Ammunition in Project Zomboid

Build 42.14 brought an ammunition rework. It removed .223 rounds entirely (loose rounds, boxes and cartons), moved the MSR700 over to 5.56mm, and added .357 Magnum for revolvers. Build 42.15 then added six new guns, including a .30-30 lever rifle. Older guides that mention .223 ammo or a .38 revolver as the main sidearm describe Build 41.

Capacities come from a Build 42.19 firearm list (one source); the gun and caliber pairings match The Indie Stone's 42.15 notes. The JS-2000 dropped from 6+1 to 5+1 in 42.14. Older item pages call the rifle round .308, while newer lists say 7.62x51mm; treat them as the same slot. For stats and handling see Firearms and Best weapons.

Ammo spawns loose, in boxes, and in larger cartons. Guns and magazines only take loose rounds, so you open a box first. Right-click the box and open it to get its rounds. To store or carry ammo more neatly, gather the right number of matching loose rounds and pack them back into a box. Reboxing creates nothing new; it only bundles what you have.

These counts come from one Build 42.19 guide (one source). Older wiki pages built on Build 41 scripts give different counts, such as 30 for 9mm and 40 for .308, so the rework probably changed box sizes. Check the box tooltip in your own build before you plan around a number. Carton contents could not be confirmed.

• Magazine guns (M9, M1911, Trapper, B-F Pistol, M16, JS-14, M1A and similar) need a magazine filled with loose rounds, then the magazine goes into the gun. Spare loaded magazines make reloading in a fight much faster.
• Revolvers, pumps, lever guns and break-action shotguns load straight from loose rounds in your inventory.
• The Trapper Carbine shares ammo and magazines with the M1911, so one .45 stash feeds both.

Magazines are their own loot item and are often harder to find than the gun. If you pick up a magazine pistol with no magazine, it is close to useless until you find one. Opinion Fill every magazine at home and carry the rest of that caliber boxed, so a reload never means fumbling with loose rounds. Note that these are gun magazines; the reading kind that teaches recipes is covered in Magazines.

No. Vanilla Build 42 has no way to make new firearm ammunition. There are no bullet casings to collect, no reloading press, no bullet mold and no blacksmithing recipe that produces rounds. The old "make shotgun shells" style recipes are not in the unmodded game. Every round you fire came from loot.

The one ammo recipe that goes the other way: using pliers or vise grips on a loose round breaks it down into gunpowder. The round is destroyed and the tool is kept. Gunpowder is useful for explosives (see Explosives), not for making bullets. Opinion Only break down calibers you have no gun for, and only once you have a use for the powder.

If you want ammo crafting, it needs mods. Ammocraft and Ammo Maker are the best known; they add casings, powder chains and presses. See Mods before adding anything to a save. The Blacksmithing skill in vanilla makes tools and metal parts, not rounds.

• Gun stores: the best source. Back storage rooms hold more ammo than the shop floor.
• Army surplus stores: ammo boxes on shelves and in crates.
• Police stations: boxed ammo tends to be thin; lockers lean toward guns and gear. SWAT storage shelves are a better bet.
• Military sites: rifles, pistols and some ammo. See Military bases.
• Hunting and pawn shops, houses, vehicles and zombie corpses: smaller amounts, but they add up.

The Ammo loot multiplier in Sandbox settings matters a lot. One guide lists it at 0.6 for Apocalypse and Outbreak, 0.4 for Rising and 0.2 for Extinction (one source). Full spawn notes are on Gun locations.

Opinion For a normal run, carry one gun, two or three loaded magazines (or about 20 loose rounds for a revolver or shotgun), and one spare box. That covers an emergency without eating into carry weight. Keep the rest boxed at base, sorted by caliber.

• Pick one or two calibers to stockpile. 9mm and 12 gauge are the ones most players find in bulk.
• Use melee for single zombies. Every shot is loud and pulls more zombies toward you; see Combat and Stealth.
• Shoot from cover or a vehicle with a clear exit, and stop once the group thins enough to finish with melee.
• Raise Aiming before you rely on guns. Missed shots cost the same ammo as hits.
• Since jamming is on in Apocalypse, keep guns repaired and carry a backup weapon.