The biggest fixed expenses when getting into the gun game are usually firearms, then optics, or sometimes the other way around. But over the lifetime of a platform — rifle, shotgun, handgun, doesn’t matter — the biggest expense is almost always ammo. Accordingly, stories focusing on ammunition use, tuning, and suitability are favorites of the Cheaper Than Dirt! Chronicle community. Here are the most-read articles we’ve run in the Shooter’s Log that have to do with ammunition choice and performance:

I’m not rich, but I love black rifles. Unfortunately, this is an expensive hobby. It also means I can’t dump countless simoleons on every single AR part that comes across the market. As a result, my process for buying products usually goes something like this: first, I see someone at the range with a doohickey that I don’t have. I want it, I’m not sure why, but I want it. I go home, heat up a hot pocket, jump on the Internet, and start researching. I find a review on someone’s blog, read it and scroll down through the end of the comments section. I keep reading on every forum and review site I can find and eventually learn the widget in question is either the greatest thing since gunpowder, or a silly tacticool looking piece of junk that belongs on the clearance aisle of a gas station. If it is worth buying and I still want it after a week, I wait for a deal and jump on it. This study-before-you-buy strategy works well for me, but it drives my wife nuts.

We get a ton of questions in our call center. The usual ones involve concerns over how to buy a gun on our website or something of that nature. However, with the rise of the AR-15’s popularity, we get a number of people asking about taking their black rifle out hunting.

Florida-based Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc. is well-known for manufacturing small, lightweight pistols, and the company’s SU-16 line of rifles follows this same philosophy. The SU-16CA is a hybrid of the SU-16C and SU-16A rifles.

Winchester 5.56mm M855 62-Grain Pene

Olin Corporation, through its Winchester Division, is recalling one (1) lot of its 5.56mm M855 62 Grain PENE centerfire rifle ammunition.

There always seems to be a lot of confusion over the difference between a .223 and a 5.56 chamber. I often receive questions asking if someone can shove 5.56 ammo into their new AR-15. The quick answer is maybe. Just because a gun has .223/5.56 scribed on the barrel, does not mean it can handle either type of ammunition equally.

CZ, the popular firearms manufacturer from the Czech Republic, showed up with some impressive toys to the 2013 SHOT Show. A gleaming row of handguns lined the booth walls showing off their proven products. The P07 Duty, the 75 Shadow, along with some beautiful 75B stainless models look just as relevant today as any polymer striker fired duty pistol from Smith & Wesson or Glock.

MasterPiece Arms, manufacturers of the MPA MAC Line of semi-auto submachine pistols and carbines, is introducing four additional sound suppressors to the existing line of .22 LR suppressors. MasterPiece Arms, a world-class manufacturing facility with over 39 CNC machines and a TS16949 Quality Control System, are the sole-source engineers and manufacturers of all of the MPA Sound Suppressors, which means no components are outsourced.

MasterPiece Arms Introduces MPAR 556 Rifle for 2013.

MasterPiece Arms, manufacturers of the MPA MAC line of semi-automatic submachine pistols and carbines, announces the MPAR 556 Rifle. MasterPiece will make these firearms available for purchase in the first quarter of 2013. This design was under development throughout 2012 and will feature some serious upgrades, including a short stroke piston design and a lightweight, free-floating, two-piece aluminum handguard with user located Picatinny rails. It will also include an innovative front handguard cap to keep debris out of the internals of the handguards while providing strength and stability to the assembly. The MPAR 556 Rifle contains a side folder six-position polymer buttstock, locked bolt action and a side charging-handle with forward-assist. The MPAR 556 Rifle is compatible with standard AR magazines.

“It is better to burn out then to fade away.” Thus it was for one of the shortest-lived standard-issued battle rifles for the U. S. military. A firearm sandwiched in between the great M1 Garand and the M16, historically speaking this gun barely made a showing on the battlefield. However, in its brief appearance it made such an impression that it is once again being called in the line of duty. That rifle is the United States 7.62mm M14.

In this industry, everyone wants to buy the highest quality products. However, in reality most people simply buy what they can afford. Our biggest sellers are not $1,200 ARs decked out with the latest gadgets. By a huge margin, our top sellers are the least expensive guns we can ship out. This is a simple fact of capitalism.

Magazines are like a shaving razor, you use them until they don’t function and then you toss them in the

Editor’s Note: This article comparing the .223 vs 5.56 is an excerpt from Gun Digest 2013, the world’s foremost firearms annual book. Used with permission. Click here to order Gun Digest 2013 from Cheaper Than Dirt!

Many people love the AR-15. If you are not one of them, then a large number of gun enthusiasts might tell you to go pound sand. The platform is versatile, deadly, readily available, and somewhat affordable. When shoppers first start looking at battle rifles, they tend to start at the bottom and eventually work their way up. Would be owners quickly realize that like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Entry-level ARs are often .223/5.56 semi-auto rifles with few to no options, and sometimes-shoddy construction. Guns that are more expensive offer rails with endless accessories, as well as different calibers. Just when you thought you knew everything there is to know about the AR-15, they change it up. So is a high end AR chambered in a wildcat or alternative caliber a good idea?

Why is the .308 Winchester so darn popular? The answer lies in a convoluted maze of hard facts and half

Approved for release, Colt’s XM901 prototype is now hitting gun store shelves! It is now the CM901 if you’re military, LE901 if you’re law enforcement, or SP901 if you’re a civilian.

Sometimes a gun company hits a home run, and this might turn out to be one of those times. The ARX-160 is as hard to obtain as it is good looking. Beretta, in my personal opinion, usually releases aesthetically pleasing firearms. The Beretta 92 has some shortcomings, but it is still a very accurate, usable, and beautiful handgun. Given their reputation, it was no surprise to us that the ARX-160 came out looking amazing. Beretta recently released information on the .22 LR rimfire version of the rifle, which the designers intended for training purposes. Both rifles will soon be available in the United States for the consumer market, and that is news that we were glad to hear.