guns vs. ammo prices is it a factor?

If the cost of ammo is a factor, you could buy guns that 'share' the same ammo. As in, all you have is a 22lr rifle... then buying a 22lr handgun would add diversity to the safe while keeping ammo cost down.

As far as reloading is concerned;
- Contrary to popular belief... you will not save $$... but you'll shoot more.
- You'll end up buying odd guns in odd calibres, because you'll only need some brass and another set of dies.

Your quest to save a few $$ might even get you into casting... Then the neighbour's kids will think your some sort of alchemist as you are mixing alloy in the backyard...
 
Another thing to think of when considering guns with expensive ammo is to really consider how many rounds you will actually put through it on a regular basis.

You can have a .50BMG that shoots $5.00 bills out the muzzle every time you squeeze the trigger, but if you only shoot 20 rounds from it every second month, maybe the $100 bucks in ammo is not that big a deal every now and then, considering you had enough to purchase a $5,000.00+ rifle and put an optic on it as well.

I like my .338LM, and I tend to shoot it on average 30-50 shots per month averaged out, sometimes it will barely come out, other times I will bring it to a rifle clinic and put 200 rounds through it in 2 days. I like to average the costs out, and regardless, with costs down to close to $2.00/ shot when reloading, I honestly spend the same amount of money in gas for my truck going to the range in the same amount of time.

If I wanted to fire it 200+ rounds every month, then the math wouldn't work though.


Just a thinking point. While cartridge price is certainly a factor, don't let it be the only factor in buying a gun.
 
I guess it depends on how often I plan to use the gun and for what.

If the gun is primarily for deer or moose hunting and I only shot it a few times a year to sight and some target practice, then I'm not concern. Most deer rifles are around the same price per box 270, 308, 30-06,30.30,243,35 Remington all sell for give or take the same price. If the gun is going to be used more often maybe lot's of target shooting then maybe price might count I use a SKS for that.
 
Its either you care or dont care. If you care then buy those rifles that have ammo come in bulk. If you dont then get anything you like and fire away.
 
ScubaD said:
So as the title says: guns vs. ammo prices is it a factor?
When shopping for a new gun, does the price of ammo play a role. I would think the answer may change if your new purchase is directed towards hunting vs. just the range.

I am doing some online research and trying to figure out what the next gun is to add my safe (which only has a 10/22 in it right now) and I not much into hunting so for me its putting some brass down range or aiming at some clays.
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If your into range shooting you'll probably be shooting quite a bit. Are you into shooting slow precise shots at longer range or fast and close?

I usually go though about 40-50 rounds per range trip. I shoot .223 so it cost me about $30 or so in ammo. If you want to shoot at longer distances you'll want an appropriate calibre. .308 can be good for quite a range and ammo is still fairly reasonable, about double the cost for hornady steel match. If your just starting out buy a common calibre! It'll make your life WAY easier. Also super fast rounds will wear out a barrel faster. To each their own but rounds like 22-250 are going to wear out faster than .223 again only really matters if you plan on shooting LOTS and if you can afford to than a new barrel down the road shouldn't really be that much of a deterrent.

Keep in mind if you've only shot a .22 that excessive recoil can be punishing and barrels heat up so it will slow down your shooting fun. Bull barrels in small calibres can be shot quite a bit more than sporter barrels and heavy calibres. What's your range and budget? How much can you afford to spend per range trip and still have fun? For some guys it's $5 and some it's $500.
 
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I don't have the time or disposable income to invest in reloading more expensive calibers, and I love blasting away two or three hundred rounds at a time, so yes- the price of ammunition is a concern to me. That's why I love 7.62x39 and .22LR.
 
Personally it's a big enough factor to consider buying another centerfire rifle.
Been wanting an AR for a long time but having to add 1000rds of .223 to the purchase (I know I'll need that much) makes a big dent in the purchase...
And yes I'll still buy one haha
 
hawkmp9 said:
Personally it's a big enough factor to consider buying another centerfire rifle.
Been wanting an AR for a long time but having to add 1000rds of .223 to the purchase (I know I'll need that much) makes a big dent in the purchase...
And yes I'll still buy one haha
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Oh man if only 1000 was enough for my shooting desires my wallet would thank me.

If only
 
Ammo availability is a bigger factor for me than price. Some ammo is so exotic that I would stay away from it no matter how low is the cost.
 
I'm at the point where if I think I want another gun (centerfire handgun or rifle) my first questions are will I have to buy reloading equipment for it.
If the answer is yes then another caliber is considered.
As for factory ammo costs to firearm selection I divide it two ways;
-Shotgun and rimfire; ammo has no bearing as it is what it is.
-Centerfire handgun and rifles; absolutely, it is a portion of my equation but only a portion. Are components readily available? Does it meet the targets/goals I require out of it? Then it comes to can I afford to feed it.
In some cases it is a driving factor but in some cases it has little to no relevance.
No point in buying a firearm that has a wide abundance of affordable ammo if it can't perform the task you need it to...
 
Milsurp rifles are popular if surplus/bulk ammunition is readily available. Shooting is not so enjoyable when bullets are more than a couple bucks each, especially when you just want some bang and smoke for sh*ts n giggles.
 
ScubaD said:
So as the title says: guns vs. ammo prices is it a factor?
When shopping for a new gun, does the price of ammo play a role. I would think the answer may change if your new purchase is directed towards hunting vs. just the range.

I am doing some online research and trying to figure out what the next gun is to add my safe (which only has a 10/22 in it right now) and I not much into hunting so for me its putting some brass down range or aiming at some clays.
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If that is the case buy an SKS an case of ammo for 400$. You will thank me- even if you don't like the rifle that much, ammo is very cheap an affordable, and it is fairly accurate for the average shooter. And if you are into it you can bubba it up..
 
Since 90% of the centre fire I shoot is my reloads my main concern is availability of dies, brass, and bullets. Since I also cast I also look at the viability of casting for the calibre (some rifles/cartridges don't like cast bullets).
Usually only exceptionally old and uncommon or very uncommon European cartridges are a no-go for me.

If I didn't reload it would be a totally different story. I definitely wouldn't have two 45-70's if I had to buy factory ammo ($1.25/round?) and would most likely replace my 300WM ($1.50/round?) with a 30-06 ($1/round?). Even my 44 mag lever becomes expensive at $1/round; that's 5x the cost of my handloads. Handloading doesn't really save me any money, it just allows me to shoot a lot more for the same price.
 
If you are just plinking and having fun at the range and want to save some cash on ammo you should get a rifle that shoots 7.62X39 and stock up on as many crates as you can afford.
A nice single shot if you can find one is easy to clean and the slightly slower rate of fire will save you even more money.... :)
The best non semi deal right now is the Zastava's that Canada Ammo has in stock right now.
SKS is a cheap blaster but in my mind you will get more enjoyment out of the Zastava in the long run.

The 30-30 is another great fun to shoot easy on the shoulder cartridge.
The price of 30-30 has not changed in the last 5 years $20 a box.
 
For me it is. If ammo is hard to find I won't even consider getting a firearm in that calibre.
My main consideration is the availability of bulk ammo to keep costs down.
 
Can-down said:
The price of 30-30 has not changed in the last 5 years $20 a box.
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Only a couple years ago I was paying $15/box for Winchester grey box 30-30. I haven't checked since then but if the cheapest stuff is now $20 a box that is a significant increase.
I was also buying Winchester grey box 308 with soft points for $15-16 a box just a couple years ago. Now I rarely see it for $19.99, usually $22-23 for the cheap stuff.

Prices always go up.
 
LUTNIT said:
Only a couple years ago I was paying $15/box for Winchester grey box 30-30. I haven't checked since then but if the cheapest stuff is now $20 a box that is a significant increase.
I was also buying Winchester grey box 308 with soft points for $15-16 a box just a couple years ago. Now I rarely see it for $19.99, usually $22-23 for the cheap stuff.

Prices always go up.
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I usually see it around $18 which for me usually ends up around $20 after tax.
I haven't noticed much of a change in the last 5 years or so. It's cheaper then .308 where I shop.
For sure the prices go up but when I compare it to the rise in powder,primer and .22lr costs it's barely rising at the rate of inflation.
 
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