In bullets, you want quality, reliability and value. No one wants to spend a ton of money on ammunition only to find out it causes jams and even damages their firearms. To learn what to look for and how to get the best deals, read the article below.

Top Brands, Top Quality, Top Prices
Today, if you buy Remington, Winchester, Federal, or Hornady ammo, the Big Four makers of modern ammunition, you are going to get well made, precision crafted, high quality ammunition for everyday use. Ammo from these makers will be extremely reliable and highly suitable for survival prep use and SHTF scenarios.
The thing is though you have to expect to pay more for these brands. Sometimes the prices of these ammo brands exceed their practical value. Only you can decide if the extra expense is worth a higher level of reliability, consistency, accuracy, and function.
Second Shelf Ammunition
There are several other lesser noted brands of ammunition that will perform just as well as the top maker products. These include such brands as PMC, UMC (Made by Remington), American Eagle, Speer, CCI, Blazer, PNW Arms, Cor-Bon, MagTech, and DRT. Some of these brands may be hard to find on retail dealers’ shelves or perhaps in limited quantities. Preppers may have to search for these additional ammo choices online or in catalog sources like Sportsman’s Guide or Cheaper Than Dirt or other internet resources. Be prepared to shop around to find these brands and shop for price, too. It is debatable why some of these brands have not reached the pinnacle level of some of the top brands, but I suspect it is because of the maker’s unwillingness to spend big dollars to market them.
Really Cheap is Really Cheap
Well within the last decade or so the ammunition market has become flooded with all kinds of virtually unknown or untested ammo. Some of it may be perfectly fine, but I tend to stay away from it. Much of it is made in foreign countries under suspect quality. Though this ammo may come from old established factories, this neither guarantees quality, reliability nor accuracy.
In the case of much of this ammo, it may be suitable for practice shooting or as a backup to prime ammo choices. Steel cased ammo is not good for most firearm chambers especially rifles such as the AR-15. Brass cases seal to the chamber and release upon firing and extraction. Steel cases do not always do this and have been known for failures to extract. If you rely on super cheap ammo, anticipate possible problems.
Inspection Points
Check the packaging for well made, sturdy, good printed, heavy stock paper board. This implies the maker cares enough to package their products well. I favor ammo that comes out of the packaging box with each cartridge inserted in a divided card honeycomb or a plastic one. This protects the ammo during shipping and storage. This isn’t mandatory, but just a plus. When you inspect the ammo look for sharp pointed bullet tips, no smashed or bent over tips. The brass should look new, fresh and bright. Discolored, scarred, scratched, or dented brass may mean suspect quality. The primers should be sealed.
Buy In Bulk
Try to buy in quantity. If you are buying common cartridges that you shoot a lot you’ll want to keep in storage for a bad, rainy SHTF type day like the .223/5.56, 9mm, or .45 ACP, then shop around for 1000 round case prices. For .223/5.56 use the benchmark of 33.5 cents per round. Any good brand of ammo case priced at $350 or less for 1000 rounds is a fair price these days. Try to buy 9mm for 26 cents a round or around $65 for 250 rounds. The .45 ACP should be bought for about 40 cents a round. These are basic factory loads with standard “ball” bullets and bullet weights. If you are buying special hunting ammunition or some of the new self-defense ammo, then expect to pay much more. Always gauge your needs with your budget. Buy the best ammo you can afford for front line use.

Bullets are expensive; there's no getting around it. If you are going to stock up on ammunition, which we recommend, you'll want to do so in a way that saves you money and provides you with quality supplies. That's why the article above is so important. The money you save buying in bulk versus box-by-box is immense, and that money can be but towards stocking up on other supplies like medical and food bulk. Also, knowing what to look for in the quality of a shell is very important, because a misfire or faulty ammunition could damage your firearm, which really leaves you SOL in terms of hunting and self-defense. Take these lessons seriously and start stocking up today.

This is a great topic and very well-informed article provided by SHTF Blog. Check out their site to read the entire article.