Cost of gun ownership, ammo, and practice versus other activities

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:thumbup: Good topic

I break down the major costs of the "hobby" into two areas, the firearms themselves and then the ammunition. With most firearms I expect to at least retain their value if not appreciate over time, so I look at them as a wash or better. It's the ammunition that is the consumable and true burden, especially at todays prices. I too cringe sometimes when out at the range knowing what ammo selling for these days.

I will say this though, if you REALLY want an expensive "hobby"... buy an airplane. And it isn't even the aircraft itself that is the real burden, it's insurance, hanger, inspections, fees, maintenance, overhauls, parts, etc. My wife and I just had to replace a starter, ours couldn't be rebuilt so we had to buy an overhauled E-80 with no core exchange... nearly $3,000 :(
 
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I don't drink, party, or go to bars. Quit shooting pool about 18 years ago. Quit fishing tournaments about 15 years ago. Quit riding motorcycles and taking them to the dragstrip about 10 years ago. Quit playing softball all over the country about 4 years ago.

Someone good at billiards can pay their way easily enough, and make real money if they're exceptional (I was niether).
Same with tournament fishing, and while I won some money, I never broke even. Riding motorcycles fast needs no explanation.

Softball was a better deal since sponsors paid for gear, travel, and lodging. It didn't cost a lot of money but it cost a lot of time. Eventually it felt like a 2nd job.

So, there's this competitive gene I was born with. Every time I find something I enjoy, I enjoy it by trying to get really good at it....which is followed by seeing how I stack up against the best around. I've avoided trying to shoot in competition because I don't want shooting to become a chore like other hobbies had. About half of my "discretionary funds" goes towards guns, reloading gear or accessories.

Maybe it doesn't save me any money, but shooting is still relaxing for me. No desire to screw that up.
 
Skinny Pete
I will say this though, if you REALLY want an expensive "hobby"... buy an airplane. And it isn't even the aircraft itself that is the real burden, it's insurance, hanger, inspections, fees, maintenance, overhauls, parts, etc.
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Substitute "boat" for "airplane" and I understand completely where you're coming from!
 
Skinny Pete said:
:thumbup: Good topic

I break down the major costs of the "hobby" into two areas, the firearms themselves and then the ammunition. With most firearms I expect to at least retain their value if not appreciate over time, so I look at them as a wash or better. It's the ammunition that is the consumable and true burden, especially at todays prices. I too cringe sometimes when out at the range knowing what ammo selling for these days.

I will say this though, if you REALLY want an expensive "hobby"... buy an airplane. And it isn't even the aircraft itself that is the real burden, it's insurance, hanger, inspections, fees, maintenance, overhauls, parts, etc. My wife and I just had to replace a starter, ours couldn't be rebuilt so we had to buy an overhauled E-80 with no core exchange... nearly $3,000 :(
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And the solution to that one... Build your own (dreaming of a Kitfox VII with a radial someday)! It sure makes owning the airplane cheaper (inspections, not that the actual aircraft get cheaper) and with rifles you can make exactly what you want! I also just got a k-frame S&W finished up, and I think I have about $225 into it total. Plus labor, of course. If I figure my time is about $2 per hour (reading and hands-on) I’ve probably got a $400 model 10! I “make” less money when doing bolt guns, but the tinkering keeps me out of trouble.

I also have no other hobbies that I spend money on. If it doesn’t fly or shoot, I don’t care for it. I drive a pickup from 1999 because cars aren’t “cool”. They merely get me around.
 
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bannockburn said:
Skinny Pete


Substitute "boat" for "airplane" and I understand completely where you're coming from!
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Boats can be expensive. You know what they say, it’s better to have a friend with a boat than to have a boat ….. boat means “bring out another thousand,” and the happiest days of a boat owners life are the day he buys it and the day he sells it …. all of which seem to have some truth. I solved that problem years ago by joining Freedom Boat Club. Own the water, not the boat, they say. I pay less in a membership per month than I did storing my boat at the marina for years.

I learned to scuba dive last year as my new “hobby.” My training costs about what a new rifle and quality glass would run, and my gear costs me what a year’s lease for a camp might run….and I get to enjoy warm weather in exotic locals and no one is trying to outlaw or take away my rights to get in the ocean and enjoy the aquatic world. Is it “cheaper” than shooting and reloading and hunting? Maybe a little bit, but it’s a different kind of enjoyment that makes it easier to want to engage in it and spend the money to travel a bit. To each his own.
 
Howland937 said:
So, there's this competitive gene I was born with.
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Howland937 said:
I've avoided trying to shoot in competition because I don't want shooting to become a chore like other hobbies had
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Oh, yeah - that darned "competitive gene!" My wife and I each have one, and back in the '80s we were into IHMSA shooting big time. It took us about 2 years to realize we had allowed what had once been a fun hobby to become a full-time job that we had to pay to do! So we quit.
Since then we've thought about getting into muzzle loader competitions at Mountain Man Rendezvous, long range BPCR shooting competitions, and even CAS competitions, but we never have. We've always said to ourselves, "Hi, I'm _______, and I'm a compete-aholic.;)
 
Anchorite
Boats can be expensive. You know what they say, it’s better to have a friend with a boat than to have a boat ….. boat means “bring out another thousand,” and the happiest days of a boat owners life are the day he buys it and the day he sells it …. all of which seem to have some truth.
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I like the...boat means "bring out another thousand" comment! So true, so true!

Still yet another reason for me to "stick to my guns" so to speak as a worthwhile and still affordable hobby!
 
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bannockburn said:
Anchorite
I like the...boat means "bring our another thousand" comment! So true, so true!
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A boat is a hole in the water that you just throw money through...
Or so I was told. ;)

Let's not forget black powder muzzle loaders when it comes to gearing up expenditures. Oh, and the Living History/Re-enactments that can accompany them as well.
 
Anchorite said:
I get to enjoy warm weather in exotic locals and no one is trying to outlaw or take away my rights to get in the ocean
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I've heard sharks can be a bit pesky at times, but I'd probably trust the sharks more than politicians too.
I can't swim, so I live vicariously through Cousteau and Attenborough. Otherwise I can see how that would be a worthy hobby.
 
I have a couple vintage vehicles I have been restoring one and making a rod out of the other. 1929 truck, 1929 hot rod, as well as a few mustangs, etc. my golf clubs have been collecting dust for years now as has my fly fishing gear mostly because of time more than money.

my wife has her stuff crafts, diamond painting, etc.

My hobby these days is shooting small groups when I can and working on the cars, pretty sure shooting is the lesser of these two evils.
D
 
Not only am I a firearms enthusiast, I’m also a realist.

I engage in professional photography as well as video gaming.

both those latter activities come with ongoing costs as well. The difference for me is that I could give up both in a heartbeat if need be.
The first, I can never give up. To much at stake for doing that.

keeping the fires burning for the second amendment and having skills that translate beyond punching holes in paper are something I will continue to do until I no longer am capable.

heck, even during the pandemic, I spent some money on a laser ammo blowback operated 1911 so I can practice drills in home, trigger control without exposing myself or others to viral endangerments.

if there is something worth spending money and time on, security is right up there with food and shelter.
 
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rabid wombat said:
Not in the realm of boats or planes, photography can add up :rofl:
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That's what I've heard. One of my sisters and her husband were here for a visit last summer, and they were telling me all about getting into astrophotography. I could hardly believe what they said they had paid for a couple of their cameras, lenses, and other equipment.
Besides that, they often take off and drive their motorhome a hundred miles or more out to the middle of nowhere - just to get someplace where there's no light pollution. Then they'll sit up all night taking pictures of stars and such.o_O
To each his own I guess. I've paid plenty for some of my guns, and one of them, my custom 308 Norma Mag, I only get to use (that is, "carry around") for a couple of weeks out of the year.;)
 
twofewscrews said:
When I think of expensive hobbies or hobbies with no value my mind goes to golf. Its not a sport so it not like playing helps you maintain or improve your physical fitness. A cheap set of clubs, or a single club, can run you upwards of 500 bucks and that doesn't count thing that holds your golf clubs. You then have to buy balls, t's (what the wooden things are called i think), clothes, gloves, membership to a golf range or pay per day, gas to and from, gotta tip the guy carrying your crap for you. To my mind there is no benefit to golf beyond the pleasure one derives from it, well that and maybe getting away from the wife for a couple of hours on the weekend ;-)
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For sure, I’ve heard golf can be expensive.
RKRCPA said:
I ride a Harley......I don't sweat the costs of shooting.
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Ha! I actually live next to the main Harley factory. Been meaning to do their tour. It’s about 2 miles from me.
Jim Watson said:
I haven't bought a gun or major accessory in some years.
My recent expenses are match entry fees, ammo and travel for same.
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Ammo, training, and other expenses for sure can add up. I think I’ve probably spent an equal amount between guns versus ammo stock, accessories, classes.
jmorris said:
If you think guns are expensive, stay well away from Racecars, air planes, boats, RV’s, girls…
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Absolutely. Latter especially ;)
Shanghai McCoy said:
If you are not spending Time, Money or Both together, it's not a hobby... ;)
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wiscoaster said:
I suspect that most people don't pay that much attention to what their hobby costs them because doing so would take away from their enjoyment of doing it. So long as they don't deprive themselves or their dependents what else they need to enjoy their lives, present and future, then hey, I cannot criticize.
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Exactly, as long is someone is handling their business and primary expenses, what they do with their leisure and extra money is up too on them.
chicharrones said:
My non-firearms hobbies through the years were relatively inexpensive.

- 20th century Japanese motorcycles. The most expensive bike I bought was about $3000.00. Finding a clean used one with gunked up carbs was the usual situation.

- Soccer. Cleats, balls, uniform money, league money. Can't recall the prices, but it wasn't hard to cough up.

- Canoeing. My canoe and rooftop rack cost about $750.00 total.

- Tent camping. Don't need a fancy tent or gear down here in mild weather.

- Disc golf. Spent more on beer money than on discs or bags. Rarely had to pay a course fee.

I have built up a small collection of rimfire firearms that helps control my cost of shooting. I hardly ever wince when buying rimfire ammo. Sure, rimfire ammo ain't as cheap as it used to be, but compared to centerfire . . . :eek:
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Cool hobbies. Outdoors for sure we share.
AlexanderA said:
It varies widely, depending on what you want to do with your guns. A collector might spend thousands on guns, but zero on ammunition. For a shooter, it might be the other way around. For someone like me, with a mature collection, the maintenance costs are low.

Lots of other pursuits have costs that are way more. Guns are not a classic high-cost hobby. Think of the cost of owning a yacht, for example.
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Right or even just cars. A single good condition muscle car can be $30,000.
tarosean said:
Not many consumer products will last our lifetimes, if taken care of.. I'd say they are quite a bargain.
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For sure. I feel like guns are a big buy in cost at first but then a lot of it lasts.
mope540 said:
All year round shooting is funner, more rewarding, and far less expensive than making one vacation trip per year to some far away place. Home sweet home.

Only one hobby of mine has recovered some of the cost after the initial investment, and that's metal detecting.
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PapaG said:
Since I quit playing golf I figure my weekly fifty bird league or derby is a cost effective equivalent. With that oldest Ritis boy, Art, in my hands and back, can't swing the club. Still have enough flex to shoot the angles and doubles. Figure about $30 per week per league/derby and don't have to put up with quite as much slow play.
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bannockburn said:
Cost and spare time to indulge in numerous hobbies is probably the main reason that I decided to focus on just one, that being shooting and my gun collection. I use to do a lot more hunting when I was younger but friends I hunted with have moved on and I no longer have any interest in going out anymore; that and the fact that places to hunt have dwindled over the intervening years, just makes for one less hobby to spend money on.

Use to golf quite a bit but starting a family and spending my free time with them took priority over everything else. When they were growing up I would take them fishing, which they really liked doing until they started to get older and their focus was more on socializing with their friends, along with school activities. They both enjoyed going shooting (and still do), especially since they have their own guns, but now they have their own families and relationships to think of as well as occupations that have meant moving out of state for some of them, and this really limits the free time they have to come and visit here with us.

Over time I have accumulated a considerable number of guns, ammo, and accessories; so much so that my primary costs nowadays are mainly just range fees and reloading components, that is when I can find them! So the cost of gun ownership, including guns, ammo, and range time, is still very affordable and gives me "the best bang for my bucks" when it comes to hobbies!
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Multiple hobbies is where it gets expensive.
buck460XVR said:
....sounds like how folks have been justifying their firearm purchases for millennia. As long as one is not depriving themselves, their family or loved ones of the basic necessities of life, why is there a justification needed for the spending of discretionary/expendable income? Larry Potterfield always has a good example at the end of most of his T.V. ads. Folks somehow feel a need to justify their hobbies to others. Like the idea that Golf is healthy exercise even tho you use a cart and you stop and have a few drinks and unhealthy snacks at the clubhouse. Folks attempt to justify the cost of hunting because they claim they feed their families by the activity, where in truth the cost per pound of the venison they put on the table, is higher than fresh Maine Lobster overnighted to California. Having been in constructuion and woodworking for 4 decades, I was always amazed at the little/never used woodworking tools as estate auctions. Wives would claim that "old Joe" bought all the thousands of dollars worth of tools to redo the house, but only managed to build a bird house or two with them before he died.

You like guns and they bring you pleasure without your kids having to go to school with no shoes.....go for it. You don't need to justify it to me.
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I agree, I just posted this because it’s often a discussion even within families or friend groups. The context does matter.
 
Riomouse911 said:
^ Indeed! As long as the obligations are met and the bills are paid, what’s done with the surplus $$ is purely your choice. :thumbup:

I’ve seen folks with much more expensive, and destructive, habits than buying guns & ammo and going shooting. ;)

Stay safe.
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I've seen people drink and party away more than many of us spend on firearms. I myself probably spent more per year in my youthful heyday of going out, concerts, festivals, drinking, clubs, etc, than I do now in firearms per year. HA!
 
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I'm poor. But I have a small handful of hard won guns. It's not a hobby for me but a lifestyle. I don't buy new guns often and I reload and cast to be able to afford any reasonable amount of trigger time. It's as important to me to keep a handful of guns and the skills to use them as it is to keep food and seeds, and a running vehicle. Part of it is shtf stuff, as I believe societal collapse will happen. Part of it is the 2nd amendment and freedom thing. Part of it is hunting, though I don't hunt much. It's a basic skill like gardening. Part of it is self/family defense.

I do enjoy shooting, reloading, casting, hunting, hunting the next gun, though I've never had over ten at once. I often sell one to get another due to the poor thing I mentioned.
 
Bazoo said:
I'm poor. But I have a small handful of hard won guns. It's not a hobby for me but a lifestyle. I don't buy new guns often and I reload and cast to be able to afford any reasonable amount of trigger time. It's as important to me to keep a handful of guns and the skills to use them as it is to keep food and seeds, and a running vehicle. Part of it is shtf stuff, as I believe societal collapse will happen. Part of it is the 2nd amendment and freedom thing. Part of it is hunting, though I don't hunt much. It's a basic skill like gardening. Part of it is self/family defense.

I do enjoy shooting, reloading, casting, hunting, hunting the next gun, though I've never had over ten at once. I often sell one to get another due to the poor thing I mentioned.
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Agree with you that it's more than a hobby, due to 2nd Amendment, self defense, and hunting aspects.
 
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gryphon1911 said:
Not only am I a firearms enthusiast, I’m also a realist.

I engage in professional photography as well as video gaming.

both those latter activities come with ongoing costs as well. The difference for me is that I could give up both in a heartbeat if need be.
The first, I can never give up. To much at stake for doing that.

keeping the fires burning for the second amendment and having skills that translate beyond pinching holes in paper are something I will continue to do until I no longer am capable.

heck, even during the pandemic, I spent some money on a laser ammo blowback operated 1911 so I can practice drills in home, trigger control without exposing myself or others to viral endangerments.

if there is something worth spending money and time on, security is right up there with food and shelter.
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Absolutely, many hobbies are non essential. I do consider another essential one to be exercising, and staying in decent health/shape. That can take many forms. There are many things I enjoy, from eating out to video games and concerts that if I had to, I could let go of. They are good for enjoying life but non essential. The 2nd Amendment and also self defense are essential.
 
I've done horses, trapguns, fishing boats, ski boats(the anti-boat sayings are bs), Bird dogs, field trials. Coon hounds, deer hunting..jeeps....atvs. ...and never regretted a moment or a dollar spent. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Most of that time i was farming and carpentry too. We work hard play, hard and go to church on Sunday. Everyone gets 24hrs in their day.

I'll be blunt about who is wasting what....and that's this younger generation that doesn't get out of their pajamas.
Digital life ain't really living IMHO.
 
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Armored farmer said:
fishing boats, ski boats(the anti-boat sayings are bs),
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Might be a fresh water vs. salt water thing. Almost all my time in boats were with my dad in the Gulf and in Texas bays. The shrimp and oyster boats seem to be in a continuous state of rusting away. "Grind that off and weld on a new piece." :D
 
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If you want to play, you've got to pay.
That's what adults say.
I disagree.
Children have the most fun just using their imagination.

Firearms are tools much like saws and axes are tools.
If you want to turn them in to hobbies by collecting them, that's fine and dandy
But they are still tools
 
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