Tarkov Ammo Chart: Best Ammo Tier List by Caliber after 1.1.5.0

1.1.5.0Live 8 September 2026

PPBS · M61 · M995Class 4 and class 5

195Cartridges on the Jul 12 pull

Bottom line: post-1.1 Tarkov still kills with penetration power. Magazine size decides little. Mid-raid lobbies wear class 4–5 plates; late kits push class 5–6. If your round cannot start penetrating that class in a short burst, you lose the trade.

Patch era1.1.0.0 · Season 1 Kord Breach

Raid focus5 core + new 5.8×42

Armor gateClass 4–5 common

StatsJul 12 pull · 195 rounds

Armor in Tarkov is a stop-or-penetrate roll. A flat damage sponge fails this check. Chance uses the plate's protection class (1–6), remaining durability %, and the ammo's penetration power. Failed pens still chip durability (armor damage %), so soft rounds can eventually open a plate. but you die 1st against fresh class 5–6.

Armor class	What you see in raids	Pen you usually want	Example rounds
Class 1–2	Early scav / soft armor	~15–25	Pst / soft FMJ
Class 3	Budget early PMC	~30+	PS / M855
Class 4	Default mid-raid plate	~40–45+	BP / M855A1 / M80
Class 5	Serious kits / bosses-adjacent	~50–55+	BS / M995 / M61 / MAI AP
Class 6	Top plates / late lasers	~55–62+	PPBS, M61/ M993, .338 AP

Effectiveness scale (0–6): 4 = Effective (~3–5 shots before reliable pens), 5 = Very effective, 6 = Usually ignores. Our S–C tiers below mirror that for raid PvP. Scav farming needs a cheaper ladder.

1.1.0.0 note (Aug 3, 2026): BSG fixed ricochet settings for gear with armor points. vests, plate carriers, helmets and additional armor components. Ricochet behaviour can differ from pre-1.1 muscle memory; the penetration thresholds in this section are unchanged.

You can run dozens of chamberings. For most PMC kits these 5 cover early flea unlock through endgame:

Caliber	Why it matters	S-tier round	Budget workhorse
5.45×39	AK-74 meta, cheap guns, high RPM	PPBS Igolnik (62 pen)	BT / PP → BP
5.56×45	M4 / HK416 / MD platforms	M995 / SSA AP	M855 → M855A1
7.62×39	AKM punch, mid RPM	MAI AP (58)	PS → BP
7.62×51	DMR / battle rifle laser kits	M61 / M993	M80 / M80A1
9×19	SMG / pistol early & CQB	PBP (best 9mm)	Pst → AP 6.3

Honorable mentions: 7.62×54R (SVD/bolt. BS/SNB), 9×39 (VSS/VAL stealth), .338 Lapua (true class-6 delete, tiny ammo pool).

Stats = penetration / flesh damage / armor damage % from the Jul 12 pull of 195 cartridges. Live tarkov.dev/ammo filters show the same pen and damage on the 5 core calibers. Tier = raid usefulness vs class 4–6. Scav DPS is a separate question.

Caliber	Round	Pen	Dmg	Armor%	Tier	Role
5.45×39	PPBS Igolnik	62	37	59	S	Class 6 laser. scarce/expensive
5.45×39	BS	54	45	57	S	Default late AK AP
5.45×39	BP	45	48	46	A	Mid-raid class 4–5
5.45×39	BT	37	54	44	B	Budget tracer climb
5.45×39	PS	28	56	40	C	Early scav / class 3
5.56×45	SSA AP	57	38	58	S	Top 5.56 pen
5.56×45	M995	53	42	52	S	Standard endgame 5.56
5.56×45	M855A1	44	49	47	A	Best mid-tier buy
5.56×45	M856A1	38	52	44	B	Tracer mid kit
5.56×45	M855	31	54	37	C	Early unlocked NATO
7.62×39	MAI AP	58	53	76	S	AKM class 5–6
7.62×39	BP	47	58	63	A	Reliable mid-late
7.62×39	PP	41	59	57	A	Class 4 workhorse
7.62×39	PS	35	61	52	B	Budget AKM
7.62×51	M993	65	70	85	S	Absolute DMR top
7.62×51	M61	60	73	79	S	Default laser AP
7.62×51	M80A1	55	75	74	A	Strong mid-premium
7.62×51	M80	43	80	67	A	Budget DMR / class 4–5
9×19	PBP	39	44	55	A	Best 9mm vs armor
9×19	AP 6.3	30	52	48	B	Mid SMG AP
9×19	Pst	20	54	33	C	Legs / unarmored
7.62×54R	BS	70	72	88	S	Bolt/SVD delete
9×39	SP-6	48	60	64	A	Quiet class 4–5
12/70	AP-20	37	164	65	B	Slug AP CQB
.338 LM	AP	79	115	89	S	Class 6 1-tap fuel

Armor% = armor damage multiplier. Flesh damage drops as pen climbs. that is normal. Prefer pen when the lobby is plated.

Buy the cheapest round that still starts pens on the armor you expect. Overpaying for PPBS to farm scavs is how stash value evaporates.

Caliber	Budget (class ≤3–4)	Mid (class 4–5)	Top (class 5–6)
5.45×39	PS → BT	BP / 7N40	BS → PPBS
5.56×45	M855 / FMJ	M855A1	M995 / SSA AP
7.62×39	PS / FMJ	PP → BP	MAI AP
7.62×51	BCP FMJ / M80	M80A1	M61 / M993
9×19	Pst / M882	AP 6.3	PBP

Flea / trader note: top AP (PPBS, M995, M61, MAI AP, PBP) is often flea-locked, LL-gated, or both. Trader stock resets. if Peacekeeper/Prapor LL is low, run the mid column until unlocks catch up. Exact LL rows drift with patches; check in-game traders the day you buy.

Cheaper since 1.1.0.0 (Aug 3, 2026): trader prices were cut on 5.45×39 FMJ, 5.56×45 FMJ, 7.62×39 FMJ, 9×19 Green Tracer and .45 ACP Lasermatch FMJ, and several popular ammo types and magazines moved 1 Loyalty Level lower, so the budget rungs unlock earlier than the LL notes above assume. Pulling the other way: trader prices rose ~25% overall and the flea fee went 3% → 5%, so flea-sourced AP costs more than it did in July.

• 7.62×54R. bolt guns and SVDs. BS (70 pen) / SNB (62) ignore class 6; LPS/PS are the budget ladder.
• 9×39. VSS/VAL. SP-6 (48) and BP (54) for quiet mid-late; SP-5 is early only.
• .338 Lapua. AP (79 pen / 115 dmg) is the chart ceiling for handheld rifles. Magazine size and cost keep it niche.
• 4.6×30 AP SX (53) / 5.7×28 SS190 (37). PDW niches; AP SX punches above weight, SS190 is mid SMG AP.
• 12/70 AP-20. best slug AP for shotguns; flechette shreds armor durability but needs pellet hits.
• 5.8×42mm. NEW in 1.1.0.0 (3 August 2026), runs on the Norinco QBZ-191. DVC12 AP is 49 pen / 46 dmg / 55% armor. It out-pens M995 (42) and PPBS (37) and trades about 7 flesh damage. On paper it is the hardest-penetrating intermediate-caliber round. DBP191 is the general-purpose load at 32 pen / 56 dmg. DBX95 tracer and an AP tracer complete the family. The live GraphQL ammo endpoint still returns unavailable on 20 September 2026, so confirm 5.8×42 figures in-client before a stash buy.

1. Identify the armor you will fight. Early questing → class 3–4. Customs/Streets mid → class 4–5. Labs/late → assume class 5–6.
2. Pick caliber from your gun. Then climb the budget→mid→top ladder above until pen matches that class.
3. Load AP in the chamber / 1st 10–15 rounds if stash is tight; finish the mag with mid-tier. 1 failed pen stack loses the fight.
4. Don't confuse flesh damage with winning. QuakeMaker / RIP melt unarmored scavs and bounce off real plates.
5. Re-check after patches. Ballistics hotfixes happen. Refresh this page or open the Jul 12 ammo table.

Need raids cleared while you farm unlocks for M61/M995? Use the Tarkov CTAs below. same skill that matters on wipe day still matters on a persistent 1.0 profile.

Ammo is the raid input; the raid itself is a Tarkov carry if you want the lockout done while you farm the unlocks.

A wipe also resets stash value. read Tarkov roubles after a wipe before you dump ₽ into ammo you will not take in.

Buy the quest ammo you’ll actually spend. Skip the flea meme you will never chamber on a task.

1. Primary stats: the Jul 12 pull of 195 cartridges, read from the live ammo table on tarkov.dev/ammo.
2. Live UI cross-check: the same table’s caliber filters (5.45 / 5.56). PPBS 37/62, BS 45/54, M995 42/53, SSA AP 38/57, M855A1 49/44.
3. Same-number check: PPBS, M995, M61 and PBP match across the Jul 12 pull and the live table, within rounding.
4. Patch freshness: official Patch 1.1.0.0 (3 August 2026) launched the Seasons system and Season 1 KORD BREACH (live 4 August). The notes have no ballistics or penetration rewrite, so the numbers on this page still stand. The patch added the 5.8×42mm caliber, cut 5 FMJ prices, moved some ammo 1 Loyalty Level lower, raised trader prices about 25%, took the flea fee from 3% to 5%, and fixed ricochet on armored gear. Prior 1.0.6.0 (3 July) was Expansion Hub prep plus fixes, also with no ammo-stat change. Patch 1.1.5.0 (8 September) reworked Lighthouse and Icebreaker access. It did not rewrite ballistics.
5. 5.8×42mm: DVC12 is 49 pen / 46 dmg / 55% armor. DBP191 is 32 pen / 56 dmg. The live GraphQL ammo endpoint still returns GraphQL server unavailable on 20 September 2026. Every other caliber on this page is the unchanged Jul 12 pull.

Tiers are editorial raid rankings. There is no in-game label. Trader LL / flea locks are patch-sensitive. verify in-client before a big buy.