First gun in gun jail - what ammo to buy?

[JimmyLeu]

I bought my first gun, an S&W M&P Sport II, and it is in gun jail! I am looking at some ammo to buy, my gun shop is offering 500 rounds for $200 for 5.56. Is this a good deal in a local shop, or should I look online? I love supporting local small businesses, but I am also not loaded with cash at the moment. Is there a good place to buy ammo online, while it is legal?

Also, is shooting steel cased ammo bad for range purposes?

I will probably have some more questions as I am just getting into all this. I think I have already caught the bug of wanting another one, and I don't even have it in my hands yet!

Thanks,
Jimmy

[CouchOperator]

Welcome.

Steel case is fine. However, for $300ish you can find a 1000 rd case of brass Wolf Gold online. Thats fine for range use. I do however like to support small shops and dont mind overpaying a little bit every now and again. What part of CA are you from? I would look into a training course or two before you buy another rifle.

[TheHolyLancer]

A 1/9 twist means 55 gr will shoot fine and dandy, so likely wolf gold is the cheapest brass you can shoot. personally i get my bulk ammo from sgammo but also try out ammo grab, they can at times find better deals.

while tula/wolf/etc steel case is the cheapest, they are steel cased which means potentially harder to cycle (they are lower pressure), and they are harder to reload but you won't likely run into this problem as you are starting out.

As for is 500 for $200 good, it wholly depends on the ammo. if you find 77 gr black hills OTM for that price, holy molly buy it asap! if it was 55 gr steel cased tula then that is a ton of overpay. if it was lack city / american eagle 62 grain green tip then that is right around the good price for those. If it was xtac 62 gr green tip then you are overpaying for a bit but acceptable.

[JimmyLeu]

Welcome.

Steel case is fine. However, for $300ish you can find a 1000 rd case of brass Wolf Gold online. Thats fine for range use. I do however like to support small shops and dont mind overpaying a little bit every now and again. What part of CA are you from? I would look into a training course or two before you buy another rifle.

I am in the greater Sacramento region

[HibikiR]

Double check with ranges and their policies on steel cased ammo or steel core ammo.

Since you're in Sacramento you probably shouldn't have the same ammo restrictions as the brushfire-prone regions of the south.

[CouchOperator]

Why would steel case be a problem? I can see steel core on steel targets at outdoor ranges with dead grass, but steel case is a bit of a stretch if a range doesnt allow it

[myk]

Because the ranges can't reload/sell steel ammo; it's about money. Someone told me it's a safety issue too, but I'm inclined to believe it's about the money...

[JimmyLeu]

Double check with ranges and their policies on steel cased ammo or steel core ammo.

Since you're in Sacramento you probably shouldn't have the same ammo restrictions as the brushfire-prone regions of the south.

In the past with friends, I have gone up in the hills, setup my own targets, and shot up there. I think this is legal, but it would probably be a good idea to ask a friend that is a deputy that patrols that area.

[TheHolyLancer]

I have seen this rule in effect mainly in indoor ranges that is afraid of hot steel case starting a fire. but i suspect it is mainly to disallow cheap ammo so you just buy it there.

[TheHolyLancer]

hot brass can't start a fire?

like i said i suspect it was bs. but not my range

[HibikiR]

I have seen this rule in effect mainly in indoor ranges that is afraid of hot steel case starting a fire. but i suspect it is mainly to disallow cheap ammo so you just buy it there.

Many suspect that it's because they can't reuse the steel case to make the ammo you buy there.

[CouchOperator]

Are these gun stores and ranges in one? Most gun stores ive been in dont have the time to sit around and reload ammo

[myk]

No, so they sell it to people that will take the brass and reload it. Makes it a pain in the *** if you have to sort through all of the mess trying to find the steel ones...