Guns... or ammo?

[Dashunde]

... Even at $0.25 per round that's $2,500, I could get some nice guns for that kind of cash.

That quote from another thread got me to thinking about priorities - Shoot, or buy?
What good is a gun if you dont shoot it? It needs to be shot, right?

While ammo is finally coming down in price and up in availablity, it certainly isnt cheap by any "working mans" standard, I mean sheesh.. me and the CZ-75B SA can kill a $10 box in 10 minutes easily. Who can do that for more than a 1/2 hour or so every couple of days? Just filling it back up to take home takes 33 rounds.
Thank God for my Buckmark Hunter 22lr

So which way do you lean?
More guns, less shooting?
More shooting, less guns?

Me? I buy guns to fill specific purposes; carry, home defense, target, etc.. CZ-75, LCP, G27, 1911, Buckmark Hunter, S&W 44mag under the mattress.
I think I'm set for awhile, so I'll enjoy wearing them out, I'm an ammo buyin fool nowadays

--- edit
Well, ok, I do have a few long guns on the list... a 22lr rifle, some sort of all-purpose "combat" looking AR'ish rifle (zero research there yet), and a short shotty with a light for the bedroom.

I do think my pistol needs are covered. I might swap out the Para 1911 for another, a STI or Dan Wesson perhaps, but thats about it.

 

[jimbob86]

More reloading, More shooting. Guns I get as i can afford them.

 

[Don P]

Good point, reloading is a way to curb expenses on ammo and shooting 22's is a big help. I reload and mostly shoot 22 at the range and save the reloads for the competition shooting. If one feels they have the guns they need then time to buy ammo. I feel for those who are getting into shooting today with the prices as high as they are in my opinion need deep pockets for guns and ammo.

 

[Hoss Fly]

More shooting, less guns

Thats what i've been doing the past couple of years.
I'll be 62 & retiring in about 15 mos so i decided to keep my main handguns & stock up on ammo for them
I used to think i needed every type, style & caliber of handgun out there but realized I really dont
If war does break out around here i think i can handle my own with a few good guns i know i can count own & plenty of ammo for them

 

[FoxtrotRomeo]

More guns more ammo. Here's how I do it.

I spread the load. I walk in with more than one type of pistol shooting more than one type of ammo. I shoot.

This means I shoot about 40 or 50 rounds and then I go home and it'll be a while before I have to buy more ammo because I don't empty whole boxes of more than one type of ammo in one visit.

I also get the cheapest most reliable ammo I can find while I'm at it. When I can I buy in bulk.

I find all of this to be more cost effective for me.

 

[oldkim]

Reloading: A fallacy

So, reloading over time (Years and even decades) will save you money. Over your lifetime... does it truly pay off.

And for those that load specialty or really expensive ammo - it does pay off.

The upfront cost to obtain all the equipment (loading set up, powder, cases, dies, bullets, primers, scales, loading books, etc, etc, etc) is huge. Typically most start off small - single press, low reload count.

If you are considering reloading common calibers just for "plinking" it may not save you money in the short/intermediate term.

The true benefits of reloading is the ability to "tailor" the loads to your specific needs. Being able to tinker and find what works for you - handmade with pride.

Cost wise - not so much. For me I would rather spend my time doing other things. You do have to remember it takes hours and hours to reload. Just because you bought all the stuff - it doesn't reload itself....

If you find you are interested in reloading - ask someone that currently reloads. You'll find out the true cost of what it takes (time and money) but the joy of doing something you made to your particular needs.

Then reload. It's really a separate hobby in addition to shooting.



Back on topic: I would say feed the firearms you have now. You need the practice. Unless you are a collector. I'm not - I shoot all mine.

I would say spend it on ammo and go shoot it!

 

[Rembrandt]

I've never understood why people put hundreds of dollars worth of ammo down the barrel of cheap gun.......(like a Glock)

 

[Hoss Fly]

More guns more ammo. Here's how I do it.

I spread the load. I walk in with more than one type of pistol shooting more than one type of ammo. I shoot.

This means I shoot about 40 or 50 rounds and then I go home and it'll be a while before I have to buy more ammo because I don't empty whole boxes of more than one type of ammo in one visit.

I also get the cheapest most reliable ammo I can find while I'm at it. When I can I buy in bulk.

I find all of this to be more cost effective for me.

Did that confuse just me

 

[jimbob86]

^^^^^He's sayin' he shoots lotsa guns, a little at a time.....

 

[t45]

Im with JimBob. Reload more so I can shoot more.

 

[NWPilgrim]

It is not either/or but both in balance as your budget permits. Guns without practice or ammo are almost useless, and ammo without guns also is nearly useless.

Try pooling resources with family or friends so you can shoot more variety and more often to build skills and knowledge while you are building up your own supplies and guns. That's what us dads, uncles, father-in-laws, and granddas are for!

The .22LR is a great way to shoot a lot cheaply. If budget is an obstacle the you could shoot mostly .22 for sight and trigger control, and then just a few centerfire rounds each session to stay used to the recoil and recovery of fron sight.

It is better to shoot 50 rounds frequently than to shoot 1,000 rds at a time once or twice a year.

I like redundancy for critical items like self defense guns. At a minimum I would want at least one .22lr for practice, two pistols for defense, and two long guns. You can save money buy having the pistols use the same mags and caliber; and the long guns in a popular lower cost caliber such as 5.56 or 7.62x39 or similar.

I would buy a gun, then build up to a few hundred rounds of ammo for it before buying the next gun.

Right now the politics for gun control seem relatively stable (not likely to get worse) so no need to panic buy either guns or ammo. You should be able to buy them as you can afford them in balanced order. A couple of years ago I quickened the pace of buying already planned purchases of pistols and ARs, then stocked up reloading supplies.

Reloading is always cheaper than factory even for the cheapest range ammo. Even for the cheapest stuff you can pay for your minimal equipment and supplies within the first 1,500 rounds. Over the last 20 years through a variety of economic conditions and ammo prices I have always been able to reload for at least a 50% savings from bulk Remington UMC or Winchester white box ammo. Premium grade is even cheaper, like a 65% savings.

But, I would get at least a .22LR and another gun, range practice and some factory ammo on hand before starting to reload. Reloading is no good if you don't have basic shooting skills and tools first. Once you have a basic battery of firearms and ammo supplies, then reloading can save you a lot of money when you want to start accumulate or shoot up more than 1,000 rds per caliber.

 

[jimbob86]

Cost wise - not so much.

Really? I did the math awhile back in another thread..... savings on 300 rounds of .270 WIN reloads would pay for a basic reloading set up.


OK....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Federal "Powershok" .270 Win (about the cheapest w/o buying in bulk from Prvi Partizan or Sellier & Belliot)is $18.99/ 20 rounds= $.95 ea

.270 Win Brass is $43.00/100= .43 ea, but you should get 5-10 firings out of each (more if you don't shoot max charges, neck size, aneal case necks occasionally .... ) so we'll say conservatively $.08/shot .... and scrounged brass is FREE.
1 pound of powder (IMR 7828 or Relaoder 22) is 26 bucks, and makes 101 60 grain charges (not the starting load!)= .26
1,000 WLR primers for 30 bucks = .03
Hornady 130g Interlock BTSP = 27.00/100= .27

26+27+3+8=64 cents a shot. 95 minus 64=31 cents saved/ shot and that makes better ammo than the factory (To get premium bullets, you are going to pay more like $35 bucks a box for factory ammo) You can buy stuff in bulk and save more, but I am keeping the inital outlay low.


The above components cost $126.
Lee hand press kit, manual and dies are less than $100..... 300 rounds to pay for it. Better ammo, cheaper, and you learn a lot..... Downside? It takes some time and a little attention to detail.
__________________
TheGolden Rule of Tool Use: "If you don't know what you are doing, DON'T."


I don't know what the margin on handgun ammo would be, but with cartridges like .357 and .45ACP running 20 bucks+ /box, I imagine it would be considerable.

 

[Dashunde]

Hold on a minute... lets not make this about how reloading takes time, gives ammo, but saves a bit of cash.. we all know it works that way once the gear is purchased.

I'm passing on reloading for awhile because I simply dont have enough time to reload enough to make the effort worth the reward.
Also...
Last time I went shooting there was a guy hanging around grabbing anything that hit the ground, I didnt even see him with a gun, but his bucket was never far away.
I cant be the brassnatcher.

Maybe for rifles, where supreme accuracy goes hand-in-hand with the hobby of reloading, it will make a big difference in performance and expense.
For 9mm, 40S&W & 45ACP pistol rounds? No.

 

[Ichiro]

Definitely more shooting and fewer guns.

Me? I buy guns to fill specific purposes; carry, home defense, target, etc.. CZ-75, LCP, G27, 1911, Buckmark Hunter, S&W 44mag under the mattress.
I think I'm set for awhile, so I think I'll enjoy wearing them out, I'm an ammo buyin fool nowadays

I guess I do the same as you, but I find that one gun fulfills multiple purposes. I'm down to only two handguns now (formerly a dozen), and they're both XD9 subcompacts. Honestly, they're fine for everything I need, including target practice. They're not any sort of target pistol, but I'm not any sort of target shooter, so what the hell.

When I was a .38 guy, I reloaded about 8,000 rounds of ammo that I shot through my revolvers. It saved me a lot of money. When I switched to the 9mm, I reloaded only 2,000 rounds of ammo before I quit. I realized I was saving only $7.00 per hour of reloading time, and I'd rather have the free time.

.22LR ought to be the holy grail for cheap shooting, but I have yet to find a .22LR pistol, revolver, or even rifle that I really like.

 

[Dashunde]

Get yourself a Buckmark Hunter and a Burris Fastfire... a surefire cure for 22 neediness.
That set-up will tax your eyesight and steadiness with a pistol about as far as possible.
It will reliably pop spent (laying around) shotgun shells into the air at 50+ yards if your eyes are up to it.

 

[flyinpolack]

easy answer

I buy less guns & more ammo because I like to go shooting. Having 10 pistols with no ammo wouldn't allow me to do so
Some day when I'm rich I'll buy a ton of guns!

 

[NWCP]

I have pretty much all of the guns I want (notice I didn't say need) and they tend to be in similar calibers so I'm not trying buy obscure ammo just to enjoy one rifle or pistol out of the bunch. If buying .22LR I know I have a dozen rifles and pistols that shoot the round. I'm to the point now that I spend my money on enjoying what I have. If I happen to stumble across a nice weapon that I really take a liking to I'll buy it, but these days I concentrate on shooting those which I already own. That keeps me busy enough as it is. There's always that one gun just around the corner waiting to steal your heart... and wallet.

 

[Tucker 1371]

More shooting less guns,

unfortunately I don't do very much of the former and almost none of the latter compared to a lot of folks on here.

I have what's in my sig plus one gun on the wishlist on layaway (M1A) and when it get's here it will have 1k rds waiting on it. The last time I actually went shooting at the range was about a month ago. I did shoot a little in my backyard about 3 days ago but it was only about one box of PMC Bronze .45 ACP FMJ.

 

[cougar gt-e]

The scales have swung to ammo from guns over the past 24 months. Only bought a single C&R in that time and one .22lr rifle so I could teach the kid to shoot on a gun that will eventually be his. (not that he knows that yet - shhh don't say a word).

And with a couple buddies we are pooling $$ to reload .40 s&w.

 

[FoxtrotRomeo]

Did that confuse just me

I do that a lot.

^^^^^He's sayin' he shoots lotsa guns, a little at a time.....

You got it. I only shoot my Desert Eagle for example, only 8 rounds at a time.

Last time I went I shot the 460V with .45 Colt, then the XD-40 for a mag full, then finished it off with the Desert Eagle. Rounds spent? 24 rounds.

I would say feed the firearms you have now. You need the practice. Unless you are a collector. I'm not - I shoot all mine.

I am a collector and I shoot everything I have. I have a wish list you could say and I'm always working on it. If it's a safe queen where it's too valuable to shoot, I don't want it. There is a sense of experience you get when you operate as many types of firearms as I do as well. After a while you can pick darn near anything up and shoot well with it because you've shot so many things that it's just another [insert firearm name] just a lil different in this way or that.

Some day when I'm rich I'll buy a ton of guns!

You don't have to be wealthy, just gotta manage your money right (not saying you don't just saying that's what I had to learn.).

I'm doing all this stuff now while I still can. I'm single, no stack of bills, a honey that wants to do things while she's not tied down like me, I don't buy anything unless I have the money for it up front. I just had to learn to do a lot with a little. God has been good. All my friends like to shoot too so we get where we borrow pistols/rifles from each other at the range too.

I got so much stuff now that my future wife WILL sign a prenup. No way she's getting out of that. Those are a hard earned collection. In the case of a divorce, I'll GIVE her the 85,000 dollar house just don't touch the collection.