Best Places To Buy Ammo Online: Your Ultimate Guide

Most things may come and go in life, but the need for more ammo is forever!

In times like these when stock is running low and prices are running high, finding good places to buy online is critical to keeping our magazines full. Here are some of the best places to buy ammo online!

Best Places To Buy Ammo Online

1. Ammunition Depot		Great selection Best prices FREE Shipping	Check Out Store
2. Target Sports USA		Subscription membership discount Free shipping on cases of ammo Great selection	Check Out Store
3. Lucky Gunner		Everything from shotgun to pistol ammo Fair prices Fast shipping	Check Out Store
4. Palmetto State Armory		Great for testing ammo Good selection of defensive loads Fast shipping	Check Out Store
5. Milehigh Shooting		Match grade ammo of every kind Stocks hard to find long range ammo Great customer service	Check Out Store
6. Sportsman’s Guide		Reliable source for odd ammo Spam cans! Club members can pay in installments	Check Out Store
7. Bass Pro/Cabelas		Always has things in stock Wide range of common ammo Easy to use website	Check Out Store

Best Places To Buy Ammo Online

1. Ammunition Depot
2. Target Sports USA
3. Lucky Gunner
4. Palmetto State Armory
5. Milehigh Shooting
6. Sportsman’s Guide
7. Bass Pro/Cabelas

Best Place To Buy Ammo Reviews

Now we’ve had an overview and looked at our list, let us take the time to individually review each store. In this section, we’ll be looking into the store and outlining the pros and cons.

Target Sports USA Review

The stock and selection at Target Sports USA is normally pretty awesome but has been lacking since COVID hit.

That said, what makes me keep ordering from them is their Prime Membership.

Membership gets you two huge things — free shipping on any order and a flat 8% off all ammo.

The price reduction means you’re literally paying wholesale prices on anything you buy, from single boxes to huge cases. 8% might not sound like a ton, but it adds up FAST.

Now granted, I buy a lot more ammo and in a stranger selection than most people, but between the 8% off and free shipping, I saved over $600 in the first two years. 

Prime does cost $95 per year, so really I saved $400. But that still means the membership paid for itself multiple times over and I’m very happy with that.

If you’re in the market to buy a lot of ammo, you should run the math and see if a membership like this will work out for you. If the numbers make sense, I highly recommend it.

The freedom of being about to order anything and not get screwed over in shipping is a huge benefit also.

Target Sports USA Pros and Cons

Bass Pro/Cabela’s Review

So I rolled Bass Pro and Cabela’s into one entry because Bass Pro owns Cabela’s. Since Bass Pro bought them out a few years ago, Cabela’s has been slowly morphing into basically being Bass Pro but with a different name.

In most cases, their inventories are even linked so while you might pay Bass Pro, your box might get filled by Cabela’s.

The good news is that this means they have a HUGE selection and stock of things and even during panics they tend to get a LOT of inventory moving through them.

Both online and in stores, Bass Pro/Cabela’s makes it easy to get what you need even in the worst of times.

The prices aren’t amazing, normally, but some good deals can be had if you look out for them. I’ve never felt like I overpaid at Bass Pro/Cabela’s, but I’ve come close a few times.

Something that I want to point out in their favor is that they were really slow to raise prices during the start of the pandemic. While my LGS was selling bulk 55gr 5.56 NATO for $1 per round Bass Pro/Cabela’s had it for 30 cents per round — the same price they had it for before COVID and the ammo panic.

Prices eventually went up, but it took a long time. Sadly, scalpers made it hard to buy even when they had it.

But hey, they tried and I respect that.

Bass Pro/Cabela’s Pros and Cons

Best Places To Buy Ammo Online – Buyers Guide

These are all brands that I’ve ordered dozens of times. I’ve ordered a lot of ammo from a lot of people, but these are the brands that have always done right by me and that I keep returning to.

They have long-established reputations, they treat you well, their customer service is kicking, and the prices are normally very fair.

Each and everyone on this gets my stamp of approval!

In-Stock Notifications

Before COVID I rarely used in-stock notifications because I didn’t need to. When I needed ammo, I just bought it.

These days… set them up, set them up early, and set them up everywhere you can.

Ammo is going in and out of stock so often that most of the time you might not be able to just pop on a site and buy what you want.

Getting notifications, either by email or by text, will greatly increase your chances of buying the right ammo at a good price before it goes out of stock.

Right now I have over 2 dozen set up across 5 sites. I get maybe 1 notification per day on average. That’s how very much out-of-stock everything is.

Hopefully, by the time you’re reading this the ammo shortage is over and this is just a funny reminder of the dark times!

Subscription Services & Club Memberships

A few of the brands on our list offer a club or subscription service, basically think of it as their version of Amazon Prime.

Some of these work out great, and some don’t. It’s really up to you and how much you buy to tell if something is worth it or not.

Normally, I had memberships with Target Sports USA and Brownells. I used to have one for Sportsman’s Guide a long time ago but I let it fall off.

TSUSA gives you a major discount on ammo with their membership and gives you free shipping on everything. Between the discount and the free shipping, the membership paid for itself 2 or 3 times over every year for me, but I buy a lot of ammo in a lot of flavors because of being a firearm writer.

Brownells Edge is another good program that gives free 2-day shipping (when available) and discounted overnight shipping, plus they wave their FFL processing fee on firearms you buy. Again, for me, this program worked out really well. I often have a critical need for a firearm part and the cheaper overnight shipping is amazing. That on top of the free 2-day shipping makes things a lot easier and cheaper for me in the long run.

I can say that my experience with all three of those programs has been great. The companies have done well by me and I can attest to the value of the programs. 

But they really only make sense for people that can get value out of them.

If you buy a lot of ammo, you might want to look into them and run the numbers for yourself.

Avoiding Scams

Something that has exploded since 2019 and the ammo shortage is the number of scam sites trying to sell ammo.

To be clear, these sites are fake. They are not selling 5.56 NATO for 20 cents per round. They are never going to deliver the ammo they claim they will.

These sites are also everywhere. I’ve seen astroturfing accounts on social media trying to shill for them, I’ve seen ads for them on some well-known firearm websites, and I’ve even gotten direct messages from these fake brands or shills for them over social media.

Many of these sites look very professional and like they are real storefronts, but they aren’t.

Always be suspicious of sites you’ve never heard of. Be VERY suspicious of sites you can’t find reviews of.

There are three easy-to-spot major red flags that all of these sites have in common:

1. The ammo is too cheap.
2. They have everything, or almost everything, in stock — even ammo that no one else has.
3. They only take Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, or crypto as payment. They do not accept major credit cards or debit cards.

The first one is easy to see in the first few seconds. Prices are high right now, this is a universal fact. Nothing is “normal” priced. If you find a site selling ammo for “normal” or lower prices, it’s a scam. 

Everyone is out of stock of major ammo types and brands, no one is keeping perfect inventory right now. Some sites are better than others in that they have access and buying power to get more of the good stuff, but most sites don’t have that kind of weight to throw around.

Some random site you’ve never heard of before that has everything in stock is a scam.

Credit and debit cards offer a HUGE level of buyer protection whenever you buy anything. Some cards are better than others, but they all offer something. Paying for things with a major credit card is the safest way of doing business. Most credit card companies are hyperaggressive when it comes to issuing chargebacks, in even cases of scams.

Zelle, Venmo, and cryptocurrency offer zero protections. Ever. Zelle and Venmo have it in their terms of service that you’re on your own and crypto is literally built around the idea that there is no way to claw it back.

PayPal is slightly different. Most people think PayPal is safe, but it isn’t. While PayPal does normally offer buyer protection, using PayPal for guns, accessories, and ammo is against their terms of service. Once you break their ToS the buyer protections no longer apply.

Paying for scam ammo with PayPal and trying to get your money back will most likely result in PayPal telling you to pound sand and might even get your own account locked.

If you stick with major retailers like the brands I’ve listed here then you’ll always be safe.

If you’re looking to purchase guns online, check out our best online stores list HERE