Looooong time pistol owner. I have owned an AR15 and a Mini 14 in the past. I have shotguns and a .22. I don’t hunt.
I love shooting pistols but never got into rifles. With that background I’m thinking about buying a rifle just to plink with at the range. Recommendations?

Pure plinker? 10/22

^^^^^^^
This!!!

While a 10/22 is a great rifle, since you already have a .22 rifle I'm going to do a different direction:

Hard to go wrong with an AR15. Everyone should own at least one, and you can get a decent AR for just a few hundred bucks these days. Great for home defense or just plinking at the range. (I know you've had one in the past, but it sounds like you don't currently.)

Or, if you want to try something that you haven't owned before, how about a Service Grade M1 Garand from the CMP. My Garands are my favorite rifles to shoot, and they're great pieces of history.

I'd say AR first, then if you got that covered, a .22 lever action is pretty fun. Maybe a Henry.

As RogueJSK stated, a 10/22 is a great plinker -- especially out to 50 yards, maybe 100 yards. But you already have some kind of .22lr. It depends whether or not you want another caliber.

A 223/5.56 rifle allows for longer range plinking than a .22lr, with substantially lower bullet drift from crosswinds. An AR15 is a great option, and it has substantially greater accuracy potential than a Mini-14.

If accuracy is your plinking goal, consider a 223 bolt action. A bolt action is much easier to shoot accurately than an AR15.

I’m going with what’s already been said.

What type of .22 do you already have?
Bolt action? Then look at a 10/22 (I really like my take down)
Already have a semi-auto? Take a peek at a nice lever action.

Want to have a conversation piece? I don’t remember who makes it, but there’s a nice h&K MP-5 clone in .22

I never think of 'plinking' with something cf that tosses rounds that cost $.30+/round. I want something that every time I pull the trigger I don't care. But the OP can supply his criteria.
Because I shoot an AR all the time my favorite plinker is an AR in .22lr suppressed. fun and more fun.

For the ultimate in plinking fun as well as something that could do double duty as a home defense carbine I'd highly suggest a 9mm AR15 or one of the other style pistol-caliber carbines out there. Lotsa fun !!!

This is a hard question to answer without knowing what kind of "plinking" you plan to do.

Shooting cans inside of 50 yards, it's gonna be hard to beat a 10/22. Cheap gun with a good reputation for reliability, cheap ammo, and you can buy both anywhere. There's also an abundance of mags and accessories available from Ruger and the aftermarket. The same could be said for a dedicated .22 AR like an M&P15-22...it just depends what style of rifle you're looking for.

Making holes in paper out to 300-500 yards, a scoped .223 bolt-action or AR-15 is pretty capable and affordable, provided you don't need those groups to be really small. They can be, but it'll cost more.

Go-fast drills are fun and pretty affordable with a red-dot equipped AR in 5.56/.223. The aftermarket for an AR is also pretty much unlimited and you can turn it into pretty much anything you want it to be.

Or cater to your inner John Wayne and get a lever-action in .22 or .357. They're light and handy, and IMO more fun than a semi-auto. I like my Marlin 39s, but my son's Henry does the same thing for less than half the price, and it's a nice little gun.

Or if you're into nostalgia a milsurp like a M1 Garand or 1903A3 are a really good time, and surprisingly capable. You'll pay more for the gun and ammo than some of the other options, but there's something special about them that's hard to quantify...you feel it every time you take one out and hold it.

I have most of the above, and it's hard to say which I like like the most. I doubt I could settle on just one. It really depends on my mood and what kind of shooting I feel like doing on a given day.

When I think of plinking, I think of .22 LR. I have 3 different .22 plinkers and each is mood dependent.

1) Fast plinking...10/22
2) Slow plinking...Henry .22 lever action
3) Challenge plinking...Ruger Precision w/ SWCA SS 10x42

Above all, plinking = fun!

Tough to beat a lever action .22 with an open sights or low powered smaller scope. Few better ways to improve skills and enjoy shooting.

quote:

Tough to beat a lever action .22 with an open sights or low powered smaller scope. Few better ways to improve skills and enjoy shooting.

THIS!^^^^^^

MP5 clone. Shoots 9mm, and you can get the Turkish clones very cheap these days.

As noted an AR is a great all around rifle to be familiar with, to have, to personalize and to enjoy shooting. Relatively inexpensive to shoot, but not as cheap as a .22

So, get a .22 conversion or a dedicated .22 upper to put in a standard AR. Best solution for both kinds of plinking.

Additionally, shooting military calibers often will insure that it is always available and cheaper than less popular calibers.

Wow, what a question. I have plinked with everything from a 1918A2 BAR to aa old single shot .22 military training rifle. I like Marlin Model 39s, Remington Nylon 66s and Winchester Model 62s. I also use pistol caliber lever action rifles. I guess you would really have to define plinking. Is shooting cans at 15 yards with a .22 the same as shooting clay birds on the ground with an AR at 100 yards? I would consider them both to be plinking. How about hanging steel plates at 50 or 100 yards with an Egyptian Hakim or a 1949 FN, would that be plinking? Years ago, I use to shoot at a clearing in the woods, off an old sewer line. Someone had left some old oil drums there. They were at about 75-80 yards. I saw people shooting them with everything from Trapdoor Springfields to modern scope sighted hunting rifles.

Browning BL-22

But you'll get bored quick.

Get a threaded barrel .22. I would recommend getting a can as soon as possible. If you’re going to be shooting at public ranges skip the can, everyone else will negate its worth.

Just for plinking at the range, and since you've already got .22, I'd go with a basic bolt-action rifle.

If you're recoil-sensitive, I'd go .243, 6.5mm Creedmoor, or .223/5.56, or if not, .308. Those are the most common chamberings and will have the most ammo available.

With regard to brands, I'd go Savage 110 or Axis II, Ruger American Gen 2, or a Tikka, which is a little more expensive. A basic optic in 3-9x40 will run around $100-125.

You can then upgrade as you see fit once you get a feel for things.