The explosive 5.56 rifle ammo in Rust is a variation of the standard 5.56 rifle ammo used for the LR-300, M249, Assault Rifle, SARS, Bolt Action, and Auto Turret. It does 45 bullet damage, which is slightly less than the standard 5.56 ammunition’s 50, though it does three explosive damage on top of that, damaging both players and structures. This explosive ammo is a great tool for raiding, and this guide will walk you through obtaining it.
How to Get Explosive Ammo in Rust
5.56 explosive ammo is a craftable resource that requires a fair bit more material than its standard counterpart. In order to craft it, you will need to first obtain a blueprint. This can be done by combining explosive 5.56 rounds with 250 Scrap in a research table. This means you will need to first find some explosive ammunition in either loot crates, airdrops, or from other players. It is rarer than standard 5.56 ammo, but you should be able to find some if you keep an eye out. Once you have the blueprint, you will be able to craft it.
Crafting will only net you two bullets, while the regular non-explosive 5.56 ammo gets you three. Here are the materials that you require in order to begin crafting:
- 42 wood
- 50 sulfur ore
- 10 metal ore
- 60 coal
- A furnace or large furnace
Place all of the above resources into a furnace, smelting them into 50 units of sulfur, ten metal fragments, and 60 units of charcoal (one unit of charcoal is made from 0.8 units of wood). This process will require 60 units of coal to smelt the sulfur and metal ores.
Combine 40 units of sulfur with all 60 units of charcoal to create 20 units of gunpowder. This is four times as much gunpowder as your standard 5.56 ammo and is where the explosive punch comes from. You should now have 20 units of gunpowder, ten leftover units of sulfur, and your ten metal fragments. Explosive ammo can then be crafted by combing these three resources to create two cartridges, a process that takes ten seconds.
