I have eleven handguns to choose from to shoot and have a moderate amout of ammo for every caliber I have. I buy a box or two and will shoot that caliber.
I have about a dozen 22 cailber rifles and some shoot the 22 shorts, at the gun store they have a good supply of high velocity CCI 22 shorts for $33 a brick. I'm going to pick up two bricks next thursday or friday for plinking, I have two bricks of 22 long rifle that I'm going to set on pluse about twelve hundred rounds of 22 long rigle in the plastic containers of different grades, Stingers, pistol match, rifle match, viper.
The Cheapest alternitive
Until the prices drop I cut back on going out shooting, I bought a Gamo 177 caliber pellet rifle that will throw the Alloy Pellets a 1000 feet per second, Lead at 800 feet per second. It came with a 4 power rifle scope (Not the little BBgun-22caliber scope) It's fun to shoot and I shoot it right in the back yard, I live in the city. My neighbor has a Crossman 760 Pump (up to 10 pump) He said his pellet gun was a lot more better then mind because he can pump it up to ten times, Mine you break the barrel open incert the pellet and shoot. I filled two coke cans up with water and let him shoot first. It took three shots to know the coke can over, It just put pellet holes in the can ant the water leaked out then tipped over. My Gamo with the lead pellets split the front of the can over and knocked it off of the post it was setting on. Shooting at a target stapled onto a full size rough-cut 7/8" cedar board the pellets will go all the way through and it's cheap to shoot. I've shot and killed several gray squirrels, crows & other cat sized animals with one shot kills. Very cheap shooting from buying the Gamo Peller rifle with scope aboutb $150 and lead pellets less then $10 for 500 pellets. I have several different types of lead pellets, Regular,hollow points,pointed. A great alternative to 22 Long Rifle.
I also have two Marlin rimfire rifles, a Model 882-22 magnum (An old one) blue barrel wood stock and a new Model 882-17HMR stainless bull barrel & laminated wood stock. They both cost about the samre to shoot about $15 for fifty rounds, 30 cents a shot. In my local area the 17HMR is readily available more so then the 22 magnum, but both are available. A marlin 22 magnum or 17HMR will cost ypou about $375 if you can find one. The 17 HMR is by far my favorite rimfire rifle for shooting over fifty yards, very accurate out to two hundred yards more so over the 22 magnum. A GREAT squirrel gun, varmit gun, crow gun, target gun. If you small game hunt it's the prized possession. I do not like Savage rifles at all, I wouldn't want one of any caliber for free, but they sell a lot of them and people love them. They are a little cheaper to buy then Marlins and are more readily available. I have a 3X9 scope on my 22 magnum and a 6X18 power scope on the 17 HMR, so depending on how far I want to shoot depends on what I take. If you have the funds and can use a 17 HMR after the 22 long rifle crises is over it is a fun gun to shoot acurately out at a reasonable distance. A great wood-chuck gun!