Your AR is Hungry

But, ARs tend to have a hearty appetite

Standard magazines hold either 20 or 30 rounds. Anyone who plans on shooting more than once or twice a year will need a lot more than that. Fortunately, most AR-15s are chambered in .223 Remington or 5.56x45 NATO. As centerfire cartridges go, both of these are fairly affordable. They also offer a great blend of velocity and value with low recoil, making them popular with many groups of shooters and hunters.

Pro Armory is loaded with both 5.56 and .223 bulk ammo for sale at a great price — to keep your favorite rifle fed and you on the trigger.

Whether you need bulk steel-cased blasting ammo, M855 green tip, M193 on stripper clips, or varmint-vaporizing VMax, Proarmory.com has you covered. Check it out!

Introduction to Bulk .223 Ammo

The .223 Remington is one of the most widely used centerfire cartridges today. This is due largely to the popularity of MSRs and the versatility of the round itself.

Initially built at the request of the U.S. military, the round was designed for a high-speed cartridge used in a new rifle — what would soon become the select-fire M16 and its semi-automatic cousin, the AR-15.

The .223 delivers plenty of speed from quality ammo, with velocity north of 3,000 FPS out of a 20” barrel. Most Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) .223 ammo is velocity-dependent, meaning it needs to exceed 2,600 FPS for optimal terminal effect. Unless you absolutely need the compact size of a barrel less than 16 inches, don't shortchange yourself in terms of barrel length.

Types of .223 Ammo to Buy In Bulk

.223 ammo is available in several bullet options, each designed for different scenarios. The vast majority of .223 is Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) ammo weighing either 55 or 62 grains. If you’re buying .223 ammo in bulk, these weights are what you’ll find most of the time.

There are also other bullet weights offered in .223. Some varmint bullets are as light as 30 grains while high-end precision bullets can weigh 77 grains or even 90. But, most loads over 77 grains exceed the established cartridge overall length (COAL) that permits chambering and operation in MSRs. In other words, the bullet sticks out of the case too far.

Besides FMJ, there are .223 hollow point designs that feature an open tip which expands once it meets a target. Likewise, tipped bullets with a polymer plug in the cavity serve the same purpose.

Frangible .223 ammo looks like FMJ but is designed to disintegrate upon contact with a hard object to prevent overpenetration.

Traditional soft point (SP) bullets are a great choice for reliable expansion and “knock-down” power. Soft points have a copper jacket like FMJs but feature an exposed lead tip that “pushes” back against the rest of the bullet when impacting a target, creating destruction through a massive energy deposit.

Brass Case vs. Steel Case

.When looking for .223 ammo, the case you choose matters (brass-cased or steel-cased).

TMost ammunition is brass-cased, but the more affordable options are steel-cased. Why? Steel is cheaper than brass, which is a huge benefit, but there are drawbacks as well.

The bottom line is that steel-cased .223 is a great option for most shooters, as long as you're okay with cleaning your rifle more often than you would when shooting exclusively brass.