9mm ammo is one of the most loved calibers in the US, and now that the ammo run has subsided a bit, it might just be time to start stacking those shells again. A lot of shooters don’t know that you can order ammo online and have it shipped to you directly, cutting out a significant portion of the cost and margin that you pay when shopping for ammo in retail environments.
But new shooters and those just new to online ammo shopping might be wondering which are the best, most reputable stores to buy 9mm ammo from? We’ve done the legwork and have filtered out all of the scams and the companies that don’t bother keeping customer service and quality products at the forefront of their operations. What we were left with are the best places to get your 9mm rounds from, at the best prices, no matter what you need them for.
Best Places To Buy Cheap 9mm Ammo Online
PSA (Palmetto State Armory)
If you’re looking for rifles, rifle accessories, or ammo on a budget, Palmetto State Armory is a favorite for a reason. There are definitely customers that have experienced longer shipping times on occasion, but generally speaking, they are on top of their orders.
Their ammo is always high quality and it comes at great prices. If you spend a lot of time at the shooting range and go through a lot of bullets, getting your ammo in bulk from a company like PSA is a great plan.
Brownells
From training and practice ammo to high-quality bullets for your next hunting trip, Brownells has everything you need. Popular amongst gun enthusiasts, they are known for their quality prices and a vast selection of products.
One of the reasons that Brownells is so popular is that they often run sales, making their prices even better. You can find just about any 9mm ammo you are looking for on their website.
LuckyGunner
If you are looking to stock up and buy ammo in bulk, one of the best places to do this is through LuckyGunner. Their warehouse is stocked with thousands of rounds of ammo, all priced affordably. They have 9mm ammo, rimfire ammo, gun accessories, and more. When they have sales, their prices get even better. For those that love a great deal, check out LuckyGunner.
Cabela’s
One of the top outdoor supply stores around, that’s only gotten better since being acquired by Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s carries camping, hunting, and fishing supplies, to name a few. This is one of the most affordable places to order ammo online as well. There are several brands that you can choose from, making it easy to find your new favorite ammo. They even offer ammunition in bulk so you and the whole family can stay stocked up.
Sportsman’s Guide
With sales happening all the time, Sportsman’s Guide is one of the most affordable options around for 9mm ammo. Whether you need to buy a few small boxes of ammo or you want to buy in bulk, they have you covered. From 50 rounds to 1000+, they have what you need.
They even have their Buyer’s Club, which is an exclusive club that has several perks, including free shipping on qualifying orders, special deals on ammo and other products, and discounts on various purchases.
Why Is 9mm Ammo Preferable To Other Calibers?
Availability
9mm Parabellum, also known as 9mm Luger, is one of the most popular and thus widely available ammunition rounds in existence. You can pick up a box at just about any sporting goods store, department store, or hunting outlet, and you’ll have your pick of half a dozen brands, loads, and shells.
Its popularity and common status are both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it is so popular that the supply should always outpace the foreseeable demand, on the other hand, when people rush to buy or hoard ammo it seems like just about every shooter and their buddy is loading up on 9mm.
Price
The incredible availability and commonality of 9mm ammo mean that it is one of the most affordable calibers on the market today. Even when bought in a retail environment, you can get 9mm for an average of $0.20-$0.25 per round. In stores, a box of 50 might run you $10-$12 now, particularly since ammo is still relatively hard to find in person.
But by ordering online you can leverage quantity discounts or coupon codes and you can push that price per round down even more. Other than .22LR rounds, 9mm are probably the easiest rounds to stock up on in significant quantities without taking out a second mortgage.
Power & Performance
The 9mm Luger, or 9×19, is one of the most well-rounded ammunitions available, representing a crucial compromise between some of the most desirable features of several different calibers while attempting to mitigate some of the drawbacks. The mass of the round itself means that on human-approximate targets, the stopping power of a 9mm is comparable to a .40 caliber.
The 9mm round has the penetration needed to make an effective man-stopper. The round is also heavy enough to carry the kinetic energy to transfer to the target. However, the round was also designed so that the recoil made it possible to fire multiple rounds with more accuracy than other slightly larger or heavier rounds.
Recoil
While 9mm has similar performance and stopping power to some slightly larger rounds like .40 and .45, particularly if used for self-defense, the recoil is far less than those rounds. This means that if multiple shots are needed to stop the target, each successive shot will be easier to keep on target with 9mm than with .4x caliber.
Less recoil allows more accurate, as well as faster subsequent shots. If you are a sport shooter, this means far less fatigue after a day at the range. Less fatigue means better overall performance and less recovery needed afterward.
Capacity
Since the power and performance of 9mm ammo lend it to being preferable over nearby larger .40 and .45 caliber, this means 9mm users will see the benefits in their ammo box and their magazines. The smaller shell size translates to higher capacity in their guns and more efficient ammo storage on the shelf.
This has the indirect benefit of being easier to handle as well, for example, a 21-round 9mm magazine will be far lighter than a 21-round .45 magazine. It may not feel like it when you’re filling those mags, but that weight per shell will add up fast.
Versatility
The 9mm round can be used in a staggering number and variety of weapons. It fills pistol magazines as well as submachine guns and carbines. This makes it a perfect common ammo to use with multiple guns in your collection. Less ammo variance means it is far easier to make sure you can still shoot all your guns if ammo were to continue to get scarce.
What Are The Benefits Of Getting Ammo Online Instead Of At The Store?
This is probably one of the questions asked most often by those that are new to buying ammo online. They wonder what the big deal is, why it’s so much better to get your ammo online as opposed to getting it from a retail environment. Here are my personal top 3 reasons why online shopping is preferable.
Discounts
Saving money is always a high-value variable in things that I do. If there is a way to shave off $1.25 from a box of 9mm ammo, that is a prime solution. That discount can be multiplied by ordering quantity, and in many cases, there are even more discounts available for shooters who prefer to buy ammo by the case.
Most places will offer free delivery when your order reaches a particular threshold, and in most cases, it is a fairly reasonable and easily attainable threshold. Other times, you may have to pay a small shipping fee, though in times like that it is not uncommon for the discounts on the ammo to outweigh that fee.
Delivery
This is the 21st century. If there is a way to have my ammunition delivered directly to me, with the confidentiality of the rest of my mail and packages, that’s the solution for me. There are so many other things that are ordered online like, for example, the nearly endless variety of parts for guns that will shoot the ammo I’m ordering, that I have no qualms about making a few clicks, sending a secured payment, and following the tracking as it makes its way to me. It’s convenient and surprisingly private.
Discretion
It’s no secret that while many gun enthusiasts are “out and proud”, many of us still may not want everyone in the gun shop or Walmart to know exactly what calibers we’re shopping for, or how much we’re buying. Privacy is a big part of our US culture and being able to leverage the privacy of the internet to order ammo from the comfort of my living room seems like the culmination of that privacy.
Why Is Ammo So Hard To Get Right Now?
Well, in a word: demand. Supply and demand have hit the ammo industry incredibly hard, and even though manufacturing was ramped up as quickly as possible, as much as possible, the masses just proved to be too much.
When the global pandemic was just getting started, millions of people began hoarding ammo. On top of that, millions of people went out and bought their first guns during the pandemic kick-off, and then those people started buying and hoarding ammo. This all came together to create a nationwide ammo shortage and the opportunity for price gouging for those unscrupulous enough.
The situation has improved without a doubt, but the ammo shortage is projected to only begin to heal. Shelves at retailers have begun to show improvement, prices are beginning to return to relatively normal levels, and online ammo suppliers are once again able to keep ammo stocked and shipped out on schedule to fulfill customer orders.
