I have read through many of the posts and yet still cant figure out what to buy. It is pretty obvious what people like for plinking, but just cant figure out the best ammo for mostly defense or hunting. i am new to the AR and just bought two M&P sport II's since they had a deal on them near me. they have a 1:9 twist. I dont plan on going to the range a bunch outside of getting them sited in when i figure out what optics to buy. Suggestions on ammo that might work well for my scenario and what can i expect to be the unit price range. I like looking for deals so keep that in mind. There seem to be some good sellers listed on the site. I just dont know what is considered regular price. i have a Gander Mtn, Dicks sporting, academy sports near me along with some decent dealers. Shipping seems to kill some of the deals i find online. Ideas?

Palmetto State - Speer Gold Dot 64gr for $10.99 and Free Shipping on orders of 10+ boxes.  Gold Dot 64gr

Speer LE 64 Grain Gold Dot Review By: MOLON

Thanks, i was leaning to the Gold Dot and found some that was a bit more. This is a great deal!!! thanks

Is that a common sale or should i buy a bunch now?

I wouldn't hesitate to put in a sizable order. It may go down in the future but it is not common to see quality HD/SD ammo below this price.

Wolf Gold for plinking. Try The Armory, SG Ammo, and some other selected sites.
64 Grain Gold Dot for SD, light hunting, and SHTF in general. PSA has sales pretty often for <$11 with free shipping.
62 Grain Fusion is also a good option, although you'll be hard pressed to find it at the mentioned pricing.
Happy Shopping

Gold Dots are a great choice, and are probably going to be the least expensive of the options. Those PSA deals are tough to beat.

Federal Fusion is a good alternative. Basically just a Gold Dot bullet in a different loading. They can be had for a reasonable price, but not often as low as the GDs.

Two of my favorite "sleeper" rounds are the Remington Hypersonic and the Federal Vital Shok; both being 62 grain.

The Hypersonic uses the Core Lokt Ultra Bonded (CLUB) bullet. In the widely respected "Best choices for SD Ammo" from Dr. Roberts, the CLUB had the best performance across the board with barriers for weight retention and expansion. Howerver, a lot of people don't know this bullet is still available; hence the "sleeper" designation. The original loading sort of disappeared years ago, and not many have caught on to the release under a new line/name. Some deals can occasionally be found. I scored some on closeout at Field and Stream, plus they were doing bogo half off. I bought every box in the store at about $7ish a pop. Likely one time luck, but finding it for around 60¢ per round isn't unheard of.

The Federal Vital Shok to look at, as there are a few different versions in that product line, is the 62gr Trophy Bonded Tip. It's essentially the same bullet used in FBI and LE loadings, which are somewhat rare for civilians to find. Another great round, regardless of barriers. Like the CLUB, not a lot of people really know about it, as it's marketed as a hunting round. The downside is this one is hard to find for much less than $1 per round.

Overall, they're all great rounds, and the differences are negligible. Find what you can from the "approved" list, try a couple different ones, see what your rifle likes, and then stack the winner with confidence.

Nothing to think about, especially at PSA pricing. Gold Dot. If it was normal pricing I'd say shop around a tad with the options the poster above mentioned.

Just make sure to buy 64 grains so my 75's stay in stock