If youre planning to take on players or bosses, you will need the right ammunition.
This guide will provide a list of the best ammo types of each caliber in Escape From Tarkov.
Instead, damage is tied to each individual ammo throw in.
There are several types of rounds in each caliber, each with its own stats.
Penetration is a bullets ability to penetrate body armor and helmets.
This is where we have to get into a bit of math.
A higher penetration value means an ammo pop in can penetrate higher-level armor.
Armor in Tarkov is divided into levels 1-6, with level 6 being the toughest to get through.
Penetrating through armor also reduces the damage a bullet does.
Against level 3 armor, however, most hits will deal closer to 45 damage.
Each ammo jot down also has an armor damage percentage value.
Essentially, a bullet that pierces armor will deal that percentage of its damage to the armors durability.
This is also affected by the armor’s material.
A round that bounces off of an armor piece will deal far less damage.
Generally, high-penetration rounds also have better armor damage and will shred durability faster.
Secondary ammo stats
Other ammo stats have some interplay with your gun and its attachments.
Muzzle velocity determines the travel speed and arc of your shot.
A faster bullet requires less lead against distant, moving targets, and less compensation for bullet drop.
Your gun and its attachments may have bullet velocity modifiers that affect this stat.
Most barrels and muzzle attachments have an impact on muzzle velocity.
Some ammo also affects the recoil and accuracy of your gun.
These stats are set by the weapon itself, but high-powered rounds tend to increase recoil and reduce accuracy.
The effect is modest in most cases, but you may still feel the impact.
Ammo types also have modifiers to weapon durability and malfunction chance.
These are stats inherent to your gun that can be affected by your ammo choice.
Generally, armor-piercing rounds drain your weapons durability faster and have a higher chance to cause malfunctions.
There are a whole lot, so strap in.
12x70mm
More commonly known as 12 gauge, 12x70mm is used by most shotguns in Tarkov.
12 gauge shotguns arent exactly meta, but buckshot to the legs can still be very lethal.
20x70mm
20x70 shotgun ammo is currently only used by the TOZ shotgun.
Unfortunately, its pretty bad and you probably shouldnt use it outside of Scav raids.
Get close and aim away from armor.
The Zvezda flashbang round can also blind nearby players for a potent (if unnecessary) blind-then-blast combo.
Just dont expect to get through any significant armor.
9x19mm Parabellum
We inch closer to the meta with the standard 9mm NATO SMG caliber.
The fire rate of guns like the Vector (9mm) and MP9 makes that feasible.
They also make a decent sidearm for finishing off targets with dinged-up armor.
.45 ACP
.45 rounds dont have elite penetration, but their excellent damage makes up for it.
A .45 Vector will deal with most players efficiently, and the UMP is a nice budget option.
The P90 can also shred most armor with its high fire rate but struggles against level 6 vests.
However, its lackluster damage holds it back somewhat.
No other small round can handle a Slick or other level 6 armors as effectively.
Still, in the right hands, a VSS or AS-VAL with BP ammo is incredibly dangerous.
If you do land a shot though, .366 AP is devastating.
Still, a kitted-out M4 with M995s can handle just about anything.
You wont quite get the penetration of smaller rifle rounds, nor the damage of larger ones.
Even so, an MCX with AP rounds is a perfectly viable option for PvP.
Only level 6 armor can really stop it, and even that will quickly break down.
The top-end rounds basically ignore armor and will drop a player in two hits to the thorax.
You wont quite one-shot the thorax, so bolt actions rely on headshots or well-placed follow-ups.
The semi-auto SVD, however, can quickly put two rounds through a level 6 vest.
AP rounds also have way more than enough penetration to obliterate armor.
Once you get through though, your target is toast.
For more on upcoming content, check out our piece on the recentArena mode reveal.
