I enjoy it all. The clays, the rabbits, the paper targets, the metallic animals, the furry animals and even the stuffed animals and dead electronics. They are all great fun to shoot and there are the right tools for the right target.
Now, I have a chance to set up a good sized shooting lane on private property where I can offend no one but the flies and the birds with my noise and bad shooting. Metal plates as far as the eye can see.
Square plates.
Round plates.
Long plates.
Gongs.
…God forbid HUMANOID PLATES…well a smaller square on top of a larger rectangle with tapered sides.
What are the ultimate plinking guns? Cat A and Cat B only.
Funny you post that, 1894 in 44MAG is one of my favourite guns to plink with. BL-22 (22LR) is up there too. Pretty much any short barrel shotgun with slugs or buckshot. Pretty much anything in 357 is fun. 7615 is fun and cheap, but 16.5" barrel makes it crazy loud. Heavy hitting milsurps are fun. Black powder cartridges are fun. 45-70 is fun. Anything with a straight wall case is fin. Anything with bottle neck case is fun. Look, pretty much all guns are fun plinkers
Hard to beat a repeating .22 of some sort for plinking, pump, lever, bolt, it doesn’t matter. Cheap to shoots lots, you don’t have to spend all week loading them up and they ring gongs great at plinking range.
Of course you can beat a .22 for plinking, you just need any shotgun in the world and a big box of slugs!
I would be thinking a bolt action with a good scope and shooting from 25m out to 200m and anything from golf balls to empty cans or playing cards.
Either a straight pull or lever action shotgun shooting slugs at water bottles or steel plates.
A lever action in any pistol caliber for all of the rest or if you want to stretch things out a good bolt action with scope in either 223 or 308 to go out to 200 plus.
22, 223 and 308 are pretty cheap to run and you can make your own slugs or even just use #4’s or similar.
As others have mentioned, you can’t beat a .22 for plinking. Family and novice friendly, not too noisy, no recoil. Cheap, what’s not to love. I have a few different .22’s and they all have their charm.
Ruger American Compact if you want all rounder. I don’t know why, I just have a special place in my heart for that rifle. Just a funky little package. This is literally the only bolt action 22LR I own.
Anything tube fed - bolt action (like Cooey/Win, BSA, etc.), but a lot of them don’t come tapped or with dovetail if you want to scope one
Lever release:
Savage A22R if you want a nice modern all rounder. (same won’t cry if dropped as Ruger)
Can’t speak to Cz, I own one you see, but I don’t have it you see I have handled the semi version of it at my local and it’s nice. I like tactical, wood didn’t do it for me, but horses for courses.
Lever actions:
Browning (BL-22) - fastest lever action rifle you will handle
Henry - sexy and smooth
Pump actions:
Henry for a modern 22LR pump action (I have trust issues with modern Remington)
Winchester '06 or 61 or 62 ('06 is probably the sexiest to shoot in a tiny little package) - for vintage pump action fun
Remington 12A - for vintage pump action fun
Screw you gca:
Alfa Project Carbine (not hunter, carbine) for the ultimate of plinking and a face full of gas (worth it! But do wear sunnies or something)
And a couple of wild cards:
PWS toggle (biathlon action) - could be your cup of tea
Ruger 96/22 (crazy smooth lever, crazy expensive for what it is)