Things have changed drastically in the ammunition industry over the past couple of years, since the start of the ammo apocalypse (when I first wrote this article). Severely inflated prices caused a few newcomers to enter the market, to help drive prices down.
While ammo price may never be what it once was prior, there are some great deals to be had in today’s market, and you don’t even need to buy it in bulk to take advantage.
One of those newcomers is Palmetto State Armory with their AAC ammo lineup. They consistently offer up some of the best prices on ammo of any caliber and have caused quite a stir in the industry. In fact, even their non-AAC ammo is priced to sell.
As of this writing, you can buy 55 grain PMC for right around .42 cents per round, or get their own 55 grain 5.56 NATO for .45 cents per round.
Even better for those of us who like to lob bigger bullets downrange, they’ve got their 75 grain for 55 cents per round. Not too shabby.
To make your life easier, here is an affiliate link that brings you directly to the page where their .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO ammo is sold.
Another change since the time when this article was first published, is that Vista Outdoors (Federal Premium, Speer, CCI, etc.), now also owns Remington.
This change did not help drive ammo prices down all that far from any of those companies, and if you’re looking for cheap bulk .223 ammo then I’d stay away from them because you’d be spending upwards of 1 dollar per round.
Lucky Gunner seems to have quite a large stock of bulk 223 ammo in 500 and 1,000 round lots from several various manufacturers. As of this writing, their .223 and 5.56 seem to hover between 40 and 60 cents per round, with shipping.
Tips for buying cheap bulk 223 ammo online:
The best thing you can do is compare prices on all websites. Opening up multiple tabs and actually comparing prices is the best. I recommend putting the stuff into your cart so you can see what shipping is.
A lot of folks see that the seller works the price out to, say, 60 cents per round, but then the buyer has cart shock when they find out that it costs them 50 bucks to ship.
It’s best to compare prices from various websites with shipping calculated. Some sellers only allow you to do that when you put the cheap bulk 223 ammo in your cart.
There is a lot going on here that you need to be aware of. Not all online ammo retailers offer free shipping. And, just because they might does NOT mean you’re getting the best price.
Free shipping has a psychological effect on the shopper. Because they think they’re getting something for free they’re more inclined to buy. Nothing is ever free, though. The price of the shipping has to be worked into the price of the item.
You may think that an item with free shipping will be cheaper, but it’s not always true. Always check and compare prices to make sure you’re getting the cheapest price possible.
Don’t forget about 5.56:
Let’s not forget that AR-15 rifles (and others) specifically chambered in 5.56 NATO will shoot both 5.56 and .223 Remington.
This gives you a better chance at finding cheaper ammunition. When you’re searching don’t forget to increase your search criteria to include 5.56 NATO in your search to broaden your possibility of finding cheap bulk ammo.
Just remember that different grain weight bullets with different charges may impact differently on target. This will really only matter if you’re shooting longer-distance matches, or hunting at longer distances.
Conclusion:
Buy as much of the cheapest name-brand ammo as you can find that you know for a fact will work in your rifle. If you can do that, you won’t be as affected by the next round of ammo price hikes and shortages.
I hope this short guide has helped you get the cheap bulk 223 Remington ammo that you’re looking for.
