Shooting is Expensive

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Brian Pfleuger

Moderator Emeritus
Magnum Mike said:
NO! I also dont include my time in other things like fishing, having a few beers, shooting, pool, darts, hunting, et..
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Holy smokes! Imagine what the meat would cost if we counted the hours of hunting!?

I'll bet I spend close to an hour for every pound of meat that I get... Yikes!


As for shooting being expensive, yeah, it sure can be. That's why I started reloading. Just yesterday I shot a small amount of handloads that would have cost me at least $25 for factory ammo. As it is, they cost me about $6.
 
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M1A1

New member
I blame the price of oil the last few years. If you think about the cost of mining all of the metals that go into components and the cost of the components it make sense. The fuel costs from mining have to be passed on to the ammuniton and gun manufacturers and then to us. The increase in ammo and gun costs the last few years is parallel to that of the increase in oil costs. BLAME OPEC!:mad:
 
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troy_mclure

New member
i reload and cast my bullets.

it can be expensive starting up, especially when you cant get lots of free lead, or you shoot cartridges that people use metal detectors to hunt brass with.

just spent almost $300 on tin and antimony for my cast boolits, but mixed with my 300lbs of lead, that's alot of shooting, plus i enjoy casting them too.
 
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FyredUp

Moderator
Expensive? Take your family to a movie lately? $40 or $50 bucks for tickets and $30 plus for popcorn, soda, and candy.

Gone to a water park lately? $15 t0 $30 a person for the day.

Skiing? Boating? ATVing? Any recreation is expensive these days.

I try to buy ammunition on sale and that has worked out very good lately.

I see the ammo cost as just part of the cost of my hobby. One I am willing to pay.
 
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GunsAreGood

New member
I feel your pain. Thats why a while back I bought me a SR9 (9mm) to cut back on range cost and then after a while I could not even afford to shoot that as often as I would like. I recently bought a Ruger Mark III 22/45 (.22) and never looked back. I love shooting for hours and only spending $10-$20 in ammo. It makes my itchy trigger finger go away for a while.
 
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wayneinFL

New member
Expensive? Yeah.

I'm getting back into shooting lately, and it's a lot different than it was 2 or 3 years ago. This weekend I dusted off the press and loaded 200 rounds of 45 acp for a match this week. Fortunately, I'm stocked up on primers and have four or five cases of pistol primers. Got them back when they were easy to get I think I paid $85 a case.

The only thing I've bought at the store has been rifle ammunition and a few factory hollow points for carry.
 
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Onward Allusion

New member
An afternoon at the shooting range is cheaper than a day on the golf course, especially when one mixes it up with .22LR and some other types of surplus ammo. One driver can be more expensive than a lot of pistols and I would rather use a pistol for defense!
 
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ScottRiqui

New member
I'm stocked up on primers and have four or five cases of pistol primers. Got them back when they were easy to get I think I paid $85 a case.
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Wow - how many primers are in a case? I only got into reloading a few months ago, so I've never known primers to be much cheaper than they are now (about $30 per brick of 1000).

If a case is ten bricks, then $85/case makes me want to cry that I didn't get into reloading sooner!
 
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blume357

New member
I was not putting down those that reload, I admire their discipline

it's just that say I shoot the same type and amount of ammo at the same place and the same distance from as a reloader... then the reloader needs to compare their time against my cost of ammo.... probably ends up even in the long run. But then the re-loader actually has a 2nd hobby that they might enjoy too. I can't say I really enjoy 'buying' ammo.
 
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katana8869

New member
They way I figure it, I prolly saved a lot of money by reloading. It kept me out of the beer joints and tittie bars
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Lmao.... true 'dat!

I reload for my handguns using cast lead bullets and light to medium powder charges. The lead bullets are less expensive than jacketed or plated and the lighter charges save powder, cause less leading in my barrels and put less wear on my guns. I limit myself to 50 to 100 rounds of centerfire ammo per week but I make it up by shooting ALOT of .22lr in my Walther P22. It still cost money to shooot regularly, but I'm not breaking the bank.
 
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22-rimfire

New member
It kept me out of the beer joints and ...
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I cut that out when I got married not that I couldn't be convinced to every now and then.... ;)

I shoot a lot of 22LR when I shoot now. It is not just a money thing, but I just have always liked shooting 22's. I still go through a fair amount of 41 mag ammo. Some gets shot just about every range trip IF I am shooting handguns. Been on a rifle kick for the last year or so, so the 41 ammo supply has held at a level I'm comfortable with and I know I can't easily replace the ammo quickly. I have about 500 rounds on order however. Yes, reloading is part of the answer....

Everything is expensive these days from my perspective. I fill up my van and I may spend $75 now or over $100 a couple years ago. Spending is easy; making it is harder these days.
 
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reloader28

New member
I'm with the cast boys. I've shot nothing but cast in pistols for 3 or 4 years. Now I'm moving into the rifle bullets and love them. For 11 - 12 dollars I can make and shoot 100 257 rbts or 243 rounds. $30 for 850 45 auto rounds.

This is a very cheap hobby compared to some. You wanna blow some money, try racing stock cars for a few years. Hands down the most fun you will ever have, but very, very expensive. Try doing that and shooting at the same time. Something had to go. I still shoot.:D
 
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aarondhgraham

New member
That's why God made the .22 LR cartridge,,,

My favorite pair of handguns is my S&W Model 15 in .38 and it's .22 LR counterpart the Model 18.

I shoot a box of .22 then a cylinder of .38,,,
Several hours at the range and I've only spent about $25-30 bucks.

I have a .22 counterpart for all of my centerfire handguns except for my S&W Model 36 snubbie,,,
But I have my Evil Pawn Shop Dude looking for a Model 34 snubbie in .22 lr,,,
When he finds me that one my "pairing" will be complete.

Besides, .22 shooting is just as good practice as centerfire calibers,,,
As long as I shoot some centerfire to recall the higher recoil,,,
I feel the practice with the .22 is valid trigger time.
 
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MrBorland

New member
I shoot a box of .22 then a cylinder of .38,,,
Several hours at the range and I've only spent about $25-30 bucks.
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[irresistible sarcasm] Whoa?! - A whole box of .22 and a whole cylinder of .38 in several hours?! Slow down, man - watcha tryin' to do, melt your barrel?! :D

I will agree, though, this is one way to keep your costs down ;) [/irresistible sarcasm]
 
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aarondhgraham

New member
Hiya MrBorland,,,

That was meant to represent one cycle of shooting,,,
Lather - Rinse - Repeat,,, ;)

Last time out I went through 6 or 7 boxes of .22 LR and a box of .38 special.

This only works for me when the two handguns match pretty closely.

A Taurus 970 (stainless with a 6" barrel) matches nicely with my S&W 629.

A Colt Frontier Scout matches nicely with my Dakota .357 Mag.

A Taurus 990 (Blue with a 4" barrel) pairs very well with my Colt Trooper Mk III in .357 Mag.

A S&W Model 18 is exactly matched with my S&W Mod 15.

I'll eventually get that S&W Model 34 to match up to my S&W Model 36.

If only I could afford that S&W Model 45 to go with my S&W Model 12 ~sigh~

It's economical for sure but even if I could afford to shoot several hundred rounds of centerfire each time out I would still take the .22 handguns out to dance,,,
They are just so danged much fun to blast away with,,,
And the shooting is leisurely and low recoil.
 
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Magnum Mike

New member
just got cable! Holy cow! That's expensive just to watch TV. I still seem to get more enjoyment out of casting and reloading for the same kind of money!
 
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