Any other occasional shooters? (Homebodies)

[BearGriz]

I would describe myself as a "homebody," I like going out on the town, but only occasionally. Most nights I am content to stay home.

This seems to extend to my gun hobby. I am completely content to only go out shooting 3-6 times a year (quarterly, on average).

In contrast, it seems like many of the active participants on this forum like to shoot at least 2-4 times a month, and reload like crazy (so they can afford to shoot that much). Or, if they don't get out that often, then they wish they could! Even the "collectors" here seem to shoot way more than I do (shooting those guns in their collection that aren't safe queens).

I get almost as much enjoyment learning about guns, and fantasizing about owning more, as I do shooting them (which is why I like it here at THR, and read these forums often).

And I get to do that without the planning, time, noise, danger, gun wear, cost, and effort that comes with going out and shooting them. (Like I said, I am a homebody.)

Add to that the pleasure of just cleaning and holding the beatiful firearms I do own, and I am mostly satisfied. These at-home gun activities are good enough for me most of the time. Then I have the occasional outing where I do enjoy shooting, but I only feel the need to do it every once in a while.

Anyway, there was a thread a few months ago that let those of us who don't like to hunt, but still liked firearms, talk about our take on guns - I enjoyed that. I guess I am wondering if there are others who are sort of like me in this way.

 

[303tom]

That kind of sounds like me, I spend most of my time sitting here at my bench, working on & or cleaning firearms or reloading or pecking on this computer. But I do shoot more than 4 or 5 times a year & I also hunt quite a bit, & I have guns coming out my ears & those are all reasons I spend a lot of time here at the bench, well I got to go get me some coffee so Im out

TOM

 

[wannabeagunsmith]

Well, you are training a lot more than some people in the military....

 

[writerinmo]

Well, I admit that if I had somewhere closer to shoot, that I would be doing it more often. I try to get down to my buddy's place at least once a month but there's times when I make it twice, and some months I don't make it at all. If the wife's workmans' comp lawsuit gets settled with a decent amount, we are looking at getting enough land that I can set up my own shooting lane at least, and hopefully enough to hunt at least small game on as well.

Money being tight as it is at the moment with only one income, most of my shooting has been of the .22 variety, although I do shoot at least two magazines through my carry pistol every time I do make it out.

 

[happygeek]

I guess I'm kinda like that with centerfire, I only shoot that about once a month, sometimes more like every 2 months.*

When work doesn't have me away from home though I'm typically going to the range 3 or 4 times a month to shoot 22LR. If he was still alive I'd buy the inventor of that round a case of beer, it's the only reason I can afford to make a hobby out of shooting. I can blow through 1,100 rounds of that stuff a month for only $38 plus sales tax. I've got a dedicated 22LR AR upper that's paid for itself 5 or 6 times over already vs how much I'd have spent shooting the equal number of rounds of Wolf 5.56.

I'm also luck enough to have a range nearby that's only $90 a year flat rate and has a very nice pistol/22LR rifle range.

My eyes are still healing from PRK (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photorefractive_keratectomy) so I haven't been to the range, but I can't wait to try iron sights once the healing is done.

I've got a very modest start on a C&R collection, but when I think about it probably 95% + of the rounds I fire* are 22LR. When it comes to centerfire I'm just a collector/owner.

*Outside of work when I'm paying for the ammo I shoot.

 

[huntsman]

I try to shoot twice a month but sometimes it's only once, if I had to travel and pay to shoot it would be less.

I'm a homebody in that I do all my shooting and hunting on my own land, so my guns haven't left the property (except my CCW) for years.

 

[BearGriz]

Well, I admit that if I had somewhere closer to shoot, that I would be doing it more often.

I have had similar thoughts, if I lived in the country (and going shooting was as easy as taking out the trash) then I'd probably do it a bit more.

As it is, I'm just too lazy and/or comfortable sitting at home to get out and shoot as often as some people I see on here. But like I said, I'm comfortable with it.

 

[captain awesome]

I probably go shooting once a month on average, the range I am a member at is about 15 miles away, and I don't particularly like being limited to just paper targets. the next closest thing is about 30 miles away in the desert, so if I do go it usually consumes half a days time. If I could spend less time getting out there and less gas it would happen more often.

 

[DavidMS]

I go shooting less than once a month on average because the rest of my life, work family, friends are a priority. When I do shoot, I mostly shoot .22lr because I can very easily afford it. It also does not help that the closest decent ranges are in Frederick MD and Chantilly VA. If I had the time, I would go at least twice a month. .22LR from a CZ452 is way too much fun.

 

[Serenity]

I make it out about once a month; I always swear I'll get there more but it's a 30 mile drive. Well worth it, it's a beautiful outdoor range, but a round trip to the range with the driving and an hour there for my son and I to each shoot a 50 round box (38 special and 9mm) is a minimum of 3 hours (we always fuel up at McD's on the way).

I recently found this forum so I've been absorbing information and following links from threads to other sites and learning at those too.

I'm also doing preparedness research and accumulating some things, which is related but something I can do at home.

 

[shiftyer1]

I shoot fairly often, but money being tight it's mostly .22. I do shoot my handguns and rifles but it's mostly a mag here and a couple rounds there. If I do go to a range ammo cost is a couple hundred dollars because to me a range season is an event......it don't happen very often at all.

Mostly if I get the urge I just step out back and fire off a couple rounds to make sure I can still hit the broadside of a barn and the guns still work. I am planning to change this soon, just bought 2 tickets tonite the are gonna let me shoot a whole lot more.....just gotta check the numbers

 

[LongTimeGone]

Being retired I have more time to go shooting, so it's 2-4 times/wk for me.
I have an indoor public/membership range about 3 miles away where I go to shoot handguns and a private outdoor club 10 mi. away where I shoot my rifles.
But as others have said it's mostly .22 since it's so cheap and I have a few .22 guns.
Lately it has been the CZ452 at least once a week and maybe the AR at the outdoor range and my SP101 and P22 indoors.

 

[hermannr]

I am mostly a home body too, it's 40 miles to town and back...but I can shoot on my own land so travel is not a factor. I'm also retired so tme is not a factor...

However, my wife is my hunting/shooting partner, and she has been ill lately so, I haven't been shoot as much. I actually have one new pistol I have not even shot yet...waiting for my partner to get well enough..

When she is well we probably shot 4 or 5 times a week, mostly .22, but some centerfire, maybe a couple times a month. We have High Standard Trophys that are our prefered fun weapon.

 

[drsfmd]

I would get very cranky if I could only shoot a handful of times a year. I shoot 5-6 days a week during the summer months, no less than 3 days a week during the winter months...

 

[ChCx2744]

I find that if I don't go shooting at least once a month, I begin to actually miss shooting and get withdrawals. I need to keep my skills sharp, they tend to diminish with time.

 

[northark147]

I'm only off work and home every third weekend, do that's all the opportunity I have. Usually I got a good start at reloading after the last time's range trip, and get a good finish before I go so I still shoot an obscene amount of lead and copper down range, but lately Ive been buying a new house and so forth and so on so I haven't gotten to shoot in a while.

 

[MedWheeler]

Yeah, me. However, if I lived close to a place where I could shoot like I used to be able to (open land, unrestricted), I'd shoot more, even if it was still mostly rimfire. But, I still get enjoyment out of reading about, viewing video on, or simply handling (such as dry fire) firearms..

 

[Steve Raacke]

Guess I'm a homebody then. I can go months between trigger pulls. I carry my gun daily and clean it and maintain it. That said, guns aren't a major part of my life like it is to some here. I have other hobbies such as my SciFi club/activities (about to watch the Doctor Who christmas special in a few minutes) as well as my ham radio hobby ('m a member of 2 different ham radio clubs and serve as the RACES officer for my Parish Office of Emergency Management). I am a scanner geek and even moderate a local scanning internet message board. Plus there's the family and fur babies to spend time with. And work too. Can't have hobbies if you can't pay for them. Work takes lots of my time. So If I go 3, 4 even 5 months without pulling a trigger, no big thing.

 

[AlexanderA]

I make it a point to avoid going shooting. I don't like the noise, I don't like putting wear and tear on guns, and I don't like cleaning the guns afterwards. Been there, done that, and at my age there's nothing new to it.

As a matter of fact, when I went to Knob Creek this last October, I thought all the shooting was an annoyance. I was there for the gun show, and the noise from the range was a distraction.

I haven't been shooting in years, and I'd like to keep it that way.

 

[AK_Maine_iac]

Shooting here in Alaska is not fun during the winter. But when we start getting 20+ hours of daylight and it is 75 degrees out side. I get out as much as i can day or night with sunglasses on.

 

[Gladius]

Another "homebody"/Occasional shooter here. Although, I'd probably go shooting more frequently, if I had more time/money (or was a reloader, which for similar rasons I'm not)/better or closer places to shoot. Maybe I just need to manage my time better...?
I mean, several of my guns are "de facto" safe queens. I'm a collector more than a shooter, but I would like to shoot almost everything I have (eventually. Not all at once, that would be ridiculous). And so, some guns I've had for years go unshot. Others go a long time between shootings.

I admit, I'm not a big fan of cleaning guns (stripping semi-autos can be a hassle, depending on model), but sometimes it can actually be relaxing. And the smell of Hoppes always brings back fond memories.

 

[valnar]

I get out maybe once or twice a month when "into it", but can go for 3-4 months without anything. My longest dry spell may have been a year when my kids were very young. Considering the peaks & valleys, I might shoot 10 times a year.

I enjoy shooting but dislike a lot of what else goes with it. I'm not a fan of cleaning. My local indoor range is pretty much pistol only and costs money. I have to drive out of town about 50 minutes away to a place where I can shoot a rifle or shotgun. Being in Cleveland, the desire to spend my time freezing just to shoot doesn't appeal to me, so that kills about 4 months out of the year. I don't hunt either, nor plan to. I'd probably like it, but don't have time to learn another skill and set of rules. I already have other hobbies and interests outside of guns, so something else would suffer. I'm a computer nerd techno weanie (my daughter's term), which is also an expensive hobby.

I also enjoy reading about firearms on THR and other forums, and purchasing what I can (the historical surplus guns are my current kick). I prefer to keep my firearms in decent condition. I go for quality, not quantity. But I'm not a collector because that would presume I have a large arsenal, or collect a single style of guns. I do not.

So yah, you sound a lot like me.

That being said, I would love to get "into it" more, but time & money is a factor. If I lived closer to a club, I would love to do IDPA or trap shooting - almost anything formalized for shooting as it sounds like fun. Maybe in the future.

If I could make one lifestyle change, the most significant impact would be moving to a more rural area. Everything would change then. Being able to shoot my backyard or having land nearby where I could setup Coke cans, watermelons, steel targets, etc would amplify my desire to shoot tremendously. As it stands now, it gets boring to shoot paper targets, in a stall, next to strangers, and pay somebody for the "pleasure" of doing so.

 

[justice06rr]

Lately I've shot less than I usually do because of the holiday season and tight budget, so its not bad to only shoot 4-5 times a year as long as you keep up with your firearms training and safety practices.

Even if you don't shoot as much, you can still train by yourself at home by doing SD/HD drills without firing a single bullet. then go to the range every 3months or so to actually shoot your guns.

 

[The Sarge]

I am a binge shooter. I will shoot every day in a row for weeks. Then not shoot for weeks.
I tinker on my guns daily. Buy guns constantly. Always looking. Just bought a mint Lee Enfield MK4 for $150 today actually. Bought a Steyr M95 for $100 last week...very clean with a dozen clips (inserts) bayonet, sling and ammo pouches. Bore is excellent. So with so many new guns when I go shoot it is with 6 or 7.
This is my favorite time of year. I keep ads saying I will buy guns in the local paper and on the local GunTrader. People need Christmas money and sell guns.
I love to shoot but not at a range with a bunch of people. I just sit up targets here at the ranch. Hogs offer some impromptu shooting opportunities

 

[T Slothrop]

I live in a rural area, and I do most of my shooting on some land I own that's less than 10 minutes from my home. Nonetheless due mainly to economic realities I still don't shoot as often as I'd like. I try to shoot my rimfires every couple of weeks but I only grab the centerfires out of the safe six or seven times a year. I don't reload (just don't have the time, the skills, or the cash for the initial equipment investment), so every couple of months is all I can afford at ~$0.30/round.