Ammunition
Purpose - Ammunition can be an intimidating subject if you are not knowledgeable in the firearm department. Selecting the right ammunition for your firearms whether for sport or target shooting, hunting (rifle or shotgun), or personal defense (or a good ol' fashion mag dump) is an important decision. Having the proper ammunition is necessary to keeping your firearm safe while having optimal performance.
Application - Target ammunition is much less expensive than defense rounds, which is why some novice and even advanced shooters will choose target ammunition over defense rounds for their carry weapon. Unfortunately, not all ammunition is created equal, and if you ever need to use your weapon for self-defense you may end up in trouble. Target ammunition will not expand or fragment when it hits a target simply because that is not what it is designed to do. Whereas defense rounds are specifically manufactured to create damage to the object or target that it hits. Commonly called hollow-point projectiles, these bullets feature a cavity on the tip of the bullet. When the tip of the bullet expands, it makes it much more likely to stay within the target, keeping it from wounding others in the surrounding area. Target ammunition will not cause the same amount of damage as seen with defense rounds nor will it inflict the same amount of pain to the target you are trying to defend yourself or your family against. A good hunting cartridge has to fit in a rifle that’s comfortable to carry all day and won’t kick you so hard that you can’t shoot it well. If you’re after critters deer-size and up, the field is dominated by .30-caliber, 6.5mm, and 7mm cartridges, with the best long-range options remaining supersonic out to at least 1,400 yards. None of them will turn you into a trained sniper, but if you’ve put in the range time and have the skills to stretch it out, some cartridges have the reach and the thump to put game on the ground from the next canyon over.
Rimfire v Centerfire - The first differentiator is between rimfire and centerfire cartridges. The rimfire's primer is built into the rim while the centerfire cartridge has the primer in the center. Pro tip…if you can see a circle in the middle…it’s a centerfire cartridge. Rimfires are extremely cheap and the .22 LR is the most popular rimfire caliber.
Caliber - It is critical that you use the exact same cartridge that is stamped on the barrel or the receiver of your firearm. Using any other cartridge can result in serious or even fatal injury to you. For example if it says, «.300 Win. Mag.» you must use .300 Win. Mag., NOT .300 Wby. Short Mag. or .300 Rem. Ultra Mag.
Brands - Largely a matter of preference and application, there are factors that differentiate some ammunition manufacturers as premium options. No doubt, certain brands do excel in popularity; Hornady, Federal, Remington and CCI, for example. What many do not know, is that often times different brands purchase / license their products from a common manufacturer!
Materials/Quality - Premium grade ammunition usually carries a premium price, but it is generally well worth the added expense. These loads generally utilize higher-quality components, including the brass, bullets, powders, and primers, and are loaded to strict specifications with tighter quality control tolerances. The result is ammunition that is generally more accurate and consistent from shot to shot. When you consider the amount of money some spend to hunt big game, and that they might only fire a few rounds a year, a few extra dollars spent to buy the best factory ammunition available is a good investment.
Quantity - Once you have established the purpose, application, and determined rimfire / centerfire and caliber for the ammunition you require, then decided on brand and quality, it's time to figure out how much ammunition you require. Ammunition can become extremely hard to locate and purchase, very quickly. Understanding how often you shoot and in what quantity you shoot, creates a basic math scenario. 50-100 rounds is easy to shoot thru in a single session at a gun range. 200-300 rounds can be "a good day at the range". Visiting a gun range, and having a good day, at least once month, it's easy to see how 3,000 rounds a year is very doable. Does this mean you need to purchase thousands of rounds of whatever caliber you commonly shoot? Maybe. Maybe not. Is it possible that the ammo market could dry up quickly, and prevent you from getting to have "a good day at the range?" YES! Knowing what calibers you shoot, how often you shoot, and how many rounds you go thru every time you shoot, tells you what volume of shooting you do across each firearm you shoot on. If you can afford to buy in bulk, and get discounted pricing by purchasing more, while also being able to safely and appropriately store the volume of ammunition you shoot, it could mean the difference between getting to have "a good day at the range", or not.
Restrictions - Lastly is whether or not it is legal to purchase. As with anything related to firearms, online ammunition purchases often have state-specific restrictions. The good news is generally there’s no FFL / FOID proof required to buy ammo in most states – however – you must be 21 years of age to purchase handgun ammunition and at least 18 years of age to purchase rifle ammunition; and yes, some of you know whether or not it is ILLEGAL for you specifically to own and/or purchase firearms-related items.