Rifle Rounds Ranked From Least To Most Expensive

For any avid hunter or sportsman, having affordable rounds for their rifles is paramount. There’s nothing worse than having to spend more money than necessary to get the rounds you need. The right price point is the difference between getting fresh meat or leaving the rifles at home. While it’s true that ammunition prices fluctuate throughout the country, in every store, and even between different brands, there are still some throughlines to aid consumers in getting the best deal for their chosen calibers.

Source: infospeed / iStock via Getty Images

Ammo Prices Now is an ammunition price tracking website where the team at 24/7 Wall St. used to identify the price of 26 different rifle calibers and ranked them by price per round, from lowest to highest. The prices on this list represent the lowest available as of mid-March 2024. Date ranges for average prices over a given time period vary by caliber and other data, however, this data has created a rough guide to every price point for every round ranging from $0.02 per round to over $3.00.

While affordable, .22 LR ammunition is far less capable than other common rifle rounds, and its usage is largely limited to target shooting and small game and varmint hunting. For most hunters, larger, more expensive, centerfire rounds are a necessity. Here are the 30 most versatile hunting rifle cartridges.

26. 22 LR Caliber

Source: Dcl412 / Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.02 per round
• Avg. low price between 2023 – 2024: $0.08 per round

25. 22 WMR Caliber

Source: James Case / Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.19 per round
• Avg. low price between 2020 – 2024: $0.28 per round

24. 17 HMR Caliber

Source: Qleem at the English-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.20 per round
• Avg. low price between 2021 – 2024: $0.29 per round

23. 5.56 NATO Caliber

Source: UltraONEs / iStock via Getty Images

• The lowest price currently available: $0.40 per round
• Avg. low price between 2021 – 2024: $0.43 per round

22. 223 Rem Caliber

Source: michailPopov / iStock via Getty Images

• The lowest price currently available: $0.41 per round
• Avg. low price between 2020 – 2024: $0.46 per round

21. 7.62×39 Caliber

Source: UltraONEs / iStock via Getty Images

• The lowest price currently available: $0.43 per round
• Avg. low price between 2020 – 2024: $0.45 per round

20. 300 BLK Caliber

Source: Silencertalk / Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.55 per round
• Avg. low price between 2020 – 2024: $0.72 per round

19. 7.62x54R Caliber

Source: aleks0649 / iStock via Getty Images

• The lowest price currently available: $0.65 per round
• Avg. low price between 2020 – 2024: $0.67 per round

18. 308 Win Caliber

Source: JHobbs / Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.67 per round
• Avg. low price between  2020 – 2024: $0.68 per round

17. 5.45×39 Caliber

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.71 per round
• Avg. low price between 2020 – 2024: $0.52 per round

16. 22-250 Caliber

Source: 2008 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images

• The lowest price currently available: $0.72 per round
• Avg. low price between 2024: $0.74 per round

15. 30-06 Caliber

Source: AliveFreeHappy / Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.76 per round
• Avg. low price between 2021 – 2024: $0.99 per round

14. 6.5mm Creedmoor Caliber

Source: Everett Walker / Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.77 per round
• Avg. low price between 2021 – 2024: $1.23 per round

13. 17 WSM Caliber

Source: Andrew Magill / Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.80 per round
• Avg. low price between 2020 – 2024: $0.64 per round

12. 6.5mm Grendel Caliber

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.81 per round
• Avg. low price between 2024 – 2024: $0.81 per round

11. 6.8mm Remington Caliber

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.82 per round
• Avg. low price between 2024 – 2024: $0.82 per round

10. 30-30 Win Caliber

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.84 per round
• Avg. low price between 2021 – 2024: $1.39 per round

9. 243 Win Caliber

Source: Arthurrh / Wikimedia Commons

• The lowest price currently available: $0.85 per round
• Avg. low price between 2021 – 2024: $1.23 per round

8. 8mm Mauser Caliber

Source: Armémuseum (The Swedish Army Museum) / Wikimedia Commons

• The Lowest price currently available: $0.90 per round
• Avg. low price in 2024: $0.89 per round

7. 6mm ARC Caliber

Rifle cartridges (l. to r.) .308 Win, 6mm ARC, 300 AAC, .223 Rem (CC BY-SA 4.0) by JohnMasinter

• The Lowest price currently available: $0.99 per round
• Avg. low price in 2024: $1.01 per round

6. 7mm Rem Mag Caliber

Source: Drassow / Wikimedia Commons

• The Lowest price currently available: $1.01 per round
• Avg. low price between 2021 – 2024: $1.51 per round

5. 300 Win Mag Caliber

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• The Lowest price currently available: $1.11 per round
• Avg. low price in 2024: $1.13 per round

4. 7mm PRC Caliber

Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images News via Getty Images

• The Lowest price currently available: $1.65 per round
• Avg. low price in 2024: $1.67 per round

3. 45-70 Caliber

401 Winchester Self-Loading... (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Ultratone85

• The Lowest price currently available: $1.79 per round
• Avg. low price in 2024: $1.78 per round

2. 240 Weatherby Caliber

Source: John Moore / Getty Images News via Getty Images

• The Lowest price currently available: $2.48 per round
• Avg. low price in 2024: $2.48 per round

1. 50 BMG Caliber

Source: Pete_Flyer / iStock via Getty Images

• The Lowest price currently available: $3.22 per round
• Avg. low price for 2024: $3.20 per round