Anybody else cheap (broke)? Share your tips

[rocinante]

I use luggage straps from bags bought for 3 bucks at thrift stores as 2 point rifle slings. They have quick detach hooks, tough nylon and to me don't look or perform different than what sells for 30 bucks or more "real" rifle slings.

In general I have always looked for alternate items or items that are exactly equivalent but marketed for different purposes. For example a sump pump moves just as much water and runs as quiet but cost a third of a pump marketed for ornamental fish ponds.

Come on cheapos share your penny pinching wisdom.

 

[M-Cameron]

buy a big pad of easel board paper/ news print....(~$10)
buy a can of cheap spray paint...........................(~$1)
find a large piece of cardboard............................(free)

cut out silhouette (or whatever shape you want) on the cardboard......place cardboard over a piece of paper.....and spray away!.....

instant large silhouette targets for $0.20 a piece!


1 can of paint should last you approx 50 targets(depending on size and complexity)......which is conveniently how many pieced of paper are on the pad.

 

[Joe Demko]

The cheapest paper plates you can find and one of those big ink-dauber thingies for marking bingo cards = really, really cheap pistol targets.

 

[Mike J]

The cheapest paper plates you can find and one of those big ink-dauber thingies for marking bingo cards = really, really cheap pistol targets.

I usually use the paper plates or copy paper but I splurge & put orange sticky dots on them. Maybe I need to look for an ink stamp & pad.

 

[22-rimfire]

Shoot 22 rimfires, and roll your own for centerfire calibers.

I save large sized pieces of cardboard for making targets. It's good to have a template.

Buy ammunition a little at a time (dollar cost averaging), or buy it by the case for calibers you shoot a lot. In my case, that means mostly 22LR by the case. But the target stuff really gets expensive by the case.

 

[Rail Driver]

I use the strap from my laptop bag for a single point sling (ie both ends clipped to the sling plate) on my draco. I use Mobil 1 PAO based (10w30 or heavier) full synthetic heavy weight motor oil to lube my rifles. I find a way to cut corners a lot as my shooting budget is around $15 a week or so if I'm lucky. I need to build a reloading setup on the cheap...

 

[harrygunner]

I like to keep a spare magazine in a sheath in my weak-side back pocket.

Many moons ago, in a novelty shop on a touristy pier, I noticed many leather knife sheaths fit 1911 and Sig magazines, yet were less than $10.

I used an X-acto knife to cut off the fold over cover and remove a portion of the leather on top/front that holds the snap.

I haven't tested this, but left intact, they could be a decent belt single-mag holder.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Every time I buy new T-shirts and underwear, I save and wash my old T-shirts and underwear and cut them into cleaning patchs. I buy Army Bore Cleaner from Mil surpus stores or I make Ed's Red gun cleaner in my barn.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Like Deltaboy, my old undergarments get cut into gun rags and patches.

To store the round lead balls that I cast, I use those clear plastic water bottles. Works very good and they're tough.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I have friends give me cut or damaged golf balls that I use for targets or I have made Bolos for some kids.

 

[JohnBT]

"buy a big pad of easel board paper"

I save the used ones from work. They're blank on one side.

I've been known to save the used paper plates too if they weren't too dirty and stained.

I shoot at the targets other people leave. Most of them don't have very many holes in them.

Yeah, I'm cheap.


"I use the strap from my laptop bag for a single point sling"

OMG, why didn't I think of that. We have all sorts of useless bags and cases at the office.

 

[wildblue45]

Does anyone have a diagram for a home made AR-15 barrel vise block. I would appreciate it. Thanks

 

[Joe Demko]

We have all sorts of useless bags and cases at the office.

Ditto. Plus I have a bunch that got accumulated at conventions and such. I've never recycled the straps as weapons slings, but the bags and cases are useful for hauling stuff to and from the range. One of my main range bags is the carrying case for a circa-1988 Mac. It's padded, has sturdy zippers and internal pockets, and perfectly holds a stack of hard pistol cases. Other, more flimsy bags inevitably end up tearing or splitting a zipper...but they're free and there is always another one somebody wants to give me as an advertising premium.
Home Depot, Trader Horn, and other places that carry handyman stuff are full of things that are useful to shooters. Check out the gloves and belts, for example. They're much cheaper when sold as work gloves than as shooting gloves. I have a metal briefcase-style toolbox from Home Depot for which I paid about $25. The exact same case is sold at gun shows in this area as a "range box" for anywhere from two to three times as much.
Reactive, shattering targets are enormously fun. Littering the landscape with junk isn't. Instead of blowing up old electronics and crapping glass, plastic, and toxic metals all over the range, make some ice. Cardboard 1/2 gallon milk cartons are the perfect size. Fill some with water, a little food dye if you like, and freeze. Take a cooler full of them to the range. Peel off the carton and you have a nice colorful block of ice that will shatter in the most gratifying manner when hit by something with a little oomph. I love busting them with an AK or my PSL. For reactive fun with a .22, cheap ginger snap cookies (or animal crackers if you're really good) bust nicely and don't linger. Produce can be fun too, but some clubs frown on it as the residue draws insects, especially from sugary things like watermelons.

 

[Eaglestroker]

I learned to work leather, single most expensive part after the purchase is either a holster or sling. Cool to make cheek pads too.

 

[Panzercat]

The paintball industry is a godsend to penny pinching firearms enthusiasts. Anything you want in terms of gear probably has a paintball equivalent selling for 25-50% less than its real firearm counterpart. For example.



The bag is a paintball bag. Has a full rifle section (carries my 336), a secondary smaller section for a smaller firearm or in this case, my range crap. The three front packs are fully detachable, one carries the pistol you see, the rest carry ammo. Comes with a generous amount of velcro and handhold, plus shoulder sling. For all intents and purposes this is a tac/go bag... A paintball tac/go bag. The holster is also marketed for paintball and carries my equally cheap Hi-Point 9mm. The Hi-point 9mm is a paintball-- No wait...

But seriously, paintball is your friend. ;D

 

[Rail Driver]

Oh, I forgot to mention, my laptop bag (which I use the strap from) also doubles as a case for my draco (fits nicely).

 

[Nushif]

Those 1 dollar "For Sale" signs and a ream of paper, alongside a sharpie and standard tape are excellent targets!

Fully customizable.

 

[ny32182]

The single best thing you can probably do long term to save money shooting is to reload. To actually SAVE money, and not just shoot more like most people do would require dicipline, but can be done (just not by me )

As mentioned, there is a lot of stuff marketed as shooting related gear that is WAY overpriced when compared to the same stuff marketed for different purposes; several good examples metioned here from slings to lube to targets.

Another thing I used to do was buy the packs of 25 rifle targets or whatever for $4.50 at Walmart... eventually I just got a stack of copy paper and pack of orange stickers for about the same price. Virtually endless rifle targets can be made with that stuff. Unfortunately there is probably not a good way to duplicate an IDPA target for cheap without a ready source of cardboard and some effort to cut it to shape.

 

[M-Cameron]

another on ive got....


got to just about any lawn-n-garden shop.....and buy a pack of tall bamboo poles(8-12 poles) for ~$2-5

then get some large cardboard sheets($ free)........and some duct tape......

tape a pole to either side of the cardboard sheet....

...and youve got half a dozen large target frames for practically pennies

 

[FROGO207]

I took an old piece of flat 2 inch Styrofoam of the appropriate size and marked it with the proper sized rings for a IDPA target. Then took a chisel and removed the areas that would not normally be black down aprox 1/4 inch deep. Next I got some goof latex paint from H-Depot and had them add black coloring to make it black. Add a really cheap short bristled roller/tray kit to use to roll the paint onto the high flat surfaces, turn the block over and press it onto cardboard that is scrounged and cut to size and presto--instant targets. Repeat as needed, let dry a few minutes and shoot em up. I prefer to use my old 10 and 12 inch pizza boxes for targets for free cardboard. The paint will not stick to the grease but will work on the outside of the boxes if the inside is bad. This is basically block printing at it's easiest.

 

[CAR-AR]

I used to make target stands out of the following:

(1) 3/4 conduit x 8 ft.

(2) 4 X 4 X 20 or so

(4) four cap screws and wing nuts

(1) dowel pin 3/4"

(2) large washers (bigger in diameter than dowels)

(1) 6 inch piece all thread

(1) nut for all thread

(1) wing nut for all thread

Go to a big box store to buy the conduit and get one of the employees to bend the conduit to a U shape 48 inches high and whatever is left over for the top rung

Drill 1 inch holes in the 4 X 4s about 4 inches from one end of the 4 X 4s.

These holes hold the target vertical.

Cut a piece of heavy duty cardboard to cover the conduit to about to a foot to the end

Drill four holes in the conduit. Punch holes through the cardboard through the conduit holes. Push the carriage bolts through the cardboard and secure with wing nuts on the back of the conduit.

Trim cardboard as necessary.

Drill a hole in the bottom of a dowel.

Thread the all thread into the bottom on the dowel till it’s tight. Cut the all thread about ¾ inch.

Slip a large washer over the all thread and secure with a nut.

Flip the dowel over and install all thread on the top end ¾ inch.

Place a washer over the all thread and secure with a wing nut.

The way this works is during transport the dowel is run through 4 x 4s and the dowel is a handy carrying bar for the 4 X 4s. The target itself is fairly light.

When you want to set it up remove the wing nut from the dowel and place the conduit in the holes in the 4x4s. Place a target on the stand and its time for shooting.

It’s best to set the 4 X 4s to the back and carry the dowels back to the bench so they don’t get shot. The conduit will last a long time if the conduit doesn’t take a lot of hits.

 

[scallop]

"shepards hook" style planter hanger, $8 or so at wally world, some fishing line and a can or plastic bottle or whatever your lil heart desires makes for a fine suspended target hanger. Gets even more challenging after the first hit and your target is now swinging.

 

[preachnhunt]

I sank 2 t posts about a foot and a half apart and turned a feed sack upside down over it. This makes a great target. Just replace the sack when needed. 50 pound dog food bags work well too.

 

[Rembrandt]

As a tight penny pinching Dutchman, when it comes to guns and accessories, won't cut corners.....you generally get what you pay for. I prefer to cut expenses in other ways.....don't smoke, don't drink, don't play the lottery.

 

[redneck2]

Political signs. Next election cycle, pick up some of the signs that are still standing a few days after most of them have been picked up. Politicians sometimes re-use them in the later elections, but there are always a few that are missed and end up just creating litter.

Note that I said AFTER the election, and after the others are picked up. The wire frames are excellent for target hangers. Plus, you're cleaning up trash from the roadside.

And, I'd second the thing about reloading. I find scrap lead free. You can shoot pistol for less than 5 cents per round with cast bullets.