Entry cost for Service / CQB

bluemike807

bluemike807

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Considering getting into CQB; what is the basic cost for involvement? I have some of the necessary gear, but not all - looking at getting an AR15, likely a Norinco CQB, in the near future.

Is the majority of the cost just ammo and the fees? Is it expensive to keep up and stay in, and if so, how would it compare, cost-wise, to something like IPSC?
 
I must warn that you are going to get a confusing number of responses to this.

I got into CQB this year, and I'm doing really well (I think, but you'd have to check with Bolivar). I'm scoring in the top-half of the pack with bare-bones equipment that I really took my time procuring.

Here is what I bought;

New Stag 16" AR from Arms East (great guys); $ 1600
Tactical Vest from OST; $ 100
5 PMAGS from Questar; $ 145
Single Point Sling Plate and Single Point Sling; 60 for the pair
3500 rounds of .223 (some brass, some steel); 1600 (yes, same as the gun)
1000 rounds of .45 for my pistol; 400
"Blacky" Velcro Nametape from CPGear; 7

ORA membership; 125 (or so...I forget)
Event fees for the summer; 100 bucks, at least 50 bucks to go

I already owned a pistol, mags and holster, so I had no expenses there. This would cost another 1000 bucks otherwise.

You'll notice that there is no fancy add-ons for the rifle; no sights, vertical grips or any of that other jazz. My fancy add-ons all came in the form of ammunition, which I shoot as much of as I can.

So that's almost $ 4200.

The reason I'm invoicing all of this, and then showing you the rediculous total is to illustrate the point that the rifle itself is not the only significant cost. If I had bought a Norinco, I still would have spent about $ 3500.

Keep that in mind when you are picking out an AR.

Take your time getting your gear together. Buy a gun and then come out to some plinking days and early CQB matches with a notebook and see what the other guys are using. I did this, and it saved me piles of money.

If you really want to get into it, I would highly recommend the clinic in the spring.

Welcome to your next costly habbit.
 
bluemike807 said:
Considering getting into CQB; what is the basic cost for involvement? I have some of the necessary gear, but not all - looking at getting an AR15, likely a Norinco CQB, in the near future.

Is the majority of the cost just ammo and the fees? Is it expensive to keep up and stay in, and if so, how would it compare, cost-wise, to something like IPSC?
Click to expand...

The cost almost put me in the dog house this year;)

Next year will just be the ammo, since I now have the equipment. Been shooting an M14 with a 1.5x6 scope. The next one on the 10th I will be bringing my son and my daughter, who will use my new CZ 858 with a red dot.

CQB is an expensive hobby, but worth every penny. You can get started simple: Rifle, simple red dot scope, belt with pouches, 5 mags min, pistol, 2 mags min. Then 150 rounds each session, anything cheap.

Then you are in the gamew:h:
 
Not counting the gun and optic (you'd be buying them CQB or not anyway, right?!), ammo and mileage are going to be your major drain. Everything else can come relatively cheap (mags, vest, ball-point pen).

It's always the ammo budget that sends a cold shiver up and down my spine when I'm about to go blasting.

I haven't shot IPSC, but talking to guys that do, I suspect CQB costs would be much lower. Those IPSC guys put a pile of lead downrange every year.

All this said, there's absolutely nothing cheap about the shooting sports.
 
Actually, you can get a handle on cost from the CQB stickies above. However it will depend on the program you shoot. No idea what is going on back "home" in the maritimes. Here with the ORA I take 200 rounds of 223 and 50 rounds of 45. I hand load with cheap projectiles and low powder charges cause I am cheap.
 
I bought a Norc M4gery and invested $100 in a better trigger. Have about $100 invested in a holster, mag holster and rifle mag pouch. BTW, if you are left-handed and shoot a SIG, I have a new holster for $20 that I bought without reading the fine print.

Installed an old K3 Weaver scope on see thru (hi) rings.

I use a Norc 1911 or a CZ 9mm.

I reload my rifle and pistol brass. Shoot lead bullets in the pistol and cheap pulled bullets in the rifle.

My rig is one of the cheapest on the range and I do not feel handicapped. Those with better equipment have it because they want better equipment - not because they need it.

I glued a block of wood between my rifle mags and wrapped them with tape. this was the single most important change I made in my kit. Really speeded up mag changes.

DOUBLEARMAG1.jpg
 
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Ganderite said:
My rig is one of the cheapest on the range and I do not feel handicapped. Those with better equipment have it because they want better equipment - not because they need it.
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+1, Service rifle is very much a shooter first sport. Piles of fun and a great way to improve practical marksmanship.

Have a look at the rifles around your price point, buy whichever one you like. Then buy or load ~1K of the same load, and stick with it for a bit. Price probably wins out over theoretical performance there again.
 
Norinco M4 carbine = $700
NcStar tactical 4x scope = $90
Lar 10 rounder x 4 = $140
no-brand tactical vest = $40
Norinco 1911 = $350

total: $1400
 
commissar said:
SKS = $180
Norinco M213 9mm = $100

total: $280
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Thanks to everyone for the replies. It sounds fairly reasonable, at least to start off. I already have an IPSC-ish, rig for my Glock 17; 5 mags, holsters, pouches, etc.

Rifle wise I'd be looking at a Norc M4, and there have been some interesting ideas here as to how to best utilize one, and the basic kit you need as well.

I have an SKS, in a very "Happy Birthday Sergei!" condition (detatchable mags, rails, grips, folding/telescoping stock, etc) which Im wondering would make the cut. Frankly I'd rather use an M4 but I'm also a starving student.

Has anyone used an SKS with any real effectiveness? From what I understand reloading would be a pain, either with stripper clips or detachable mags, as you'd have to do either having shot the rifle dry. How would that best work?
 
here is what i built for cqb shooting norinco m4 carbine 775.00 upgrades to the rifle included replacing factory mags with pmags 30.00 each x5 150.00 replaced trigger guard with magpul 25.00 replaced front stock with magpul moe 55.00 replaced pistol grip with moe magpul 35.00 and also replaced the buffer tube 45.00 as i wasent to keen on the rough machining on the original replaceed all the springs about 60.00 smoothed out the trigger myself then added a millet dms-1 1x4 power redot type scope made for ar 15 rifles 350.00 so for about 1500.00 i got a rifle thats everybit as reliable as a low end stag with out all the upgrades and from 10 feet away you cant tell it from any other rifle on the range and its a tack driver with hornady 69 grain match grade hollow point boattail bullets loaded with Vitavori N-140 powder.now just have to find the time to go to some matches
 
bluemike807 said:
Thanks to everyone for the replies. It sounds fairly reasonable, at least to start off. I already have an IPSC-ish, rig for my Glock 17; 5 mags, holsters, pouches, etc.

Rifle wise I'd be looking at a Norc M4, and there have been some interesting ideas here as to how to best utilize one, and the basic kit you need as well.

I have an SKS, in a very "Happy Birthday Sergei!" condition (detatchable mags, rails, grips, folding/telescoping stock, etc) which Im wondering would make the cut. Frankly I'd rather use an M4 but I'm also a starving student.

Has anyone used an SKS with any real effectiveness? From what I understand reloading would be a pain, either with stripper clips or detachable mags, as you'd have to do either having shot the rifle dry. How would that best work?
Click to expand...

Stripper clip loading may be faster than scrambling for a mag in a pouch only to drop it, and hear "AND STOP!!"
 
Plink said:
Ask any of the guys who have used an SKS in CQB just how fast they are compared to an AR. AR wins.
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All I was saying is that some of us are so slow and fumbling we are slower than using stripper clips.

I bought double mag brackets for my CZ, which will make mag changes a lot faster. Can't do that with the M14, but I am going to try two mags taped together. Flipping them around is tricky.
 
JRW (QOR) said:
All I was saying is that some of us are so slow and fumbling we are slower than using stripper clips.

I bought double mag brackets for my CZ, which will make mag changes a lot faster. Can't do that with the M14, but I am going to try two mags taped together. Flipping them around is tricky.
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I'm well on my way to becoming "slower than stripper clips" :D

To be honest, I think you'll find the fumbling of turning a mag around to be slower than going to your pouches. Just from my experience. But, try it at your home range and see if it works for you.

M14 is a bit of a biotch to load fast unless you know that "tip and click" for you magwell JUST right.

When I tried the mag couplers for my AR I found that the extra mag seemed to get in the way of my controls. Bolt release, mag release etc. Again, just my own personal observations. YMMV :)
 
Plink said:
I'm well on my way to becoming "slower than a stripper" :D
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Fixed it for you. :D

I have seen a few guys try to use the SKS, it will work, but like the others say. It's hard to use the stripper clips when the rifle has ammo still in the mag as well as up the spout, in the various matches.
 
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