You cannot hand your own bullets to the camp in Red Dead Redemption 2: there is no donate option for ammunition, arrows or throwables in your satchel. Instead, put money or valuables in the donation box next to Dutch’s tent, then open the camp ledger beside it and buy an ammunition restock, which refills the camp’s ammo supply for Arthur and the rest of the gang. Below we explain why the game works this way, walk through the restock step by step, list the ammo upgrades worth buying, and show you how to read the camp’s supply icons.
This guide covers Story Mode in the current build of Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4, Xbox One and PC (Steam and the Rockstar Games Launcher). PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players run those versions through backward compatibility, and as of this writing Rockstar has not announced a native current-gen version.
Why You Cannot Donate Your Own Ammo
The camp only takes three kinds of donation:
- Provisions: meat, carcasses and fish handed to Pearson for the stew.
- Crafting materials: perfect pelts, carcasses and antlers Pearson turns into satchels and camp decorations.
- Funds: cash and valuables in the donation box, plus animal parts Pearson buys for the camp fund.
Ammunition is not on the list, and players asking about it get the same answer: the camp’s ammo and medicine are bought with camp funds through the ledger, not stocked from your satchel. So “donating ammo” really means donating money and spending it on ammunition.
How to Restock the Camp’s Ammunition, Step by Step
- Unlock the camp ledger. The ledger sits next to the donation box by Dutch’s tent. It unlocks once you collect one of the debts from the Chapter 2 “Money Lending and Other Sins” missions and put the money in the box.
- Donate to the box. Walk up to the donation box and choose an amount. Valuables such as rings and watches can go in too. Any cash donation of $20 or more also raises Arthur’s Honor.
- Open the ledger. Walk up to it and press the interact prompt shown on screen. The first two pages list recent donations from the gang, the next three cover the supply wagons, and the rest hold lodging and other upgrades.
- Buy the ammunition restock. Turn to the ammunition page and buy the restock with camp funds. Check the price shown in your ledger: restocks cost a little more after each upgrade to that supply.
- Collect your ammo. Camp ammunition is free to take. The ammo supply sits at Arthur’s own wagon in camp, alongside the medicine and provisions supplies run by Strauss and Pearson.
Ammo Upgrades Worth Buying
Restocking refills the supply; upgrading widens what it holds. There are three ammunition upgrades in the ledger, each adding more types of ammunition and throwing weapons. The tiers are:
| Upgrade | Adds | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Improve Our Offense | Repeater ammo and arrows | $60 |
| Some Real Firepower | Throwing knives, plus shotgun and rifle ammo | $90 |
| Let’s Have Some Fun | Fire bottles and high-velocity repeater ammo | $110 |
Every ledger price is 20 percent lower in the Special and Ultimate Editions, so your figures may differ. If money is tight, put these behind the lodging upgrades, since Arthur’s lodging is what unlocks the camp’s fast travel map (our fast travel guide explains it).
One timing note: camp upgrades are available in Chapters 2, 3 and 4. If you want a fully stocked ammo wagon for the rest of the story, buy it before then. Our chapter guide shows where that cutoff falls in the campaign.
Reading the Camp’s Supply Icons
Ammunition, medicine and provisions each have an icon in camp. The color shows the stock level. The most common reading is red for low, white for medium and gold for high, but player reports describe the colors slightly differently, so if you are unsure, open the ledger, which shows what each supply needs.
Low supplies are not just cosmetic. When supplies run low the gang’s morale drops, and you will hear about it in their conversations around camp.
How to Raise Money for Restocks
If the camp fund is empty, these are the usual sources:
- Hunting. Pearson buys pelts and animal parts for the camp fund at the butcher table, and the best hides fetch the most. Our guide to getting perfect pelts covers clean kills.
- Valuables. Jewelry and other loot can go straight in the donation box.
- Upgrading Dutch’s lodging. This encourages the rest of the gang to donate more themselves.
Gang members also add their own donations over time, which is what fills those first two ledger pages.
Is It Worth Restocking at All?
That depends on how you play. Player reports point out that most of your ammunition comes from the open world: looting bodies, buying at gunsmiths and general stores, and picking up boxes on missions. Restocking the camp is optional. What it buys you is a free refill point every time you return to camp, plus a happier gang. If you spend a lot of Dead Eye in gunfights, a well-stocked camp wagon means fewer trips to the gunsmith; our Dead Eye guide explains how to get the most out of every shot.
Ammo in Red Dead Online
Red Dead Online has no gang ledger. Ammo you buy from the catalogue outside a store is sent to the lockbox at your camp and the post office, and the donations Cripps’ trading business accepts are hunted animals and their parts.
If you are looking for other ways to use the camp, our first guide in this set covers setting up a camp of your own in the wilderness, and the Red Dead guides hub lists the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you donate ammo to camp in RDR2? Not directly. Donate cash or valuables to the box by Dutch’s tent, then buy an ammunition restock from the camp ledger next to it.
Why can’t I donate ammo in RDR2? The camp only accepts provisions, crafting materials and funds. Ammo and medicine are bought with camp funds through the ledger.
How do you restock ammo at camp? Open the camp ledger, turn to the ammunition page and buy the restock. You need enough money in the camp fund first.
Where do you pick up ammo at camp? The camp’s ammunition supply is kept at Arthur’s wagon, and it is free to take.
How do you unlock the camp ledger? Put money from one of the “Money Lending and Other Sins” debts in the donation box early in Chapter 2.
Do camp donations raise Honor? Yes. Cash donations of $20 or more raise Arthur’s Honor.