How to cut down the costs (of recreational shooting)?

Targets: google targets and print your own, use tape to patch...
Get a conversion kit for 22 for your 9mm and shoot 1000+ bulk 22's for the cost of 50 9mm
Public ranges = Free
Reload using plated or lead bullets for practice or better yet cast your own.
As mentioned by several, airguns are great practice too.

Solving the paper problem ....

My wife and I buy in bulk at certain stores because we can get deals there. Having two growing boys (13 and 10) with appetites the size of adults means we keep the house stocked. So instead of plastic we get paper bags and double up on them for the canned foods. We usually end up with about 10 or 12 bags of groceries, which means I've now got 20 to 24 paper targets, right?

Wrong. Paper bags have at least 2 good sized sides that I can use for long range targets, plus 3 smaller sides (the 2 smaller sides plus the bottom) I can use for the kids and plinking with the 10/22 that I have.

So if I double up on my paper bags, 10 bags of groceries (20 bags total) I can have up to 100 paper targets for free because each bag has 5 useful sides.

The only cost I've incurred was for the Sharpie and a metal ruler to draw my crosshairs on the paper bags.



Kris

air rifle

a slingshot and airgun have replaced my .357 and 30-06 as my two most used firearms in the past year.

I know that this thread is about cutting cost, but I wanted to also point out the practice itself. As someone who carry's, proficiency is the main reason I practice, and like the OP I have limited funds.

So, even though I am not offering any cost savings ideas, I offer the following tips to get the most out of the money you do spend.

Practice drills that you could do at home, but do it with live ammo such as draw/shoot drills.

Don't just send lead downrange, shoot with a purpose. For example... simulate IDPA drills.

Practice reloads...

bring a buddy to load a magazine with an unknown number of rounds, and shoot a drill that will result in tactical or speed reloads.

And.... to repeat what has been said... I always shoot a lot of .22's each week, and I happen to reload for my mosin so I get more bang for my buck.

Leroy

I use lead-free (bullet) and non-toxic (primer) ammo for several reasons. Besides the obvious environmental and health benefits especially for indoor shooters, an added benefit is that this ammo burns very cleanly. I used to clean my guns after each range trip. I'm not forced to do that anymore.

Click to expand...

That's your choice, but if you want to cut down on your shooting cost that is the first place you should start. $35 for 100 rounds of 9mm? I know ammo prices are up now, and primers are near impossible to find, but at $35 per hundred you could pay off a reloading setup pretty quickly. Or, as others have mentioned, you could pay off a .22 pistol or rifle pretty quickly based on number of rounds fired.

For targets, a piece of used printer paper and a sharpie work pretty well.

Along with shooting .22s, I've been shooting cast bullet handloads since 1980. I couldn't afford to shoot if I didn't reload.

+1 on finding a club. You may have to drive further, but shooting outdoors is healthier (I presume for $15 you're paying for an indoor range?)

You can print your own targets (http://www.targetz.com/targets01.htm for example).

More dry-firing, less actual shooting.

How about a muzzle-loader?

I don't know anything about the economics, really, but wouldn't you get both the economy of loading your own, and a stiff reduction in rate-of-fire.

I sold most of my centerfire rifles when I couldn't find a local range over 200 yards to play with them. Now it's all muzzleloaders or rimfire.

As far as my pistols, rimfire kits are helping me out.

As far as cutting ammo cost goes, it doesn't get any better than reloading. Instead of buying factory .308 ammo at .80 cents up to $1/round, I can load better, more accurate ammo, for 42 cents/round. Same thing with 40 S&W, I built my supply up a couple years ago, when brass was everywhere, bullets/powder/primers were cheap and abundant. I have plenty of 40 reloads that cost me $6/box.

As far as targets go, I can get a 250 pack of paper pistol targets for $15 at midwayusa. Centerfire rifle targets, they run $5/10 at Cabela's, the big 100 yard sight in targets, I don't mind paying that. I can also use aluminum cans and small water bottles for plinking with the 22.

Since this thread is right up my alley, I'll chime in.

Reloading is a must. You can buy reloading equipment once, then reload with it forever. I have found that reloading is also part of the fun. One thing that happened to me when I got into reloading was that some experienced reloaders generously gave me some of their entry-level stuff that they no longer use. The same might happen to you.

Once you are reloading, casting your own lead bullets from cheap or free wheel weights is another big saver. You can buy the gear you need for about the price of buying 1000 bullets, then cast your own forever. Even if you have to pay something for used wheel weights, it won't be much, and you might be able to get them for free. Casting bullets is also enjoyable.

Part of my strategy for low-budget shooting is not to keep a large collection of guns. I try to sell off anything that I don't actually use. I know many here do not agree with that strategy.

LBS

+1 on the 22. pistol -- $17 for 550 rounds = about $3 / 100 rounds. And they go all of the way through the paper, too

Print targets on your home printer (using refilled cartridges). Many free targets on the internet. Paper may cost $ .01 per sheet, ink to print a target perhaps $ .01 or $ .02. For a buck you can have all of the targets that you can use for the day.

I have started to reload, and also to cast my own bullets. At $5.00 or less per 100 (.38 & .40), after about 1500 rounds I've recovered my initial costs.

I could save more if only I lived somewhere that I could shoot in a field somewhere for free. If I could do that, I would make a bullet catcher and never have to scrounge for lead to cast into new boolits.

Randy

I guess one way is what I did today. Took my 3 Dan Wesson .45s to the range today along with 300 rounds of ammo. I brought 100 rounds home with me.
May have had to do with how satisfied I was with my shooting session. It was a good day at the range.

I've been through the Tucson area a couple times-- camped out, backpacked a little, did some shooting just outside of town. You're surrounded by federal land. Tuscon itself is built in a bowl at the bottom of 5 mountain ranges, right? They're all wide open to you, and shooting is legal in many if not most places in them. In the rare instances where shooting is illegal, the BLM and the Forest Service make sure you know.

Like one poster said earlier, just bring your own targets and bring a trash bag to pick up debris. I probably shoot on federal lands 3 or 4 times for every one time I go some place where I have to pay a range fee. Also important, btw, is finding a safe place with a good backstop, where you can miss the whole target to any side without having to worry about where that bullet's going. It can take a little driving around to find a good spot, but I'd be willing to bet you could find a great little shooting spot within 30 or 40 minutes of your front door.

Smart ass response.... what's a range fee?

Seriously, find someplace that won't charge you to be harassed. I'm sure there are all kinds of nice rules to follow there, limits on speed of shooting, limits on how many rounds you can have loaded up, etc etc. There have to be local gun clubs you can join for less money/yr. There's also the possibility of a local state-run range that is free. We have one locally here but it's hit and miss if anyone is there and I like to be alone at the range. That's why I pay $10/yr at a local club and almost always have the place to myself. The club also has a roof over both the rifle and pistol benches so we can shoot regardless of the weather. Even on sunny days it's nice to sit in the shade and shoot the day away.

Craig

I hear ya James39.
.22 ammo is .04 a round and .38 special last I bought was .44.
Do you know any farmers? or live in a rural area? maybe trade doing chores for them letting you shoot on there land.

I'm working at shooting the 22 more, but dang it, its just not as much fun for me.