best rifle for relaxing and shooting

[lightman]

To me fun means anything with low recoil and is fairly accurate. I have several customs that are almost boring to shoot. Almost every shot will clip the first bullet hole. 223, 22-250 AI, 243, 308 and 300 WSM. The WSM is heavy enough that the recoil is low.

 

[792mauser]

I gotta say my favorite for just relaxing is either my new Winny 52B with either vaver or Unertl 12x, my H&R M12 or my CZ 452 Ultra Lux.

Quiet, smooth and puts em right where I want em from 75 feet to 350 yards.

 

[Picher]

I've had three .22-250s and three .223 bolt-actions. The .22-250 has a lot of case taper and tends to stretch a lot, so cases don't last as long as .223 and are less plentiful. The cartridge isn't great for target shooting, which is the realm of .222 and .223. It's best at varmint hunting, though.

 

[Risky buisness]

Have to be an M1 Garand for me, or my .62 caliber smoothbore fusil de chase.

 

[cdb1]

My CZ 512 .22 WMR.

 

[35 Whelen]

I narrowed it down to five choices.



35W

 

[entropy]

Any of those in .35 Whelen, perchance?

A single shot .22 or a smokepole. Makes a nice leisurely afternoon of shooting.

 

[Olympus]

For me, it would probably be a 17HMR, 22WMR, or 22 Hornet. I think I could probably get behind a 30 Carbine also if I owned one.

 

[George P]

If you like to reload, then the 6mmBR should be a top contender - cheap to shoot, easy recoil and great accuracy, even from a field gun.

 

[Frulk]

OP didn’t mention distance so I’ll toss this out. I actually shoot levers for relaxation but to really slow it down I enjoy a Ruger 77/.44 Mag. There's just something about cycling a bolt rifle in a straight walled pistol caliber.

Plus recoil is practically non existent. Big hunk of lead just makes a pleasing ring when it meets a Steel plate torso.

 

[dieselchief]

yesteryear> 222 rem or 32 20. nowadays 6.5 grendel in a bolt gun. no brass chasing, no recoil
, small powder charges, relatively quiet.... (still have the other two though.)

 

[TSchwab25]

I have had tons of fun with a buckmark 22 pistol, and a 223 ar15 meant for longer range shooting.

 

[jmr40]

On paper the 22-250 has a bit better performance, but 223 wins on every other consideration. But I'd still choose a 22 RF.

Not the 22, since the range isn't far enough,

Want to have fun, start trying to shoot a 22 LR cartridge at 200+ yards.

Shooting steel at 250 yards with my Tikka T1. The bigger mark is from a 223 from earlier in the day. Hit 6 of 8 shots.

 

[rayatphonix]

For me it’s 6.5 Grendel. It does everything I need up to about 500 yards with very little recoil.

 

[C.R.]

For relaxation , I would go with the .22 lever action , or single shot rifles , and the revolvers preferably single action . Fun , leasurly paced , no recoil , cheap to shoot it takes a while to load (and unload) so there is more time to be sociable in between shots .

 

[jmorris]

Around 20 years ago, I know it was before 2003, a friend of mine and I spent the better part of a year playing with .22’s on the weekends. From 50-300 yards, took a grill and a cooler with us, likely went through 50 rifles, more than half that many optics and every brand and flavor of .22 ammunition one could possess.

That was a relaxing and enjoyable period of shooting for me. Not the excitement and work of competitive shooting, rather just observing what things could/could not do. Wound up learning a lot from a simple “Hey, feel like shooting this weekend?”

 

[DMW1116]

If 22 is out, I’d say a PCC of some kind. Either a 9mm semi or 45 or other lever action of some sort.

 

[.308 Norma]

I don't have one (yet), but I've always kinda dreamed of owning a .22 Hornet or K-Hornet (a single-shot would be fine) and loading it with mild, cast bullet loads. I knew a guy that did just that, and he killed a bunch of close-range (50 yards or less) rockchucks with it. To me, a nice little .22 Hornet loaded with cast bullet loads just seems like it would be a ton of plinking fun.

 

[snowman357]

223 bolt action, or a 22 hornet, I unfortunately sold my 22 hornet, so accurate shooting paper got boring so started shooting the clothes pins hold up the targets.

 

[d2wing]

For me, my .22 LR single shot target rifle. If I had to go bigger it would be a .223 maybe AR or a .243 Winchester.

 

[Random 8]

I really like my Henry single with cast 38s when I stretch the range past 75. I'm usually shooting 4" or so firewood pins. Challenging enough to keep it interesting, little recoil, and a satisfying bang......thwack when you hold the right Kentucky.

 

[Archie]

The rifle I enjoy 'just shooting' the most is a Zastava 22 lr.
For centerfire guns, I enjoy the CZ 7.62x39mm bolt gun. It recoils little and seems to connect with what I point it.

Shooting the .458 Winchester gives me a feeling of accomplishment. It also gives me a feeling of joint pain.

 

[Jeff olson]

My 541-T ranks right up there. I admit that the .22 is probably the most enjoyable for me now. It's cheap. Or at least it used to be.

 

[Hannah42]

My vote is for Marlin 1895 GS guide gun in 45/70

 

[BigBore44]

Going to be honest. I don’t find shooting relaxing. I always view it as a challenge. Because I’m always trying to get better. Doesn’t matter what cartridge or platform. Part of the reason I never found mag dumps anything but a waste. Except, to be fair, I did bump fire my M-1A a couple times. Back when I could buy 1k of NATO for $108 delivered. I wanted to know what select fire would feel like. So, enjoyable? Yes. Relaxing? No. I find cleaning my firearms relaxing. Gun on the bench, some classical 12 string guitar or golden oldies on the radio, and my tools.