plinking/target gun

[streetstang67]

Well i finally have some spare money and of course it will go toward a gun purchase. I've already got a remington 7400 synthetic rifle (.30-06) and a remington 870 shotty (12ga). Now its time for a smaller caliber rifle to fill the small gap that the .30-06 is overkill for. Also I will use this gun for random plinking and target shooting.

First off, what caliber(s) will best fill the gap between a bb gun and a .30-06. This will need to be a relatively cheap ammo, but i can reload if neccessary.

Second, i'd prefer an autoloading rifle, but it has to be consistently accurate.

Next, the gun needs to be tough...I don't mind cleaning it often, but i dont want to be afraid to set it down on ground and/or get it relatively dirty.

and Finally, this gun needs to be affordable. I find it hard to spend $1200 on and AR type gun when I got my .30-06 hunting rifle for $400 (brand new).

 

[rbernie]

Everyone should have at least one 22LR semiauto rifle. It can't be reloaded, but you can't beat the price or utility.

 

[Sheldon J]

What he said

You can shoot all day for a fraction of the cost of any other round.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

x2 on the .22. I'm partial to lever actions and I'd be happy with a Henry Model 001 (in fact, I have one and I am happy with it), but you might look at something like a Ruger 10/22.

Or you can get an Olympic Arms "Plinker Plus" AR-15 for under $600.

 

[Fosbery]

Gotta be Ruger 10/22.

Cheap, fun, shoots great, and can make a great project gun if you're so inclined.

 

[Lupinus]

Marlin 60 or 795 depending if you want wood and tube or synthetic and detachable magazine respectivly

.22 is a great rounds for hunting small game and general plinking fun, 500 rounds for well under 15 bucks you can't beat it.

And the two guns mentioned above would be my first choice, less expensive then the 10/22 and out of the box they are better. The 10/22 only gains advantage if you want a project gun...in which case the 10/22 is better.

 

[TCB in TN]

+1 on the .22

And I do love the 10/22, especially if you want to build a nice target rifle. BUT if you plan on shooting the plane jane rifle for 2/3 of the money you can buy marlin and be just as well off. Especially if you are looking used. In our area a nice used Marlin can be had for $80 bucks, vs $130 for a used 10/22. No comparison as far as building a nice gun, the 10/22 is way ahead, but just to punch holes in paper, shoot cans, or take out the occasional squirrel, then it ain't worth the extra money.

 

[_N4Z_]

Little out of the norm probobly, but I like the Marlin 925 bolt 22LR. Put a scope on it and can knock tennis balls and cans off the 100 yard frame all day for little dollars. It's a lot of fun. This same rifle will nail .357mag casings at 50 yards which always makes me grin.

Now that's quite a gap though between .22LR and 30-06.

Maybe you should look at a pistol action levergun in .38/357mag. Or maybe a 30/30 lever. Of course in my experience these are usually 2 to 3 MOA rifles. My Marlin 336 in 30/30 will shoot 2 MOA +/- .25 to .5"'s.

I've heard good things about a bolt action CZ rifle chambered in 7.62x39, though I can't remember the model number. That might be more to your liking for accuracy and cheap ammo.

 

[Lupinus]

you can get the marlins new at wally world for 120

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Actually, if you want to plink for cheap but don't think a .22 is "manly" enough, how's about a 9mm carbine? You can find those in all price ranges, starting with a Hi-Point for a couple hundred $$$ and moving up to Rugers and Berattas, that will share magazines with the pistols.

 

[streetstang67]

Sounds like a ruger 10/22 is in order...but that does indeed leave a large gap between .22 and .30-06. What animals could I hunt with a .22 besides squirrels? Recently I've had to target beavers and like-sized animals and I've used a shotgun. Would a .22 be effective against a beaver? If not, what would be the largest game a .22 rimfire could effectively bring down?

Also, how does the .22 compare to the new .17 caliber?

 

[OldSchooler]

How about a .22WMRF pump? Henry, Winchester, Rossi...all sorts of makers. Fast and handy, they are accurate enough with hthe ammo they like and they are a step up from the .22LR

Someone mentioned a 9MM Carbine. Marlin's sadly discontinued Camp Carbine comes to mind, and then here are the plastic ones seen nowadays. Id hold out for a camp acrbine and get a peep sight fitted.

 

[matt9052]

What about something in .223? Cheap surplus ammo and you can relaod it cheap. Maybe a KEL-TEC for cheap gun with lots of magazine options.

 

[kansas45]

Something in 223 or even 22-250 if you like to re-load.
But a 22LR is about the best fun for the money!

 

[DWARREN123]

I like 22lr, mil-surp, revolvers and small caliber semi's. Also I like bolt actions best in a rifle and revolvers in handguns.
Find something you want and get it.

 

[dfaugh]

Well, here's what I'd do.

Buy a Marlin 60 .22 autoloader, and a reasonably priced scope. MUCH more accurate than a 10/22, and cheaper, too. The IDEAL gun to hone your shooting skills with, at very low cost. Adequate for hunting most small game out to 100 yards IF you're proficient with shot placement (and the Model 60 WILL be accurate enough for this...I shoot crows at 100 yards with mine...currently batting 1000).

AND, a Yugo SKS, (un-issued for about $150-160). Cheap to buy, cheap to shoot, and fun (but not all that accurate).Fun to shoot plus a little nostalgia thrown in there. Adequate for game up to deer (at short range). Decent for HD also.

So for less than $400 (including a fair amount of ammo), you can "fill in the gaps" and have a well rounded set of firearms.

 

[geim druth]

I like my Remington 552. Shoots .22 shorts, longs, and long-rifles as long as I keep it reasonably clean. Accurate out to 50 yards for me, probably longer for you. It's a nice handling weapon also, except that the left-handed loading lever takes getting used to.

 

[qlajlu]

I agree with the .22 LR as suggested by most of the replies in this thread, but I am going to suggest you consider a Remington Model 572 pump as shown here http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/rimfire_rifles/model_572_fieldmaster.asp.

The reason I suggest that is this particular model is extremely reliable and will stand up to the treatment you have indicated it may have to withstand. I have one topped with a 4X Weaver scope and have it accurately taking rabbits out to 50 yards but would be accurate beyond that given proper time to sight it in. I have taken a Bob Cat and a Badger with this rifle so it will handle Beaver just fine with accurately placed shots.

Another reason I suggest this rifle is that it operates just like your 870 so there would be no problem in making the change over.

 

[redneck2]

I'd make a lot more sense if you'd narrow your range a little more.

A .22 might be enough for beaver, but it'd be awful small. Accurate, quiet, super cheap to shoot. Every serious shooter should have a good .22. Even cheap .22's are typically quite accurate. Get a little Bushnell Sportview 4x and you'll be in business for +/-$125.

A .17 HMR is a great round. Fast, accurate, and good to maybe 150 yards. I know a lot of guys that have them and love 'em. It's basically equivalent to a .22 mag in the practical world. More expensive to shoot but not like a big centerfire.

I bought a used, unfired sporter weight Rem 700 in .223 for something like $350. You can shoot cheap .223's or reload and make some super accurate stuff cheap.

 

[Fosbery]

The Marlin 60 may be more accurate out of the box, but isn't the 10/22 much more reliable? I dunno myself, I've never owned a 60, but that's what I've been told.

 

[streetstang67]

Thanks yal

Okay, i've decided my next purchase will be for a rimfire rifle....the only question remaining is .17 or .22. I'm sure there are many threads on that topic.

Further down the line I'll probably get another rifle to fill the gap between the .17/.22 and a .30-06.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Clipper]

I'm getting a Hi-Point 9mm Carbine...

...9mm milsurp ammo is almost as cheap as .22wmr, the gun costs under $200.00, supposed to be pretty accurate, fiberglass stock is tough, and the overall package is small enough to fit nearly anywhere. The sights are easily removable for mounting red dot or scope, ATI makes drop-in replacement stocks that are cheap and better looking than the admittedly less-than lovely original...

 

[rangerruck]

used pawn shop, marlin mod 60. under 100 bucks. her is mine and what it will do at 100yds!








very good, huh? this rifle is unbelievably accurate, i got it for 75 bucks. it is totally stock, except i molycoated the bore/action. It's got a Tasco varmint 6.24.42 scope on it. also 75 bucks. it is tube fed and holds 14+1 rounds. the bolt action equivalent of these by marlin all fire short , long, long R's, and hold 25 shorts in the tube! Marlin accuracy in their 22's is known to be very accurate, to get better , you have to start buying the higher end 22's.
the best thing is, even if you wanna be a high speed target shooter, the most expensive eley ammo will cost you about 10 bucks a box, with normal ammo costing 1 to 2 dollars a box, for 50.

 

[Puerto Morelos]

Plinking. You are close already.

A prescription:

• 
  Ditch the semi-auto. Lots of folks will pay for it. They don't work for where you're going. Get yourself a bolt 30-06, a right scope - 2-7 or 3-9, 40mm or smaller objective, duplex reticle, and some loading dies.
  
  Learn to load plinkers in your 30-06 - best are probably Hornady or Speer 1/2 jackets, and you use light charges of pistol powder that won't kill you even if you screw up and double charge.
  
  Learn to shoot your rig at absolutely everything. Turtle and snake heads, rats, squirrels, coffee cans in the air, and crows and coke cans at 100yds. Your plinker loads will do this - cheap. In the course of it, you'll find how factory and/or full house loads correspond to how the plinkers shoot.

You will learn your rifle in a way that having more rifles will never show you. You'll find every flaw. You'll learn what a good trigger is - and isn't. You'll know what feeding is all about. You will get it bedded properly, eventually, to withstand a lot of use and hold a cold bore, first shot zero - that's valuable. You will eventually get the scope mounted exactly right as to eye relief, coaxiality, and durability. You will figure out the comb, grip, and sling for every kind of position in the book, and plenty that aren't. Figure a couple of thousand rounds - that's like 40 boxes of .22 through a rifle that doesn't mean anything to how you'll shoot this one. Maybe cost you 1/2 again as much, but you're not out the cost of the other rifle and ammunition and you probably pocketed something from the bird who bought your automatic.

And, when you're ready, you'll kill with the first shot at everything in point blank range. If you're using the right loads, that makes you "one shot, one kill" out to almost 300 yards on anything that walks the western hemisphere.

When you're ready to start learning distance and wind, you'll be ready for a ranging reticle and the intermediate course in loading and shooting for accuracy. Same rifle, one shot, one kill out to 600 - 700 yards. Any more is advanced.

The adage, as Col. Whelen often repeated, is "beware the man with one gun".

By the way, the R870 is a shotgun, not a "shotty", and all you need if you shoot it enough with the intention of getting good with it. The first step in achieving expertise is a thorough respect for the art, the tools, and the objective. All the rest is eyewash. It's really a very simple formula, but no one ever said it was easy.

FWIW. Hope you find the X.

PM

PM

 

[dfaugh]

Fosbury

The Marlin 60 may be more accurate out of the box, but isn't the 10/22 much more reliable?

Not even close, in my experience. I have over 5000 rounds(!) through my Model 60...And it was given to me by a friend before he passed away (don't know how much he used it). I've had exactly 3 FTEs in all that time, and I've tried ever type of .22 ammo I can get my hands on, looking for the "magic" round that it likes (Wolf Match Target is the best, but it also likes Winchester T-22, and Federal "Gold Classic".) My buddy has a 10/22, and has had many more problems with it.

AND, I've never completely disassembled it for cleaning, I just clean the bore and action area, and lubricate. It so accurate I'm actually afraid to take it apart, as I might mess up the accuracy! With a 3-9x Tasco (cheap!) scope on it, I can, on a good day, shoot a 10 shot group that you can cover with a dime (roughly a 1/2" group at 50 yards).

Now, you CAN do alot more to the 10/22 to make it more accurate(figure at least $300-400 to make it as accurate as my Model 60), and there are alot of "cool" parts available for it. But if you just want a nice shooter, out of the box, you can't beat a Model 60.

P.S. as someone suggested, atke a look at eth 9mm Hi-Poin carbines.. Mine is utterly reliable (over 5000 rounds) and they are cheap, and cheap to feed. Not sure if I'd call then "accurate" at least with the stock sights, but they are fun guns. Still think your'e better off with a nice .22