jackstinson
Member
A Pre-Charged Pneumatic air rifle does most certainly go BOOM if you don't have a suppressor on it. Try firing a 9mm or .50 caliber air rifle at full power and you will hear the boom ... Heck, I've owned .177, .20, and .22 PCP air rifles which made more noise (without a suppressor) than my .22 rimfires. PCP's are loud.It doesn't go boom, but have you ever considered a quality air rifle?
But yes, a spring-powered or a low-power CO2 air rifle is cheap to shoot, fun, and quiet. I've got a couple dozen of them.
As for firearms....nothing is as anywhere near as inexpensive to shoot as a .22 rimfire. 9mm would be the next up the line, but 10 times the price per shot for even the cheap stuff (Blazer or Russian).
Plinking with 7.62x54? Ouch!! That hurts to think about. Cheap though.
I love plinking with an AK, but it's not what I consider cheap at $7+ per 30-round magazine load. That same $7.00 will put 275 Federal bulk .22's through a Ruger 10/22 with 30-rounders.
Tin cans and paper do not care what size hole is made nor how many foot pounds of energy are there.