The family and I have all done pretty well the past couple of years shooting animals but we could always do better and I want to get everyone more practice behind a scoped bolt action rifle. Given ammo prices and shortages, I'm thinking about a cheap plinker to practice behind rather than our actual hunting rifles. The other factor is recoil as I want to prevent and or get rid of any flinching, etc. My thoughts are it will be only for paper and generally shoot from 75-100 yards. My first thought was a .22 as I already have several (all semi auto and not scoped) and a decent amount of ammo for the family to burn through. Unless I'm missing something the other option would be a 17 HMR as that would allow a little longer shots. So first I have to decide on caliber. My pros/cons:
For the .22: I have ammo, more ammo is about as cheap as you will find and I have other guns to use the ammo in. How consistent is the 22 from 75-100 yards?
For the .17: A new caliber is always fun and they should shoot flatter and more accurate at longer distances at least in theory. It also seems to be a better varmint round if put in a hunting situation. BUT, I would be starting from scratch on ammo and I'm not sure if ammo is more or less expensive than 22 but I'm assuming it is more expensive. So, cost and availability could be an issue.
I'm open to suggestions on which round to get for practice time behind a scope. I'm leaning more towards 22 but i would say I'm 60-40 right now so I can be convinced one way or another. I could also be talked into another round if the argument is good enough but cost and ammo availability is probably the biggest factor.
Once I have decided on a caliber I'll be open to suggestions on gun. My first thought is the Savage Mark II package from academy that already has scope, etc and is ready to go out of the box. That seems to be the cheapest option. I'm not looking for bullets touching accuracy but would like something for practice that will shoot a couple inch groups. I think this gun will do what i need but I'm open to suggestions. Again, I'm only looking for a bolt gun with a scope and budget is a consideration.
Thanks in advance.
For the .22: I have ammo, more ammo is about as cheap as you will find and I have other guns to use the ammo in. How consistent is the 22 from 75-100 yards?
For the .17: A new caliber is always fun and they should shoot flatter and more accurate at longer distances at least in theory. It also seems to be a better varmint round if put in a hunting situation. BUT, I would be starting from scratch on ammo and I'm not sure if ammo is more or less expensive than 22 but I'm assuming it is more expensive. So, cost and availability could be an issue.
I'm open to suggestions on which round to get for practice time behind a scope. I'm leaning more towards 22 but i would say I'm 60-40 right now so I can be convinced one way or another. I could also be talked into another round if the argument is good enough but cost and ammo availability is probably the biggest factor.
Once I have decided on a caliber I'll be open to suggestions on gun. My first thought is the Savage Mark II package from academy that already has scope, etc and is ready to go out of the box. That seems to be the cheapest option. I'm not looking for bullets touching accuracy but would like something for practice that will shoot a couple inch groups. I think this gun will do what i need but I'm open to suggestions. Again, I'm only looking for a bolt gun with a scope and budget is a consideration.
Thanks in advance.
Comment