What is the best ammo for plinking?

Plinking was one of my favorite things growing up. Many great times as a youngster were spent on the ranch with my dad and brother, burning through a brick of .22LR Ammo with the family’s Marlin semi-auto rifle. No inanimate object (within reason of course - keep in mind this was so rural it was in the middle of nowhere for miles around) was safe. Rocks, dirt clods, old cans, fence posts, etc. were all fair game.

Back then I didn’t think about terminal ballistics, bullet drop and definitely not bullet weight. I simply wanted to go out and have fun shooting cheap ammo at targets. Plinking a tin can around is not only satisfying but it is also a great time! So which type of ammo should we use for this activity?

Photo Credit: A Girl and a Gun

What is Plinking?

First, let’s define plinking. Plinking is a term that basically refers shooting at informal targets which will have some sort of audible feedback upon impact of the bullet. Think tin cans, bottles or even steel targets. Plinking is meant to just be fun shooting! While most think of plinking as something done with rimfire cartridges such as .22LR - many people like to plink with larger calibers that are fun and easy to shoot as well such as 7.62 x 39mm or .223/5.56 too!

Ammunition prices being sky high lately has made it very difficult on the wallet to go out and blaze through a lot of ammo for no real reason other than the grins and some mild flexing but it can still be done! These are the factors we look for in plinking ammo!

• cheap price
• reliable quality
• certain bullet weights
• must be full metal jacket
• high quantity

Teaching good Shooting Habits Through Plinking

Plinking can be a great way to learn gun safety and shooting technique for new shooters as well! A fun day outside shooting cans off of stumps can provide plenty of teaching moments for experienced shooters to pass on to the newbies in the group. Because we are talking about shooting cheap ammo with (usually) not a lot of recoil then a day out plinking can be the perfect time to teach young or new shooters the basics. Remember to spend time teaching about gun safety as you have fun as well.

Photo Credit: Winchester

What is Plinking ammo?

When we look into plinking ammo we’re usually going for quantity over quality. We’ll be looking for the best bang for our buck - pun sort of intended. Some of the most popular plinking rounds include .22LR and 9mm. However, that's not to say people don't plink with rifle rounds like 7.62 x 39mm or 5.56/.223. These calibers can usually be found more inexpensively than other rounds and there is usually a good supply of it to be had.

The cheapest ammo for plinking is what we are looking for here! Luckily we are seeing ammo prices sink lower than they have been in the last couple years so it is a great time to start stocking up for plenty of summer plinking fun!

Types of Plinking Ammo

When we talk about plinking ammo we’ve established we want the cheapest option usually. Something to keep in mind here is that this usually will mean steel-jacketed ammo. 5.56mm steel case can put excess wear on your rifle components - including the barrel. A plus side to this is we’ll save enough money shooting large quantities of ammo that changing out barrels won’t hurt the wallet as much in the end. Many brands sell cheaper ammo but some brands that make some of the cheapest plinking ammo that is readily available are:

• Wolf Gold
• Blazer Brass
• Aguila
• Winchester White Box
• Federal Target
• Armscor

Targets for Plinking

While you can always go buy some nice metal targets for plinking, remember that this idea is more about cheap practice and fun! Use your imagination and save that hard-earned cash for more ammo. Cheap paper targets can work as well, but we really don’t need anything fancy to have a little fun and get in some trigger time! Here are a few ideas of things to plink on!

• Golf Balls
• Paper plates
• Tin Cans
• Gallon jugs (fill these with water and food coloring for extra fun!)
• Fruit
• Marshmallows (Use the Peeps and you can go bird hunting!)
• Logs
• Old lumber scraps
• Playing card
• Steel targets

As you can see just about anything can be used for cheap or even no cost targets! For those of us that are more “fashion-forward”, think of it as “upcycling”! Just remember to always clean up any trash or used target items when you are done shooting. Be respectful!

Photo Credit: Kilermt - Don’t overthink it, just have fun plinking!

Call to Action

As you can see, plinking can be a lot of fun and still pretty easy on the wallet. There are no rules about what ammo and what targets can be used. All we really need is a place where we’ll legally and safely be allowed to shoot! With 5.56 and .223 ammo dropping in price - might we recommend building a great AR-9 or AR-15 for your next plinking day? We here at 5D Tactical even carry AR platform kits chambered in 7.62 x 39 for an even cheaper plinking day! What are you waiting for? Get started building a great do-everything gun today! Until next time, thanks for hanging out with your buddies here at 5D Tactical!