PCLA question

[chuck d]

Looking to get into PC. All rifles in any centerfire are pretty pricey. Was thinking .22 MAG but ammo is expensive.
3 questions I am wondering on
1. 22 Mag -what is the advantage over .22 RF, is it that much? Or shoot my .22 RF both classes?
2. 44 mag how much of a recoil battle would I have- 30-30 40 rounds no problem..
3. Is a 357 mag a better choice over the .44??
Thanks
chuck

[twidpa]

1 22 LR will not take down the heavier PC rams in our area. My marlin 39 rang more than it knocked down. I scored a 30/40 one day and no rams fell. Yea it still stings a bit.
2 You can download the 44 mag quite comfortably. Should be no problem with recoil.
3 Either is fine. The 357 may be a bit cheaper to reload. The 32-20 still seems to be the one to have and the 25-20 may be better still. Buying the 32 or 25 may be more expensive initially but you might make up the extra money in reloading if you can find supplies .
Just my thoughts
T

[edgehit]

It's nearly impossible to find 22 mag ammo right now. It is ballistically superior to all other rounds. But you must use 45 or 50 gr bullets to reliably knock down rams. The other issue is 22 mag rifles are a it light weight.

The next best option is a well tuned 25-20 Marlin or Winchester

[richard]

A few that I know shoot .22 mag and seem to like it okay. I shoot both a .44-40 and a .32-20. The .44 is fun to shoot but really it is way more gun than you need for PC. A friend used to shoot a .44 mag in both CF and PC but if you are buying a gun just for PC I would go for a lighter caliber. I really like the .32-20 because I like the older calibers and cast my own bullets. From what I have seem and keeping an open mind I think .357 or .38 is the best "all around" caliber for PC. Easy to shoot and lots of loading options, cases, bullets, powder, etc. and, and they shoot well!

[snaketail2]

25-20 is a great rifle for PCLA - however, the rifles are expensive and reloading components are hard to come by.
I have a Marlin 25-20 - it consistently shoots my best scores...after a year of scrounging brass and bullets! The 75gr Speer bullets are extremely difficult to find...I'll be changing to cast after the Nationals.

If I were starting over I'd probably go with 32-20 or .357. I don't think the caliber matters as much as the rifle - either cal in a "good" rifle perform similarly. If you go with .357 you could use it for CLA too - you could use the .44 for CLA too, but the rainbow trajectory is a drawback. And, you'll find a better bullet selection for the .32-20/.357 than the .44.

A Marlin 39a is hard to beat. With perfect 20-20 hindsight I can say that a Marlin will serve you well for quite a while (and 30/40 is still a AAA score!)...when you start shooting better than the rifle does - then think abut adding a centerfire pistol cartridge rifle.

Michael