Plinking gun.....that's not a 22

[Antihero]

Over the years ive trued to like 22pistols, several in fact but ......I find them very meh. I don't know if it's the total lack of recoil or what but I always end up getting rid of them.

So I was thinking.....what would fit the accurate, cheapish ammo, not huge recoil ( all three of these are more based around being able to shoot many rounds in a day) and not very expensive buy in of the average plinking gun?

What do you guys think?

 

[entropy]

The only other candidates are 9mm and .223.

 

[earlthegoat2]

22 mag is still relatively cheap compared to all the rest. I fear you will have a hard tome not going “meh” to it too since it shares many characteristics of 22 Lr when it comes to range plinking.

 

[Texas10mm]

9mm.

Handgun of your choice and a Ruger PCC.

 

[AZAndy]

My favorite plinkers are my .32 Long revolvers. Accurate enough, light recoil, inexpensive to shoot (if you reload 'em, anyway).

 

[TonyAngel]

Do you reload? If you reload, that's easy. 9mm or .38. If you don't reload, that's also easy. 9mm or .38. Pick your bullet spitter.

I get what you're saying. I don't do too much .22 anymore either. I pretty much only shoot .22 when I go to a fairly local shooting range that has a pretty extensive rimfire gallery set up.

For spitting .38 or 9mm, the gun depends on where I'm shooting. If I'm at a range where there are tables and such that make doing things like picking up brass and loading magazines comfortable, I'll take an auto. If I going out with my buddies to mess around in the woods, I'll take a revolver. All I really need is the gun and my fanny packs. One for ammo and one for empties. I like the Smith model 64, 65, 19/66...

 

[ATLDave]

If you don't reload, that's pretty much got to be a 9mm.

If you do reload, .38 special becomes a very viable answer. For just plain fun shooting, it's hard to beat a medium-frame revolver with some .38 wadcutters.

 

[TonyAngel]

If you don't reload, that's pretty much got to be a 9mm.

If you do reload, .38 special becomes a very viable answer. For just plain fun shooting, it's hard to beat a medium-frame revolver with some .38 wadcutters.

Ooops, things must have changed since I last bought .38.

 

[illinoisburt]

If you don't reload, that's pretty much got to be a 9mm.

Have to agree here. New 38 special isn't cheap anymore :-(

 

[TonyAngel]

Man, I guess I'm getting up in age. The last 20 years seem to have flown by and things I'm thinking were pretty recent may not have been all that recent.

 

[ATLDave]

Yep. All revolver cartridges are now outside the family of cartridges that benefit from the scale efficiencies of massive levels of government use. They're all "specialty" cartridges now.

9mm is gonna be about half the price of the next-closest option.

 

[illinoisburt]

Pure plinking the steel cased 9mm is the way to go if you don't like rimfire. Not hard to find new for under 13 cents per round.

Pair up with an entry level PCC

 

[Obturation]

I'd say get a 357 and just load accordingly. If you aren't a handloaded then.... Buy a press and start. 9mm is cheap but it's just not for everyone (me).

 

[bannockburn]

Definitely 9mm. is the way to go with a gun that you primarily want to plink with. Cheap ammo, not a lot of recoil, fairly accurate, and you can shoot a lot of rounds in one day.

 

[patmccoy]

.32 caliber flintlock rifle, or pistol.

 

[.38 Special]

For me, it is the .38 Special with wadcutters. I reload. If I didn't, I'd start, as I just don't understand how any but the most casual or most well-off shooter can not.

<edit> The real truth is that I am almost entirely a blackpowder shooter these days, and my "plinking" is done almost entirely with paper cartridges and civil-war era revolvers. This is extremely affordable if for no other reason than it takes forever not only to make the ammunition, but also to shoot it!

<another edit> and Patmccoy beat me to it. Aren't we a helpful pair?

 

[denton]

During the Great Ammo Shortage, I shot a lot of cast Cowboy Action 38 Spl. loads in my lever action 357. Hand loads ran about $.10 each. I found it much more fun than .22.

 

[LiveLife]

what would fit the accurate, cheapish ammo, not huge recoil ( all three of these are more based around being able to shoot many rounds in a day) and not very expensive buy in of the average plinking gun?

As others pointed out, 9mm will be the obvious choice for "not very expensive buy ... able to shoot many rounds in a day ... plinking gun".

During the last "great shortage" when price of 22LR went to $5+ for 50 rounds, our family switched to 9mm carbines as I could reload 9mm for the same cost.

And for our 40S&W Glocks, I run 40-9mm conversion barrels to shoot 9mm at lower cost. BTW, BCA sells Glock 22 conversion barrel for $43 - https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/bc...-9mm-conversion-barrel-stainless-steel-finish


And these from my ongoing load development with 9mm 95 gr FMJ - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...endence-from-work.853305/page-4#post-11387109

 

[unclenunzie]

38 special if you reload, 9mm if not.

 

[chicharrones]

Another vote for 9mm or .223.

 

[marvin02]

If you are looking for fun I have to agree with some of the others who posted to get a 9mm semi-auto handgun and a PCC that will use the same mags. You could even get a 9mm revolver if you wanted to keep the same ammo across the board.

 

[BigBore44]

Vote for 9mm or 38 in either a 1911 or medium frame revolver.

 

[.308 Norma]

My old Taurus 32 H&R loaded with cast bullet handloads is kinda fun, and pretty cheap too. As others have said though, I too prefer handloads in one of my 38 Specials - if only because those little 32 H&R cases are a pain for me to load with my fat, clumsy fingers.

 

[9mmepiphany]

If you don't reload, that's pretty much got to be a 9mm.

If you do reload, .38 special becomes a very viable answer. For just plain fun shooting, it's hard to beat a medium-frame revolver with some .38 wadcutters.

Can't really argue with the above....just based on cost and availability

In 9mm there are a number of serviceable pistols depending on your budget. The best value in a 9mm carbine is the Ruger PC (pistol caliber) Carbine

In .38Spl your choice in a revolver will depend on your budget and demand for quality. A nice companion carbine would be a lever action

 

[Meeks36]

I would buy a single shot 357 rifle. Can hunt deer with it. Load 38s for smaller game. Or just get a 12 ga.