best rifle for relaxing and shooting

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.223

My most relaxing time shooting is with my CZ 457 Varmint in 22lr. I use a single shot adapter and it enables to slow down and relax. Cheap and fun. Good luck, Jerry.

Winchester 1873 (Miroku, Uberti, or even original) in original caliber, or commonly available equivalent modern caliber. Cowboy hat, vest, and holstered six gun mandatory, spurs optional but get extra credit!

Well for me, that would have to be a lever action in .38 Special or maybe with some very light .357s, but that won't answer the range requirement you're after. Plenty relaxing though.

South Prairie Jim said:

6 mm Norma or a variant is the easy button also the most accurate I've seen.
A well tuned example is quite capable of engaging an Apple at 600 yards.

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Speaking of shootin' apples.

My vote would go toward your very own recommendation, a .22-250, especially if you are a reloader. I use that caliber for prairie dogs after we get done with filling our antelope tags out west. No problem nailing prairie dogs out to 350 yards, and further, if I can read the wind correctly.
I would recommend a Remington 700 Heavy barrel Varmint model with a good, variable optic, maybe 6x-24.
The .22-250 cartridge is inherently accurate, even when using factory ammunition, if you can find any. It's a puppy to shoot and won't shake all your tooth fillings loose.

Even though I now have .22-250, to me it isn't as "relaxing" and just plain fun to shoot as the stainless, "boat paddle" stocked Ruger 77, .223 I used to have. That thing was as ugly as a rifle could be, but it was sure accurate, recoil was next to nothing, and it didn't make a whole lot of noise. Besides, back then (unlike now) plinking and ground squirrel .223 ammo was so cheap I didn't even reload it. And if you've read many of my other posts, you know I LOVE reloading.

.223/5.56. Cheap, low recoil, decent range.

Any pistol caliber rifle/carbine. Cheap, low recoil, less decent range- but if your just relaxing and plinking I dont see a need to shoot out to 1000 yards.

You say not the .22, but I think the answer is the .22. I love my Rem 510 single shot for plinking in the back yard while I'm waiting for the grill to heat up. And at the range I've spent some time with a couple of my scoped .22's at the 100 yard range and am ready to step back to 200 yards, possibly further.

223 doesn't even I've a steel plate. Not knowing whether or not I hit, isn't relaxing.

I'll go with a 308 anything.

I enjoy doing a sit-down, and sighting in the scope, in a relaxed atmosphere, on anything, anymore.

But I seem to especially like my 30.06 bolt actions, of late.

22lr. 223. 308. 30,06. Pretty much in that order

I like my .223s and 6 BR Normas for jacketed bullets and I enjoy shooting cast in my .308/30-06/270/7.62x39, all bolt rifles loading one at a time . So much fun my feet go numb sitting at the bench . It's one of two times I give anything 100 percent of my attention , the other time is loading that ammo.

I have a cheap savage in 223 that came with a cheapy scope.

love that rifle. no perceptible recoil and accurate enough to consistently hit clays on the 200 yd berm. For me thats good shooting.

For fun and target shooting, I use "twin" Rem 700s in 30-06 and 270. The loads are only medium as the range is just 100 yards. These Rems look like twins because they are the same model with the exact same Leupold scope. (the slings are slightly different).

The 30-06 is 1974 vintage and the 270 is 1966 vintage. I didn't plan this out, it just happened that way. The rifles were purchased from separate people and years apart. I have to double check to make sure I bring the right one to the range each time! the first one is the 30-06, and the second one is the 270.

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They are just a lot of fun for a great hobby of target shooting!

Bayou52

My choice is my little Rem M7 in .223 with HS Precision stock, Timney trigger and Leupold 3.5-10x40 CDS scope. I use it as a "walking varminter" and my deer rifle practice gun. Cheap to load for, brass is free, and it will keep 5 shots at about 1" with Nosler 55BTsloaded on my Dillon 550. It's "THE" gun I carry when I wander about my back 40.

Practice makes perfect (or perfect practice makes perfect) and it makes for cheap practice:

Any lever action

A R700V in 22-250 is pretty durn sweet. Very flexible cartridge, does not have to be a barrel burner to get X ring accuracy. I'm shooting cast at starting JB book velocity and it's about like a 223 at max. Have several,as well as 223's.

Good luck with your project.

Well here I go throwing a wrench in the wringer, being as I'm getting older, and older, I prefer the 17HMR from my bench, as it has no conceivable recoil, the report isn't as loud, and it's very accurate. On top of that I don't have to reload for it, although all the other cartridges referred to, I do reload and do enjoy it. It's just a win, win situation when you can shoot to your hearts content, and know there is no clean up, other than the firearm, and only just a little pick up of the expended brass afterward.

I go two ways with relaxing and fun. My .22lr 457 heavy where i can watch the bullets fly and hit, or my .375 Ruger which is accurate, and feels kinda like an amusement park ride.
MOST of the time its the Ruger at the end of the day thst really feels like my "relaxation" time. I use the .22 more during breaks between the guns that require more concentration.

Sharp sounds bother me, muffs or no. So I doubt I would find the .22-250 a relaxing rifle to shoot, i know the .243 isnt. The long barreled .250AI didnt bother me, and i shot that one must for fun quite a bit.
The .223 bothers me a bit, but thats where id recommend starting for what your looking for.

I think a well proportioned 6.5 grendel bolt gun with a good suppressor would be the ticket. Easy on the shoulder, ears, wallet and back if it's not too heavy. Plenty of reach, enough bullet to ring a gong pretty good.

Of course you're shooting steel, so you're not walking around to change paper all day.

For relaxation - just the sheer joy of shooting for the sake of it:

Shooting 0-300yrds, I shoot a 22LR or 17 WSM.

Shooting 300-700yrds, I shoot a 223rem.

Shooting 700-1400yrds, I shoot a 6mm Dasher or 6 Creed.

mainecoon said:

I was thinking about was rifle is best to get behind for target practice to just shoot and chill out. Not the 22, since the range isn't far enough, and probably no big calibers since I don't like getting punched in the shoulder. Maybe a 22-250?

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Snappin' into field positions w/ an M1 rifle... and shooting a 50-round course of fire.

Like yoga for the American soul.



GR