5.56x45 Ammo For Sale
Overview of 5.56x45 Ammo
Eugene Stoner developed the 5.56 NATO in the 1950s for the AR-15 platform, officially adopted by the U.S. Military in 1963 as the standard infantry cartridge. Its lightweight, high-velocity rounds allowed soldiers to carry more ammo without sacrificing effective range or accuracy.
Today, it's one of the most popular cartridges because of its low recoil, cost, and excellent accuracy, even in the hands of a relatively new shooter.
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union developed their own lightweight intermediate cartridge in response to the 5.56 NATO. The 5.45x39mm was designed with similar goals in mind: reduced recoil, higher capacity, and improved accuracy.
What are the most popular 5.56x45 brands you sell?
You can filter our entire selection using the left sidebar to see which brands we currently have in-stock and available using the Manufacturers filter. You can also filter by attributes such as Bullet Type, Bullet Weight, Casing Type, and Primer Type to find what you need.
Popular 5.56x45 Ammo Options
Best 5.56x45 Ammo for Specific Uses
| Use Case | Details |
|---|---|
| Best 5.56 Ammo For Home Defense | Best Overall: Black Hills 5.56x45 62 Grain Dual Performance. Runner-Up: Hornady Black 5.56 62 Grain. |
| Best 5.56 Coyote Ammo | Best Overall: Hornady Superformance Varmint 53 Grain V-MAX. Runner-up: Hornady Superformance 55 Grain CX. |
For range training and high-volume plinking, Winchester USA 5.56 (commonly called "White Box") offers dependable performance at a budget-friendly price. This brass-cased training ammunition has earned a reputation for reliability and reasonable accuracy, making it a go-to choice for AR-15 owners who shoot regularly. Read our Winchester 5.56 White Box review for detailed testing results and performance data from the range.
You can also check out our in-depth look at 5.56 NATO ballistics from all of the popular ammo manufacturers if you're in search of ballistics data for your favorite factory 5.56 NATO load.
For more details on choosing the best grain for 5.56 ammunition based on your shooting needs, check out our comprehensive guide to help you select the ideal bullet weight for your 5.56 rifle.
How Does The 5.56 Compare To Other Calibers?
| 5.56 vs. | Recoil | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 223 Remington | Nearly identical | 223 can be fired in 5.56 chambers (not vice versa), slightly higher pressure for better performance | 5.56 ammo is sometimes slightly more expensive |
| 277 Fury | 5.56 has less | 5.56 has less recoil, cheaper ammo, and better availability | 5.56 has less stopping power and shorter effective range |
| 300 Blackout | 5.56 has less | 5.56 has flatter trajectory, higher velocity, and less expensive ammo | 5.56 has less stopping power at close range and isn't suppressor-optimized |
| 308 Winchester | 5.56 has less | 5.56 has less recoil, cheaper ammo, lighter rifles, and higher capacity | 5.56 has less stopping power and shorter effective range |
| 30-06 Springfield | 5.56 has significantly less | 5.56 has minimal recoil, lighter rifles, cheaper ammo, and higher capacity | 5.56 has substantially less stopping power and limited hunting effectiveness on large game |
| 30 Carbine | 5.56 has slightly more | 5.56 has better ballistics, flatter trajectory, and more modern bullet designs | 5.56 has slightly more recoil and more expensive ammo |
| 350 Legend | 5.56 has less | 5.56 has less recoil, flatter trajectory, and better long-range accuracy | 5.56 has less stopping power for deer hunting |
| 458 SOCOM | 5.56 has significantly less | 5.56 has less recoil, flatter trajectory, cheaper ammo, and better availability | 5.56 has less stopping power and limited effectiveness on large game |
| 50 Beowulf | 5.56 has significantly less | 5.56 has minimal recoil, flatter trajectory, cheaper ammo, and better availability | 5.56 has substantially less stopping power and poor performance on large game |
| 5.45x39 | Nearly identical | 5.56 has better availability in the US and more bullet variety | 5.56 ammo is generally more expensive |
| 5.7x28 | 5.56 has more | 5.56 has significantly more stopping power and better effective range | 5.56 has more recoil and requires larger rifle platforms |
| 6mm ARC | 5.56 has less | 5.56 has less recoil, cheaper ammo, longer barrel life, and better availability | 5.56 has steeper trajectory, less stopping power, and worse long-range performance beyond 300 yards |
| 6.5 Grendel | 5.56 has less | 5.56 has less recoil, cheaper ammo, and better availability | 5.56 has steeper trajectory, less stopping power, and worse performance for medium game hunting |
| 6.8 SPC | 5.56 has less | 5.56 has less recoil, cheaper ammo, and better availability | 5.56 has steeper trajectory and less stopping power |
| 7.62x39 | 5.56 has less | 5.56 has flatter trajectory, better long-range accuracy, and more available ammo types | 5.56 has less stopping power at close range |
| 9mm | 5.56 has more | 5.56 has much higher velocity, better range, and superior ballistics | 5.56 has more recoil, more expensive ammo, and requires rifle platforms |
Customer Reviews
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Echelon 9 mm said:
Very pleased with this ammo that I bought It looks to be well put together every round shot as it should I didn't have any jamming issues everything fed the way it should Good ammo I'll be buying it again.
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DAVID said:
Excellent service from when I placed my order to when I received it. I'll be ordering here from now on.
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Roge said:
Amazing price For Some ammo!!! Without a doubt in my mind!!
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Aaron M said:
Hornady it great ammo.
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Voltron said:
Good product, great price, packaged well, arrived on time, shoots well, will purchase again Works fine in my suppressed DDM4 V7
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Jimmy Crack Corn said:
Seemed good once I had ar sighted in red dot at 40yds. New ar prolly like 20rds (mostly newbie errors well say). once zeroed blew throught 200rds no hiccups n could rapid fire on target well unless bullet accounted for my terrible aim?
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Mike said:
Best prices came within a few days of ordering. Very happy, would recommend and use again and again.
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Michael said:
The price is one of lowest price per bullet I've found. The quality and performance are great. I've shot over 200 rounds of these and not a single misfire or dud. You can't go wrong with these for your AR
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Eric said:
I bought the PMC 55.6 ammo and I have had issues every time I am at the range with at least 1 to 3 misfires per 30 round clip. I am shooting with a BCM 16 inch Rifle that was just bought a few months ago and only has about 200 rounds through it. I took it apart and cleaned the rifle and still have misfires and have used multiple different clips.
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Hamb0ne10 said:
Never had a problem with pmc ammo.
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J said:
Quality ammunition
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Josh said:
Had two days of rifle training scheduled with a paid group. Both training classes cost around $1,000 for both days so the issue is when you pay for training you need ammo that will perform so that way you don't have to worry about missing out on what you've already paid for and this ammo did that! Not one misfire out of every round of the thousand purchased. Nice to be able to still find quality products out here.
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Kyle said:
I've used about 200 rounds and it works flawlessly.
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Just a guy ~ said:
This is my favorite 5.56 cartridge, hands down. Every component is top quality & PMC doesn’t cut corners. I’ve shot them all and this is the most accurate & reliable 5.56 factory cartridge. I prefer the 193 - wish it was 62 or 69 grains… The brass is excellent & should absolutely be kept for reloads (I safely get 3 reloads per). A small shop by me sells it for $8.99 a box in 2023… That’s a steal. Have fun & remember that firearms safety is 100% on us.
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Ron said:
I like PMC Ammo the 5.56X45mmNato is what I shoot. Great for range, self protection, The reason I purchased this ammo is because of who makes this.
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Kenneth said:
couldnt find ammo locally so i checked the net fully expecting 2-3 wks for delivery. ordered early on a saturday morning. was on my door step monday. impressive
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txweld said:
All good
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Runner said:
PMC is a very reliable ammunition , I would not hesitate to use if for self defense. It shot well and now that I have shot it and used it all, I`ll need to order more. BTW , I use PMC in my handgun for home protection and it is as good as it gets and the 5.56x45 is as great .
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MM said:
I shot about 200 rounds through my brand new SIG716. The very first 3-4 rounds wouldn't feed perfectly, but I attribute this to the brand spanking new equipment. After that, rifle and ammo performed flawlessly. Not a single issue with feeding, cycling, firing, etc. At 150 yards, I had all shots within about 2-3 inches using a cheap scope and no rest. Great product and especially GREAT SERVICE! Thank you guys!!!
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D said:
Great customer service, placed the order last friday fully expecting not to get the order with all that is going on, you won't find a better company to deal with, as for the Ammo, top notch perfect for my use.
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CowwFace said:
I got this for taking to the range, went through about 100 rounds and zero duds. works perfectly in 2 AR's. We were using Red-Dot scopes, and hit what we were aiming at about 100 yrds away. I would highly recommend this ammo.
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Shad said:
Great Ammo; Pricey
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J bone said:
Same ammo as all the rest, most I've ever paid .
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Steve said:
Perfect results
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Kevin said:
Came fast and cheap. Buy bulk and plant freedom seeds.
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Brink said:
All good.
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Brian said:
There great for price
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Brian said:
Worked as described.
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Christopher M said:
Great price, solid performance, and Ammo.com has great customer service.
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Justis said:
I've used Winchester rounds in other calibers and never been disappointed by them, and I can say the same for these 5.56 rounds. Excellent training rounds, good pricing, and I've had no issues with the first 450 rounds I've used so far.
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D. said:
Was very happy with proformance of Winchester 556.no jams with 2 ARs.will be making another purchase very soon.Thanx much AMMO.you have great sales.
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Jacob said:
The rounds were dirty, with some having excess powder or some kind of processing oil/grease on them. A few boxes had 18/19 rounds in them. Worked well in my rifle after 500 rounds so far and were a good price.
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B.S said:
Shot 250 rounds , no isues.
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Jona snow said:
Great rounds , not one miss fire
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kevinjc73 said:
I have a Ruger AR556 in which Ive shot 200 rounds of Winchester 193 556 with no problems accurate at 50, 100 and 200 yards
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CDH said:
Shipped quickly Haven't had a chance to send some down range. But sure they'll be fine
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Jim said:
None
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Joe said:
Really good on the range. haven't had a problem yet
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Chris said:
Arrived pretty quick, packaged up pretty good, I haven't opened them to use any yet just stocking ammo.
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Joey said:
No issues!
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Jack said:
I have always put M193 as offensive/defensive ammo, which is why I purchased it in the first place. I tested 80 rounds at 25, 50, 100, and 300 yards with a Sig M400, it was dead on accurate.
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Mike O said:
Shot this on my high end Geissele rifle and very, very happy with it ... target practice
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jerry said:
great ammo
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Karl said:
For the price I'd say a good purchase. Out of 200 rounds maybe around 15-20 rounds that I'd assume had bad primers and didn't fire.
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BWalter82 said:
This ammo is clean firing, accurate to 2 moa, and I never had a problem in any of my rifles; probably the "best bang" for the buck out there!