Ammunition, often referred to as ammo, is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war (from the Latin munire, to provide), but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions. In the widest sense of the word it covers anything that can be used in combat that includes bombs, missiles, warheads, and mines (landmines, naval mines, and anti-personnel mines) ? that munitions factories manufacture.. The purpose of ammunition is predominantly to project force against a selected target. However, the nature of ammunition use also includes delivery or combat supporting munitions such as pyrotechnic or incendiary compounds. Since the design of the cartridge, the meaning has been transferred to the assembly of a projectile and its propellant in a single package.

However, ammunition shops can be found within city limits in most areas of the United States, as well as other parts of the world. A good and efficient ammunition shop must have a good amount of stock of ammunition in varieties. For serious hobby shooters, ammunition shops are the essential store as they supply them with most of their needs. Some ammunition shops even carry only specific types and kinds of gun ammunitions from a few manufacturers and are considered as licensed distributors.

Ammunition shops usually hold guns in stock aside from just their ammunition. There are many different guns that may be on the inventory of ammunition stores, ranging from guns for competition to hunting. The many different ammunition types in ammo stores vary in size and use. Aside from ammo, there will also be ammunition reloading types, presses, and gears in stock. The different types of presses in ammunition stores include progressive, semi-progressive, turret, and single-stage press.

Good ammunition shops will have personnel that have sufficient knowledge in the products and have had an ample amount of shooting experience and expertise regarding guns in order to guide customers, especially first time gun owners. Ammunition shops should also maintain a good amount of security within their stores, in order to prevent tampering and theft of dangerous weapons.