Next Step After 22

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GunLvrNLearner

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I do not hunt but as far as target shooting after years n years of 22 what caliber would be considered the next step up for just fun target shooting?
 
The type and distance of targets will dictate what's next. Are you talking about plinking and casual target shooting or more along the lines of bench shooting?
 
You mean 22LR I assume?

I always recommend .223/5.56, usually in an AR style as the "next step".

Nice move up to a very available rifle in about the most available chambering there is beyond .22LR
 
.223 is a light-recoiling fun caliber. Depending on how you configure the rifle it can reach out to 1000yards. If you reload, the price between .223 and .308 isn't very much, and a .308 in my opinion is a little more well rounded caliber to shoot. FWIW.
 
your best .223 is gonna be an AR if possible. From what I learned today from research, you can get them built into a budget, depending on what you (don't) want on it. With that in mind, you can get a good one for about ~$600. Check out del-ton.com for parts kits. From there, buy a good lower and you're good to go.

I'm already looking into doing something like this by Christmas if not sooner.
 
if your looking for a fun plinker with a little more oomph than .22 i'd suggest a hi-point 995 carbine. they are really fun little dependable rifles that are cheap to feed and own. if you can get past how ugly they are, you will really enjoy them.
 
With plinking as the main use and previous experience with 22LR, you pretty much just want to increase your distance with the next caliber. So the likrly caliber choice would be 17HMR, 22WMR, or the 5mm in rimfire; and 204 Ruger, 17 Rem, 22 Hornet, or 223 in a centerfire.

Choose whatever rifle suits you. For just casual target and plinking in a centerfire, the 223 gets the nod for me in a semi-auto.

With ammunition prices what they are and the fact that I'm cheap, I lean away from a centerfire if plinking is the intended purpose. If you're varmint hunting, that is another matter and that is certanly not plinking.

Nothing wrong with having a wider selection of rimfire rifles; 22LR and 17 HMR or 22WMR. I'm waiting for the new 5mm rifles to hit the market.
 
Next Step After 22
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Why, 23 of course! :D

For me it was an SKS, 7.62x39. Not really a greatly accurate target gun, but they're cheap, ammo is still relatively cheap and they're fun to shoot.
 
GunLvr;

I'll go with the majority & also suggest a .223 as the next step up. But then I'll maverick & tell you that I think a bolt gun is the way to go for your stated purpose.

Generally speaking, you can get into a very good bolt gun for the price of an average AR platform. You'll not get into the habit of just yankin' the trigger one more time to correct a miss, and most often times miss again. Which, and absolutely no doubt about it, will ultimately save you money. As a side benefit if you reload, the brass is much easier to find.

The object of plinking, like most anything else involving shooting, is to hit the target regardless of what it is. In the long run, practice with a good bolt gun will almost certainly engender better technique, which translates into more positive feedback for the cost of ammo.

900F
 
I find it a bit amusing but a positive development that noobs / youngsters these days do seem to take the advice a lot of times given, of "start with a rimfire and slow work your way up to more powerful calibers." Wish I had done that. I couldn't resist - I wanted lots of power - now - so my first firearm (my first "step up" from a pellet gun) was a 12 gauge pump shotgun at age 15. :eek:
 
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I find it a bit amusing but a positive development that noobs / youngsters these days do seem to take the advice a lot of times given, of "start with a rimfire and slow work your way up to more powerful calibers." Wish I had done that. I couldn't resist - I wanted lots of power - now - so my first gun was a 12 gauge pump shotgun at age 15.
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I went from .22lr to 30-06. It was a wake up call for sure.
 
22lr to 12ga. the same day well 5 minutes after I shot the 22. That was in august before going into 6th grade. Then I got a 30-06 in the spring of 6th grade.
 
I went from 22LR to 8mm mauser. They were cheap, what can I say?

An AR is a good gun, but they can be expensive. The price is going to prevent me from recommending it as the next step after a 22LR. If you are going to get into reloading, I would reccommend you go with a 30-30 levergun for your next rifle. Or maybe one of those thompson/center single shots.

Actually, I'm going to suggest that you take a serious look at the thompson-center products. You can buy extra barrels for them. I've been thinking about buying one myself for many years. But I'm waiting for them to offer a black powder shotgun barrel. So far, I don't think they have ever done so.

I just went to the thompson website and lo-and-behold! They are making a muzzle loading shotgun now! But, it's only offered in 12 ga. I want a 10 ga. And I don't want any choke.
 
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I would agree with with the previous post of a .30-30 lever and some hand loads. My next aqcuisition hopefully will be a lever in .357. Might also be something to think about as you could shoot .38's pretty cheap.
 
if your going rifle for sure 30-30. its not like shooting a 30-06. Same time if you do handload or learn you can actually get some mile recoil loads using trailboss.
 
id go with a .223 nef or rossi then shoot wolf ammo out of it. the reason that i would go with such a cheap single shot is that ive been told the steel cased ammo doesnt expand as much as brass, causing more fouling in the bore, and that this can cause the brass shells to stick if you shoot a lot of steel through it.
so cheap gun nothing lost by using cheap ammo in it and from my experiance with nef the gun will be more accutate than your ammo.
 
next step up is a 6MM

Looking for power and good terminal ballistics for longer range shooting with more power you could go for 22-250 which beats the 223 or go to a bolt action 243 which will give you varmint gun ballistics without the recoil of a 30 cal. Personal preference would be to really think about a lever action. The pistol calibers will be fairly cheap to shoot and easy on the shoulder with the same ranges you are accustomed to with the 22LR. A 30-30 with the new Leverevolution bullets gives you good 200 yard accuracy over the old 150 yard bullets. If you really aren't into hunting I would go back and look at the 243 for long distance shooting. I prefer the 22-250 but I was a competitive shooter and am a hunter and I like the idea of reaching out and touching something, (small game and paper), far far away. 243 would probably be easier on the wallet and the barrel and do just as well on the targets wayyyyyyyyyy out there.
 
IMO.

IMO, for a step up from .22 lr, I would suggest .204 Ruger (though I do not have one and am a big fan of .17 HMR). from all of the reports I've read, very accurate even with factory ammo. To make it even more accurate, you can reload it.

However, probably the most practical step is the .223 Rem. Very popular, many platforms, much aftermarket support, factory match grade ammo available, reloadable for more precision.

If you are able to reload, another good (and IMO even better) choice would be .22-250 Rem. More readily available than the BR and wildcat rounds.
 
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