RepackboxTitan ReloadingMidSouth Shooters SupplyLee Precision
RotoMetals2Reloading EverythingWidenersLoad Data
Inline Fabrication
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 46

Thread: What is Plinking Ammo?

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy Ramar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    387

    What is Plinking Ammo?

    Is it ammo that doesn't go where you aim or it doesn't go there very often? Does it only sometimes go bang? Is it any ammo you wouldn't stake you life on? Is it any ammo that is factory produced? Plinking ammo maybe what is used for fire forming brass.

    I've been a bullseye shooter all my life and have difficulty understanding the need for "plinking ammo" but that maybe because I really don't know what it is or what it is used for and I may have a bunch of it and not even know it. Maybe that's all I've ever shot. Maybe "plinking" is a relative term; like you know "accurate" is.

    A young upstart asked me this question and now I ask the experts for some help here.
    Ramar

  2. #2
    Boolit Master

    Hickory's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    The Great Black Swamp of Northwest Ohio
    Posts
    4,434
    Inexpensive 22 used to shoot cans, dirt clouds or clangers (clangers are 2,4,6 inch steel cut outs I have hanging on a steel rod by my back stop).

    Or they can be old ammo I forgot to label and forget what it is, and I need some empty cases.
    Political correctness is a national suicide pact.

    I am a sovereign individual, accountable
    only to God and my own conscience.

  3. #3
    Moderator Emeritus


    JonB_in_Glencoe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Land of 10,000 Lakes
    Posts
    15,832
    Much like the inexpensive 22LR ammo. I consider plinking ammo as "sometimes" inconsistant. where you are likely to get a Flyer or two in every 10 shot group. So when it comes to handloaded ammo, plinking ammo would be loaded with a powder dispenser like the Lee auto-disk where every powder dump isn't precisely weight measured and the same with the boolits...I wouldn't take the time to weigh-sort them...I also wouldn't worry about weigh sorting the cases...and the cases wouldn't need to be the same brand or same lot for plinking ammo.

    But, generally I WOULD stake my Life on them. Although I wouldn't take them to a league or competition shoot.
    My 2˘
    Jon
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    “If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
    ― The Dalai Lama, Seattle Times, May 2001

  4. #4
    Boolit Master



    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Northern Illinois
    Posts
    1,782
    This will be interesting to see what ends up being the description of plinking. I consider it to be very light charged boolits that I use at close range instead of full house loads at hunting distances.
    ARMY Viet-Nam 70-71

  5. #5
    Boolit Master


    Boerrancher's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    East Central Missouri
    Posts
    2,171
    Much of what I consider to be plinking ammo has already been listed, but here is another example. In my handguns if I just want to have a fun day of shooting and am not worried about blowing the heart and lungs out of a deer or other critter. I will load some lighter loads that are more of a pleasure to shoot out of my 44mag or 45LC. It doesn't mean they are less accurate at normal hand gun ranges, it just means that I wouldn't take them to the woods with me to hunt. Would I stake my life on them? Yes, of course I would but I would keep in mind the limitations. It would be no different than being in the woods with a 22LR squirrel hunting and needing to defend yourself. The 22LR will do fine as long as you keep in mind it's limitations.

    best wishes,

    Joe
    WWG1WGA


    Tyrants use the force of the people to chain and subjugate-that is, enyoke the people. They then plough with them as men do with oxen yoked. Thus the spirit of liberty and innovation is reduced by bayonets, and principles are struck dumb by cannon shot: Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Floyd, VA
    Posts
    5,574

  7. #7
    Boolit Master

    dale2242's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    SW Oregon
    Posts
    2,466
    To me, Plinking ammo is ammo that is not bought or loaded for specific purpose, competition, deer hunting, etc, etc. It is for fun...dale

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master
    btroj's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Nebraska's oldest city
    Posts
    12,418
    Dale is as close as I can come.

    To me plinking ammo can be made in good quantities quickly and inexpensively. Not magnum loads.

    On the other hand I often do plink with other ammo to use it up. Those 7 rounds left over froma previous deer season. The last 18 rounds of 357 ammo from a testing session. The odds and ends that are tying up brass I need for new loads.

    Plinking ammo to me is far less defined by the ammo than by its use. Any ammo I use for plinking becomes plinking ammo.

    We each will have our own definition as we all have our own definition of plinking.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master KYCaster's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Rolling Fork River Valley
    Posts
    2,258
    Quote Originally Posted by btroj View Post
    Plinking ammo to me is far less defined by the ammo than by its use. Any ammo I use for plinking becomes plinking ammo.

    That pretty much says it all.

    Jerry
    Buzzard's luck!! Can't kill nothin', nothin'll die!!

  10. #10
    Boolit Master


    Shooter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Central Virginia
    Posts
    644
    Inexpensive .22LR ammo is kind of an oxymoron these days.
    I love to plink, a pinch of Bullseye under a buckshot is cheaper than .22's.
    Best,
    Mike

    NRA Life Member
    Remember Ira Hayes

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    northern utah
    Posts
    201
    Quote Originally Posted by Charlie Two Tracks View Post
    This will be interesting to see what ends up being the description of plinking. I consider it to be very light charged boolits that I use at close range instead of full house loads at hunting distances.
    That sums it up for me.....plinking ammo is still loaded to be accurate but more pleasurable to shoot.
    an example would be the 45lc I load for my Cimmeron Henery replica basicly "cowboy loads" very accurate and fun to "plink" ground squirrels.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master kenyerian's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    977
    When we were kids back in the late 50's early 60's there were a lot of small town dumps and we would go Plinking at some of them on the weekends as there was a variety of targets and you didn'e have to clean up. Also if you went in the evenings we could ambush rat's. my older brother would load light , inexpensive ammo for the various pistols that we had because we did a lot of shooting. Accuracy was important for bragging rights but expense was an important factor also.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
    texassako's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    2,038
    To me, plinking ammo is a cheap, easy load to assemble so I can spend more time shooting. Example: 38 Special for use in my Security Six with a light boolit(less lead used) and a middle of the road load of fast, cheap powder. Split cases get turned into .38 Long Colt length and use a similar load.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master







    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Omaha, Ne.
    Posts
    5,422
    It is what ever I take to the range! Not interested in definations.
    1Shirt!
    "Common Sense Is An Uncommon Virtue" Ben Franklin

    "Ve got too soon old and too late smart" Pa.Dutch Saying

  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master

    dragon813gt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Somewhere in SE PA
    Posts
    9,989
    For me it's the lightest bullet weight w/ the smallest charge of powder. So for 9mm I use a 115 grain bullet over 4.3 grains of W231. I don't have molds to cast lighter bullets for that one. And even if I did I'd have to a cost comparison. I'd want to make sure using less lead was cheaper since I'd have to use more powder. I still want them to shoot well so I will make appropriate changes insure they shoot well.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master



    gray wolf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Western Maine
    Posts
    3,840
    Informal shooting with less than stellar ammo.
    Hate is like drinking poison and hoping the other man dies.

    *Cohesiveness* *Leadership* *a common cause***

    ***In a gunfight your expected to be an active participant in your own rescue***

    The effective range of an excuse is ZERO Meters

  17. #17
    Boolit Master

    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    East Tn
    Posts
    3,785
    Quote Originally Posted by Ramar
    What is plinking ammo"
    VERY hard to find!

  18. #18
    Moderator Emeritus


    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    SW Montana
    Posts
    12,450
    The ammo shot out of a gun that will no longer hold the accuracy of a target rifle and may not be what I want to hunt with.
    [The Montana Gianni] Front sight and squeeze

  19. #19
    In Remembrance
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    The United States of Texas
    Posts
    3,264
    Quote Originally Posted by Charlie Two Tracks View Post
    This will be interesting to see what ends up being the description of plinking. I consider it to be very light charged boolits that I use at close range instead of full house loads at hunting distances.
    Quote Originally Posted by gray wolf View Post
    Informal shooting with less than stellar ammo.
    I grew up shooting in river beds, stock tanks and junk yards (what are now called "town dumps" or "land fills") and we'd take our single-shot .22 rifles with us, set up beer cans and whatever else we could find and just shoot for the sheer fun of it.

    In the river beds and stock tanks, many a turtle and rogue water moccasin met their reptilian end courtesy of our trusty single-shots.

    It was shooting for the fun of it.

    My plinking ammo today is made for that purpose. I'll load up some 150FN rounds in front of 8 to 10 grains of Unique for my Winchester 94 and head out to a stock tank (no more public junk yards) and set up "reactive" targets and fire away. I have to adjust my point-of-aim, obviously, but big deal. It's shooting for the sheer fun of it.

    I have some 7.62x39 loads that use 9.0 to 10.0 grains of Blue Dot pushing a CE Harris 155 grain spire point in my Chinese SKS that are a joy to shoot. Won't even cycle the bolt which is even better because that means I don't have to go crawling all over creation looking for precious brass.

    Guns were made to be shot and shooting is fun, so the more I can shoot without breaking the bank (or my shoulder), then life is good. I make ammo just for that purpose.


  20. #20
    Boolit Master
    429421Cowboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Montana
    Posts
    1,161
    We don't make much distinction for "plinking" loads, each of our rifles has one load with a specific bullet that is used for everything from practice to hunting, keeps life simple. The .44's get fed a steady diet of 240x9.5 Unique, makes a stiff enough load to carry at work yet still plenty fun to shoot. Many thousands of them through our Rugers and at this point that load gets called whatever you happen to be using it for. Shot more steel than i can think of with them, small game, snakes, one whitetail buck and used them for SD loads. Lately, to save a little powder, i have been putting 5.0 of Bullseye under the same boolit in a Special case for target practice and SD situations since it still packs about the same heat as a .45 ACP. Thats about as far as plinking goes for us!

    The .22's get a steady diet if Federal bulk ammo for shooting gophers, we really don't target shoot much with them. I guess you could call the .22 CB's we use in the pistols for fun into the boolit trap plinking loads because thats about all they are good for!
    Raisin' Black Angus cows, outta gas, outta money, outta tags, low on boolits, but full 'a hope on the Rocky Mountain Eastern Slope!
    Why does a man with a 7mag never panic buy? Because a man with a 7mag has no need to panic!

    "If you ain't shootin', you should be reloadin' if you ain't reloadin' you should be movin', if you ain't movin', somebody's gonna come by and cut your head off and put it on a stick!" Words to fight by, from Clint Smith

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check