What is Plinking Ammo?

[starmac]

I always thought it was the loads (any) that you used to plink with.
I always considered shooting other than hunting was plinking, so rounds that you are not worried about the performance on game in my mind would be plinking loads.

[Doc Highwall]

To me a plinking ammo is the cheaper 22 bulk ammo, and in center fire lite target loads that are not refined for best accuracy. The bullets are not the best having small imperfections and the powder charge is just thrown, loaded with the cheapest primers I can buy.

[scb]

What I DON"T do when loading plinking ammo:
Don't tumble cases
Don't trim cases to length
May not clean primer pockets.
Don't sort head stamps
Don't weigh every charge
Don't load anywhere near max.

[plmitch]

Whatever box I grab to use.

[Dale in Louisiana]

The ultimate (at least in MY mind) plinking day:

Plinking, Tanker Style

dale in Louisiana.

[dragon813gt]

I forgot to add that plinkers include reject bullets. These might be ones that have improper hollowpoint fill out. Or if they're a style that I use for hunting. Their weight might be out of range. I'm not as picky with the bullet quality when it comes to plinkers.

[fouronesix]

For me, plinking rounds are culls that are safe enough but don't want or need to pull down. If I load up 10 rounds to test, shoot 5 stinkers on target, the next 5 are "plinkers".

[Blanket]

Right now it is about 30000 rounds of Russian Jr 22 LR that I ended up with that was so poor that I would not even considered shooting this **** until the Latest Greatest Crazy. Step out my back door and shooting 50 rounds a day at my swinging targets, nuts on the ground or other targets of oportunity. That is poor plinking ammo

[Kull]

To me it's ammo put together to shoot some pine cones and save some money at the same time. I don't generally load lighter weight bullets at lower velocity vs hunting or self defense rounds. Rather it's just lead bullets, cheap powder, used cases vs jacketed bullets, preferred powder, and new cases.

[gandydancer]

plinking is slang for going shooting. nothing more. its the sound a red rider BB gun made when you hit a tin can. (I SAID A TIN CAN) GD

[lylejb]

To me, It's inexpensive, no stress ammo fired for fun.

I don't worry about much of anything loading plinkers, no weighing boolits, brass, or anything except the initial setup on the powder measure.

It doesn't HAVE to be anything, just fun.

[Adam10mm]

Interesting that so many variations come to mind with the term. I've always thought plinking ammo was light recoiling, accurate ammunition for casual target shooting that can also serve as small game loads out to 50y. Like "mouse fart" or "bunny fart" loads. .357 Mag 158gr at 900fps, .44 Mag 250gr at 800fps, .45 ACP 230gr at 800fps, etc. Something you can handle shooting one handed.

[DRNurse1]

I think you nailed it Gandy Dancer. Everyone else seems focused on plinking AMMO when it is really PLINKING ammo that results in all the fun. Do they still make tin cans???

plinking is slang for going shooting. nothing more. its the sound a red rider BB gun made when you hit a tin can. (I SAID A TIN CAN) GD

[jcwit]

If one needs to ask what "plinking ammo" is then its obvious they have never entered a precision shooting match, or if they did they did not score anywhere near the top.

There is not only a difference but a HUGE difference.

Surely our Military Snipers would not enter the field using "plinking ammo".

[TheDoctor]

Depends on the person. My 10 year old loves shooting my 8 3/8 Smith 29. With a 240 gr. sitting on a soft charge, say 6.5 grains of Red Dot. Mine sit on top of 9.5 gr. of Universal. That load to him is too heavy for a "plinking" load. He can't shoot many of those. While for me, it IS a plinking load. You can successfully hunt with it, but my hunting loads will sit on top of H-110. Too stout for me to shoot all day.

Could also claim that "extras" that get generated during load development, or any other round that I am not "quite" happy with, also get tossed in a box for plinking ammo. Basically anything that is less than absolutely perfect, and wasn't worth the time to pull down.

[lksmith]

for me it's the "cheap stuff" not match grade but accurate enough to play with.
For centerfire, it's typically FMJ ammo, or cast boolets that may not be perfect (zinc bullets?)
NOt the stuff you would typically use for hunting or for one reason or another.
The $5 per 20 steel cased FMJ 223

[perotter]

For me, any ammo that is meant for any kind of target practice.

[quilbilly]

My definition is light recoil and cheap enough to shoot in quantity. Until the recent craziness, cheap 22 Blazers was my go-to plinker. Now my 9mm Luger carbine with 125 gr rnfp boolits is cheaper than 22's especially now that I can get small pistol primers less than $40/1000 again.

[TJF1]

Anything that is not loaded for s.d.
Or for hunting is plinking ammo. To me
terry

[Swamp Man]

Take 22lr plinking ammo as an example they refer to the bulk packed 22lr as plinking ammo. All it truly means is the production standards are not as tight as they are in the production of special use ammo such as the CCI Stingers. If I had plinking ammo loaded in my gun and was faced with a threat would trust that ammo YES.