Plinking ??

[Johnch]

I need a easy to tell , way to explain Plinking

As I need to explain it to a 30 something Lady
She is a friend a co worker of My Lady , but she had not ever even seen a gun in person before today

Well in a holster , Police I guess

We stopped over to her house after "Killing" paper plates at 25 yards to 150 yards

I showed her several handguns and a rifle today
She even picked up a Ruger MK2 5 1/2" pistol I had with me

But has no clue about shooting .... I hope to help her learn
As my lady and I like to help people learn how a gun can be used for fun
Not just "BAD"

Don't want to turn her off , just need a soft , easy way to tell her

John

[Walks]

It's a relaxed/informal form of shooting.

There is no Competition, A wide variety of targets may be used., i.e. ballons, soda cans, plastic bottles, metal targets; knock down or swingers. Atmosphere is Casual. BUT SAFETY IS STILL PARAMOUNT. Eye & Ear protection mandatory.

Most folks Plink with .22 Rimfire, but any caliber may be used.

It's probably the very best method to introduce someone to shooting.

[Frosty Boolit]

Plinking is proving that you can hit that target, over and over again.

[Winger Ed.]

Plinking is a casual term for informal target practice/shooting.


Like shooting floating sticks, odd shaped rocks, or empty soda cans along a creekbank,
as opposed to target practice shooting at sheets of paper on target stands and at known distances.

[NyFirefighter357]

Plinking is a casual term for informal target practice/shooting.

This is plinking

[GhostHawk]

Easier to show her.

Dozen pop cans, a safe place to shoot, scatter them from close to mid range. Give her a decent .22lr rifle or pistol and tell her to go have some fun. To me that is what it is about, fun factor. Kicking a tennis ball down range with shot after shot until it is blown up, ripped apart or takes a bad hop and is no longer visable.

One of my favorites is drive a pair sticks 3-4 feet long some 10 feet apart at a reasonable range. Then fill a case of empty pop or water bottles half full of water. Make some string circles. Put a half hitch over the bottle top, make the other end into a loop. Put the loop around the string, drop the bottle through the loop. You now have a swinging target. Hit the top half and it will move, try to hit it again, and again. Hit the bottom where the water is and it blows up. Move to next target.

Just keep it fun.

[trebor44]

Plinking is the sound that multiple beverage containers made when shooting them dead with a small caliber round. Most notably steel or glass, as in "bang" followed by "plink"!

[bedbugbilly]

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ very well put!

[dale2242]

Plinking, in my opinion, is as stated above casual, relaxed non-competitive shooting...dale

[bikerbeans]

Where i grew up plinking involved metal targets provided by the DOT.

BB

[shooterg]

Gotta fill the pop cans with water or nothing happens when you shoot 'em. The things are so thin nowadays they don't even shake when you hit 'em. Plus the damage from the hydraulic pressure introduced is a great visual aid for why you do not point the muzzle at anything you're not willing to put a hole in. 60 years ago Pops empty beer cans would jump when you hit 'em !

[WheelgunConvert]

It’s recycling trash. I can’t let that empty can go to the landfill unused.

[clintsfolly]

Plinking to me was when the dump closed at 2:00 on Saturday and Mr. Eash would push the piles at 1:45 and leave. At 2:05 We shot rats,bottle,cans and anything that looked interesting.

[Conditor22]

Plinking is a casual term for informal target practice/shooting.


Like shooting floating sticks, oddly shaped rocks, or empty soda cans along a creek bank,
as opposed to target practice shooting at sheets of paper on target stands and at known distances.

I also like freezing colored water in 1# butter containers, they keep your beverages cool and there's no clean up when you're done :)

This AND boolits PC'd to her favorite/softer colors help make it more fun and less threatening.
https://i.imgur.com/SqCYGKq.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/7ozRsgu.png
https://i.imgur.com/mIYzBTR.png
https://i.imgur.com/Iqo7Apq.png

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

If you are looking for a Metaphor???
and... assuming the typical Stereotype (A lady with no gun experience is probably familiar with Shopping), then you could tell her that "Plinking" to seasoned shooters, is like going shopping with no specific items on the list and no intent on buying anything.
Whereas, Hunting or competition shooting, each have a expectation or goal, much like shopping for a specific item.

[country gent]

Plinking is simply having fun with little or no feed back or information gathering. What I call fun targets or reactionary targets and simply shooting to see them turn to dust ( neco wafers). Or blocks of wood, bowling pins, golf balls, tin cans, and other targets of opportunity. No scoring, record keeping is done. Practice is a little mire formal and groups may be measured and recorded velocities measured, Its more about gathering information and working up a baseline or load.

[trebor44]

Another option for higher calibers is to fill a coffee can with water that has a plastic lid. Place the filled can with the lid down on the ground etc. and watch what happens when it is hit. It's your own mini rocket! This would probably work with smaller cans of similar design and smaller calibers.

[BigAlofPa.]

People dump out in the bush shooting areas. We always find something to plink. Like they say one man's trash is another's treasure. My favorite is when they dump bricks or cinder blocks. I love blasting them apart. When folks dumb rubbish we pile it up. And have a bonfire.

[lightman]

I can't think of much to add to whats already been said. Basically I consider plinking to be a form of casual target practice at improvised targets. Cans, blocks, bricks, dirt clods, balloons, steel plates, ect. Maybe with some friendly competition thrown in.

[David2011]

Plinking is a casual term for informal target practice/shooting.


Like shooting floating sticks, odd shaped rocks, or empty soda cans along a creekbank,
as opposed to target practice shooting at sheets of paper on target stands and at known distances.

As a Hunter Education instructor we teach the students to avoid shooting at water and hard objects other than properly designed steel targets due to the risk of ricochet. Empty cans on a soft creek bank make great plinking targets.

Johnch, I’ve compared plinking to shooting pool when discussing shooting with nonshooters. Good luck!

[MrWolf]

I put about a dozen soda cans in a row on a berm for my nieces first time shooting. Ages 13 and 11. Cans were barely standing up so they moved when hit. The girls had a blast starting with a pellet rifle, 22 Ruger, 9mm Beretta pistol and carbine, 45acp, 45lc, and a .410. Think I made some converts. Good luck.
Ron

[4rdwhln]

I prefer to plink. I lb propane bottles when empty make great plinking targets. With a 22 pistol you can shoot em for hours without putting a hole in one. And they move every shot. I also have a small collection of steel and rubber targets. The .38 and others take that lp tank to shreds after the .22 fun. Use gloves to pick up a shot up tank as the are very sharp.

[NWPilgrim]

We use clay pigeons for much of our plinking at gravel pits. Also some pop cans, swinging steel plates, spent shotgun shells.

Casual shooting at reactive targets at unmarked distances. We plink with everything: .22LR, pistols, .44mag, M1Carbine, bolt rifles, M1Garand, lever actions, and shotguns. There is almost always competition but it is friendly and fun.

[wv109323]

For all those shooting cans, I have seen no comment about cleaning up the cans. I think the only place glass should be shot is at a personal range or at an offical trash dump. If you want to shoot glass on your property i'm fine with that. We should not be shooting glass a public ranges and leaving it where some one could get cut.
We should all leave the range as clean or cleaner than we found it. Thar includes paper and plastic as well.

[NWPilgrim]

Cleaning up should be a given regardless of what you shoot unless it is biodegradable and not something that will rot and go foul.

Just like you didn’t see any mention of picking up brass, but that too should be an automatic task.

[Tracy]

Turning dirt clods into dust.

[nvbirdman]

Plinking is going shooting for no other reason than to have fun.
And you never shoot glass.

[MrWolf]

Agreed, especially when we shoot on my property :guntootsmiley:

[daboone]

It's just one of fun parts of a the annual family picnic binding grandparent, parents and all the kids by recycling soda cans.

[gwpercle]

Informal target shooting done for pleasure at non standard targets such as tin cans , glass bottles , water filled plastic bottles or any other home made or naturally occurring targets of opportunity.
Generally done not at a formal shooting range but at home , in a gravel pit , river bed or , our favorite place, the local trash dump .
Never shoot at signs...that's just tacky !
Gary

[Johnch]

I think I will just show her this thread

As all of you have good ideas

John