OK, time to ask for a bit of clarification here. I am going to assume that plinking and blasting are the shooting worlds equivalent of Coke and pop so I figure those are just send 'em down range for some fun ammo. Now, does plinking/blasting include paper targets or is it soda cans, bowling pins, etc? I hear people say this or that isn't bad for plinking ammo or its a good/cheap plinking load. Does that mean you only shoot it to blow things up or that you only get a 1 inch group at 50 yards instead of a ragged hole but it is a cheap round to use for practicing shooting discipline? Someone said that the Midway Dogtown 55gr Soft points are good for plinking....what does that really mean? Is that the same as saying pulled SS109 bullets are only good for plinking? Is there an official line in the sand between a plinking load and a target load? Its like 243 Winchester rifles. I picked up a Browning A-bolt with a 3-9x40 Leupold for $500 and then when I started reading up on that caliber people say the barrel is no good after 1500 rounds. Does that mean no more one whole groups or its all over the place? Guess that really two questions but we do deal with a lot of personal ambiguity on these forums. Apparently for some people 3 to 4 inch groups at 100 yards seem to be ok for their purposes. What feedback do y'all have on this?
plinking vs blasting vs target
- Thread starter layusn1
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PinnedAndRecessed
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First off, decaf is your friend.
Second, plinking is just an informal shooting load. As in informal target shooting. As in blowing up tin cans.
Target shooting is precision work. Generally one pays more attention to detail when working up target loads. Fresh or once fired cases. Weighing each charge, etc.
Dunno what "blasting" is. But then again, you read a lot of cockimaymeed stuff on these forums.
Second, plinking is just an informal shooting load. As in informal target shooting. As in blowing up tin cans.
Target shooting is precision work. Generally one pays more attention to detail when working up target loads. Fresh or once fired cases. Weighing each charge, etc.
Dunno what "blasting" is. But then again, you read a lot of cockimaymeed stuff on these forums.
Always kinda thought of "blasting" as handing a city guy an AK with a loaded 30 rounder and watching him blast away, not necessarily aiming at any thing.
Plinking on the other hand is, cans plastic bottles, cookies empty shotgun shell etc. and of course then targets from serious grouping to sighting in your favorite hunter to just punching holes for the fun of it. Heck what ever ya call any of it its great fun to me.
Plinking on the other hand is, cans plastic bottles, cookies empty shotgun shell etc. and of course then targets from serious grouping to sighting in your favorite hunter to just punching holes for the fun of it. Heck what ever ya call any of it its great fun to me.
ReloaderFred
Member
I'll tackle the part about a barrel not shooting well after 1,500 rounds. In a lot of cases this is due to fouling of the barrel. I've seen barrels restored to near new accuracy just by simply cleaning thoroughly with Butch's Bore Shine and J-B Bore Cleaner or Flitz.
In a rifle, the first thing to look for when accuracy falls off is copper fouling, which builds up gradually. When it gets to the point that it degrades accuracy, then it's time to remove the fouling. Preferably, though, the barrel would be given a good treatment of Sweet's 7.62, or something similar, before it gets to that point.
As for the difference in plinking and target rounds, at least in a pistol or revolver, a lot of times it depends on the quality and price of the bullet. For serious paper punching, the best bullets are necessary, but for casual shooting at targets, cans, etc., a cheaper bullet will work just fine, as long as it goes where your front sight is pointed when you pull the trigger.
Hope this helps.
Fred
In a rifle, the first thing to look for when accuracy falls off is copper fouling, which builds up gradually. When it gets to the point that it degrades accuracy, then it's time to remove the fouling. Preferably, though, the barrel would be given a good treatment of Sweet's 7.62, or something similar, before it gets to that point.
As for the difference in plinking and target rounds, at least in a pistol or revolver, a lot of times it depends on the quality and price of the bullet. For serious paper punching, the best bullets are necessary, but for casual shooting at targets, cans, etc., a cheaper bullet will work just fine, as long as it goes where your front sight is pointed when you pull the trigger.
Hope this helps.
Fred
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back in the day....."blasting" always involved a shotgun and something (like a plastic model) being reduced to many, many pieces. Good fun! 
ZeSpectre
Member
Blasting - A casual type of shooting where aiming is of minimal importance because it’s more about pulling the trigger than anything else (i.e. running a full magazine through a gun as fast as you can just for the hell of it). Blasting may be to experience a full auto weapon or, more practically, may be performing a function test (running a gun hard to see if it jams).
Plinking - Casual shooting where you are at least trying to aim, where hits are fun and misses don't really have any consequences.
Target Shooting and hunting - Generally more formal shooting where aim is important and misses have consequences (loss of score or wounded game).
As you can see, ammo used for blasting really only has the requirement that it goes bang. With plinking ammo it is desireable to have some accuracy but doesn't hurt anything if the accuracy is less than super. Target shooting and hunting require the highest levels of accuracy and consistancy from ammo due to the consequences of bad hits or total misses.
Plinking - Casual shooting where you are at least trying to aim, where hits are fun and misses don't really have any consequences.
Target Shooting and hunting - Generally more formal shooting where aim is important and misses have consequences (loss of score or wounded game).
As you can see, ammo used for blasting really only has the requirement that it goes bang. With plinking ammo it is desireable to have some accuracy but doesn't hurt anything if the accuracy is less than super. Target shooting and hunting require the highest levels of accuracy and consistancy from ammo due to the consequences of bad hits or total misses.
scrat
Member
agree with zespecter.
blasting can also be when you set up a target and continue to shoot at it when i has over 100 holes in it.
Plinking for me mostly involves light loads. (for fun). when im shooting at steel targets. Trying to hit the target and not really concerned with wear it hit the target. Range i go to has a very nice set steel sillouettes. Set up at all different ranges. Thats wear the plinking comes in.
Target shooting. thats wear the chemistry comes in. Cases all need to be the same. Ammo needs to be exact. All the same. bench rest are used range scope is set up. Only a few rounds are fired off. Adjustments are made. Target is pulled down. Process is repeated, with a few rounds adjusted differently to try to achieve different results.
blasting can also be when you set up a target and continue to shoot at it when i has over 100 holes in it.
Plinking for me mostly involves light loads. (for fun). when im shooting at steel targets. Trying to hit the target and not really concerned with wear it hit the target. Range i go to has a very nice set steel sillouettes. Set up at all different ranges. Thats wear the plinking comes in.
Target shooting. thats wear the chemistry comes in. Cases all need to be the same. Ammo needs to be exact. All the same. bench rest are used range scope is set up. Only a few rounds are fired off. Adjustments are made. Target is pulled down. Process is repeated, with a few rounds adjusted differently to try to achieve different results.
what the others said. also, cost is more of a factor in plinking, as it's assumed you'll be shooting a LOT.
this is why 22lr is the ultimate plinking gun. targets (e.g. coke cans) last longer and bulk ammo is cheapest.
with target loads, people are generally willing to spend a premium for a relatively small number of rounds of superior exterior or terminal ballistics
this is why 22lr is the ultimate plinking gun. targets (e.g. coke cans) last longer and bulk ammo is cheapest.
with target loads, people are generally willing to spend a premium for a relatively small number of rounds of superior exterior or terminal ballistics
Blasting: wasting expensive ammo, just going off and instinct shooting with a rifle I try not to do it anymore, what with even .223 brass cased ammo costing around $0.25 a round, but unfortunately the urge to devastate fallen logs and terrorist watermelons at close range is often irresistible.
Plinking: usually with .22lr or pistols, and generally done for fun and/or to see how many you can get, how quickly.
Target shooting: careful, aimed shots to practice and ingrain technique. It doesn't matter at what you're shooting, IMO, as long as it's a challenging shot. For instance, a buddy and I were shooting at 3" orange circle targets on a box a while back, in 40mph buffering cross-winds, taking turns trying to hit the target from about 25 yards while standing. I'd consider that target shooting (and very, very difficult!)
With pistol shooting, there is more similarity between plinking and blasting, whereas with rifles there is more similarity between plinking and target shooting - in terms of rate of fire and attention to hitting the target - at least in my opinion.
I try not to do it anymore, what with even .223 brass cased ammo costing around $0.25 a round, but unfortunately the urge to devastate fallen logs and terrorist watermelons at close range is often irresistible. Plinking: usually with .22lr or pistols, and generally done for fun and/or to see how many you can get, how quickly.
Target shooting: careful, aimed shots to practice and ingrain technique. It doesn't matter at what you're shooting, IMO, as long as it's a challenging shot. For instance, a buddy and I were shooting at 3" orange circle targets on a box a while back, in 40mph buffering cross-winds, taking turns trying to hit the target from about 25 yards while standing. I'd consider that target shooting (and very, very difficult!)
With pistol shooting, there is more similarity between plinking and blasting, whereas with rifles there is more similarity between plinking and target shooting - in terms of rate of fire and attention to hitting the target - at least in my opinion.
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