So, how do the majority of gun owners afford to shoot often? I’m not referring to those who reload.

[Korndog]

OP for me Personally it’s a few things…
- Too poor to shoot a lot.
- I have wife & young kids = not enough time. (Also contributes to being poor.)
- I find indoor ranges lame. And the closest outdoor range is an hour away.
- Snagged a TON of ammo when writing was on the wall in early 2020. (But not doing a lot of shooting.)
- I’m not as cool as a lot of the folks here on ODT, so it’s hard for me to find/make friends with land. This one Got me thinking… Can we start a charity thread for ODT’ers with good feedback scores who are looking for private land to shoot on?

 

[thevalueman]

I see a few "classes" of shooters, each with their own ammunition consumption rates.

a.) The social shooter - goes to the range with a family member or friend, shoots the shyte more than guns, smokes and jokes, maybe spends 30 rounds across 3-4 guns in a two hour session, then off to the Huddle House for a hamburger and fries.

b.) The handloader - goes out to test hand loads once a week or so, shoots about 200 rounds, 5 rounds at a time, uses a chronograph to record data in a book.

c.) The novice - Wants to shoot more and is learning about guns and shooting. Maybe shoots 100 - 200 rounds they bought that morning at Bass Pro or Academy.

d.) The tactifool shooter - Burns through 4 value packs of .223 shooting at IPSC silhouettes at 15 - 30 yards with several mag changes between calling the range "hot" or "cold" to check targets to see his "shot clusters." May be seen to roll around on the ground or even use a VTAC board he made out of the old kitchen counter from his house when the wife remodeled the kitchen.

e.) The gear queer - Owns top tier ARs and optics, is constantly swapping out stuff on his "platform" and tests each variation with about 20 rounds before exclaiming, "It's all good." Returns to his apartment so he can play FPS games online with other virtual shooters. Expends 20,000 rounds of virtual ammo for every real round at the range. Considers himself a real "operator" and "was going to join up but....."

f.) The real deal - Competitive shooter who takes the sport seriously and tests/sets up COFs and practices under a timer for an entire afternoon looking to improve splits by at least 0.05 seconds or more until he "tops out." Usually shoots 350 - 600 rounds in an afternoon with a 98% hit rate, 75+% "A Zones."

What Palmettomoon said!!!
I kind of hit on this when responding on the primer thread....I find it amazing that there are(apparently many) folks that think nothing about firing 500-1000 rounds a week....my thoughts, at the time were how much time does it take to do that, and how to they allot the time???? I was told they have understanding families....I suppose they must!!! didn't get into the cost, however it must be a large percentage of income....just on average, if they are shooting 500 per week= 2k per month...so, if you buying bulk 9mm...let's say $500(minimum) a month for the ammo.....then the time and range costs.....that's a lot of the old family budget....if your reloading the stuff, the costs may come down, then there is the additional time to load...
I am "B" up above, all but the 200 rounds....I usually shoot around 50 rounds or so per visit.....unless it's shotgun....that's different

 

[Talos]

I didn't include them in the list because I usually hear, "My husband bought me the .38 in 1978 but I've never shot the thing. It scares me."

LOL.

What about the fudd who only shoots 10 shots a year just to make sure his pappys deer raffle is sighted in.

 

[Kman]

OP for me Personally it’s a few things…
- Too poor to shoot a lot.
- I have wife & young kids = not enough time. (Also contributes to being poor.)
- I find indoor ranges lame. And the closest outdoor range is an hour away.
- Snagged a TON of ammo when writing was on the wall in early 2020. (But not doing a lot of shooting.)
- I’m not as cool as a lot of the folks here on ODT, so it’s hard for me to find/make friends with land. This one Got me thinking… Can we start a charity thread for ODT’ers with good feedback scores who are looking for private land to shoot on?

Wife, kids and work consume most all my time like you. Even finding land to shoot on means finding the time. I figure when my kids don’t want my time anymore and work winds down, then I’ll pick it back up.

 

[joel2000]

Wife, kids and work consume most all my time like you. Even finding land to shoot on means finding the time. I figure when my kids don’t want my time anymore and work winds down, then I’ll pick it back up.

It’s really kinda funny.. I retired in 2018 and have plenty of time and the indoor range is less than two miles from me and I still have to make myself do it. I enjoy it once I get there and get set up. I split my range time between three pistols. 9 , 40, and 45. Carry gun, recliner gun and nightstand gun.

 

[gyppo]

You had me on “F” until you threw in the 75% A zone.

 

[Lightning8]

1) Bought in bulk on sale back when things were "cheap"
2) Bought primers in bulk when Clinton was in office and AWB started
3) Retired

 

[SE7702]

I wonder how the average gun owner affords to shoot these days? Either it’s a very short session, or you’re dropping a bunch of $. Every cylinder or magazine is $2.75 and up unless you’re shooting .22. I’ve been slammed with work, shooting less and I reload, so my costs are minimum. Either people are shooting less or I’m really poor and out of touch with reality.

I hoarded some ammo when it was cheap like a few others but I also order 100% of my ammo online. There are dozens of cheap online suppliers. Do the math cost+shipping+tax per box.
GRABAGUN/WIKIARMS/TACTICAL SUPPLY/PALMETTO STATE ARMORY

I use WIKIARMS and AmmoSeek to find the best prices for any caliber.

 

[wolfmanrogers]

Make more monies.

 

[Seacap]

its on my bucket list, some day I’m going to go shooting!