Video How-To: Choose the Best Ammunition for Your Gun

It's a bit more complicated than just checking the markings on your gun's barrel. We explain!

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posted on March 27, 2025
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The most important gun-safety device in the world, without question, is located between your ears. Gun safety is all about knowledge and awareness. One important thing to be aware of is how to choose the correct type of ammunition for your firearm. The short answer is "check your gun's barrel," but there's a bit more to it than that.

First, you should know that a lot of the casual jargon that gun owners use is not always reflected in what's marked on your ammunition box or barrel. What we call "9mm," for example, can be designated a number of other ways, like "9mm Luger," or "9X19mm." There are also some firearms that can accept more than one type of ammunition, such as revolvers that can safely fire .357 Magnum and .38 Spl. (We go into much greater depth with our "Ammo Awareness" series here on NRAFamily.org, too!)

In this video from our friends at NRAWomen.com, you'll learn the simplest way to determine what type of ammo your firearm is chambered for, and how to select the correct type of ammunition for your firearm that matches the gun's purpose.

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