plinking!

[mozeppa]

just how many plinkers only do we have?

how much ammo do you plink a year?

1. 1000 rounds?

2. 3000?

3. 5000?

4. 10 k?

5. i live close to the range

6. i AM the range owner!

[NavyVet1959]

Well, back when .22 ammo was around $8 per 500-round brick, it was common for me to shoot a brick on every trip to the range with my .22 firearms, so easily a few thousand rounds per year.

[dondiego]

I am a plinker! I especially like to shoot old fruit, veggies, and gourds at 70 yards with handguns from my back porch. Charcoal briquettes are nice too. No cleanup on my range in the back yard. The deer help cleanup! I am sure that I shoot over 1000 rounds a year just in the backyard. I am also a member of the local gun club and go there to shoot at ranges of 100 to 300 yards.

[bandsmoyer]

I have a 50yrd range at home.I plink at least twice a week. Can't find 22 ammo so i've been plinking with my H&R 38 spl 357 mag, and once in a while i put the 500S&W barrel on for easy to see holes.

[NavyVet1959]

2.0 gr of Alliant Promo with a 55 gr cast bullet for .223 works out to be $1.83 per 50-round box. That's probably one of my cheapest reloading recipes these days. It's around 1000 fps. Not as cheap as .22LR *used* to be, but definitely cheaper than it currently is (if you can even find it).

[hickfu]

I used to shoot all the time, now I tend to only shoot to work up a load on a new boolit. The way reloading components are, I dont want to waste my powder or primers until I know one way or another if they will ever be readily available again.

Doc

[Whitespider]

I have my own 100 yard range complete with steel gongs and/or falling plates at 25, 35, 50, 75 and 100 yards... and during most of the year the field out back gives my something around 500 yards of safe shooting (soft, tilled ground that rises as it goes way). I also use beer cans, worn-out bowling pins (BIL owns a bowling alley), worn-out golf balls (plenty of golfing friends and family), and all sorts of 4-legged pests. I've never done much shooting with the .22 rim-fire, most of my "plinking" is with center-fire revolvers in a variety of calibers... but I do shoot the little .22 Hornet Handi-Rifle quite a bit. Other rifles only occasionally... just enough to remain familiar with them.

How much?? Oh boy, that's a darn good question... I reckon something in the neighborhood of 5000 rounds a year just "plinking" and enjoying myself. Maybe another 1500 or so for serious handgun practice/defensive drills... maybe another 500 in load work. I know I can go through a bunch of primers in a big hurry... I've just never kept count.

[mdi]

Plinking? HAH! Not me. I'm a hunter and I have been stalking and shooting those wiley soda cans for years. Sometimes I gotta sit for hours watching for my prey (usually in a nice sunny spot, sometimes even a slight nap now and then). I also load some cast bullets for my occasional Papel, Safari. Today I was fortunate enough to shoot at a half dozen 6" round critters with my .44 Mag. trying out my new PCed bullets...

[mozeppa]

I have my own 100 yard range complete with steel gongs and/or falling plates at 25, 35, 50, 75 and 100 yards... and during most of the year the field out back gives my something around 500 yards of safe shooting (soft, tilled ground that rises as it goes way). I also use beer cans, worn-out bowling pins (BIL owns a bowling alley), worn-out golf balls (plenty of golfing friends and family), and all sorts of 4-legged pests. I've never done much shooting with the .22 rim-fire, most of my "plinking" is with center-fire revolvers in a variety of calibers... but I do shoot the little .22 Hornet Handi-Rifle quite a bit. Other rifles only occasionally... just enough to remain familiar with them.

How much?? Oh boy, that's a darn good question... I reckon something in the neighborhood of 5000 rounds a year just "plinking" and enjoying myself. Maybe another 1500 or so for serious handgun practice/defensive drills... maybe another 500 in load work. I know I can go through a bunch of primers in a big hurry... I've just never kept count.

wow!....dear white spider.....how can i get to be your bestest buddy?:awesome:

[Jupiter7]

Only way I really track rounds fired is by primer depletion. Last year I shot 9500 large pistol primers between 45auto and 45 colt. I also know that when I got low on LPP, I loaded about 1k 45auto with small primers. Yes, I'm a plinker.

[Whitespider]

wow!....dear white spider.....how can i get to be your bestest buddy?:awesome:

Oh heck... I'm easy... just bring beer :bigsmyl2:
We can empty a few after the shootin' is over :drinks:
So we'll have fresh targets for the next time ya' stop by :guntootsmiley:

[GhostHawk]

Ruger 10/22 is waiting with about 3500 rounds (Thanks father in law)

Recently picked up an 1890 Winchester pump gallery gun in .22 short only.
Only 200 rounds for it, but then I just got started.

In the process of developing some light plinking rounds for both 7.62x54r for Mosin Nagant and 7.62x39 for SKS.
About 200 rounds of the 54r but they are all brass cases with boxer primers. Have powder and primers to plink for quite a while.

I have more ammo on hand for the SKS, pushing the 500 round mark. Most but not all of it is brass cased. Sitting on some 8 boxes of tulammo that is pretty much all for plinking.

Just some plinks are bigger than others :)

Ohhh and I also have a variety of bb guns, pellet guns in all 3 calibers, .17 .20 (Love my Sheridan) and .22

Those are all great plinkers.

[Jack Stanley]

I think I've gone through a couple thousand primers already this year and maybe another eight hundred or so assorted rim fire . Probably another five hundred or so surplus rounds . I guess it varies in a given year what strikes my fancy . I've been working up loads for the two two three Remington . Haven't figured out the cost on them but it's pretty cheap I'd guess since I'm using cast at low speed for most of them .

Jack

[rking22]

Another plinker here, I shoot at home several times a week. Can go out to 185 yards from the carport, generally shoot the 22s (not as much as used to) and various pistols and ... whatever happens to draw my interest today.A walk in the woods with a 32 , and 20 rnds or so. Shoot the M25 to see if it likes the new boolits. Working out a first round flier in a 10-22...Probably beween 22s ,centerfire and airguns easily 5000 rounds a year. Now shotgun adds another 15000 between myself and my son. Guess it's a good thing I have to work 6 days a week, there wouldn't be any components left in middle Tennessee!

[runfiverun]

plinking, paper, varmints, birds, steel circles, bowling pins, deer, rocks, elk...
[shrug] pick something, i'll grab a gun and go with you...
I don't even try and track round count.

[Whitespider]

Living where you can have a range in your back yard definitely makes shooting more relaxing... and makes you a better shot. I don't mean that as necessarily making you a better shot than the next guy... but a better shot than you personally would be if you had to load up and go somewhere whenever you wanted to do some shooting.

Sometimes it's just 5 or 10 minutes and a handful of carefully aimed shots at one of the long(er) range gongs after work to clear the head, other times it may be a couple hours or more on a Sunday afternoon... maybe even several sessions in a single day between chores and responsibilities. Some weeks I may shoot a little near every day... at other times maybe just once or twice in a week. But the range is always there, just outside the door, it's just a matter of carrying the firearm and a box of ammo out the door... no pressure to get as much in as I can, no time constraints. I can take my own sweet time and enjoy myself... and quit when I feel a bit of shooter fatigue setting in.

Working up new loads is when the advantages of your own range really shine. I don't haft'a make up a dozen or so different test loads with different powder charges, primers, seating depths, and whatnot... and then try to keep track of which-is-which while hauling them to the range. I can make-up a few of one and step out to test them, leave the stuff right on the range and step in to make a change, repeat as required. Often I can work-up a new load, refine it, and final-tweak it to my liking in a single afternoon rather than over a few days, or weeks, and several trips to the range... at my own leisurely pace while minimizing the amount of components used/shots fired in the process.

And... the best thing about having your own range...
You are the Range Master... the only rules and regulations are the ones you make. If I'm bouncin' beer cans on Saturday and wanna' leave them lay on the range overnight so I can shoot at them again on Sunday... well... it is my range after-all.

[rking22]

Today I was collecting some scrap railroad ties for use on the farm. They each still have the rail support plate in place. Gonna take them off , weld chain on them(plates not ties) and hang in trees "with good backstop" to make me a woods walk ! Makes my back feel better already knowing the fun that can be had! May go back and get a few more to make a dirt pile bullet trap too. Never enough plinkin targets!
Whitespider, the backyard range lets us do some unique things. I used to check my deer rifle by shooting 1 round a day over a week on the same 185 yard target. No 2 rounds from the same position ,no sandbags and different times of the day. Wife did fuss when I took a shot from under the bedroom window at about 5AM, well I was up and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Along that line of thought , I got into air rifles when kids were babies so that I didn't wake them when napping. I was shooting high power at the time and had a tendancy to do some practice at home. Babies (least not mine) don't sleep thru 10 rounds of 308 rapid fire , even if I was prone :) Could shoot the spring gun anytime without gettin fussed at.

[NavyVet1959]

Living where you can have a range in your back yard definitely makes shooting more relaxing... and makes you a better shot. I don't mean that as necessarily making you a better shot than the next guy... but a better shot than you personally would be if you had to load up and go somewhere whenever you wanted to do some shooting.

Grew up on the family ranch and had plenty of live targets back then. We would get some dogs that would chase the cows or attack the calves and they were fair game. Could just sit on the back porch and shoot whenever I wanted.

These days, the best I can hope for is to shoot a couple of rounds in my garage to test whether a new powder load will cycle the action on my handgun. For example, I was curious what .50 BMG and 20mm powder would do in a handgun, so loaded up some full cases this afternoon and gave it a try. From what I had read, I was not concerned with it resulting in an overpressure situation. I wasn't even sure that the bullet would come out of the barrel. I was loading .40SW brass to 10mm length and 20.1 gr of WC872 and WC867 both filled the case even with the case mouth. I then loaded a 175 gr cast bullet (Lee TL mold) on that and compressed it to the 1.260". It seemed to spring back slightly though. Took it out to the garage and gave it a try with the Glock 29 that I was carrying. The recoil was minimal. The bullets did not stick in the barrel. There was no flash of burning powder out the end of the barrel. The brass did not eject and the next round was not loaded, so this is a VERY mild load.

[MrWolf]

Load everything up, half an hour drive to range and hope it isn't to crowded on weekends. Usually go through 2,000 - 4,000 rounds a year if I can get my son to go also. Guys are lucky with your own ranges. Told the wife our last house will have everything we want including a range, separate garage/workshop for me, etc.

[dragon813gt]

Five ranges w/in ten minutes of my house. I can add another fifteen to the list if go out thirty minutes. There are lots of private clubs around here and they all specialize to an extent. I don't bother counting rounds. 22s are shot by the brick. Centerfire is shot by the ammo can. I need property where I can have my own range but land is expensive around here :(

[ghh3rd]

Even when .22's were $15-$20 for 500-550, we used to go the range with two or three .22's and a few hours later we had another empty box :-) That would be at least twice a month... funny thing is that if we were out of 22's we would just stop by ChinaMart and pick some up on the way.

[Whitespider]

L-O-L ‼
The last time I bought .22LR they cost $9.oo for a brick of 500 Winchester High Velocity solids... hollow points were $10.oo‼
I don't remember how long ago that was... but I still some of each left. I only have two rimfire guns worth talkin' 'bout, a little Belgium made Browning Semi-Auto 22, and a Scoped Buckmark Target 5.5... ain't fired either of 'em in years.

I also have a few 50-round boxes of Winchester .22 Short hollow points with a price tag of 59¢ on 'em... I've long since forgot what it was I owned chambered for the .22 Short. But, then again, I have ammunition in several calibers I don't remember owning... (shrug)

[NavyVet1959]

L-O-L ‼
The last time I bought .22LR they cost $9.oo for a brick of 500 Winchester High Velocity solids... hollow points were $10.oo‼
I don't remember how long ago that was... but I still some of each left. I only have two rimfire guns worth talkin' 'bout, a little Belgium made Browning Semi-Auto 22, and a Scoped Buckmark Target 5.5... ain't fired either of 'em in years.

I also have a few 50-round boxes of Winchester .22 Short hollow points with a price tag of 59¢ on 'em... I've long since forgot what it was I owned chambered for the .22 Short. But, then again, I have ammunition in several calibers I don't remember owning... (shrug)

I can remember buying 50-round boxes of .22s for $0.50 per box, but that was a LONG time ago. I suspect it was back when gas was around $0.30-0.40 per gallon also. The last bricks of .22 that I bought were around $7-8, IIRC. At less that $10 per brick, I'll shoot the .22s, but with the price these days, I'll just reload other calibers.

Of course, just like with gas prices, part of the problem is just the government manufactured inflation of the currency. They intentionally allow the value of the dollar to drop so that they can pay off their loans with dollars that are worth less than what they were when they borrowed the money, even factoring in their loan interest rate. I can remember when the term "millionaire" meant that you had enough money saved up that you would never have to work again and could just live off the interest for the rest of your life and never have to touch the principle. Well, that's not the case these days. It's a nice milestone, but it just doesn't mean as much as it did back in the '60s and '70s. :(

[Airman Basic]

Used to buy these things for $5 at WallyWorld on the way to the so-called range we used back then. The dang cans are worth way more than that, now. Crazy.
106518 106519
Still have several, empty of course[smilie=b:

[Shiloh]

I plink with a .38 now. Used to be .22 RF

Shiloh

[NavyVet1959]

I plink with a .38 now. Used to be .22 RF


Yep... Brass seems to last *forever* and with the lightest Lee mold of 105 gr, bullet cost is pretty cheap also. You can save a bit on bullet cost though by switching to round balls -- either the 000-buck or the .360 one that they sell for the muzzle loader crowd. That's about 70 gr and with 2 gr of Red Dot / Promo, you're looking at a reloading cost of around $2.05 per 50-round box.

[TCLouis]

Used to be over 3,000, but likely between 1,000 and 3,000 nowadays

[fredj338]

I rarely have the opp to plink, so when I do, any ammo becomes plinking ammo. I can lad any service caliber as cheaply as I can shoot 22lr.

[Jack Stanley]

Funny thing there Airman Basic , I have a small collection of those cans . With ammo like it is this might be the only time I can get my money back on the cans ;-)

Jack

[WILCO]

I plink with a .38 now. Used to be .22 RF

Shiloh

My main plinking rig is an air rifle.
Does well out to 50yds. Don't fret when I miss.
Life is good.

[Cherokee]

Since I retired, I've been going thru about 20k rounds of center fire ammo a year. Can't shoot any better, nor as good as I usta but I'm having fun. I was never much for 22lr once I got old enought for CF guns but I have a few and plenty of ammo, from cheaper days. I split my time between two ranges 20 minutes away. Winter time is indoor, otherewise outdoor and neither allow "plinking" targets. Outdoor does have steel for fun shooting and indoor does have bowling pin matches. Pulling the trigger is fun no matter what......

[Shuz]

I feel very fortunate to have a rifle and handgun range on my place. I have paper target frames or steel sillywet targets at 25,40,55,75,110 and 165 yds. Lately I've been able to drive the 1/4 mile down to my range about 2 to 3 times a week. My wife of 52 years often says that I seem to stay down at the range all day. Life is grand!--Shuz

[GhostHawk]

I have to admit I recently added a new target to my indoor airgun range.

Wife had brought home this "cat" windchime sort of thing.

Has a nice steel cat, below it hang 3 bells with kitten faces painted on them. Below the clappers are 3 wind grabbers with mice painted on them.

Fire off a round, hit a bell, it goes CLANG, Jingle, jingle, jing.

Fun plinking.

[NavyVet1959]

I have to admit I recently added a new target to my indoor airgun range.

Wife had brought home this "cat" windchime sort of thing.

Has a nice steel cat, below it hang 3 bells with kitten faces painted on them. Below the clappers are 3 wind grabbers with mice painted on them.

Fire off a round, hit a bell, it goes CLANG, Jingle, jingle, jing.

Fun plinking.

One of my cat lady neighbors lets her cat run loose. Same principle, but it doesn't make a "clang" or "jingle" when you hit it.

[TCLouis]

runfiverun
I don't count rounds fired either.
I count bricks of primers used.

[L Ross]

Like Whitespider and a few other lucky members, I have the ability to safely shoot on my own property. That was a plan for years. I have tried a couple of competitive disciplines however my interests are too varied to get very good at them, and I think I lack the temperament to be a good match shooter.
What I can tell you is if you really want to raise your round count is find a young, enthusiastic shooter and mentor away. I have a 13 year old neighbor that I can hardly keep up with. Yesterday was a rainy day and the gnats were pesty, not the best of shooting days. Didn't slow the lad down a bit. By the time I lowered my tired butt in the recliner we had smelted and poured 70 lbs. of COWW's, cast 12 lbs. of 38 cal. 130 gr. RNFP's, cleaned up the shooting shed, and mounted a new spinning reel on a rod and filled it with line. I took him home and he called me later to tell me he had cast another 100 Lee 158 gr. SWC and later still he called and said he'd done another 76 all with an old Lee single cavity and my old Lee 20 lb. drip-o-matic.
In no time at all we will burn these future 38 specials up in a couple of Uberti 1866 "Yellow Boys". I'd best go get some more small pistol primers.

[jonp]

4.2gr Promo under a 200gr 45 boolit. Brass pops up enough to hit your hat and falls at your feet. Id say thats plinking