Brownells Now Selling 5.56 and 7.62×51 Ammunition By the Barrel

Brownells Now Selling 5.56 and 7.62x51 Ammunition By the Barrel

How much ammo does a gun owner need? More. Always more. And if you’re on Santa’s nice list and told him that gun food is what you’d like to find under the tree on Christmas morning, Brownells has just the thing. But you may need a bigger tree if this is going to fit underneath it . . .

Tired of Value Paks, Brownells Rolls Out The Barrels

GRINNELL, Iowa (December 13, 2018) – Just in time for Christmas, Brownells is offering up the perfect gift for that hard-to-shop-for someone who has everything – Bulk Barrels of Ammo in 5.56 and 7.62X51.

Filled to the brim with either 12,500 rounds of XM855 5.56mm NATO, or 7,500 rounds of XM80 7.62X51 NATO ammunition, the metal Bulk Barrels are painted an attractive, eye-catching shade of yellow and sport a patriotic image of a majestic American bald eagle soaring on outstretched wings, its talons fully extended.

Too enormous to serve as stocking stuffers, the barrels make ideal pickup-truck bed stuffers, and allow customers to give the gift of Freedom in bulk to friends and loved ones.

Perfect for use in AR-15-style firearms – often referred to as “America’s Rifle” – the 12,500- round barrel of 5.56 can fill 416 standard-capacity, 30-round magazines all the way up to the very tip top, with 20 rounds still left over.

For shooters who enjoy 30-caliber-power, the 7,500-round barrel of XM80 7.62X51 can jam- pack 375 standard-capacity 20-round magazines for full-size battle rifles like the M14, G3 or FAL – also known as the “Right Arm of the Free World.

Manufactured at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant to exacting standards, both calibers of ammo have non-corrosive primers and are topped with full metal jacket projectiles. The boxer- primed cases are easily reloadable, allowing multiple reuse for maximum liberty and sustainable recycling of naturally-occurring Earth metals.

To see the eye-popping, jaw-dropping Bulk Barrels of Ammo, visit

About Brownells

Serious About Firearms Since 1939TM, Brownells is the world’s leading source for guns, gun parts and accessories, ammunition, gunsmithing tools and survival gear. With a large selection of both common and hard-to-find items, and an extensive collection of videos, articles, and gun schematics, Brownells is the expert for everything shooting-related. Committed to maintaining our great traditions, Brownells has more, does more and knows more – and guarantees it all, Forever. For more information or to place an order, call 800-741-0015 or visit Stay up-to-date with Brownells on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.


  1. avatar Elaine D. says:

    “Gun food” LOL

    1. avatar Bloving says:

      I generally refer to it as “fuel”. “Food” works too.

    2. avatar kevin says:

      Betcha can’t buy just one!

      1. avatar Elaine D. says:

        It’s like eating ALL THE DONUTS. and here I was worried that my ammo stash was excessive. Turns out I’m just small fry after all.

  2. avatar jross says:

    5.56 @ 31.2 cents each?! lol F that!

    1. avatar Jimmy james says:

      What he said.

      1. avatar Yepnope says:

        Its 3500 after mail-in rebate. Not much better but better

    2. avatar Mark N. says:

      With free shipping it is almost a deal. With that large a bulk purchase it should be a few cents/round lower.

      1. avatar Geoff "Kill a Commie for Mommy" PR says:

        They ought to sell the barrel just by itself.

        It would be a neat way to store the various calibers in my ‘stash’.

        Well, all the ammo that wasn’t lost in my tragic boating accident..*snicker* 😉

      2. avatar jimmy james says:

        What does it weigh? May have to go common carrier/motor freight. Then how do you get it off the truck and into your house. There is also FOB to consider.

      3. avatar Owen says:

        Also, loose packed ammo get’s damaged more easily. I bet a measurable amount won’t be serviceable. Brass is soft and the pointy copper jackets can and will dent cases. Then think about the weight of that many piled up on the bottom rounds. Doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. I’ve bought loose packed 5.56 ammo before, not a drum mind you, but even by the 100s it still got damage rattling around loose in the box.

    3. avatar Locutus494 says:

      Umm, $0.31/round is a pretty good price for M855. Not the most dirt cheap I’ve seen, but it’s still pretty good. With the rebate, it’s actually $3,400, not $3,500, which makes it 27.2₵ a round which IS really good. The cheapest I’ve ever found M855 was for 27.5₵ a round, and that was 1,200 rounds of IMI M855. This is actually a great deal, if you can afford the cost all at once. Of course, it all depends on if they charge tax and shipping too.

    4. avatar Rapscallion 1776 says:

      If you catch it with the 30% discount code and the mail in rebate, it comes out pretty reasonable

    5. avatar RogerK says:

      I remember when .50 BMG was a $1.00 per round and I thought THAT was a lot!

  3. avatar Chris T in KY says:

    Dreams come true!!!

  4. avatar Kman says:

    Just imagine how many government lists this adds you to.

    1. avatar Bob Jones says:

      Better to buy your ammo at Walmart or Academy and pay cash…wear sunglasses and a nice hat for the cameras. No ID required in Texas so come from out of state and load up. Young demtard student cashiers always look terrified, but are helpless to stop you. I may pay a bit more but I don’t care, privacy trumps a little money savings.

      All mail order and computer ordered ammo can and probably has been recorded somewhere for future use by our handlers.

      1. avatar Paul Smith says:

        Well you go by that theory. But demographics shows people shop upto 50miles from home. Now you have the amount of ammunition sold in a. Area then the amount of guns sold. Now take all card purchases then subtract that by how much was sold. Take the names of the cards now you’ll have guns owners that have stored ammo and about how much ammo they have stored. Other factors apply how many ranges are in the area ya da. Note I said guns sold NOT names of owners. if they want names they can go to gun retail stores of guns and pull there files. All must keep the paperwork

        1. avatar LarryinTX says:

          Ha. You sound like one of those dreamers who thinks the data off your 4473 is not recorded forever, if it is sent to feds.

      2. avatar Terclinger says:

        “Young demtard student cashiers always look terrified, but are helpless to stop you.”

        Love to see video of this.

    2. avatar HP says:

      Honestly, who cares at this point. All of us are on some sort of a list, probably many of us are on multiple lists.

      1. avatar Bob Jones says:

        If your Homeowner’s Insurance company finds out you’ve got 10,000 + rounds of ammunition stored in your house, expect to be cancelled. Then the mortgage company will be notified by the insurance company and call your note.

        If your home is all masonry and paid off, it probably doesn’t matter.

        1. avatar HP says:

          That’s weird, my insurance guy knows I have guns and ammo and hasn’t mentioned anything about cancelling my insurance. He knows I have quite a bit, too. Are insurance companies cancelling policies based on possessing ammunition? Which companies? I also don’t remember anyone at my bank asking about ammunition, and there wasn’t anything on any of the paperwork I signed off on. Also, are online purchases of ammunition reported to insurance companies? By who? The online store you purchased from? Are they also telling the government? Maybe the shipping company? If so, how do they know the ammunition they delivered stayed at your residence? Are insurance agents conducting home inspections to verify the ammunition is in the residence prior to cancelling policies? Is the same happening with mortgage agents?

          So many questions…..

        2. avatar L says:

          I’ll bite. Why would your home insurance company cancel your policy over 10k rounds of ammo?

        3. avatar Elaine d. says:

          Because….guessing….consequences of house fire.

        4. avatar HP says:

          Again, I haven’t heard of ammunition as being a disqualifier for home insurance or leading to cancelled policies. Might cause some hiccups if you need to file a claim if rounds are cooking off and it delays the extinguishing of the fire, but that’s about it.

          There’s circumspection and awareness of the world the way it’s becoming, then there are the fever dreams of commenters on gun blogs. The former is a better place to have your head situated.

        5. avatar Dave says:

          I’m an insurance agent, and this is total crap. Do you know what happens when I find out a client has a lot of guns? I tell the client to insure them.

          Unless you’re doing something illegal in your home and we find out, then you will have a problem. If it’s not against the law for you to have 10,000 rounds of ammunition, then there’s nothing we can do.

        6. avatar Dave says:

          The only type of inspections we do are once every 10 years we will do an exterior inspection to look for things like dead trees that could hit the house, broken windows, homes in disrepair. In that case we will tell you to get the tree removed within specified amount of time, or we will cancel. Stuff like that.

          An interior inspection would never happen unless you did something like a major addition, or you added a coverage like water backup. In that case we would inspect the inside to make sure there is no evidence of previous water loss that is trying to be claimed after the coverage is added.

          If I walked into your house and saw your crystal meth operation, or open cans of gasoline everywhere, then yes, I would notify underwriting.

        7. avatar Jimmy says:

          As a Firefighter that much ammunition could kill someone trying to save your house when it’s burning. Don’t get me wrong I’m all about guns and ammunition myself but when you’re storing 1000’s of rounds think about the safety of the rescuer..

        8. avatar Geoff "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" PR says:

          “As a Firefighter that much ammunition could kill someone trying to save your house when it’s burning.”

          Bullshit, Mr. “Fireman”. It poses very little danger at all :

          “Sporting Ammunition and the Fire Fighter: What Happens When Ammo Burns? – SAAMI”

          I’ll save you the 20 min. of watching time – VERY LITTLE HAPPENS, outside of just burning…

        9. avatar Geoff "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" PR says:

          EDIT – The only real danger in a fire from ammunition is ammo that is chambered in a firearm that ‘cooks off’ when the firearm burns.

          A stash of 10,000 rounds of ammo burning will sound really cool, but pose little danger to the responding emergency workers.

          And thank you for your firefighting service, I had a house fire years back, and it sucked…

        10. avatar On a Watchlist says:

          We were hesitant to say yes when questioned for renter’s insurance in OH, when asked if we had guns/ammo in the house. Much to our surprise we got a discount for having “home protection.” This was ~8 years ago in the Columbus/Reynoldsburg area.

      2. avatar Jim says:

        I personally know that I’m on at least 3 lists ( 1 being the no fly ) but I don’t care I think of it as just another badge of honor

    3. avatar bontai Joe says:

      I thought the same thing about this getting you on a list, and I’m not talking Santa’s “nice” list. And I can currently buy Federal .223 at Walmart for 29.99 cents a round in a box of 100.

  5. avatar Yarbles says:

    M-855 is crap. Ask anyone deployed that had to use it.

    Now a barrel of M-855A-1! Now you’re talkin’.

    1. avatar Yepnope says:

      I dont know any who were deployed, care to explain?

      1. avatar SAFEupstateFML says:

        To be honest they are both a bit of compromise rounds made to be acceptably effective from short (14ish) barrels. 855 does a bit better than the older 193 with light barriers (auto glass wood car door etc) but is not really intended for armor. 855A1 as the above poster mentioned is higher pressure and its construction does help some with the ork armor (ar 500 knockoff type stuff) that was seen in extremely limited numbers. I found it to be a flatter shooting round but nothing to write home about. I didn’t get to shoot enough of it to say if/how it impacts a mil spec M4 but I would go for a tungsten core standard pressure for that purpose (if available) or shoot for pelvic girdle. Oh and the 855A1 is a lead free eco friendly round for areas where that matters.

    2. avatar Sprocket says:

      M855A1 has some significant issues. Small Arms Solutions did a good write up on them. Long story short, it’s great if you have mags that don’t allow the perpetrator to beat the crap out of your feed ramp and don’t mind feeding your rifle a diet of 61,000psi ammo.

  6. avatar jgillaspy says:

    Well, it does have a $500 rebate, taking the cost down to 27 cents a round. Issue is they won’t tell you the shipping cost…

    1. avatar Baronet says:

      I think that rebate is 50% shipping refund. Brownells would not give an estimate without actually placing order but it does charge $19.95 penalty for special requirements.

      1. avatar Yepnope says:

        I tried my ZIP for shipping. Said “TBD”…It will probably come on an 18 wheeler and cost $200+ to ship

      2. avatar Hannibal says:

        no quote on shipping is an easy no for me…

        it’s not a deal unless they tell you how much the bottom line is.

        1. avatar LarryinTX says:

          I’d still be more interested in the weight than in the price. I’m thinking if I got either one, where it was delivered to is probably where it would stay.

  7. avatar AName says:

    Call me when they are discounted to $2500.

  8. I seriously doubt that the Elevators in my Apartment Building could handle ~5,081-pounds of 5.56×45 including Steel Drum or 6,538 & 1/8th-pounds of 7.62×51 either. Much less the Delivery Driver having to deliver it…

    1. avatar doesky2 says:

      i think you missed a decimal point.
      12K rounds of 223 is not 5000+ pounds

      1. Approximately 183-grams per 5.56×45 round and ~393-grams for 7.62×51…

        1. avatar kaf says:

          grams vs. grains

        2. and the ~38-pounds of the “Empty” Steel 55-gallon Drum too!/?

        3. avatar Tim says:

          No, XM80 is 392 grains, or 25.4 grams per bullet. That works out to 190.5kg for just the ammo, plus the weight of the barrel. So you’re looking at under 500lb.

        4. avatar Tim says:

          I meant to say “per cartridge” not “per bullet.”

        5. avatar Yepnope says:

          5.56 drum weighs 354 lbs. Says it on brownells q and a

        6. avatar Anymouse says:

          Not a 55 gallon drum. Had one in the store I teach at during the ammo drought. If I recall correctly, it’s about 18 inches tall and a foot in diameter.

        7. avatar LarryinTX says:

          Anymouse, nothing scientific here, but that does not sound big enough for 12,500 rounds of 5.56. Maybe 2500, but not 12,500.

    2. avatar Jim says:

      354lbs It is a cylinder 20″ in diameter and 21 inches tall.

  9. avatar Mad Max says:

    I could use a few drums of 9mm, 115 Grain, FMJ. I use about 3/4 of a drum per year.

    1. avatar Isaac says:

      +1 on this request for additional offerings!

    2. avatar LarryinTX says:

      Jesus, how many rounds of 9mm would that be, 25-30,000?

  10. avatar jwm says:

    I would expect this type of offer from a former combloc country cleaning out their warehouses. Lord knows I bought enough spam cans in the day.

    1. avatar Elaine D. says:

      Delivery is made via a team of secret squirrel donkeys who escaped from gulag.

  11. avatar James W Crawford says:

    What about .50 BMG API?

    1. Most likely attract notice by those that you’d wish didn’t noticed…

      1. avatar arc says:

        I order .50 API by the 150 round can often enough… linked no less… I have no negative attention?

        1. avatar Tim says:

          None that you know of…

    2. avatar 50-Shooter says:

      I just wish we could get .510″ Ball Projectiles at a reasonable price and availability.

      1. avatar LarryinTX says:

        Is that our .50 BMG, or something like the Russian .51 cal?

  12. avatar Buff cousin Elroy says:

    During the 2012 gun scare WestCoastArmory North in Everett, WA was selling a barrel of the 5.56 for $15,000. I don’t think it ever sold lol.

    1. avatar Ranger Rick says:

      Cabela’s in Allen,TX did this after Sandy Hook,, nothing new here.

  13. avatar JD says:

    I’ll take 2! Or 17…..

  14. Considering that this is Lake City stuff, neither of these are a bad deal, especially the 7.62×51.

    If you pick up your brass,, and even just give it a cursory cleaning, you could probably get $0.05 (for .223) to $0.15+ each for the empty cases, being that it is Lake City stuff.

    Of course, if you reloaded, you wouldn’t need to buy brass again for years and years…

    1. avatar arc says:

      LC brass for .50 is $0.50 per iirc… speaking of… I may try to sell my old brass at a gun show sometime.

    2. avatar LarryinTX says:

      Lake city, huh? And I imagine a barrel is all from one lot, too. Nah, I couldn’t use that is a dozen SHTFs.

  15. avatar Brian says:

    Come back to me when its Creedmoor.

  16. avatar Yepnope says:

    Wonder what the shippings like. I have no clue how much that would even weigh

    1. avatar Yepnope says:

      Edit: 354lbs

  17. avatar Ing says:

    I’ll take one. And put the Christmas tree on it.

  18. avatar RA-15 says:

    Walmart : Federal green tip. 150 rds 5.56 ×45 cost around $65 stock up while you can.

  19. avatar Sean says:

    Imagine how much the UPS driver will hate you

    1. avatar SoBe says:

      My postal worker already hates me for the set of four body armor AR500 plates I ordered. Imagine a 300-500lb barrel!
      UPS delivered a Kayak without complaint, though.

  20. avatar Nanashi says:


    1. avatar SoBe says:


    2. avatar Tim says:


    3. avatar Ralph says:


      1. avatar SoBe says:


    4. avatar M1Lou says:


      1. avatar SoBe says:

        コメント無し 😬

  21. avatar SoBe says:

    You have to read the review on Brownells site.
    I will pass, though, I accidentally bought nearly as many greentips thinking I was ordering match 62grain ammo at a fantastic bargain. Turns out it was too good to be true. No ranges near me allow it so I am stuck with a useless massive USGI surplus dump.
    Shipping is “TBD” but it has a $19+ surcharge. They’ll even ship to California.

    1. avatar Elaine D. says:

      “The drum itself is a stunning yellow, making it extremely visible in low light situations…” oh man.

      1. avatar SoBe says:

        My favorite part is, “threw it in my pool to test the seal, I don’t recommend due to the challenges one faces when trying to pull it back out.”

        1. avatar Elaine D. says:

          I mean I don’t know about you but in a low light situation, running to a BIG BIG ASS BRIGHT YELLOW BARREL FULL OF BULLETS and rummaging around, is definitely my first choice. Go big or go home. And then when you’ve mopped up all the intruders you do some CrossFit with the barrel.

      2. avatar ThisEnd^ says:

        Safety color for “Caution – Explosive” is “Yellow”…

    2. avatar Southern Cross says:

      I can use AP and FMJ at my range all year round. We are supposed to FMJ or match bullets but they are getting a bit expensive, so quite a few of us are buying cheap bulk hunting soft-points to use instead. The difference is 50c for the match projectiles versus 15c for soft points.

      I wouldn’t complain if someone gifted me a barrel of each and shipped them over to the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

  22. avatar tmm says:

    Is it cash on the barrel head?

    Is shooting it as much fun as a barrel of monkeys?

    [describing my siblings’ ammo stash…]This is my brother’s barrel. This is my other brother’s barrel…

  23. avatar Capn Jack says:

    No 7.62×39. I’ll pass.

  24. avatar Andrew Lias says:

    They’ll sell a dozen of em if they’re lucky, but it’s not a bad promo for the social media era. Certainly worth a chuckle. Wonder how it’s packaged inside? I’m disappointed it appears to be a bolt on lid, not a sealed can with an opener. Can you imagine cracking open your $4K spam can?

  25. avatar Andrew Lias says:

    oh, and I await the YouTube unboxing video of this one!

    1. avatar Elaine d. says:

      +1, it’ll be like the old cartoon of the squirrel diving into a bin of peanuts.

  26. avatar Sora says:

    At 4 mags per person, this can arm over 100 militia men!
    Good for storage, too.

  27. avatar Sora says:

    At $0.31 cents per round, same ammo sold in card boxes with FREE shipping from for 1,000 rounds $299 is cheaper at $0.29 per round

    1. avatar KG MAIDEN says:

      But you get that cool barrel to show off at the range.

      1. avatar Ken says:

        You can buy new open head steel drums with bolt ring tops for less than a hundred bucks. Used ones go for much less.

  28. avatar Jim Bullock says:

    From the press release: “taking firearms seriously.”

    Good phrase, that.

  29. avatar danger close says:

    Sadly, NOT IN COMMIE KALIFORNIA. After the approved Ammo Vendor gets their added on cost, just ain’t worth it. AND, you’ll likely get on the Calli DOJ suspicious person radar. Knock knock, (@ 2AM) hello, were from the state police and have a few questions.

    1. avatar LarryinTX says:

      I bet you’d get “and we’re here to help!”

      1. avatar Matt(tx) says:

        “For your safety.”

  30. avatar Steve Atkinson says:

    If you have EDGE, free shipping.

  31. avatar Pwrserge says:

    Honestly, I might pick one of them up after the holidays depending on what my bank account looks like. It’s good ammo for a not absurd price. $0.27 per round after rebate is a prety decent price for m855.

    1. avatar Geoff "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" PR says:

      If you do, I’d like to buy the empty barrel from you for my ammo storage needs…

  32. avatar HEGEMON says:

    Awesome! Sent it around to some lib nut jobs, and I could hear the wailing through my PC. Brownells is totally awesome.

  33. avatar Jason A Somers says:

    No taxes on the ammo. If the site stays true to its word then anything over $300 is free shipping.

  34. avatar Ralph says:

    I can almost hear “Roll Out the Barrel” jauntily playing in the background.

  35. Wouldn’t it be incredible in the event you could burn 1Ib each day? Very well…see this fantastic video and discover the way you could do it.
    Go to :


      “…see this fantastic video and discover…”

      Fuck off, spammer…

  36. avatar Ted Rice says:

    Ammunition is the Achilles heel of gun owners. All the gun control people have to do is stop the manufacture and sale of ammo and your guns will eventually be useless. Sure, if you have a lot stored it will probably last your lifetime, but brass does become brittle with age and I expect the powder degrades also. I haven’t seen any studies on that, but everything degrades with time (including us!). Most ordinary folks can’t afford to buy thousands of rounds of ammo and few have secure places to store it. Someone should start researching better 21st century armaments and leave the 15th century factory-dependent stuff behind.

    1. avatar Bob in Calif says:

      I have seen 8x56R Mannlicher ammo head-stamped 1938 and it still goes bang when the trigger is pulled. The only problem, reloading is a PITA due to the Berdan priming. Although it can be done.

  37. avatar david baney says:

    Hello,Am I the only on who knows that a military 5.56 round has higher gas pressure than a civilian 223? Yes you can put the 5.56 into the 223 chamber,however you may have a lethal overpressure once the trigger is pulled.The 7.62 is also different than the almost identical 308.

  38. avatar SoBe says:

    Blocked by TTAG for posting in Japanese!

  39. avatar SoBe says:

    Sayonara, not dewamataa you xenophobes.

  40. avatar Mark Koernke says:

    War is here. It is not IF but only when a pack of knuckle dragging Black uniformed Gun Grabbing State Pol-LICE kill a gun owner in his home over mags or a bump stock. The idiots will push the envelope. It will be mistake as many gun owners will then shoot first and resist effectively. The idiot sticks in uniform will then expand their stupid actions and war will develop. It is like what happen in Europe with the Yellow Vests. People have had enough only here we do not RIOT, we wage war. Better have every round of ammo you can buy and disperse it in tactical cache now. Buy more ammo. Liberty1775

  41. avatar G says:

    Not enough discount for that many in a single sale.

  42. avatar gafas says:

    Quality posts is the main to interest the viewers to visit the website,
    that’s what this web page is providing.

  43. avatar Erin Montgomery says:

    I grew up just down the road from Lake city. Can I pick up and save shipping?

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