is it me or shooting is expensive?

I dont have a lot of time lately so i sold most pistols to reduce reloading complexity. 38, 357 and 45 gone.

Now i only reload bulk 9mm and 223 and precision 308.
Some experimentations with cast 9mm but i didnt get the perfect recipe yet. Not much time lately so i can just shoot fmj instead. At least loading 1000 rounds of 9mm on the 650 is quite fast and not too expensive.

Not much time with young kids at home so maybe in a few years i will have more time to cast/reload.
 
Everyone remember the play Fidler on the roof and his iconic song "If I were a rich man..........." That's how WE ALL would have been if we hadn't gotten bitten by the gun bug!! :ar15:
 
Partying my ass off every weekend and some week days/night used to cost me more than shooting.

Do you have kids ? Try this "hobby" you'll see shooting as a cheap hobby :p

It gets as expensive as you let it be. I only own 6 calibers: 9mm, 5.56, 7.62x39, 12ga, 303br, 308Win. I shoot the first 4 a lot and the 2 others are hunting rounds. I reload and shoot cheap corrosive ammo. Having kids has cut down on my range time, I'm lucky if I go once a month now.

Also once you can fight with the "want Vs need" dilemna, you can save some bucks there too.

Shooting can be as expensive as you want, so do other sports/hobbies.
 
RiMP9 said:
Everyone remember the play Fidler on the roof and his iconic song "If I were a rich man..........." That's how WE ALL would have been if we hadn't gotten bitten by the gun bug!! :ar15:
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You would think that but we'd find something else to spend it on.
 
If you find a source for Bullet Barn hard cast handgun bullets that you can pick up locally, reloading for pistol becomes a lot cheaper than sending jacketed down range.

Bullet casting would be cheaper, but it's a happy medium.
 
we don't have kids but apparently they cost $250,000 before post-secondary education.
we do have dogs and have gone through cancer twice, liver disease, immune deficiency and age... more expensive than all our hunting rifles, black rifles, and hand guns.

knowing and understanding the costs go into every decision when it comes to buying a new caliber or a new mutt. You get out of it what you put into it I suppose.
 
ShawnC6 said:
Someone might have 22 guns and shoots 2-5 times per month and still wants more.
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Whats your point lol? You want more, get more... the point it shooting can be a dirt cheap hobby.

Buy a Mosin and a crate of cheap ammo. Then buy a used ruger 10/22, a brick of .22 ammo, shoot on crown land, and you are good to go, for $400 a year after the cost of the rifles.

Or buy 30 firearms, accessories, pistols, shotguns, every caliber under the sun, join two ranges, build a gun room, and spend $10,000+ a year on it if you want.

It's like a lot of hobbies, you can spend a lot or a little. I'm somewhere in the middle but leaning toward the cheap end of the spectrum. For me, I could never justify these $2000+ firearms... if someone wants one more power to them!!!! But you don't need one to enjoy this hobby. If you want to keep it simple you can.
 
Kryogen said:
Ordered some components today, 350$ worth, not getting much for that price.
Shooting is kind of expensive. Match 308 is like 1.50$ a pop. Even bulk 9mm isnt cheap.

Oh well, at least that will allow me to finish loading some components I have.
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Most components arrive from the USA, hence our Canadian currency is 25% less than the green back. Hunting and shooting are the only hobbies I have, therefore all monetary funds are saved for this purpose. You have to ask yourself, "is it worth it"?
 
Shooting like any hobby is as cheap or as expensive as you make it..

Used to rip dirt bikes on the weekends. Between the fuel driving out to the pits, fuel for the bike, lunch etc etc etc it was several hundred bucks every time I went out. Then there's maitence and repairs in between, gear etc.

Used to do track days with my sport bikes. That was easily a grand every weekend I went. I could shred a new $600 set of tires in a weekend if it was hot out and I was really giving it my all.

For me shooting is cheap. I load all my own ammo except rim fire. I cast at 2/3 of my own bullets so I spend pennies every time I pull the trigger.

When I shoot long range I do so with iron sites so I don't need to spend 1k on a scope for every rifle I own.

Like I said it's as cheap or as expensive as you decide.
 
Shooting per say is not that expensive relative to many other hobbies.
I have owned and flown 4 different aircraft in my adult life, one of them a twin, but had my own businesses to absorb the cost.......which is astronomical. Just to put it in perspective...a 6 hr flight in my twin would cost the same for fuel as a decent midrange Rem/Win/Ruger rifle, and that is only the fuel costs which make up about 35-40% of actual aircraft operating costs.
I used to build and race cars, cost....unfathomable.......you want to go faster? Bring more money........
Now I have a bit of a car collection.......Corvettes, Jaguar, Ferrari, '68 Mustang GT, '55 Bel Aire..........cost?........Irrational.......
I won't even get into the costs of being a lifetime trophy hunter........I can tell you it is likely approaching mid 6 figures with travel and taxidermy......
Probably one of the most rational things I have done was amass a Robert Bateman collection.........which initially isn't too costly and will appreciate massively when old RB tips over. But you can't fly, drive or shoot a picture so really what fun are they.......

The point being is that while shooting is getting somewhat expensive, it is likely still one of the most dollar effective sports one can enjoy. In cost per hour of enjoyment and recreation it isn't all that bad..........if you don't go about it like I have......200+ guns and counting and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammo and 110 sets of dies, tens of thousands of bullets, hundreds of pounds of powder............and still buying !!!!!!!!!!!!
But that's just me..........Like the Cindy Lauper song goes.........."I am a material girl". One thing I can say is my wife and boys are going to have a lot of fun and a very good life selling off all my sh!t, after I tip over.
 
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Tinman204 said:
Shooting like any hobby is as cheap or as expensive as you make it..

Used to rip dirt bikes on the weekends. Between the fuel driving out to the pits, fuel for the bike, lunch etc etc etc it was several hundred bucks every time I went out. Then there's maitence and repairs in between, gear etc.

Used to do track days with my sport bikes. That was easily a grand every weekend I went. I could shred a new $600 set of tires in a weekend if it was hot out and I was really giving it my all.

For me shooting is cheap. I load all my own ammo except rim fire. I cast at 2/3 of my own bullets so I spend pennies every time I pull the trigger.

When I shoot long range I do so with iron sites so I don't need to spend 1k on a scope for every rifle I own.

Like I said it's as cheap or as expensive as you decide.
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when I was racing (CBR600, loved that bike) an older gentleman at the track asked me if I knew how to become a millionaire road racing, I said no.. his reply.. start out as a billionaire
 
As a take off of the the credit card ad;

Shooting memberships 2 clubs $650/year = priceless (sun, fun, good company, all year shooting)
Sale at the LGS or big box store on ammo = ammo stacked deep
Purchased firearms = a chance to own and maintain items of interest that promote skill (shooting)and care for things (cleaning etc)

I approached shooting on a cost benefit basis (a dirty phase but true in this case) and a 22 pistol, 22 rifle and SKS have given great benefit for the reasonable cost. Not the best calibers to reload but the ammunition can be had at a reasonable cost if you watch for sales. Like folks have said it can be expensive but consideration for what you buy and the amount you shoot can keep things in line.
 
shooting can get really expensive...but when your a broke dad like me, its really cheap! lol
 
crash277 said:
its cheaper than owning a horse LoL
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It depends. My wife has a horse, and some years it cost me more with guns/ammo than her horse. But, I can sell stuff and get some money back, she can't.

Yes, I have a kid, and expecting a 2nd one this summer. That's probably where all my money is going. Lots of things to buy.
And then, cars are kind of a large money hole also.

Oh well....
 
Kryogen said:
It depends. My wife has a horse, and some years it cost me more with guns/ammo than her horse. But, I can sell stuff and get some money back, she can't.

Yes, I have a kid, and expecting a 2nd one this summer. That's probably where all my money is going. Lots of things to buy.
And then, cars are kind of a large money hole also.

Oh well....
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cant take it with you when you die, so you might as well enjoy it while youre living!!
 
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