picks we covered were able to help make the process of buying rifle ammo a little easier!
if you missed them, check out our shotgun ammo guide and handgun ammo guide to learn more about the best types of ammo available for your firearms! Visit us today at GrabAGun to browse our full selection of ammo as well as our guns for sale!
-Matthew Cornell