​What are the Most Expensive Calibers to Shoot in 2024?

If you tuned in last week, you’ll remember that we posted about some of the most affordable calibers to shoot right now. The results of my research weren’t too surprising for most seasoned shooters – aside from the fact that .223 Remington is now cheaper to shoot than 7.62x39 (a relatively new development). But outside of that, .22 LR and 9mm unsurprisingly remained some of the cheapest calibers out there.

After I finished that last post, I began to think about the other end of the spectrum. Which calibers were the least affordable to shoot? After doing some research, I put this list together. Check out this collection of the most expensive calibers to shoot in 2024!

The Most Expensive Calibers to Shoot in 2024

Before we go into detail about the most expensive calibers, let’s break down how we ranked our choices. Generally, rifle cartridges are more expensive than pistol ammo. Since I didn’t want to just have 3 different rifle cartridges, I broke this list down into 3 categories: handgun ammo, rifle ammo, and most expensive ammo overall.

One more thing: this pricing doesn’t include steel cased ammo. It doesn’t take remanufactured ammo into account, either. Instead, each entry on this list is ranked by the least expensive newly-manufactured brass cased cartridges available. Let’s take a look.

Most Expensive Rifle Ammo: 45-70

This entry was the one that required most research. I figured that the most expensive rifle cartridge would be something like 300 WinMag or 30-06. But to my surprise, I found that the 45-70 Government is actually the most expensive rifle cartridge out there right now.

According to my research, one round of 45-70 will run you $1.79. That’s more than both 300 WinMag and 30-06, which cost $1 per round and $0.75 per round, respectively. Keep that in mind the next time you decide to take your lever action rifle out to do some shooting.

Most Expensive Handgun Ammo: 500 Magnum

Here was another small surprise. When assessing the most expensive handgun ammo, I was convinced that it would be 5.7x28mm. However, that caliber was dwarfed – both physically and in price – by the mighty 500 Magnum.

I’ll admit that I should have guessed that 500 Magnum would be more expensive than 5.7x28mm. The former contains more metal and primer than the latter. However, 5.7x28mm is more widely available than the 500 Magnum, which you can pretty much only shoot from one gun: the Smith & Wesson 500.

Regardless of these variables, the 500 Magnum costs $1.63 per round – up about 15% from a month ago. In contrast, the 5.7x28mm only costs $0.39 per round.

Most Expensive Caliber Period: .50 BMG

Our final caliber is one that needs no introduction. If you’re even remotely familiar with firearms, chances are you could have guessed that this was far and away the most expensive caliber to shoot.

As of this writing, .50 BMG runs an about of $3.74 per round. That means you can shoot one 500 Magnum and one 45-70 for the price of a single .50 BMG round.

Final Thoughts

There you have it – the most expensive calibers to shoot in 2024. One thing’s for sure, though. The prices of these cartridges are only going to increase as time goes on. If you have any guns chambered in these calibers, now is the time to buy. Because without ammo, your cool, expensive gun is just a fancy paperweight.