Ammo Cost = Gun Cost, How long?

[Krogen]

How long does it take you to spend as much on ammo as it did to buy a specific gun?

Having just bought a Ruger SR1911, I got to thinking about this. The darn thing is so enjoyable, I expect inside of a year I will have spent as much on ammo as the gun cost me; even with handloads.

Krogen

 

[HOOfan_1]

I bought an FNP 40 a little over a year ago for $550. I have put nearly 1800 rounds through it. Originally bought about 4 boxes of factory ammo at about $14 a piece. So about $56 there for 200 rounds. Then with reloading a box of 50 costs about $8, 32 boxes of 50 comes to $256. So I have spent about $312 on ammo for it in a little over a year.

It would take nearly 69 boxes of my reloads or 3450 rounds to equal the cost of the gun.

Bought a Glock 19 on Labor Day in 2011 for $500. I've put about 1300 rounds through it....first to boxes were factory ammo at about $12 for $24. The rest are reloads at ~$6.25 per box of 50. So about $150 in reloads and $24 in Factory for a total of $174 total on ammo in a little less than a year.

It would take 80 boxes of reloads or 4000 rounds to equal the cost of the gun.

I just assembled an AR-15 in May, not including shipping or the tools to build it, it was about $1400. Bought 2 boxes of 100 at $45 each. I've started reloading for it for around $11.25 per box of 50.

It would take about 124 boxes of 50 (6200 rounds) to equal the cost of the gun.

None of the above factor in the cost of brass, because I reuse the factory brass and pick up a TON of 9mm and 40 S&W at the range...plus I can get PLENTY of reloads out of those. The .223 ammo I get some range pickup and expect case life to be significantly shorter.

Bought a CZ 550 Varmint .22-250 for $874 in September of 2010. I reload premium bullets for it and bought 4 boxes of 40 round Winchester White box and some Winchester unprimed brass for it. Assuming I use the brass about 6 times. Ammo cost around $0.44 per round. It would take nearly 2000 rounds to equal the cost of the gun.

 

[Arp32]

That would actually be an interesting equation. Kind of like when you buy an income producing property, or a small business, and the value is a multiple of income.

Except that there is no income, just the enjoyment of shooting.

 

[Krogen]

That would actually be an interesting equation. Kind of like when you buy an income producing property, or a small business, and the value is a multiple of income.

Except that there is no income, just the enjoyment of shooting.

Yep. There are big variables in ammo cost and gun cost. I have a .458 Win and I doubt I'll ever shoot enough handloaded ammo to equal its cost. At the cost of factory ammo (shudder) I suppose it's possible. At the other end of the spectrum, it would take a heckuva lot of shooting in a costly 22 target rifle to hit the 50:50 point.

With autoloaders, handloads and the amount I shoot; that 50:50 point rapidly approaches.

And yes, Mr. Rogers. It is a hobby to spend money on. I'm having a "blast" in this life!

 

[CDW4ME]

A Glock 32 or 33 with Meprolight night sights ~ $600 - $620

.357 Sig Ranger T 125 gr. ~$32 per 50 round box / ~$340 per 500 rounds shipped.

< 1,000 rounds of ammo = cost of gun

 

[gspn]

There are only two variables...frequency of shooting and the average cost of the ammo you shoot (the gun is a fixed cost) so everyone will have a different break-even time.

I have no idea on mine...I have so many guns I'd never even try to figure it out. I'd rather just go shoot.

 

[deadin]

I like odd/obsolete chamberings, so by the time I either buy speciality loaded rounds or make/buy brass, get the loading dies, etc., many times it doesn't take long to come up to the gun cost.
But as an earlier poster said, "It's a hobby" and I enjoy it, so what...

 

[dragon813gt]

A very long time considering I reload pistol rounds at around $.04 because I get lead/brass for free


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[aprayinbear]

Easy answer.



The only way I can afford to shoot is to reload and cast my own bullets. About $300 a year. Includes the cost of Lee dies and bullet mold. The balance is for reloaded ammo which costs me about the same as a box of .22 for handgun ammo. After the first year that drops to around $225 (about 3500 rounds a years).

Not Bad.... but it still adds up.

Shoot Safe, Shoot Fun, Shoot Often and Shoot Tens!

 

[chris in va]

Don't think I've bought a box of factory ammo in three years. My 9mm runs about $4/50, so whatever that comes out to be.

 

[miniMacGuru]

I think I'm about there for my Garand. $625 for the gun (CMP) and 3 different ammo purchases $100 (CMP Greek) + $200 (Random Surp) + $300 (1955 Surp) = $600 for ammo so far. If you include the cost of extra en-block clips, I think it would even.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

Shooting my 9mm reloads out of my SR9-C, at 12 cents/round......that's 4000 rounds. I've put about 1000 through it in the 1.5 years I've had it.

 

[Cluster Bomb]

I paid $250 for my 1968 colt 357 and within 4months I spent atleast 2x its cost in ammo. 3mo later fropef 200 more on wifes 38sp and 2-3mo later spent its cost in ammo.

For my 44 sp I spent 300 snd spent 25 on ammo. Lol rarely shoot it

My 44 mag im at about half.

We shoot once a week at about 200 rounds each 38sp....so.....yea...lol

 

[bracer]

I started reloading ammo in 1953 and have no idea about what I have spent since then. Each time I get a firearn I work an accurate reload and continue usit it for some time. Each fall I would test my big game rifles off a bench rest with ammo left over from the previous years box of 20 round. But one fall I shot my 308 Norma Mag three times and droped a pronghorn, mule deer, and elk. Took me three years to use up that box of 20 rounds of ammo. A few years ago I shot a bit over 2,000 prairie dogs with two varmint rifles. I live in prairie dog country and a few miles drive will get me into a p dog town. I started shooting p dogs in 1949 . Since 49 all I can say I have shot a bunch of ammo from the rimfire and center fire varmit rifles.

 

[Sam1911]

Usually about a year, if it is a gun I'm using in competition. If it is a mil-surp, collecting, fun gun, a hunting piece, or something else for infrequent use, it will take a lot longer.

I'm sure I've got guns that I've never managed to spend the purchase price on ammo for. I know I've got guns that have seen many times their purchase price in ammo go down the tube.

 

[bruzer]

Less than a day. Bought a .22 for $5 and at the time a brick of .22 ammo was $9.99.
Mike

 

[303tom]

Actually I have guns that today if I bought 1 or 2 boxes of factory ammo it would cost more than I paid for the gun to start with, that`s why I roll my own...............

 

[Fishslayer]

When I bought my first handgun at my LGS the owner told me that "buying the gun is the cheap part."

He was right...

Of course, buy an $89 Big 5 Mosin Nagant & 440 rounds of milsurp will cost about the same as the rifle. And your shoulder will never be the same again.

Get a reloading press.

 

[heron]

I've long ago spent more on ammo than the prices of my guns (all bought new). In one instance, it took less than a month, because as soon as I figured out what it liked, I bought a case for it.

Funny, but when I got started in shooting, I sweated the gun price and didn't think much about ammo cost at all. Didn't take me long to figure out the difference.

 

[Fishslayer]

Funny, but when I got started in shooting, I sweated the gun price and didn't think much about ammo cost at all. Didn't take me long to figure out the difference.

When I bought my first handgun in '08 the Great Ammo Drought was already on. Prices on .45ACP were through the roof. I knew this but opted for the .45ACP anyway. Never really understood the ammo price thing as a factor in buying a handgun. Of course, the few centerfire rifles I own are in Russian milsurp calibers.

I had a reloading press in Feb of '09. That was when I learned about the Great Primer Drought!

 

[SilentStalker]

Well, I spent over $200 this weekend just getting a feel for a SIG of mine. So, it does not take long for ammo to add up to over the cost of a gun. It was slightly used and I paid like $450 or something for it so I have already spent half of what I paid for it and only shot around 200 rounds through it. Some family and friends are looking into reloading as ammo prices are ridiculous. I figure if we can vote on someone we all trust to reload and split the cost 5 ways that it will cost virtually nothing compared to buying ammo at the stores.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Heck, I can even take this one step further. I once bought a 9 mm version of my favorite 45 and shot the 9 mm enough so that the ammo cost differences alone (about ten cents a round) between the rounds essentially made the pistol purchase free.

 

[Ignition Override]

One partial solution to the ammo problem is to find a new type of inexpensive .22 rifle/handgun which is different from what you've ever owned. For example a military style versus civilian: Romanian M-69 Trainer versus the 1940's Savage.

At least it can deflect some of your attention away from the guns using pricier ammo, or that require two hours to reload fifty rounds (.303).

 

[Detritus]

Using gun and ammo cost for the last gun that I bought, and actually shoot , since I bought Stevens branded Ithaca 37 clone just to have since then.

Brought home a 1911 for $500 begining of Oct. 2010, within two months (before christmas) i'd spent around $600 on factory .45acp and reloading components.

but it's taken 3+ years for gun cost and ammo cost on my 700 SPS-V to begin to even up.