Ahhh, I still remember going through this same contemplation so many years ago 
Like most have said, just buy whatever's cheapest. There's nothing wrong with most of the really cheap steal cased stuff. If you're shooting leas than 2k rounds per year, it's not going to make any noticeable difference. Another one I'll second or fifth or whatever is definitely check the EE. In the beginning years of my AR journey I would scoure the EE for good deals on 556. Fast forward to today when times aren't so tough for myself, I found I spent a good chunk of money on ammo from either cabelas or Tenda. Combined with the ammo rebates from federal, I bought 2k rounds of 556 from cabelas for 300.00 per case(after rebate) and then another 3k rounds from Tenda for around 375-400 per case.
If you're confined to smaller quantities, I'd say cabelas will be your jam as they frequently have really good prices.
Like most have said, just buy whatever's cheapest. There's nothing wrong with most of the really cheap steal cased stuff. If you're shooting leas than 2k rounds per year, it's not going to make any noticeable difference. Another one I'll second or fifth or whatever is definitely check the EE. In the beginning years of my AR journey I would scoure the EE for good deals on 556. Fast forward to today when times aren't so tough for myself, I found I spent a good chunk of money on ammo from either cabelas or Tenda. Combined with the ammo rebates from federal, I bought 2k rounds of 556 from cabelas for 300.00 per case(after rebate) and then another 3k rounds from Tenda for around 375-400 per case.
If you're confined to smaller quantities, I'd say cabelas will be your jam as they frequently have really good prices.
