What is a "Plinking Round"?

[Doublehelix]

I see the term "plinking rounds" all the time, and I have used the term myself, but what defines a plinking round?

For me, I am always at a range somewhere, and I am aiming at a target, so do I have some rounds where I care where they hit on the target, and some that I don't care where they hit? Of course not! I want them all to be as tight as possible.

Plinking sounds like fun, but to me, I envision a trip through the woods where you are just picking out random targets as I walk and plink away.

Maybe a plinking round would be a round that I use on large steel targets that I only care to hear the "ping" of the bullet on the steel and not care *where* they hit as long as they "PING!"

I know this is a silly question, but the more I thought about making some plinking rounds vs. accuracy rounds, it sort of hit me that I really don't do much real plinking.

Like I said earlier, plinking sounds like fun overall, less stressfull and just plinking away, but I am not sure that I really do much of that.

Or am I just crazy???

 

[red_zr24x4]

To me, a plinking round is anything not intended for self defense. Of course I want it to be accurate, but not so worried about bullet expansion etc.

 

[singlestacksig]

a round that is low cost enough that you can shoot a few hundred of them in an afternoon... one you don't expect great terminal performance with also.. no need for HP plinkers..

If your pocket is deep enough .50 BMG could be a plinking round...

 

[BehindBlueI's]

There's accurate and there's accurate. Bulk ammo is typically good enough for 'plinking' and most shooters will never see a difference. However, it's not going to win high level bull's eye competitions where eleventy-bajillionths of an inch may decide champion from also rans.

 

[bocefus78]

For me, a plinking load is a cheap load (ie plated instead of jacketed) that you could also refer to as "blasting ammo". The kind one would shoot rapid fire, where driving tacks isn't priority #1.
In a rifle, its the same thing. FMJ is lots cheaper than match grade components, and can still be plenty accurate. Last year I scored 4000 55gr fmj projectiles at a nickel a piece. Do I care if they aren't sub moa? Not at all. Not when costs to load it are as follows:

bullet: .05
primer: .02
powder: .07
brass: .01 (average cost per shot)

Total cost: $0.15


That's the kind of stuff I let new shooters blast at the range. They don't need to be burning thru my sierra stash.

 

[Thegeek]

Cheap ammunition to shoot for recreation. Most people take range time way too seriously and shoot like it's a points competition. If you're shooting for accuracy, it's not plinking. Plinking is shooting steel, bowling pins, water jugs, etc. without really caring how accurate it is. Doesn't matter where you hit, just that you hit it.

 

[foszoe]

There's accurate and there's accurate. Bulk ammo is typically good enough for 'plinking' and most shooters will never see a difference. However, it's not going to win high level bull's eye competitions where eleventy-bajillionths of an inch may decide champion from also rans.

So what you're saying is you have no use for plinking ammo

 

[BE Mike]

As a reloader, I'd say that my plinking rounds are those made of lesser quality bullets, than my match or target loads. They are intended to be shot in guns of lesser accuracy than match grade and at lesser demanding targets and distances. That being said, there is a minimum of accuracy I expect even from my plinking rounds. I don't do mag dumps.

 

[Broom_jm]

Ammo that is cheap, but accurate enough to hit a tin can and make a "plink" sound, which is where I believe the term came from.

 

[ROLEXrifleman]

A round optimized for value not performance
end thread

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

Ammo that is cheap, but accurate enough to hit a tin can and make a "plink" sound, which is where I believe the term came from.

I'll 2nd that... We'll 'plink' some range days just to ding the steel plates with different .22LR for fun and challenges. Its different that trying to punch 1 ragged hole. 'Plinking'.

 

[Leadeye]

Low cost recreational ammo.

 

[4651feeder]

And to think all this time I believed it was ammo that one possessed in enough quantity to allow going through a magazine full of it in under 3 seconds without regret.

 

[Broom_jm]

Another possible source for the term was the shooting galleries of the early 1900's, where ammunition of questionable quality and VERY mild energy levels was used to shoot the various targets that popped up. Each of these made a "plink" sound when struck, so that could also be where the term was coined. Some shooters at these galleries questioned the efficacy of the ammo, so it's likely that "plinking" ammo has had a negative connotation since the inception of the term.

 

[Doublehelix]

Haha! It is great to see all the replies. I know that I will make some less expensive ammo and some more expensive ammo, but under what circumstances will I use the less expensive ammo?

I love the response about when I take family and friends to the range. I do that quite often with my kids/wife to make sure they are comfortable with the weapons, and why waste my precious ammo on folks that shoot as bad as they do!!! J/K!

I love the idea of plinking though. I just wish I had a place to plink! I suppose I could take some pop cans and some clay targets out and call that plinking. As I mentioned in the OP, large steel targets could be considered plinking targets. Set up several, and plink away...

 

[BE Mike]

A round optimized for value not performance
end thread

You must be new here. Some of us can argue with a fence post.

 

[Doublehelix]

You must be new here. Some of us can argue with a fence post.

No you can't.

[video=youtube;kQFKtI6gn9Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQFKtI6gn9Y[/video]

 

[Mgderf]

Food for this?

Mossberg 702 Plinkster Duck Dynasty / Commander 22 : Semi Auto Rifles at GunBroker.com

 

[Broom_jm]

So, this fence post tried to tell me I was drunk, and I was all like, "No I'm not...you're leaning to the left". And the fence post assured me it was a conservative fence post, straight and true.

 

[sassdan]

Cheap ammunition to shoot for recreation. Most people take range time way too seriously and shoot like it's a points competition. If you're shooting for accuracy, it's not plinking. Plinking is shooting steel, bowling pins, water jugs, etc. without really caring how accurate it is. Doesn't matter where you hit, just that you hit it.

This is it for me!