dear Abby,

L

liberty -r- death

New member
I often see people refer to steel case ammo as good for pliniking, but not so much for accuracy.

Why bother?

I never go to the range to just waste money.

Why would any one ever go shooting and not buy or make the best ammo they can to hit what they are aiming at precisely as they can?

Why waste time, money, and training?

Signed,
Perplexed
 
Something about seeing a water bottle blow up or just simply raining immortal hell on water melons is awesome to me..why buy expensive ammo to do that with :)
 
I too enjoy things blowing up. But, why do it with more then one shot if all that is needed is one shot with good ammo?

I have shot steel cased and brass cased cheap ammo but the results aren't cheap when it takes several shots accomplish on can be done with one.

This applies to both pistol and rifle. I've tried both. I'm not completely knocking it.

I'm just trying to understand it.
 
If I'm just going to shoot at junk or clay pigeons out in the desert, why should I spend the big bucks on expensive match grade ammo? A rusty tin can will never know the difference.

If "the good stuff" costs two or three times more, I'd rather get the cheap stuff and get two or three times as much shooting in for the same price.
 
Barnaul Silver Bear was the best shooting 7.62x39 ammo I tried in a SAR-1; Wolf 230 grain .45 ACP routinely grouped in 4-5 inches for me at 50 yards in service-grade 1911's.

For many shooters, steel cased ammo is accurate enough. Why that would bother anyone else is beyond me.
 
Because that ruins the point of plinking, I dont need to buy match rounds in order to be "minute of pop can" at 100 yards. When my target is a 5 inches , I dont want to pay for something that can shoot inside 1 inch.

I have a savage 10fp thats capable of shooting much better than I can, I can only get 1/2" groups at 100yds. But I routinely shoot cheap military ball ammo out of it, even though at best I get 2 or 2.5" groups I do this because it gives me a way to practice breathing, sight alignment, trigger pull and shot recovery at a fraction of the price, while at the same time getting the stress reducing satisfaction of watching apples blow up out at the 100 yd line.
 
Thank you, That helps explain it some.

I guess my point of view is a bit different from being the in military and the stressor your dealing with is rounds whizzing passed you from who knew where some times.

Don't know that plinking concept will ever work for me at this point, but I will still enjoy my time at the range none the less.

By the way, I shot everything including AK's (not considered to be as accurate as others). I just prefer to get the most out of any weapon I'm shooting, and think I'll will stick to the best ammo I can buy or make. At the rate ammo prices seem to be rising it may well be plinking ammo. :o
 
its easy real easy.

if a person pays 36 dollars for a box of 100 rounds of 130 grain fmj or even jhp instead of paying 26 dollars for a single box of 20 130 grain jhp, and the loads all ahvethe same recoil and trajectory, why waste NOT use .36 cent round ammunition insteadof .78 cent per round of ammo?
 
Having the same recoil and trajectory is fine if all you want to do is simulate shooting what your aiming at, I guess, but if your form is off and your missing because if it you'd never know if the ammo is an inch or more off from target.

You can do that with blanks and miles gear if you want.

I'm just trying to understand why second or third best is O.K. for those that shoot "plinking ammo".

I typically do not shoot match grade, but will pay for or make the best load for the gun I'm shooting.

It would appear that plinking is just for fun and not for training for when your ass is on the line, and that's good enough it seems for a great many people.

I guess it's just not going to be be something I'll be able to do. Once again serving in the military has ruined an aspect of life that so many get to enjoy.
 
It would appear that plinking is just for fun and not for training for when your ass is on the line, and that's good enough it seems for a great many people.
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It sure is. And a good thing too. After all there is a sporting aspect to shooting. Every one can't be in the military. The sporting and plinking emphasis is all some of us know of shooting. Shooting can be fun. And some of the most ardent defenders of the Second Amendment have never served in the military. They do it because they believe in RKBA. So, every one that shoots won't be in a training program or have a passion for tactical shooting.

I guess it's just not going to be be something I'll be able to do. Once again serving in the military has ruined an aspect of life that so many get to enjoy.
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You will recover the enjoyment of plinking for fun, if you want to. My opinion is that military life, even with repeated trips in an AOR, has little to do with it. And on the other side, there are those here that are consumed with the tactical aspects of shooting that have no military background.
 
Why do some people prefer to use a shotgun when hunting as opposes to a rifle?

Why do some people prefer pistols to long guns?

Why would someone ever want to shoot anything besides a revolver?

Most of my targets are six inches. If I hit the target anywhere with-in the border, I am mostly happy. It works for what I want to do.

My brother in law puts the bulls-eye out of every target he shoots. Works for him and he is happy.

My nephews have a heck of a time with a pistol, but out-shoot me every time with a rifle.

I thank the Good Lord we have such a diversity. If everyone had to shoot what I like, a lot of people would be bored and give the sport up.
 
Outside of an AK I don't use steel cased ammo for several reasons related to wear, but if someone wants to practice with a home protection rifle inside 25 yards or handgun defensive drills at distances where they might be useful, can't imagine they need to be shooting 600 yard match loads or high zoot hollow points at xyz a box. The average person probobly doesn't reload, and shooting could get expensive outside of .22lr.
 
I don't see the connection with being in the military and shooting at bowling pins, cans, or what have you . Pretty sure the bowling pin ain't duck and covering and trying to get a shot off at me:rolleyes:. I am a combat vet with over 10 years in the Corps and still buy the bargain ammo to teach my girls, waste an afternoon with the guys, or see how many shots to walk a can up the hill from 25 yards. Even at the range, unless sighting a new scope, it ain't premium ammo. It's recreational! I am not exchanging sniper shots with the neighbor at 1000yds. Again, what the heck does the military have to do with plinking:confused:? No offense but, lighten up:D
 
I exclusively use steel case ammo in my WASR-10. It is an AK-47 clone made in Romania. It is not a match grade rifle, it is not designed to be a sniper rifle, it is designed to be a pull the trigger it goes bang EVERY time you pull the trigger rifle.

For me and my usage the steel case ammo works fine for this rifle. Frankly it is what I would use if the SHTF anyways. For between $4 and $6 bucks I can buy 20 rounds of steel cased ammo. Why would I send $10 or more for higher grade ammo and restrict my shooting time due to cost?
 
I am more perplexed by the people that insist on the highest-end, most expensive stuff and then do with what could be done for much less. Know a dude who bought a $1000 rifle, threw in an additional $800 for optics, and buys high end ammo to shoot at 6-inch targets at 75 yards.

I guess it's kind of like folks who spend $1800 on camera, and another $1800 on a pair of lenses and then use them to take family snapshots and the like.
 
A range I used to be a member at held PPC matches once a month, year round. You shot two strings with a .22LR and two with a center fire. I thought I’d give it a try. I don’t own a revolver suitable for PPC, and it didn’t matter, they allowed semi autos. I used Wolf steel case in my Beretta 92FS. By the end of the summer I was shooting Expert level scores with this cheap ammo, and Master level scores with a Ruger 22/45 using cheap WalMart Federal bulk .22s. Average combined scores placed me as a Master. Just barely Master, but Master none the less. So cheap steel cased ammo is accurate enough. I have 2000 rounds of steel case shot in my 92FS and it’s still working every bit as good as the day I bought it.
 
Even if you want to discount the plinking argument and just stick to guns being used strictly as weapons and not for recreation....

Sure, in the military world you may find yourself in a 100+ meter engagement. But in the civilian world? Not. Gonna. Happen. What's a typical home defense engagement? 10 meters tops? Probably a lot less.

OK, so... Does it really matter if your training ammo shoots a 0.1" pattern or a 0.5" pattern at 10 meters? I'd argue that, no, it doesn't matter.
 
I own two AR 15s that have had steel cased ammo run through them. Never a hiccup for grins and giggles I mixed some Federal .223 in with the stuff. I am not one of those one ragged hole guys but I could not tell the difference between the accuracy of the Federal .223 and the Monarch .223 on the target. The accuracy was very acceptable and within the parameters of the rifles. I now have third AR-15 and I am going to put some Monarch .223 through it also.

Will every single AR-15 made shoot steel case stuff with acceptable results. Probably not because there are some AR-15s that had trouble shooting brass cased ammo.

My answer is that it depends on the AR-15 and is not written in stone on an internet tablet that steel case ammo will not produce acceptable results.
 
Cheap ammo has its pace, even for the competitive shooter.

Best example is in High Power Shooting.

Rifle matches are won and lost on your hind legs, (standing, offhand). That is fired at 200 yards on a target with a 3.5 MOA X-10 ring. It doesn't take much for a rifle shooting cheap ammo to keep them in 3.5 MOA.

Most people use ARs for high power now days, wouldn't it make since to use the cheaper ball ammo for off hand practice instead of the more expensive 77-80 grn match bullets. Cheaper ammo means you can get more practice for the shooting dollar.

Or even using cast bullets, cheap but not quite accurate at 200, 300, & 600 yards, but great practice shooting Small Bore 50 ft Targets off hand with you target rifle.
 
The cheap steel case stuff is what I use to plink and practice with, especially in my Mini-14. It is great for Minute of Coke Can and the occasional Minute of Coyote.

I can relate to the military thing. Aside from my EDC piece, which never left it's holster, I didn't touch a firearm except for an afternoon of shooting clays with the Lady Friend's father for about six months after coming back from the sandbox. And during that afternoon, I was fairly miserable. I have no desire to shoot three-gun, any of the practical pistol matches, or play violent video games.

Give me a Match Grade M1A, target loads, and targets at 300 yard and I'll be happy for the rest of day, but ask me to shoot strings of rapid fire and then do a reload and I will go watch football, thank you very much.

By that same token, if the Lady Friend wants to go plink in the back yard, we'll shoot Remington bulk packs of .22, Winchester white box 9mm, and Federal 12 ga. trap loads all afternoon. No need to shoot a competition load when I'm not in a competition.
 
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