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Ammo Price Index & Comparison Charts

As of November 11, 2026, the lowest observed in-stock price across 23 tracked calibers is $0.0618 per round (.22 LR), based on 218,570 daily-best price observations from tracked online retailers. How we measure this

Ammo price comparison charts for 23 calibers, updated daily. Each chart shows the 30-day observed cost per round — cheapest, per-product midpoint, and range — from tracked online retailers.

Looking for the per-caliber summary view instead of the full benchmark tables? Visit Ammo Prices by Caliber. For today’s biggest price movers and lowest cost per round, see Today’s Ammo Market.

Search 9mm range ammo by cost per roundAmmo Prices by Caliber

Last updated: Nov 11, 2026 · 23 calibers with data · 10,371 product listings · 218,570 price observations

Market Pulse

Full market index →

Two daily readings taken over the same record of tracked online-retailer prices: one for what ammunition costs, one for how strained the market looks while it costs that. Both describe conditions that have already been observed.

DUMPDaily Unified Market Print
Median price per round by basket caliber, latest published print
9mm$0.9527 retailers
5.56/.223$0.9523 retailers
.45 ACP$0.9819 retailers
.22 LR$0.1516 retailers
.308/7.62$1.9520 retailers

What it shows. The median price per round for each caliber in the index basket on the latest published daily print, Nov 11, 2026, with the number of tracked retailers behind each median. Each median pools every load type in stock, so it moves with the mix of loads the tracked retailers list.

LAFFLive Ammo Fear Factor
48.3/ 100Elevated

What it measures. Three observed signs of a dislocated market, weighted and summed: how far apart tracked retailers’ prices are, whether tracked in-stock counts are thinning, and how choppy the index has been day to day. Higher means more strain, not higher prices — DUMP already reports that.

Spread (40%)
100
In stock (35%)
5
Volatility (25%)
26

The largest contributor right now is the widening price spread between tracked retailers. This describes conditions today, not a forecast.

Spread as of Nov 11, 2026 · availability as of Nov 11, 2026

What these numbers are not. Neither is a forecast, a verdict, or a signal about when to buy. Both are withheld rather than estimated when their inputs fall short: DUMP publishes only when every basket caliber clears its coverage floor, LAFF only when all three of its signals qualify. Full market index breaks down the components; methodology covers how both are built.

23

Calibers Tracked

23

With Price Data

10,371

Product Listings

218,570

Price Observations

—

Falling (6 mo, range ammo)

Composite Price Trend

Median observed cost per round of range / practice (FMJ-class) ammo across 20 tracked calibers, by month. Current composite $0.695/rd. Tracked-retailer, product or range / practice observation coverage, or the set of calibers behind each point, changed across this window, so earlier points are not directly comparable and no change is claimed. Descriptive observation only — not a forecast.

May 26Jun 26Jul 26Aug 26Sep 26Oct 26Last 30 days

Composite = median across tracked calibers of each caliber’s observed range / practice (FMJ-class) median cost per round. A median across every load type would move with the mix of loads the retailers list, so it is not used. Monthly points are frozen archive snapshots; “Last 30 days” is the rolling observed window. Each point requires at least 5 calibers with enough range / practice data; months below that threshold are omitted. A change is claimed only when the same calibers stand behind every point. Calibers indexed under more than one name (e.g. 5.56 NATO and .223 Remington) are counted once. Calibers differ in absolute price, so this reflects central tendency across the tracked set — not any single caliber.

Are Ammo Prices Going Up or Down?

As of November 11, 2026, the per-round cost of IronScout's fixed basket of 5 common calibers (9mm, 5.56/.223, .45 ACP, .22 LR and .308/7.62), held at constant weights across tracked online retailers, was 3.6% higher than one week earlier. The 7-day figure is the change against one week ago and nothing more — one week is movement, not a direction. As of November 2026, no tracked caliber has at least 3 points of trend history with comparable tracked-retailer, product and range / practice observation coverage and a range / practice (FMJ-class) median at every point, so no month-over-month percentage is claimed — a caliber may lack enough history, and when coverage changes (e.g. new retailers are added, or listings move between load classes), a median shift reflects the coverage change rather than price movement. The per-caliber Trend column in the comparison charts shows the observed six-month direction of each caliber’s monthly range / practice median. IronScout reports observed prices only and does not forecast future prices.

Across 22 tracked calibers, 0 had sufficient trend history with comparable coverage to report. The remaining 22 calibers lacked enough history, saw a change in tracked-retailer, product or range / practice observation coverage across the window, or had a month without enough range / practice listings for a median (any of which would distort a percentage), and are not counted here.

Percentages are the observed change in the monthly median cost per round of range / practice (FMJ-class) ammo, from the start to the end of the trend window. A median across every load type would move with the mix of loads the retailers list, so it is not used. Descriptive observation of past data — not a prediction of future prices.

How Much Does Ammo Cost?

As of November 2026, observed in-stock prices at tracked online retailers put cost per round at .22 LR from $0.0618/rd (range-ammo midpoint $0.116/rd), and .308 Winchester from $0.700/rd (range-ammo midpoint $1.11/rd). Premium defensive and match loads run higher than range ammo — each caliber’s page breaks out the range/practice and defensive/premium tiers separately.

Figures are the lowest recently observed price and per-product midpoint from the comparison charts below, before shipping. Full per-caliber breakdowns are in the tables that follow.

Handgun Ammo Price Comparison Chart

CaliberCurrent Low30d LowMidpoint $/rd30d High
9mm Lugerhistory†——$0.682$1.65
.45 ACPhistory$0.350$0.303$0.800$1.91
.380 ACPhistory$0.264$0.243$0.660$1.82
.40 S&Whistory$0.260$0.259$0.620$1.75
10mm Autohistory†——$1.20$2.20
.357 Magnumhistory$0.329$0.329$1.20$2.00
.38 Specialhistory†——$0.658$1.70
.44 Magnumhistory$0.719$0.624$1.33$2.50

Rifle Ammo Price Comparison Chart

CaliberCurrent Low30d LowMidpoint $/rd30d High
5.56 NATOhistory†——$0.799$1.87
.223 Remingtonhistory†——$0.799$1.87
.308 Winchesterhistory$0.700$0.680$1.79$3.05
6.5 Creedmoorhistory†——$1.97$3.05
7.62x39history†——$0.848$2.05
.300 Blackouthistory†——$1.30$2.20
.30-06 Springfieldhistory$1.03$0.850$1.75$3.06
.243 Winchesterhistory$0.944$0.874$1.70$2.80
.270 Winchesterhistory†——$1.80$3.40
.30-30 Winchesterhistory$1.00$0.995$1.49$2.40

Rimfire Ammo Price Comparison Chart

CaliberCurrent Low30d LowMidpoint $/rd30d High
.22 LRhistory$0.0618$0.0594$0.122$0.420
.17 HMRhistory$0.232$0.232$0.327$0.420

Shotgun Ammo Price Comparison Chart

CaliberCurrent Low30d LowMidpoint $/rd30d High
12 Gaugehistory$0.340$0.323$0.841$3.40
20 Gaugehistory$0.360$0.337$0.888$3.26
.410 Borehistory$0.440$0.400$0.860$2.10
About these prices: “Current Low” reflects the lowest observed price in the last 7 days. “30d Low” and “30d High” reflect the full 30-day observation window. “Midpoint $/rd” is the per-product median across all load types; on calibers with a bimodal catalog (cheap range FMJ vs premium defensive), each caliber’s own page breaks the midpoint into separate range/practice and defensive/premium figures. The “Distribution” band plots each caliber’s low–high range (whisker), middle-50% spread (box), midpoint (light tick), and 7-day low (green dot) on a shared per-category scale. On rows marked † the band has no low end and no green dot, because those are the figures under review; the box, midpoint and high are measured normally. “Trend (6mo)” sparklines the direction of the monthly range / practice (FMJ-class) median — green falling, warm rising — and is a descriptive observation, not a forecast. It does not use the midpoint across all load types, which moves with the mix of loads the retailers list. A change percentage is shown only when tracked-retailer, product and range / practice observation counts stay comparable across the window and every point has a range / practice median; otherwise the line is drawn in gray and no percentage is claimed, because the shift would reflect a coverage change rather than price movement. Prices shown here may not appear in search results if the product is no longer in stock or has not been observed recently. † Why some lows are blank: 9 calibers on this page have their low figures withheld pending a data-integrity review. This is not a coverage gap — the product and sample counts on those rows are unchanged. We hold the low because each of these calibers’ lowest observed price sat at or near the floor our ingestion guard enforces, which means the guard, rather than the market, may have set the number. The midpoint and the 30-day high are still shown: both are drawn from the whole month of observations rather than from a single listing, so one bad listing cannot move them the way it moves a lowest-price figure. A caliber’s low returns once the individual observations behind it have been reviewed.

Methodology

IronScout tracks ammunition prices by indexing product listings from tracked online retailers. The Ammo Price Index reports 30-day rolling statistics computed from these observations.

Price calculation: For each caliber, IronScout computes the daily-best (minimum) price per round for each product on each day it was observed in stock. The median, 25th percentile, 75th percentile, and minimum (“30d Low”) are then calculated across all daily-best observations in the trailing 30-day window using SQL PERCENTILE_CONT. The “30d High” reports the 95th percentile rather than the raw maximum, so a single premium or specialty listing does not distort the high end. The “Current Low” column uses a separate 7-day window to show the lowest recently observed price.

Coverage: Only in-stock observations are included. Coverage varies by retailer and data source. The absence of listings does not imply the absence of inventory in the broader market.

Limitations: Prices reflect what was observed at indexed retailers and may not represent the full market. Sale prices, member discounts, and bulk deal pricing may or may not be captured depending on how the retailer presents their catalog. Shipping costs are not included.

Data access: Individual caliber snapshot data is available as JSON per tracked caliber, for example /market-snapshots/30d/9mm.json. See Terms of Service for usage terms.

Monthly Releases

The figures above update daily. Each completed month also has a dated release page with its own URL — cite those rather than this page.

Cite This Data

Media outlets, researchers, and content creators are welcome to reference IronScout's Ammo Price Index with attribution. Suggested citation:

“Ammo Price Index,” IronScout, accessed November 12, 2026. https://www.ironscout.ai/ammo-price-index

For questions about methodology or data partnerships, reach out via our contact page.

Browse by Caliber

9mm Luger.45 ACP.380 ACP.40 S&W10mm Auto.357 Magnum.38 Special.44 Magnum5.56 NATO.223 Remington.308 Winchester6.5 Creedmoor7.62x39.300 Blackout.30-06 Springfield.243 Winchester.270 Winchester.30-30 Winchester.22 LR.17 HMR12 Gauge20 Gauge.410 Bore
View all calibers →

Price Per Round by Caliber

Detailed cost-per-round reports for each caliber — current tiers from cheapest to premium, monthly trend, and where the low was observed.

9mm Luger price per round →.45 ACP price per round →.380 ACP price per round →.40 S&W price per round →10mm Auto price per round →.357 Magnum price per round →.38 Special price per round →.44 Magnum price per round →5.56 NATO price per round →.223 Remington price per round →.308 Winchester price per round →6.5 Creedmoor price per round →7.62x39 price per round →.300 Blackout price per round →.30-06 Springfield price per round →.243 Winchester price per round →.270 Winchester price per round →.30-30 Winchester price per round →.22 LR price per round →.17 HMR price per round →12 Gauge price per round →20 Gauge price per round →.410 Bore price per round →

Ammo Prices by Month

Frozen monthly archives of what ammo cost in past months — median, low, and high cost per round per caliber, locked at month end.

Ammo prices October 2026: 10mm Auto · 12 Gauge · 16 Gauge · .17 HMR · 20 Gauge · 5.56 NATO · .22 LR · .22 WMR · and 32 more calibers

Ammo prices September 2026: 10mm Auto · 12 Gauge · 16 Gauge · .17 HMR · 20 Gauge · 5.56 NATO · .22 LR · .22 WMR · and 28 more calibers

Ammo prices August 2026: 10mm Auto · 12 Gauge · 20 Gauge · 5.56 NATO · .22 LR · .270 Winchester · .30-06 Springfield · .300 Blackout · and 14 more calibers

Ammo prices July 2026: 10mm Auto · 12 Gauge · 16 Gauge · .17 HMR · 20 Gauge · 5.56 NATO · .22 LR · .22 WMR · and 23 more calibers

Ammo prices June 2026: 10mm Auto · 12 Gauge · 16 Gauge · .17 HMR · 20 Gauge · 5.56 NATO · .22 LR · .22 WMR · and 20 more calibers

Ammo prices May 2026: 10mm Auto · 12 Gauge · 16 Gauge · .17 HMR · 20 Gauge · 5.56 NATO · .22 LR · .22 WMR · and 18 more calibers

Ammo prices April 2026: 10mm Auto · 12 Gauge · 16 Gauge · .17 HMR · 20 Gauge · 5.56 NATO · .22 LR · .22 WMR · and 18 more calibers

Ammo prices March 2026: 10mm Auto · 12 Gauge · 16 Gauge · .17 HMR · 20 Gauge · 5.56 NATO · .22 LR · .22 WMR · and 26 more calibers

Related Resources

Ammo shortage 2026: live caliber pricing & trends →Ammo prices by caliber →Bulk ammo pricing →Cheapest calibers to shoot →Why ammo prices keep rising in 2026 →9mm ammo prices in 2026 →How to buy ammo online →FMJ vs hollow point →What does grain mean in ammo? →

Frequently asked questions

How much does ammo cost?
As of November 2026, observed in-stock prices at tracked online retailers put cost per round at .22 LR from $0.0618/rd (range-ammo midpoint $0.116/rd), .308 Winchester from $0.700/rd (range-ammo midpoint $1.11/rd). Premium defensive and match loads run higher than range ammo.
Are ammo prices going up or down?
As of November 11, 2026, the per-round cost of IronScout's fixed basket of 5 common calibers (9mm, 5.56/.223, .45 ACP, .22 LR and .308/7.62), held at constant weights across tracked online retailers, was 3.6% higher than one week earlier. The 7-day figure is the change against one week ago and nothing more — one week is movement, not a direction. As of November 2026, no tracked caliber has at least 3 points of trend history with comparable tracked-retailer, product and range / practice observation coverage and a range / practice (FMJ-class) median at every point, so no month-over-month percentage is claimed — a caliber may lack enough history, and when coverage changes (e.g. new retailers are added, or listings move between load classes), a median shift reflects the coverage change rather than price movement. The per-caliber Trend column in the comparison charts shows the observed six-month direction of each caliber’s monthly range / practice median. IronScout reports observed prices only and does not forecast future prices.
What is the Ammo Price Index?
IronScout's Ammo Price Index tracks cost per round across 23 calibers using 30-day rolling statistics from observed in-stock prices at tracked online retailers. It is updated daily and includes the cheapest price, the per-product midpoint, and the high price for each caliber.
How is cost per round calculated?
Cost per round is calculated by dividing the total price of a box or case of ammunition by the number of rounds it contains. IronScout computes the daily-best (minimum) price per round for each product on each day it was observed in stock, then calculates median and percentile statistics across the 30-day window.
What is the cheapest caliber to shoot?
.22 LR is consistently the cheapest caliber to shoot, with bulk pricing as low as $0.04–0.06 per round. Among centerfire handgun calibers, 9mm is the most affordable at $0.17–0.25/rd for FMJ range ammo. For centerfire rifle, .223 Remington and 7.62x39 offer the lowest cost per round.
How often are ammo prices updated?
The Ammo Price Index is updated daily. IronScout collects observed in-stock prices from tracked online retailers and recomputes 30-day rolling statistics each day. Set up free price alerts to be notified when prices drop on calibers you shoot.
Does the price index include shipping costs?
No. Prices shown are the advertised per-round cost before shipping. Shipping costs vary by retailer, order size, and destination. Many retailers offer free shipping above $99–$150, which typically works out to one case of handgun ammo or one case of rifle ammo.