Delta Force Ammo Chart: Every Ammo Type Explained

Ammo matters just as much as the weapon you carry in Delta Force Operations. Every round has its own penetration level, flesh-damage behavior, armor damage, and in some cases special effects such as increased limb damage, vulnerability, slowing, hearing disruption, or bonus armor damage.

The basic rule is simple: compare your ammo's Penetration Level with the enemy armor's Protection Level.

If your ammo is below the armor level, it cannot directly damage the protected HP until the armor is broken. Matching the armor level deals reduced health damage. Higher-level ammunition lets progressively more damage through. Delta Force uses the same general six-level color ladder for normal gear and ammunition: Gray, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, and Red.

But that is only the beginning. Damage Ratio, Armor Penetration, Penetration Falloff, weapon base damage, range, and specialized ammunition can all change the result.

This Delta Force ammo chart covers the complete ammunition system and the current caliber families available in Operations.

Delta Force ammo levels and colors

The standard Operations gear ladder contains six levels.

The normal gear system uses Levels 1 through 6, but some ammunition exceeds that scale. The supplied ammo chart lists .338 Lapua Magnum AP at Penetration Level 7, and Team Jade later introduced the .50 BMG M903 SLAP as another Level 7 armor-piercing round.

Delta Force ammo vs armor chart

The most useful chart in this guide is the relationship between your ammunition level and the armor you're shooting.

The official 2026 Operations guide gives a direct example: a round dealing 34 Flesh Damage against armor of the same level applies 50%, resulting in 17 HP damage. Against armor one level above the ammunition, it deals no HP damage until that armor is destroyed.

Firing-range testing documented in the supplied armor/ammo source demonstrates the remaining steps: one-tier-over ammunition allows approximately 75% through, while a sufficiently large penetration advantage results in full health damage.

That produces an easy example:

This is why spending heavily on a gun while loading weak ammunition can produce poor results in Operations.

What does Damage Ratio mean in Delta Force?

Damage Ratio determines how the ammunition modifies the weapon's damage against flesh.

It is not the same thing as Penetration Level.

A weapon provides the underlying damage value. The ammunition then modifies that damage according to its Damage Ratio and other ammunition-specific properties.

For example, a round with a 100% Damage Ratio uses the normal baseline for that ammunition and weapon combination. A round with a value above 100% increases its flesh-damage potential, while a round below 100% sacrifices some raw damage for another advantage.

The important distinction is:

Penetration Level = whether and how effectively damage gets through armor.

Damage Ratio = how the ammunition modifies damage to flesh.

The Delta Force Handbook makes the same distinction and notes that the weapon itself remains a major determinant of the final damage number.

Why old Delta Force ammo charts can be inaccurate

Several older Delta Force ammo charts still appear high in search results, including the supplied spreadsheet/Scribd chart. It remains useful for understanding the original ammunition ladders, but some of its Damage Ratio values are no longer current.

For example, the supplied chart lists 9x19mm RIP at 130% Damage Ratio. Team Jade subsequently changed that round several times. An official February 2025 balance update set 9x19mm RIP to a 1.4x base damage multiplier, or 140%, while Level 1 and Level 2 9x19mm rounds were set to 1.1x. The same patch changed .45 ACP RIP to 1.35x and 5.7x28mm R37.F to 1.4x.

Delta Force has also added entirely new calibers and specialized ammunition since that original chart, including .300 BLK, .50 BMG, new Compound Bow arrows, specialty 5.56mm and 5.45mm rounds, PLY 6.8mm ammunition, .45 ACP Super, CT rounds, and more.

For that reason, this article treats the old chart as a useful baseline while using later official updates for newer ammunition.

Delta Force ammo chart: every current caliber

The current Operations ammunition database contains a much larger selection than the original launch-era chart, including regular rounds and seasonal/special ammunition.

Now let's break down what each Delta Force ammo type actually does.

9x19mm ammo

9x19mm has one of the clearest progression ladders in the game:

These levels come from the supplied Delta Force ammo chart.

RIP is the flesh-focused option. It sacrifices normal armor penetration for increased damage potential against exposed body parts.

PSO, Pst, AP6.3, and PBP then climb progressively through the standard armor ladder.

9x19mm also received a specialized CT round. Team Jade added 9x19mm CT as a Penetration Level 0 round dealing 1.75x limb damage, with drawbacks including random ADS spread and reduced recoil control.

.45 ACP ammo

The classic .45 ACP ladder is:

RIP through AP appear in the supplied chart, while .45 ACP Super was added later as permanent Level 5 ammunition.

Super is unusual because it has an 0.85x damage multiplier but a 1.1x armor-damage multiplier against armor Levels 1 through 6. It is therefore more armor-focused than its raw flesh damage suggests.

The caliber also has .45 ACP CT, a Level 0 specialized round that deals 1.6x limb damage and trades conventional gun performance for that exposed-limb role.

4.6x30mm ammo

The original armor-focused 4.6x30mm ladder begins relatively high:

That makes the caliber different from families where the standard ammunition progression starts at Level 1.

Current variants expand the family considerably. Team Jade's Reorientation update added:

FMJ ST: Level 4, with increased head and chest damage multipliers but lower abdomen and limb multipliers.

AP ST: Level 5 with the same body-location specialization.

CT: Level 0, 1.85x limb damage, a 15% reduction in weapon fire rate, random ADS spread, and reduced recoil control.

This is a good example of why modern Delta Force ammo cannot be understood using penetration level alone.

5.7x28mm ammo

The standard 5.7x28mm progression is:

R37.F plays the flesh-damage role, while the rest build progressively toward high armor penetration.

Team Jade later adjusted R37.F to a 1.4x base damage multiplier and Level 1/2 5.7mm ammo to 1.1x, so older charts showing 130% and 100% respectively are out of date.

Current databases also list HT and HT+ variants.

9x39mm ammo

The original 9x39mm ladder is compact:

Meltdown expanded it with PAB-7 and PAB-9.

PAB-7 has Level 3 penetration and PAB-9 Level 4. Their special mechanic applies a short vulnerability effect to the body part hit, allowing subsequent hits to that part to receive increasing damage, up to a documented 60% bonus.

Those rounds turn 9x39mm into more than a simple Level 3 → 4 → 5 progression.

5.8x42mm ammo

The classic progression is:

The supplied older chart uses SBP10, while current databases use DBP10, which is worth knowing when comparing older guides with the current client.

Later seasons introduced DBP10 +P and DVC12 +P. Team Jade describes them as Level 4 and Level 5 overpressure rounds respectively; hitting an enemy applies Slow and increased hit flinch, while loading the ammunition also improves recoil and stability behavior.

5.56x45mm ammo

One of Delta Force's most familiar rifle calibers uses this standard ladder:

Team Jade later added two specialized versions:

M855 APC: Level 3 with a 1.3x Armor Penetration multiplier.

M855A1 APC+: Level 4 with 1.1x damage, 1.15x Armor Penetration, and an additional armor-penetration benefit against Level 6 protection.

This means two Level 3 rounds do not necessarily perform identically against armor.

7.62x39mm ammo

The regular 7.62x39mm progression is:

Special subsonic versions have also appeared.

BP SUB uses Level 4 penetration, while AP SUB uses Level 5. Both receive a 1.05x damage multiplier and can reduce enemy hearing after headshots. Their Armor Penetration multipliers differ.

7.62x51mm ammo

The standard 7.62x51mm ladder begins at Level 3:

This is one of the game's heavier rifle calibers and reaches Level 6 without requiring an exceptional sniper cartridge.

Current databases also list LS within the family.

The MDR, added in Season 11, also uses 7.62x51mm ammunition, expanding the weapon pool that can use this caliber.

7.62x54R ammo

The supplied chart lists:

Like 7.62x51mm, this family starts at Level 3 and reaches red Level 6 ammunition.

That makes the basic choice comparatively simple: each step advances one armor tier.

5.45x39mm ammo

The standard ladder is:

Current Delta Force also contains specialized BT ST, BS ST+, and +P variants.

Team Jade introduced BT ST at Level 4 and BS ST+ at Level 5 with improved headshot behavior and significant camera shake when they hit an opponent.

6.8x51mm ammo

Originally, the supplied ammo chart showed only the high-end ladder:

Meltdown added three PLY rounds that extend the caliber downward:

Each PLY round uses a 0.9x Armor Penetration multiplier and gains a Control buff during sustained fire.

That gives 6.8x51mm a wider range of economic and penetration choices than it had originally.

12.7x55mm ammo

The ASh-12's heavy ammunition includes several unusual options:

PD12 is the unusual entry. The older supplied chart identifies the duplex-style round as having different damage and armor behavior from ordinary PS12 ammunition.

Testing documented from the supplied armor source also shows PD12 behaving more like a specialty blunt-damage option than a normal AP round, making it a poor example of why you should judge ammunition using color alone.

.357 Magnum ammo

Current Delta Force lists four .357 Magnum choices:

The current database describes Snake Shot as firing eight pellets and being designed to inflict significant damage on unarmored parts.

Team Jade previously reduced Snake Shot's base damage multiplier to 0.4 during an ammunition balance pass, another example of why historical spreadsheet damage values need to be checked against later updates.

.50 AE ammo

The Desert Eagle ammunition ladder is particularly easy to read:

Current game-data sources list all four at a 100% Damage Ratio while their penetration rises from Level 2 through Level 5.

Team Jade also officially confirmed the return of .50 AE AP as Level 5 Desert Eagle ammunition.

.338 Lapua Magnum ammo

The original chart lists one .338 Lapua Magnum round:

Level 7 exceeds the normal six-level armor ladder, fitting the ammunition's specialized sniper role.

The current ammunition database still lists .338 Lapua Mag AP as the family's sole entry.

12 Gauge ammo

Shotgun ammunition is the most mechanically varied category in Delta Force.

Current databases include:

The older supplied ammo chart lists these classic penetration levels:

Be careful with old Damage Ratio numbers here. Team Jade later rebalanced both 8.5mm and 7mm buckshot.

Season 11 also introduced DART, a Level 3 dart-style shell that causes bleeding when it hits.

.300 BLK ammo

.300 BLK was added alongside the MCX LT and has since gained both supersonic and subsonic ammunition.

Team Jade has referenced the standard production rounds as .300 Blackout V-Max, .300 Blackout BCP FMJ, and .300 Blackout CBJ.

Morphosis later added two specialized subsonic rounds:

Both were introduced with 0.95x Armor Penetration multipliers, although BCP SUB was subsequently buffed to 1x.

.45-70 Government ammo

The Lever-Action Rifle uses three .45-70 Government rounds:

Current game-data tracking based on Delta Force's data places RN as the flesh-damage option, FMJ at Level 4, and FTX at Level 5.

This is one of the clearest examples of the difference between Damage Ratio and Penetration Level: the RN round has the highest raw ratio of the three but no conventional penetration rating.

.50 BMG ammo

The M82 introduced a completely different heavy-sniper ammunition family:

M10 RAZOR and M3 K-0 each use a 0.7x damage multiplier, while M903 SLAP uses 1x. Team Jade also states that these rounds cannot be stored in a Safe Box.

The important lesson is that Level 6 ammunition is not automatically inferior to Level 7 ammunition in every respect. The two Level 6 rounds provide status effects, while SLAP prioritizes raw penetration.

Compound Bow arrows

Delta Force also treats Compound Bow arrows as their own ammunition family.

Current databases list:

The Scatter Arrow was introduced as a Level 5 penetration projectile that splits into three arrows, each dealing its own damage. The tradeoff is a 0.3x damage multiplier and 0.32x Armor Penetration multiplier per projectile.

What is Armor Penetration in Delta Force?

Armor Penetration is separate from the ammunition's Penetration Level.

Penetration Level determines the broad interaction between ammo and armor tiers.

Armor Penetration determines how much damage the shot does to the armor's durability.

The official Operations guide demonstrates this with a weapon/ammo combination showing 48 Armor Penetration. Against Level 1 armor with a 60% falloff multiplier, the shot deals 28.8 armor damage. Against Level 3 armor using a 40% multiplier, it deals 19.2 armor damage.

So two bullets with the same Penetration Level can still break armor at different rates.

What is Armor Penetration Falloff?

Armor Penetration Falloff controls how much of your listed Armor Penetration applies against different protection levels.

It should not be confused with ordinary weapon damage falloff over distance.

The game exposes these percentages in the ammunition Details panel, and the percentages can differ significantly between rounds.

The practical result is that two rounds with the same color and Penetration Level can perform differently when repeatedly hitting armor.

Does higher-level ammo do more damage?

Not necessarily.

Higher Penetration Level primarily improves performance against armor. It does not automatically mean higher flesh damage.

Some low-penetration rounds deliberately trade armor performance for a higher Damage Ratio.

Examples include:

9x19mm RIP: high flesh-damage modifier but Penetration Level 0.

.45-70 RN: 150% Damage Ratio with no normal penetration rating.

CT ammunition: huge limb modifiers but Penetration Level 0 and weapon-performance penalties.

Meanwhile, .45 ACP Super has Level 5 penetration but only an 0.85x raw damage multiplier because part of its value comes from increased armor damage.

"Highest tier" and "highest damage" are therefore not interchangeable.

What ammo should you use in Delta Force?

Choose ammunition based on the armor level you expect to fight.

If opponents are wearing Level 3 Blue armor, then:

Level 2 ammunition cannot directly damage protected HP until the armor breaks.

Level 3 ammunition deals roughly half of the applicable flesh damage through matched armor.

Level 4 ammunition allows roughly three quarters through.

Level 5 or higher has a sufficient tier advantage for full applicable flesh damage under the normal penetration system.

That doesn't mean buying the most expensive ammunition for every deployment is efficient. Operations is an extraction mode, and ammunition brought into the raid is part of the value you're risking.

A more useful question is:

What armor tier am I preparing to fight?

Then buy enough penetration to meet that requirement.

Should you mix ammo in Delta Force magazines?

Mixing ammunition can reduce the amount of expensive ammo you risk, but it also makes your damage output less predictable.

A magazine containing multiple penetration levels can suddenly stop dealing the same HP damage as the next round reaches the chamber.

For serious PvP, consistent ammunition is easier to understand and plan around. If you do mix rounds, know their loading order rather than assuming every shot has the same penetration.

Is flesh ammo good in Delta Force?

Flesh ammunition can be extremely damaging against unprotected body parts, but its effectiveness depends on where your shots land.

Penetration Level 0 rounds such as RIP cannot rely on normal vest penetration. Their purpose is to exploit exposed targets or body areas rather than win a conventional center-mass fight through high-tier armor.

CT ammunition takes that concept further by explicitly increasing limb damage while imposing weapon-performance penalties.

Delta Force ammo FAQ

What do ammo colors mean in Delta Force?

Ammo colors correspond to the normal Level 1–6 equipment ladder: Gray, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, and Red. Higher levels represent higher penetration.

What is the best ammo in Delta Force?

There is no universal best ammunition. The useful choice depends on the weapon, expected enemy armor, cost, range, and whether the round has a special mechanic.

For armor fights, Penetration Level is the first number to check.

Does same-tier ammo penetrate armor in Delta Force?

Yes, but at reduced effectiveness. The official 2026 Operations guide shows same-level ammunition dealing 50% of its applicable flesh damage through armor of the same level.

What happens if my ammo level is lower than the enemy armor?

The protected body area takes no direct HP damage until the armor breaks. Your shots still damage armor durability.

What happens if my ammo is one level higher than armor?

Firing-range testing in the supplied ammo/armor source shows approximately 75% health damage getting through when ammunition is one tier above the armor.

What happens if my ammo is much higher than the armor?

With a sufficient penetration-tier advantage, the ammunition deals its full applicable flesh damage through the protection under the normal tier system.

What is Damage Ratio?

Damage Ratio is the ammunition modifier applied to flesh damage. It is separate from the round's Penetration Level and Armor Penetration value.

What is the highest penetration ammo in Delta Force?

Delta Force contains Level 7 ammunition, including .338 Lapua Magnum AP in the supplied ammo chart and .50 BMG M903 SLAP in current official patch notes.

Is expensive ammo more important than an expensive gun?

The gun and ammunition work together. Weapon base damage is a major factor, but poor penetration can prevent that damage from reaching HP through armor.

An expensive weapon loaded with ammunition below the enemy's armor level can therefore perform far worse than its weapon price suggests.

Does ammo work the same in Warfare?

This chart is specifically for Operations ammunition. Operations uses collectible ammunition with penetration levels, market value, armor interaction, and specialized rounds. Do not assume an Operations ammo stat or economic recommendation applies directly to Warfare.

The most important Delta Force ammo rule

If you only remember one thing from this Delta Force ammo chart, remember the comparison:

Ammo below armor: damage the armor first.

Ammo equal to armor: 50% flesh damage through protection.

Ammo one tier higher: roughly 75%.

Ammo sufficiently higher: full applicable flesh damage.

Then check the ammunition's Damage Ratio, Armor Penetration, and special effects before assuming two rounds of the same tier are interchangeable.

That is what makes Delta Force ammunition more complicated than a simple color hierarchy—and why choosing the right bullets can matter as much as choosing the right gun.