“Cost of PRACTICE would be the issue.”
Not sure I follow. Either you can shoot a rifle or you can’t. Use the cheapest .223 you can find if you need practice. It should not take many rounds to get a hunting round dialed in. Write down what scope adjustments you need to make for different rounds. I doubt very much that you would ever recoup the cost of the rifle based on ammo usage unless you are in prairie dog country or you live next door to a large kennel.
I never practice with any of my rifles. I shoot a couple of rounds at paper to make sure they are still dialed in once a year or if I miss what I think I should have hit. Handguns are different story.
Not sure I follow. Either you can shoot a rifle or you can’t. Use the cheapest .223 you can find if you need practice. It should not take many rounds to get a hunting round dialed in. Write down what scope adjustments you need to make for different rounds. I doubt very much that you would ever recoup the cost of the rifle based on ammo usage unless you are in prairie dog country or you live next door to a large kennel.
I never practice with any of my rifles. I shoot a couple of rounds at paper to make sure they are still dialed in once a year or if I miss what I think I should have hit. Handguns are different story.
I should have said "an issue", not "the issue".
However, I strongly disagree on the practice issue. Your take is not at all what works for me.
Now, maybe if the situation is that I have several seconds to set up the shot, get myself steady, then pull the trigger? But even then, that's a process I do better with occasional practice. However, rarely is that the situation. Often the target is moving at least some, I may be too... Spot. Clear shot? Yes. Set/sight. Track sight if needed. Bang!
From "yes" to "bang!" might be 3 seconds. Often less. This takes familiarity with using the weapon, muscle memory and some practice -- at least for me. I rigged up a little swinging setup from a tall branch so I can do quick 180's to a swinging target at a 2nd person's "go". (Not totally unlike trap or skeet shooting, I suppose.) Some practice I do with a pellet gun of similar weight and feel to my .22 lr, but the .22 does me more good. IF I get a 9 mm or .357 carbine then I would practice mostly with it. (Ironically, most of my shots with the .22 would then be more static shots!)
I also believe practice helps me focus to take a shot in a stressful situation (like a potentially dangerous dog moving at me).
This doesn't make me a Green Beret (HA!), but at the very least it makes me a bit more proficient than I'd otherwise be. And / or maybe a bit more confident.
YMMV.