My plans to help offset rising shooting costs.

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R.W.Dale

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By in large I've been trying to minimize costs to maximize my shooting dollar for quite awhile now. Primarily by purchasing in bulk and standardizing ammunition and reloading components.

But lately I've gotten even more proactive as a cheapskate with a few key modifications to my shooting habits that hopefully will help offset the rising costs of our hobby.

1. Shoot more rimfire. Seems like a no brainier I know. But I've now got some 22's that are pretty close stand ins for some of my centerfires. While a 22 can't replace practice with the "real" gun when I'm just plinking around with the family or solo I'm definitely going to stick to 22's more often.

2. Pistol caliber rifles. I've got a 357 mag carry revolver as well as a couple carbines one of wich is a 357 maximum encore. This gives me a deer capable rifle that shares ammunition. I can still load 1000 rounds of 38/357 for right around $100 that's a lot of cheap trigger time that carries directly over when deer season rolls up and me or the kids use the same encore as a 7/08

3. Collect more range brass. I used to only scrounge calibers I shoot but anymore I pick it all up because even if I don't load for it I can always sell or trade it.

So what tricks are you using to save monies or get to make more noise for the same money?


posted via that mobile app with the sig lines everyone complaints about
 
I've started to anneal cases that look shot-out. I'm fairly certain I can squeeze another 2-3 shots out of them safely.
 
Fishslayer said:
Cast your own bullets. Huge savings there.
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I don't know. Commercial cast can be pretty dang cheap and by the time I come up with the equipment and ship lead in I just don't see me recouping my investment.




posted via that mobile app with the sig lines everyone complaints about
 
I have pump up and spring powered pellet rifles with scope AO sites which I shoot indoors. The Beeman R 1 17 Cal and GS 1000 22 Cal spring power air rifles are as heavy as my 22 Cal RF rifles. There is a portable bench rest set up in my den with a pellet trap at 10 meters set up in a storage room so that I can find which pellets are the most accurate in each rifle. When its cold and or windy I shoot four positions indoors. The air rifles have plenty of power to take cotten tail rabbits out to 30 yards.
 
Casting

I started casting when you could not find anthing. I can buy a 5 gallon pale of wheel weights at a tire store for 10 and somtimes a dozen donoughts for the guys too. That makes a lot of bullets. Its a little up front money but has saved me a lot over the years. Just my two cents.
 
I like the rimfire idea and the RSO at the range I use said the other day that there a whole lot more folks shooting .22s now.
I respectfully request that you only pick up the brass you reload as that will leave a fellow shooter the chance to pick up the .cal he reloads. Just seems better to me that way.
 
1. Shoot more rimfire. Seems like a no brainier I know. But I've now got some 22's that are pretty close stand ins for some of my centerfires. While a 22 can't replace practice with the "real" gun when I'm just plinking around with the family or solo I'm definitely going to stick to 22's more often.
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we seriously have to stop perpetuating the myth that a .22 isnt a 'real gun'....


the only difference between shooting a .22 and a .45 is cost and recoil.....grip, sight picture, trigger pull (you know, the stuff that actually matter when you are shooting) are all the same. if you can master shooting a .22, you can shoot any handgun well.
 
M-Cameron, he's saying that shooting a .22 isn't a good substitute for practicing with your carry gun or hunting rifle. And it isn't, even if it will help make you a better shooter.
 
I opted out of casting for a couple of reasons. Reloading is a hobby on top of shooting. Casting is a hobby on top of reloading.

The other is, I shot some cast bullets through my .45s, and it left a ghastly residue from the lube. The only malfunctions I ever had in my Kimber were from that goop, I decided that bumping up to at LEAST plated bullets was worth it. I have recently been advised of places like Precision Delta that sell jacketed bullets in bulk for less than most plated bullets.

I also run a .22 kit on my 1911 and a .22 upper on my rifle. Yes, it's cheaper, but you shoot it a LOT more. If I ever take friends and family out, we don't come home until it's all gone. :)
 
Ryanxia said:
M-Cameron, he's saying that shooting a .22 isn't a good substitute for practicing with your carry gun or hunting rifle. And it isn't, even if it will help make you a better shooter.
Click to expand...

Precicely thanks for the clarification.





mljdeckard said:
I opted out of casting for a couple of reasons. Reloading is a hobby on top of shooting. Casting is a hobby on top of reloading.
)
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Also a factor for me. Between shooting, reloading, a 10hr a day job and two pre teen boys I just don't have the time or energy to devote to bulk casting.




posted via that mobile app with the sig lines everyone complaints about
 
Shop for deals and buy in bulk. Shoot more .22lr. Avoid panic and impulse buying by keeping enough reloading component on hand to last at least a year, especially small pistol primers. These seem to be the first to disappear during a panic and the last to come back on the market.
 
I spent an hour or so digging bullets out of the dirt berm at our improvised shooting range. I came away with a HEAVY bucket full. Scrap bullets are easy to render back into usable lead as lead is so dense that all the jackets, dirt and impurities simply float on the surface and can be skimmed off with a slotted spoon when it melts. I used an old iron skillet and a Coleman camp stove and a couple of birthday candles for flux.
 
Owen Sparks noted,

I spent an hour or so digging bullets out of the dirt berm at our improvised shooting range. I came away with a HEAVY bucket full. Scrap bullets are easy to render back into usable lead as lead is so dense that all the jackets, dirt and impurities simply float on the surface and can be skimmed off with a slotted spoon when it melts. I used an old iron skillet and a Coleman camp stove and a couple of birthday candles for flux
Click to expand...

When I had my own private range, that's what I used to do, too, except I used to use a regular furnace. I was loading gas-checked bullets for .357 for almost-daily practice for handgun silhouette matches.

I would bet some of those molecules of lead went downrange 100 times.

However, when I quit shooting matches, I also quit casting and either sold or gave away my casting stuff. As mljdeckard said, it's a hobby on top of a hobby.

Nowadays I don't shoot that much, but I do pick up an extra four or five boxes of various ammo whenever the price (or availability) looks right. When .380 was nigh-impossible to find, I'd scoop up whatever I found, anywhere, at any price, of whatever brand was available. So now boxes of .380 are all over the place like Tribbles.

One of my sons found a scrap metal dealer which is just about his sole source of brass and lead for darned near scrap prices. I'll betcha he's loading some of my own brass collected for scrap from my own range. :) (Indoor range, and they don't allow you to collect brass thrown in front of the firing line.)

I do a lot of shooting in the house with Airsoft guns. I have clones of most of my "real" guns.

Terry, 230RN
 
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Other than the obligatory trip to the range with my CCW weapon and sighting in my deer rifle all I ever shoot is a 22. I will shoot maybe 300 rounds a year of 9mm and 38, about 30 rounds of 30-30(hogs and coyotes), and about 6-8 shots of whatever deer rifle I decide on. This year 6.5x55. Other than that it's all 22lr. It's all I really enjoy shooting.
 
+1 for shooting more rimfire. Also Ive been asking friends that I know dont reload to save their brass for me. Consolidating calibers is also helpful. 9mm pistol, 9mm carbine, 22lr pistol, 22lr carbine.
 
Shoot 22's and reload. Still shooting reloaded 9mm is not as cheap as a 22. I am glad I have not gotten heavy into trap or skeet because shotgun shells are almost as expensive as 9mm.
 
Ryanxia said:
M-Cameron, he's saying that shooting a .22 isn't a good substitute for practicing with your carry gun or hunting rifle. And it isn't, even if it will help make you a better shooter.
Click to expand...

But it is a good substitute, especially for the financially constrained. Shooting $10 worth of ammo for your 'real' gun and $10 worth of ammo in a 22 that has the same grip/stock/trigger/etc will do you a lot more good than shooting $20 worth of 'real' ammo alone. Supplement that with dry fire and you'll really see your skill improve.

As M-Cameron pointed out, 22s allow you to focus on other things while shooting. In addition, the increased barrel dwell time and the fact that they just plain suck ballistically means your fundamentals (trigger control, follow through) and related skills (wind and range estimation) have to be much better to shoot a 22 well.

If doing X was the only way to get better at X, then pro-football players would never do drills or go to the gym. Think of 22 practice as training.
 
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