Best bang-for-the-buck target/plinking caliber besides 22LR?

wahoowad

wahoowad

Member
I like to do a lot of target shooting, not necessarily ultra-precision but plinking and shooting steel targets at 100 yards and on rare occasions 300.

I do shoot a good bit of 22 long rifle because it is cheap but that tiny pop is not always satisfying like a centerfire. At other times I'll shoot my 223 AR or one of my bolt guns in 223, 22 Hornet, 243 with some cheaper ammo but often the cheapo bulk ammo doesn't always shoot very straight.

What's the best bang-for-the-buck caliber bigger than 22 long rifle? My go-to has been bulk 223 but wondering if there is something in between that might be cheaper?
 
They call it reloading. I can load 223 cheaper than any of the alternative rimfire rounds. I just bought the WSM and it is a hoot but it won't be the cheapest to shoot.

Greg
 
Originally Posted By: GLShooterThey call it reloading. I can load 223 cheaper than any of the alternative rimfire rounds. I just bought the WSM and it is a hoot but it won't be the cheapest to shoot.

Greg

Shoot some varmints with the WSM. The carnage will have you ignoring the ammo cost, unless you are not into red mist.
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I agree with hand loading .223 Rem. ammo is the cheapest alternative to 22 LR, for plinking costs. Get some LC brass, shop around for deals on powder, and bullets, and the per round cost will be close to mid grade 22 LR ammo. I built my grandson a 5.56 NATO AR-15, for this express purpose. Fun while learning marksmanship skills. The only problem with this plan is I spend a number of hours making ammo for his fun on the range time!
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Thank goodness for progressive presses.

Squeeze
 
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a 204 would be cheaper to reload (after getting the brass) but if you don't have a pile of brass, 223.

You could get about 300 charges out of a lbs of powder (depending on the load weight your rifle likes) that is about $30 depending on where you are shopping.
primers were under $4 per 100, and 100 bullets are about $20

for 100 custom loads, you could be at $34 per 100. Go to any range and i bet there are piles of 223 on the ground.

I have had my reloading gear for 10 years, so i personally wouldn't worry about the reloading equipment costs as you will use it year over year. You can find used gear for good deals all the time.

Just an idea. Good luck.
 
Originally Posted By: SqueezeOriginally Posted By: GLShooterThey call it reloading. I can load 223 cheaper than any of the alternative rimfire rounds. I just bought the WSM and it is a hoot but it won't be the cheapest to shoot.

Greg

Shoot some varmints with the WSM. The carnage will have you ignoring the ammo cost, unless you are not into red mist.
shocked.gif


I agree with hand loading .223 Rem. ammo is the cheapest alternative to 22 LR, for plinking costs. Get some LC brass, shop around for deals on powder, and bullets, and the per round cost will be close to mid grade 22 LR ammo. I built my grandson a 5.56 NATO AR-15, for this express purpose. Fun while learning marksmanship skills. The only problem with this plan is I spend a number of hours making ammo for his fun on the range time!
rolleyes.gif
Thank goodness for progressive presses.

Squeeze

LOL. Do you really think I worry about a few pennies when it comes to shooting? I have no doubt I'll be strolling the desert this winter with the WSM.

I like to plink with about anything. Some more than others. Last I looked I had slightly over 30,000 bullets on the shelf and that should hold me.

Once you accumulate the brass the ammo gets pretty cheap if you stick to the lower capacity stuff. Buckets of 223 are easy to accumulate and I've done my best in that area as it is usable for my 17 and 20 caliber variants of which I have more than a few.

Copious amounts of trigger time done with forethought sure makes a shooter out of a guy. I grew up with an 50 foot range in my basement. BB's and pellets were shot by the short ton in Minnesota winters.

Greg
 
Any of the smaller .224's from Hornet through 222 Rem Mag once you have the brass are very cheap to reload, $.03 for primer, $.02 for powder(light loads of shotgun powder, data from Calhoun site) and $.05-$.08 for bullets(bulk or blems) puts you right in the 22LR cost. I use these for small game loads and finisher loads in my coyote guns. I don't even bother with a 22LR for small game any longer.

Go to the informative articles and read the "To BEE or 223"

http://www.jamescalhoon.com/
 
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If you like plinking and don't reload, you're missing half the fun. Trying different combos, measuring chambers and brass trying to shoot into a single hole is a blast. Huge cost saving not considering initial investment.
 
Start reloading.

Tactical or Practical 20. You already have the brass, unless
you just leave it on the firing range.

My .204R has absolutely nothing over my Tactical 20. Brass is
cheap or free and 32gr pills fly at 4000fps+ and VERY accurate.
The one coyote I shot with it at 125yds didn't run, kick or
flinch....just dropped over dead.
 
i'll say the reloading thing as well with a 223. if you need lots of bang for your buck... not much better place to get it.


i buy vmax blems at 10 or 11 cents per. Fmj's in bulk are 8 cents for hornadys (which isnt a garbage fmj!)
primers are 3.5 cents (or better) when you buy by the 1k
brass i buy once fired bulk at 4.5 cents per for LC or FC. not hard to find them free if you need to. (hopefully youve been saving yours from the bulk ammo you're already shooting)
even full house loads of commercial powder are only about 10 or 11 cents per round - and i can shave that cost by using wc844 to right about 5 cents per round.




so even building the rounds from nothing im at 30 cents a round, and once you aggregate the brass cost over 5 or so reloadings, youre closer to $0.25 per - again thats assuming you use commercial powder by the pound and premium bullet blems/bulk.

going to surplus powder and FMJ's bought in bulk on sale, picking up range brass or getting donations from shooting buddies who dont reload, you're looking at about 17 cents combined for the bullet, powder and primer - for a load thats hand tailored to YOUR firearm.



additionally as a hunter you'll be able to afford to shoot premium bullets for a fraction of the cost of a comparable premium hunting load. staying within the 223 world, 55gr vmax are about $1 a squeeze. with new components - 55gr vmax bullets are 19 cents each (and cabelas has them on sale for 16 cents if you buy the 250 packs), 11 cents of powder, 3.5 cent primer - even if you have to buy brass you're still under 40 cents for a premium hunting load that you'd pay 1.5x the cost for as loaded ammo.


at that price you can offset the cost of a couple hundred bucks for a nice starter reloading equipment kit real quick! (hornady LNL classic kit is $289 ish + a set of dies) and that equipment will pay for itself over and over through your lifetime if you shoot in any kind of volume. once you have the base equipment package, adding new calibers is $30-$40 for basic dies per caliber.






one thing since you've read this far - i do need to put a disclaimer in play. you wont save a single penny being a reloader. you'll still probably end up spending the same ammount of $$ on an annual basis. at least for the first couple years
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where the "savings" come into play is by allowing you more trigger time for the budget you have to spend on shooting - which is why i discuss cost per round (CPR).
 
With 17 HMR ammo being as cheap (multiple places have it for $8.60 a box) and plentiful as it is, something in 17 HMR would likely suit your needs. Staying with a rimfire, the 17 WSM is a pretty healthy step up from the 17 HMR and ammo will only cost you slightly more. The 17 WSM will definitely help you extend your shot distances but since you said you are really only plinking, I don't know that the extra energy the 17 WSM gives you will be needed so why not stick with the cheapest option being the HMR, and, there are considerably more rifles available in 17 HMR than there is in 17 WSM.

What kind of accuracy are you looking for? The heavy or varmint barreled 17 HMR's and 17 WSM's will pretty consistently and regularly get you 1 inch-ish groups at 100 yards. Yes, I know many will shoot better but rimfire ammo varies quite a bit from Lot # to Lot # but usually most of it will shoot in the 1in. range. If you're looking for groups that regularly shoot better than MOA, I'd say you need to look at something in a centerfire. The 17 Hornet cost a bit more to shoot but it's relatively quiet and they all seem to shoot very well with factory ammo, though it will cost you about double what the HMR or WSM cost.
 
The first box you load will be insanely expensive. Every box after will become cheaper and cheaper. The same holds true time every time you start a new caliber. Not the insane part but it will be the most expensive.

Once you're set up you can do premium hunting loads for less than the cheapest crap you'll find on any shelf.

Find a cheap or free single stage press, they're out there, used dies, used brass etc and it's not bad to get started really.
 
If you get a .223 that likes the fiochi 40 or 50 gr vmax that comes in the 50 round box it is pretty cheap even without reloading. Sometimes is is like 20 to 22 dollars per 50. FMJ is even less.

I purchased a cz 455 varmint 17hmr primarily for plinking, but also ground squirrels if the opportunity presents itself. The best thing about the hmr is it has always been available through all the ammo shortages and the price was not drastically inflated like .22lr.
 
Anymore, I pretty much only ever use one of my 17 HMR's for plinking. About the only time I shoot 22lr is if I'm plinking with a pistol. I think the only 22lr rifles I have is a couple Win 9422's. The 17 HMR's and 17 WSM's hit so much harder and blow stuff up a lot better that they are just more fun to shoot.

Oh, just remembered, I have a MP 15-22 with a slidefire stock that's a lot of fun, completely impractical, but it is fun.
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