Summertime is for Plinking!
Summer in Minnesota means lots of time outside finding fun things to do on the weekends. One of my favorite activities is heading out to my parents place in the country. We have lots of space to run around, drive ATVs, shoot our guns, bows, clay pigeons, fish, and almost anything we can think of. One thing that's almost always a guarantee though, is the fact that there will be some shooting practice included in the weekend. My parents have a beautiful long rifle range just behind their house and this makes it quick and easy for all of us to put in range time and have shooting competitions. Although I do a lot of training with my regular hunting guns, we also make time for our fair share of plinking with a .22 as well.
I'm a firm believer that shooting is just like any other activity. You know, practice makes perfect. The more good repetition one can do the better. However, this needs to be good repetition. I've seen so many people go to the range and try to shoot an entire box of .300 Win. Mag off their shoulder and wonder why they can't keep good groups by the end. I like to use a .22 as a great way to practice smooth trigger pulls and get used to precision shooting. The more times you have a perfectly smooth trigger pull, the better your chance of not jerking the trigger when the big buck steps out in front of you.
My mom also did a lot of shooting with the .22 prior to our mule deer hunt in the Sandhills of Nebraska last fall. She was going to be shooting a .308 in Nebraska, but prior to that, many repetitions with the .22 got her a little more used to using a scope and ready for precision shooting. My mom has been a hunter and shooter her entire life, however, growing up in central MN most of our hunting was done with slugs and without scopes. So, before we took her out shooting with a scope we read through some of the scope guides we found online and she familiarized herself with what she'd be shooting with. Plinking with a .22 can be a great way to get a new shooter used to rifles, scopes, or even help the skills of a seasoned shooter.
Another option Winchester has is the M22 that was designed for modern sporting rifles with high capacity magazines. My mom and I primarily shoot rifles, so I like a .22 in a rifle style, but for shooters who do a lot of hunting or shooting with modern sporting rifles this is the exact same concept. The M22 offers realistic training loads with a clean burning powder that assures consistent chamber pressure. It also features a black copper plated round nose bullet that's highly accurate and plated for reduced fouling and functions amazing, plus its works great in high capacity magazines.
There is also the M22 subsonic for shooters who want ammo that has been optimized for suppressor use. This has a low muzzle flash and also work great in semi-automatic firearms. The bottom line is, whatever type of firearm you like to shoot, Winchester has a wide variety of options to keep you shooting all year long. The key is to get that range time in now so you'll be more prepared this fall and I guarantee you'll have a lot of fun in the process as well!