Bulk 5.56 vs Bulk 7.62x39: Which Rifle Is Cheaper to Feed?

The old answer, and why it changed

Ask anyone who bought rifles in the 2000s and they will tell you: buy an AK if you want cheap trigger time. Steel-cased 7.62x39 from Eastern Europe was everywhere, and it routinely undercut 5.56 on cost per round.

The cartridge itself has a long surplus pedigree. Wikipedia's entry notes it was designed in 1943, entered production in 1944, and that wide availability of military surplus and low-cost ammunition is a big part of its civilian appeal. The same entry describes the classic loading as a steel-cased FMJ, with lacquered steel cases introduced in the early 1960s.

What changed was supply, not the cartridge. Russian-made ammunition was added to U.S. sanctions in 2021, as Wikipedia's 5.45x39mm entry notes, and that removed much of the low-cost imported steel-cased ammunition from the U.S. market. Our earlier piece on where the cheap 7.62x39 went covers that story. The upshot for a bulk buyer: you can no longer assume. You have to compare.

This guide gives you a method that works no matter where prices sit this month. It is an editorial reference built from retailer listings and manufacturer specifications, not a price survey.

What the bulk shelves look like now

Ammunition Depot's bulk pages make the difference in options obvious. When we checked, the bulk .223/5.56 page listed 51 products, most in 500- or 1,000-round cases from PMC, Winchester, Federal, Fiocchi, Hornady and others. The bulk 7.62x39 page listed eight.

The 7.62x39 cases also vary more in size: TelaAmmo and Wolf Polyformance in 1,000-round cases, Sellier & Bellot in 600, PMC Bronze and MaxxTech in 500, and Winchester and Hornady Frontier in 200. That spread is exactly why you cannot compare case totals.

Note that brass-cased 7.62x39 is now a normal bulk option, not a rarity. That matters if your range or your rifle does not get along with steel cases. Our brass vs steel total cost piece covers the trade-offs.

Step 1: Compare delivered cost per round

This is the only number that matters for the "cheaper to feed" question. Do it the same way for both calibers:

1. Add a full case of each candidate to the cart, at the size you would actually buy.
2. Note the delivered total: price plus shipping, tax and any fees.
3. Divide by the round count.

Compare at least two or three cases per caliber, including at least one brass-cased option for 7.62x39 if your rifle and range prefer brass. The Ammo Finder sorts current listings by cost per round so you can shortlist quickly, and the ammo calculator turns your range habits into a yearly round count.

Then compare like with like. A steel-cased 7.62x39 case against a brass-cased 5.56 case is a fair cost comparison only if you are happy shooting steel cases. If you would buy brass either way, compare brass to brass.

Step 2: Account for weight and shipping

Here is the part most comparisons skip. 7.62x39 is a much heavier cartridge than 5.56, and heavy orders cost more to ship when shipping is charged by weight.

Sellier & Bellot publishes packed-case weights, which make the gap concrete:

The per-1,000 figure for 7.62x39 is our arithmetic, scaling the 600-round case to 1,000. Steel-cased 7.62x39 is lighter than brass: Wikipedia lists the classic steel-cased military cartridge at 16.3 grams versus 17.5 for S&B's brass round, but it is still far heavier than a 5.56 cartridge.

What that means for you:

• If a retailer offers free shipping above an order threshold, weight mostly drops out. Compare cost per round directly.
• If shipping is flat-rate per order, weight still does not matter much, but case size does.
• If shipping scales with weight, add it into the delivered total before you divide. The heavier caliber carries a hidden penalty.

Our guide to shipping thresholds on heavy ammo goes deeper on which structure wins.

Step 3: Think in cost per session, not just per round

Cost per round is the right comparison for the ammunition. But "cheaper to feed" is really about what a range day costs you, and that depends on how you shoot each rifle.

• Round count per session. If you fire the same number of rounds through either rifle, cost per round decides it. If you shoot the AK slower because of heavier recoil or shorter strings, the session cost changes.
• Magazines and accessories. AR magazines are often cheap and plentiful. AK magazine availability and cost vary more by type. That is a one-time cost, not an ongoing one, but it belongs in a first-year budget.
• Cleaning. Ammunition sold as non-corrosive adds no special cleaning step. Corrosive surplus, if you find it, needs prompt cleaning after each session.

To turn sessions into a yearly figure, enter your trips per month and rounds per trip into the ammo calculator, then multiply the result by each caliber's delivered cost per round.

Storage footprint: what 1,000 rounds asks of your shelf

Feeding a rifle is not only a purchase cost. A bulk reserve takes shelf space, cans and lifting, and the two calibers differ here too.

• Box counts. Sellier & Bellot packs its .223 FMJ case as 50 boxes of 20, and its 7.62x39 FMJ case as 30 boxes of 20. Twenty-round boxes are common in both calibers, so a 1,000-round reserve is usually about 50 boxes either way.
• Weight per can. Because 7.62x39 cartridges weigh more, a can packed to the brim with them is heavier than the same can full of 5.56. If you store in large .50-cal cans, consider splitting 7.62x39 across more cans so each one stays easy to lift.
• Steel cases and humidity. Lacquered or polymer-coated steel cases are designed to resist corrosion, but any case stored damp can suffer. Sealed cans with desiccant matter for both calibers.

None of this changes the cost-per-round answer much, but it does change how many cans you buy with your first case. Our roundup of storage gear for bulk buyers covers can sizes.

Step 4: Weigh availability risk

Bulk buyers should care about more than this month's cost per round. They should care about how easily they can restock.

The depth of the 5.56 and .223 bulk market is its quiet advantage: more makers, more case sizes, more competition. 7.62x39 has fewer bulk options, and its supply has already been reshaped once by import rules. Neither fact predicts the future, but they argue for keeping a slightly deeper reserve of whichever caliber has fewer sources.

If you own both rifles, the practical answer is often to stock both, but deeper in the one you shoot most, and to use rotation so neither reserve goes stale. Our guide on storing a case of ammo covers the basics.

The verdict

"Which rifle is cheaper to feed?" no longer has a fixed answer. It depends on the delivered cost per round of the specific cases available when you buy, whether you are comparing steel to brass or brass to brass, and how you are charged for shipping.

Start with the current listings: bulk .223/5.56 and bulk 7.62x39 at Ammunition Depot.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications, retailer listings and published sources. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and the law where you live.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links to Ammunition Depot. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial choices are not influenced by commissions. Check current price, stock and specifications directly with the retailer.