Ammo & Gear Tips
Bulk Ammo Buying Guide: When Cases Make Sense (and When They Don't)
A case is only a bargain if it is a caliber you shoot, a price that is genuinely better, and a shelf you actually have.
4 min read
Notes from the counter
Straight answers for people who shoot in San Diego County — written by the people who stand behind the counter in Kearny Mesa, not by anyone trying to sell you a subscription.
Why this exists
The Counter Conversation, Written Down
Everything here started as a question across the counter in Kearny Mesa. What the difference really is between range ammo and carry ammo. Whether an ID that reads FEDERAL LIMITS APPLY is going to clear the state's eligibility check. What to buy first for a gun somebody has owned for a week and hasn't fired yet. Which 12 gauge load belongs in a home-defense shotgun and which one belongs at the clays range. We answer those every day we're open.
Writing them down means you can settle the question before you drive out to Mercury Street, and it means the answer you read here is the same one you'd get in person. No scare copy, no upsell, and no pretending California's rules are simpler than they are. Where something is our store policy rather than state law, we say so plainly. Where a case is still being litigated, we say that too, and we put the date we last checked on the page.
If an article doesn't answer your question, call 858-987-0509 and ask a person. That's still the fastest route to a straight answer, and it tells us what to write next.
Se habla español
What you won't find here
- Legal advice. We're a shop, not a law firm — every legal article carries the date it was last checked and links to the California DOJ.
- Catalog prices. Wholesale moves week to week, so a number typed into an article would be wrong within a month. The week's fixed deal prices are published on the deals page, where they belong.
- Anything about firearms sales or range time. We sell ammunition and accessories, and there is no range at this location.
Latest
Articles
Filter by what you came for. Every article is written for somebody buying ammunition in San Diego County, not for a search engine.
New Shooters
New Shooter Ammo Guide for San Diego
The caliber is stamped on your gun, plain FMJ is what you practice with, and 100 to 200 rounds is a first pistol session.
9 min read
New Shooters
Buying Ammo for Your First Range Trip (San Diego Edition)
Plain range ammo in the right caliber, a phone call to the range first, and about twice as much as you think you need.
5 min read
Ammo & Gear Tips
Range vs Self-Defense Ammo: What's the Difference?
Two boxes of 9mm on the same shelf, and only one of them belongs in the gun by your bed.
5 min read
Start here
The Pages People Actually Need
Four routes that answer most of it without waiting for an article.
- Browse the catalog by caliberPistol, rifle, rimfire and shotgun, with what each load is actually for. Catalog prices move weekly, so those are a phone call.
- How California's ammo law worksThe eligibility check step by step, what ID to bring, and how to fix your DOJ record for free before you drive out.
- This week's in-store dealsThe Deal of the Week and Deal of the Month, with the exact quantity and price we are running them at.
- The counter FAQHours, stock, payment, returns and the warranty — the questions we field every week.
Where We Are
LAX Ammo San Diego4411 Mercury St, Suite 103San Diego, CA 92111
Kearny Mesa, San DiegoOpen in Google Maps
Hours
- Mon – Fri
- 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Sat – Sun
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Call or Text
858-987-0509Calls only
310-499-3499Text only
Text anytime. Anytime — immediate during business hours, forwarded after hours.
Before You Visit
- Bring your California ID — every ammo purchase needs an eligibility check.
- Purchases happen at the counter. No online checkout, and we don't ship ammo.
- Ammunition and accessories only. No firearms, no range at this location.
Se habla español
How California's ammo law works