While we often get caught up in the latest magnums and flattest trajectories, it becomes easy to forget our roots and the sheer joy of rimfire shooting. To that end, whenever I meet someone who doesn’t own a rimfire, I look at them sideways and wonder how much good practice they’re missing.
Typically, their response is something to the effect of “those are for kids,” paired with some equally dismissive comment about them being pop guns. The truth is, you can get a lot done with these minuscule cartridges. To remind us, Range Ready put on an event at its facility in Robert, Louisiana, in the spring of 2026.
Dubbed Plinkapalooza 2026, the event gave us two days to celebrate how many of us started shooting, with a subtle reminder from folks like trick shooter Dave “22Plinkster” Nash that the more we shoot rimfires, the better we become.
Why Plinkapalooza Was Built for Rimfire Plinking
Rimfire plinking equipment is considered specialty gear, and for once in the shooting industry, that isn’t code for expensive. Generally, we can sum it up in three characteristics: smaller, lighter and cheaper. That is the trio that makes just about any activity more enjoyable.
In attendance was Caldwell Shooting Supply, with nearly every rimfire target in its arsenal. Made from the same AR500 steel as the centerfire versions, these targets are thinner, making them more reactive to lighter rimfire impacts. They were lively enough that we were able to use Caldwell’s Flashbang Target Hit Indicators to help with scoring.
The best part about rimfire steel is that it doesn’t take much to hang. The targets aren’t nearly as heavy, and cartridges like .22 LR don’t beat them up as hard. All we had to do was stab a few shepherd’s hooks into the ground, and we called setup done. These are sturdier than you might think, as even reactive targets detonating nearby didn’t shake them loose.
Rimfire targets are less expensive because they take less metal to make, and many rimfire firearms follow the same rationale. Several gun companies were at the event, showing off their latest and greatest while demonstrating their particular approach to this cartridge class.
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The Rimfire Advantage: Less Weight, Lower Cost, More Fun
Scaling many of its centerfire hits, Smith & Wesson brought out .22 LR versions of the Folding Pistol Carbine, M&P pistol and M&P AR, along with new Model 617 Mountain Gun revolvers from Lipsey’s, which was right down the road. All of these are fun to shoot on their own, and they also make great training companions to their larger siblings.
Taking a precision stance, Volquartsen brought out its Black Mamba pistols and a variety of semi-automatic Summit IF-5 rifles. While these don’t carry bargain-basement price tags, owning one of these customs costs far less than an equally built centerfire gun. With that, they are 22Plinkster’s go-to for ultra-precise shooting, and getting to test them alongside him, I quickly understood why.
Pulling from each of these pools, Savage Arms also brought the show down south with its full-size Savage Model 110 RF rifles, its revered B-series and a few early looks that weren’t quite ready for public detail. Savage cracked the code years ago on building precise firearms that fit into a wide range of budgets, and its introductions before and during the event further cemented my opinion of the company as one of the most well-rounded firearms manufacturers in the country.
Suppressed Rimfire Shooting Keeps Things Comfortable
The last class of equipment that we associate with rimfire is arguably what makes shooting it a social event: suppressors.
Banish Suppressors came down with enough Banish 22s for nearly every muzzle, as well as some smaller .223 cans that worked equally well. Just like the guns they mount to, dedicated rimfire suppressors use less metal, so they weigh and cost less. Best of all, when muffled, even supersonic loads are far easier on the ears. Hearing protection is still the smarter call, but suppressed rimfire shooting makes long-range sessions much more comfortable.
CCI Ammunition Brings 75 Years of Heritage to Plinkapalooza
Ask a cigar smoker, whiskey drinker or car collector what makes their hobby enjoyable, and invariably each will answer, “variety.” Shooting is no different, with rimfire ammunition being the king of choices.
Idaho-based CCI, one of the major brands at The Kinetic Group, has been at the top of the pyramid for 75 years and joined us at Plinkapalooza 2026 with a wide cross-section of its wares, along with rimfire ammunition from sister companies Federal and Remington. Between the match-grade fodder, the plinking pills and even some new defensive-minded products, we had no trouble pairing guns with their best ammunition. Collectively, we made some incredible shots during the event.
READ MORE: How CCI Ammunition Helped Build a 400-Acre Empire from a Chicken Coop
Rimfire Drills, Trick Shots and Reactive Targets
A misconception about rimfire shooting is that activities and training opportunities are limited. Quite the contrary. Shorter distances mean less time walking downrange and more shots fired. There’s a reason rimfire ammo is sold by the brick and bucket.
At the 100-yard range, we ran a few different PRS-style drills, including a rimfire Know Your Limits (KYL) stage. When shooting half- and quarter-minute targets, you have to deal with wind and drop just the same as you might with centerfire at its traditional distances. This brings me to an important point: Rimfire shooting makes a great substitute when long rifle ranges aren’t available.
Of course, most of us don’t shoot rimfire with any serious intent, so the event focused more on the informal use of these cartridges. Squaring off with each other, we recreated famous trick shots like splitting a playing card in two, while ushering in modern ones, like knocking Mentos into diet soda.
I will admit, following 22Plinkster shooting an aspirin off a balloon was a tough act to follow. But with the right attitude, it showed us that feats like this were indeed possible and prompted us to give it our all.
Geeking out a bit, we put some of CCI and Federal’s harder-hitting .22 LR rounds through ballistic gel, Play-Doh and stacks of PEZ candy, for science, of course. Watching what they did to these targets was not only fun and nostalgic, but it also helped demonstrate how much this cartridge’s capabilities have increased over the years.
Ending the range session, we faced off shooting Chris Cerino’s version of Plinko, where each contestant had to break a half-dozen falling clay rabbits as they erratically zig-zagged down the classic gameboard. Before this, we exploded soda cans and ran through a shooting gallery, making me wonder if he missed his time on Top Shot.
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Blasting these reactive targets highlighted another benefit of .22s. Thanks to the minimal recoil, you get a good view of the mess while it’s being made and can get onto the next one in no time flat.
READ MORE: Testing the Christensen Arms MPR Rimfire's Accuracy Guarantee
A Plinking Party Worth Recreating
While it’s fun to participate in and report on the happenings within the shooting industry, my work is cloaked with a tinge of guilt, as many events are limited solely to insiders. However, Plinkapalooza 2026 was starkly different, as we didn’t do anything that can’t be recreated at most ranges and shooting clubs.
On the same note, these challenges impressed and satisfied a batch of grown adults who have all “been there and done that.”
With that, if you don’t own a bunch of rimfires, what are you waiting for? Events like Plinkapalooza 2026 remind us that these aren’t just beginner guns. They’re tools for longer practice sessions, marksmanship perfection or just a hell of a good time.