Plink Till You Can Plink No More

There are a wide variety of ways to improve your shooting. However, one of my all time favorites is to spend the day plinking with a .22.

This can be a great way to get a new kid involved in shooting, or even spend a day improving your own shooting. Plinking is an inexpensive way to get a ton of shooting in and can be extremely fun. Everyone knows that practice makes perfect, but there are very few of us who want to go out and shoot 2-3 boxes of .300 Win. Mag to try and improve one’s skills. It can be done, but when it comes to repetition I prefer using something like a .22.

There are a couple reasons for this. First, price is a big issue. The cost to shoot 2-3 boxes of centerfire hunting rounds can get expensive fast. But if you decide to spend the entire day plinking with a .22, it can probably be done at the same price as a couple boxes of hunting loads. Repetition is everything – shoot, shoot and shoot some more! Remember to always keep up good shooting habits because the more you shoot the more it will pay off this fall. Many people overlook the importance of shooting and plinking, but it’s something that can make a world of difference for any hunter regardless of the caliber they primarily shoot.

When shooting rimfire ammunition, you will find that you’re getting all the same practice without the heavy recoil. This is also great for new shooters who are just beginning. You still experience the same sound trigger pull, but its much cheaper than centerfire ammunition and has no recoil which makes it much more fun to shoot.

For new shooters, recoil is almost always the biggest fear. They just assume every gun packs a big kick, and are afraid of them to start. One great way to get new people started is to have them watch you shoot the gun first. This way they can hear it, see that it doesn’t kick and take some of the fear away. Also, make sure you have them set up on either sandbags, a bench, or on shooting sticks. The steadier they are, the better they’ll shoot and the more confident they will become. It’s amazing to see how quickly a kid will get hooked on shooting once they begin to hit bulls eyes. Reinforce how much of a natural they are, and always be teaching them everything there is to know about safety.

Some kids may be too small to shoot a center fire rifle, but by starting with a BB gun, or a .22 they will quickly feel like they too have the skills to become a hunter and will have something to look forward to as they get older.