Looking for best shooting range calibers (budget)

[u/Dream1nhell]

Hi, I’m looking to buy my first rifle for precision shooting. I’m not sure which caliber offers the best balance between cost and performance.
I was considering the .22 WMR because the ammo is relatively inexpensive and it’s a bit more powerful than the .22 LR. However, I’ve heard that beyond about 150 yards, it has a lot of bullet drop.
Would I be better off with a larger caliber? If so, which one would you recommend? Thanks!

Edit: It would only be for long-range target shooting(no hunting). I’d like the ammunition to cost less than $1 per round, and I have access to a shooting range that goes out to 300 yards. My budget for the gun+attachment would be under 2k$ cad.

[u/h3IIfir3pho3nix]

No point to go .22 WMR if you're precision shooting.

Start with .22lr, upgrade to .223, 6.5cm, or something else when you want to shoot further.

[u/No-Night-48 → u/h3IIfir3pho3nix]

This.

[u/Dream1nhell → u/h3IIfir3pho3nix]

The 22 wmr dont give a Little bit more feeling?

[u/xmqe → u/Dream1nhell]

Not worth the extra cost compared to 22LR (8¢/round). WMR is 40¢/round. But .223 is 58¢/round so might as well just skip wmr altogether if you want more distance.

[u/h3IIfir3pho3nix → u/Dream1nhell]

Bit more feeling in the pocket book. Might as well do .223 at the price.

[u/FD4L → u/Dream1nhell]

For precision shooting 22wmr dosent fit a role because, it comes with the same bullet weight as .22lr, usually about 40 grains.

The reason why the cartridge with more power dosent help precision is because rimfire precision shooters typically use ammunition that leaves the barrel subsonic.

When a projectile traveling at or above the speed of sound slows to below the speed of sound, it experiences a sonic turbulence, which can cause it to wobble, disrupting a predictable flight path. Most supersonic factory .22lr ammunition becomes transonic between 90 and 120 yards and long range .22lr competitions often shoot out to 300 yards, so it makes sense for consistency that those shooters would use ammunition that starts subsonic.

If you wanted to look at a niche option, 17hmr is supersonic and flatter shooting out to about 250 yards, its challenge is that the tiny 17-20 grain projectile is much more susceptible to environmental disruptions like moisture, and especially wind.

If you're in the fence about calibers, id suggest looking into a cz 457, as they can be converted between 22lr, 22wmr and 17hmr by changing the barrel and magazine. Youll need to purchase barrels for the extra calibers you want, but its often cheaper tha a second and third rifle.

[u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 → u/Dream1nhell]

There is no 22WMR match ammo as far as I'm aware.

[u/Relevant_Diver_3228]

Hello good sir I would love to help you find your budget precision shooting caliber but first I would kindly ask that next time we list how much approximately you are willing to spend on each round in the post because some people's idea of a budget is different than others for example my friends idea of a  budget round is 6.5 Creedmoor or 308 but my idea of a budget is a 5.56/223 or 9mm but 9mm is not really ideal for precision but it can be depending on the load, gun, ect

[u/Dream1nhell → u/Relevant_Diver_3228]

I would like under 1$ the bullet

[u/uber_poutine → u/Dream1nhell]

.22lr is good for fundamentals, plinking, and small pest control. Start there, with a nice CZ or similar. After that, for cost, .223 in bulk for sure.

If/when you get into reloading, .308 will go the distance and mostly hit that price point, depending on how bougie your bullets are. It's got a lot of options, which is nice (target, varmint, medium game, larger game).

[u/VanillaHighlights → u/Dream1nhell]

Incredibly limited selection my guy.  Precision and cheap don't go together.  There is a reason the .22 category is so popular.

There are .22 rounds more than a buck a shot.

[u/Yankee_on_vanisle]

22lr is a fun starting caliber, next up would be .223. it all depends on how far you want to shoot and what your budget is. Of you've got bill gates money, go with 338 lapua

[u/iNeedAdivorce]

It would be great if you added to your post with some more details.

1. Do you want to be able to hunt with this rifle or just Target shoot?

2. What's your budget? A range is fine.

3. How much do you plan to shoot the rifle? Ammunition can be expensive, especially if you do not reload.

4. What kind of distances would you like to shoot at?

If it was me and I wanted to shoot at moderate to long distances at a moderate cost I would likely get a long barreled 762x51 (or 308). The advantages are that ammo is plentiful and this is also cheap to reload. You can shoot it out to potentially a thousand yards depending on how you set up the weapon and the quality of your glass. And it can be used for sport hunting for most animals in eastern North America.

[u/Ok_Toe3991]

When on sale, 22LR is about 8¢ a round. Comparatively, 22WMR can be had for as low as 40¢ a round. That's a 500% increase in price. For a much more noticeable increase in range you can go 7.62*39 (~50¢) or 223/5.56 (60¢).

I'd recommend 22LR, especially for practicing or training. If you find you want to reach out further, consider 223. You can go further with higher calibers, but prices start rising sharply.

[u/EnvironmentalFox7532 → u/Ok_Toe3991]

Exactly this, while I prefer shooting centerfire calibres the cost keeps me from shooting more than 50-60 rounds when I get out. But I’ll shoot 500 22lr in a weekend sometimes more.

Going to get into reloading to bring that cost down eventually, but mainly to have ammo when I want rather than having to wait for sales or be limited by what’s in stock.

At the same time I can’t knock 22wmr, it’s a great cartridge for coyotes and such out to 150yards. My buddy sold me on it this past weekend hunting coyotes at his farm. I was hunting with a 12ga and buckshot, him with the 22wmr he got 10 to my 1 due to range. Definitely will be one in my future after I buy a few other rifles on my list

[u/Ok_Toe3991 → u/EnvironmentalFox7532]

For what it's worth, a 223 will drop a coyote further out that the 22WMR. Obviously the 22WMR works for this, but I'd argue that the 223 works better. For small game, where you're prioritizing keeping the meat intact, the 22WMR is a solid choice if you need to reach out further than a 22LR.

As for reloading, I have focused on the .308 family of bullets myself; 308, 30-06, 300 Win. (I plan to level up, and start swagging one of these years. Sticking to the 308 family means one set of dies.)

[u/Iokua_CDN → u/Ok_Toe3991]

Shooting a 22lr at 200 or 300 meters is likely great practice  for shooting bigger rounds at even farther distances!

[u/NemrahG]

I’d say get .22lr, much better ammo selection for target shooting, and cheaper. The .22 wmr is a great round, one of my favourites, but it’s a more hunting or pest control focused round imo.

[u/CanadianBoyEh]

What’s your actual budget? What kind of distance do you have access to shoot?

[u/Dream1nhell → u/CanadianBoyEh]

I would like under 1$ bullet and i have acces to a 300 yards range

[u/CanadianBoyEh → u/Dream1nhell]

I’d get a .22lr for that distance. Cheap ammo in comparison to centerfire, access to match grade ammo unlike .22WMR or .17HMR, and easier to get a good precision rifle and optic package for under $2K.

I have rifles built for precision in 6.5 Creedmoor, .308, .300 PRC and .22lr. The .22lr sees by far the most range time, because the ammo is so much cheaper. .22lr at 300 yards will also teach you a lot more about long range shooting than any centerfire round will. I regularly shoot mine out to 400 yards on steel. For comparison, my .22lr needs 7.2 mils for 200 yards. My 6.5 Creedmoor doesn’t need that much until almost 900 yards.

[u/Flat-Dark-Earth]

223 on the budget end. 6.5 Creedmoor when stepping above that.

[u/Iokua_CDN]

It sounds like 223 would be your best bet. Good for the distance you want, and with  lots of ammo under $1.

You could consider 308, but that's REALLY pushing your Buck a round requirement. Like unless you are buying Norinco Surplus 308, it's going to cost more than $1.

So 223 is the winner.

Though as an alternative,  you could always try 7.62 x39.  Very fun in a bolt action, decently cheap.  More expensive ammo quickly goes to $1 an bullet, but there is plenty of cheaper FMJ rounds.  Doesn't have as good of long range ballistics as 223, however out to 300 meters is the perfect range for it. Plus you might still be able to find some REALLY cheap Surplus. While it may not be as accurate as higher quality ammo, it gives you a ton of practice for cheap. Getting lots of trigger time will help a lot.

So buy a 223 for better long range, or 7.62 x39 for a bit cheaper practice ammo while still being able to go 300 meters. 

As far as guns an ammo???

If going very budget, I'd grab a Cz 600 for 800 bucks or so, and a vortex scope for 200-300.  This is basically what I sid a few years ago, except it was the older CZ 557 in 308.  I hear great things about the CZ Alpha in 223 or 7.62 x39.  Vortex Crossfire remains a cheap scope with good quality and a lifetime  warranty if you ever do break it.  All in, with some patience and sales,  you could be food for $1k, leaving plenty of ammo for practice, and maybe some more range accessories.

[u/HappyCan7250]

Another vote for 223 here. It majorly outclassed 22wmr while only costing a bit more. Buying in bulk, I can get 223 for close to $0.60/rd and 22wmr is pretty close to 0.40-0.50 anyway. 223 can each out to 500+yd. Some guys even shoot it out to 1000 with a lot of skill and match ammo. 223 is one of my favorite rounds to shoot because its still cheap and has plenty of range unless you're a pro shooting out to 1k regularly. 223 is also reloadable if you ever get into it, 22mag is not. Get a good 223 bolt gun and a nice 22lr bolt gun to practice on for pennies. 

It's also worth noting my CZ600 alpha shoots red box norinco unbelievably well, so a CZ600 alpha ($750 or so) with fex box norinco for $12/box can also get you out to 300yd or so while sharing ammo with the SKS you will inevitably have to buy as a Canadian, at some point. But 223 is a bit better for anything over about 200yd, but 7.62x39 is also cheap, just not as precise as bulk 223. My CZ600 shoots cheap 7.62x39 incredibly well for what it is though, somehow.

[u/CattleNatural5964]

.22 and .223. Buy both. You’ll save so much shooting the .22 you’ll pay for the .223. Spend money on quality rifles and optics.

[u/preferablyoutside]

This sub is great for some things, like reviews on mag dumping a Turkish Benelli m4 clone but for anyone shooting more than 10ft not so much.

Get a decent quality .22 LR bolt rig with a heavy barrel snag 5k rds from Tenda on sale and put a decent quality PRS scope onto it like a Bushnell Match Pro( if you’re into Vortex I assume you sit to pee and love Steve Rinellas) shove it into a chassis and it’ll outshoot you for at least a year, once that love affair to 300Y is over snag a 6.5 Creedmoor or a .223 and start to go longer and send them deeper. Despite the autistic screeching that you can’t shoot whitetails or moose with a 6.5(skill issue on posters parts) you’ll be good and can shoot to 800Y and over.

[u/Dream1nhell → u/preferablyoutside]

Why ,vortex scope aren’t good?

[u/Iokua_CDN → u/Dream1nhell]

I'd argue  despite a price increase, they still  remain a budget scope that has a lifetime warranty.

I just killed another brand of Chinese scope the other day. No warranty or anything. If it had been a Vortex, I'd already have a free replacement in the mail.

But I just go for their budget scopes like the crossfire. So maybe their higher up scopes become less good of a deal.

[u/preferablyoutside → u/Dream1nhell]

With our severely depressed dollar, they’re tremendously overpriced for what you’re getting. I’ve heard the Razor Gen 3 may be worth it, I somewhat doubt it. On the observation side their Razor line is set to compete with Kowa, Swarovski, Zeiss and Leica and isn’t event close in glass quality.

[u/Penguinbotxv]

223 tikka CTR don't look back

[u/JTrudeausLeftNut]

Probably .223/5.56 for up to 300 yards. You're likely to outgrow rimfire relatively quickly.

That said a 22lr at 50/100 yards is still a lot of fun and the fundamentals dont change that much. If I was you, id probably go with a decent 22lr and shoot it at 50/100 until proficient

[u/epnk420]

22LR but it leaves something to be desired after some time, .223/556 is next up for me and 9mm for under $1 a round unfortunately unless you got a handgun most 9mm rifles are on the ban list other then Henry homesteader and maybe a couple others I don’t know of. Plus 9mm isn’t meant for those distances so really only 223/556 fits, everything else costs over $1 per round that I know of or own my 300 win mag makes me wanna cry when pulling the trigger yet it’s fun to shoot