Assuming you don't reload, what's your monthly ammo budget?

[Zaydok Allen]

So I'm buying a house, which I'm quite excited about. However, it's only 3 blocks from my local gun shop and FFL dealer that I have handle transfers for me. I foresee problems......

Anyway, my mortgage will be almost double what I pay in rent right now, so I've come up with a strict monthly budget to ensure I'll have enough money to pay my bills, have some fun, and still have a savings account.

I've budgeted $70 a month for ammunition as I don't reload yet. I feel that is totally inadequate, but I need to take care of the necessities first. It will at least allow me to practice with my carry gun regularly. But now that I will have a home big enough, I'll begin reloading eventually.

It made me wonder, do other folks have a specific ammo budget each month, or do you just buy ammo when it's on sale. I used to just buy when I saw a sale, but I think I'll have to be more selective now.

 

[osprey176]

My ammo budget,since I reload,is mostly based on how much 22 rimfire I can find.Lately it has been very low. 70 bucks a month for factory ammo won't go too far,but you have to do what you have to do. I will suggest setting aside a place in the new house to set up a reloading bench,and ease in slowly,as funds allow. You can pick up most of the tools used for good prices. I'm using an older wooden computer desk,left behind by the previous owner,reinforced and modified,to reload in my garage. It saved me the effort and expense of building a new bench and works very well. Reloading can pretty nearly double your ammo budget,and is doesn't have to be complicated or difficult.

 

[Robert]

$0.00

Right now it is just not in the budget so I keep reloading with what I have left and just sit on it.

 

[Sav .250]

Reloading is a must for folks that shoot "a lot." I venture to say, if you have a strict budget(as you indicated) your money is already tight. Plus, owning a home has more pitfalls than you anticipate. Trust me.

Anyway, you didn't say what you shoot so maybe $70 will get it done.

Your $70 fits into the discretionary category . Look good but it`s the first thing to take a hit when the water heater goes out.

Enjoy your new home............


I buy my stuff off the self as needed.

 

[Lord Teapot]

no idea...i swing by walmart one or twice a week in the morning, just to check on .22lr. can be anywhere from 0-$300/month or so, but i don't shoot too much, i just hoard. one day i'll put all the ammo boxes/crates in a big pile and make a thread called ammo mountain, but it is not this day. ammo is always secondary to real concerns though, like my mortgage.

 

[DP03]

For me, it's hard to say. First, I tend to buy in quantities when the sales are worth it. Second, I do not spend the same amount of time at the range each month, it can vary greatly. The range I go to is $20 for unlimited time, so I tend to bring several guns/rifles at once when I go.

That being said, I would guess somewhere north of $70, but probably not by much. If I shoot 250 rounds of assorted calibers, that would be 28 cents a round. Pretty realistic.

BTW, I probably shoot 9mm and 7.62 (cheap Russian) mostly. Sometimes add in some .45 and shotgun.

 

[Glock Doctor]

About $65 to $75 dollars. (What's inadequate about shooting 250 rounds each month?) When I was reloading I did a lot more shooting - up to 1,500 rounds each month - and I spent a lot more money, too. With increasing age, incipient arthritis, a small fortune in reloading equipment, and a wife who'd never use any of it, I decided that my best ammo deals were at Wal-Mart; and I sold all the reloading equipment off. So far (6 years) I haven't regretted it.

I, also, used to think that reloading would guarantee me a certain amount of ammunition if the government were ever to shut ammo sales down; but now that the Feds have started watching powder and primers, and all of the principal ammo manufacturers have been bought up by just a few investment holding companies, that's no longer true. If, 'they' don't want the American public to have guns then public stocks of ammunition and reloading components could, literally, dry up overnight. (Heck, it's already been done!)

 

[JSH1]

I venture to say, if you have a strict budget(as you indicated) your money is already tight.

Ideally no. My wife and I got on a tight budget ($20 each of spending money per month) for 5 years to clear up the stupid financial decisions we made early in our marriage. After that mess was cleaned up we kept the strict budget (now we each get $100) The budget meant that finances weren't a problem when I was laid off in 2008 for 8 months or the past year I haven't worked since we moved to Oregon.

Plus, owning a home has more pitfalls than you anticipate. Trust me.

Yes it does. You will need a well stocked emergency fund, minimum $1000, ideally 3-6 months of expenses. That should be a priority before any discretionary spending.

To the original question: I spent $462.51 on ammo and shooting supplies in the past 12 months. (Mint.com told me that, it is a great financial tool) That money comes out of my $100 spending money per month. Most of that is 32 S&W long to feed my SP101 though I only shot 600 rounds last year. I shot 5 tins (2500 rounds) of .22 pellets for my Crosman air rifle. (Those cost $47.35 / 1.9 cents per round)

 

[Ed Ames]

I don't really budget ammo per se. My ammo "needs" amount to refreshing ammo in carry gun magazines every so often. Maybe $20/mo max. Beyond that I have a budget for entertainment which covers movies, shooting, fine dining, and other hobbies.

Beyond that, I have a mental counter that runs every time I go shooting, counting off dollars as I pull the trigger. That kinda takes the fun out of some things (and is why I doubt I'll ever own any of the fancy guns where ammo costs more than $3 per round), but it keeps range trips from turning into $1000 binges.

 

[browningguy]

Whatever it takes is the budget. Kids are long out of the house with college paid for, retirement is funded, we just spend whatever we want while I'm still working. Now of course that will change dramatically when I actually retire.

 

[eldon519]

Well you can find about 1000rd of Wolf 9mm for around $200 if you shop around. That is around 333 rds a month for your budget which makes for 2-3 decent range trips a month. I'd prefer to shoot more than that but I wouldn't call it inadequate if that is what I was limited.

 

[MedWheeler]

I don't get to shoot a lot, perhaps less than 1,000 rounds (all calibers combined including .22 rimfire) per year.

I go some months buying $60-100 of ammo, and then a few in a row buying none. I guess I really don't have an ammo "budget", per se..

 

[susieqz]

i've been spending $200/month on 22lr.
that's more than i use but i wanna build up a stockpile.

ammo in times of no money is better than money in times of no ammo.

 

[g.willikers]

There are few ways to stay well within your ammo budget.
Although I reload for most of my shooting, most of my shooting is with airguns.
Trigger time is trigger time.
And no range fees required, a large part of a shooting budget.
Going to the range with a well thought out plan can cut way down on the ammo needed for practicing.
Quite often I've done a thorough days practice with 50 rounds per handgun.
Even less with long guns.
There have been days when I've used up 400 rounds, too, but it's not really necessary with a good plan.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Depends on how much money I have and what sort of deals I come across. During a banic, when everything is priced double or more what I feel it should be, my ammo budget is $0.00. OTOH, when I find quality brass cased & boxer primed ammo that is decently below what I consider the contemporary average, the budget that month might be several hundred dollars if all the bills are paid.

I do reload, but as powders and bulk bullets have taken a big jump in price the last few years, it is often not cost effective for plinking ammo. With surplus powders being unavailable and bulk 55 gr bullets at ~$0.10/ea and up + shipping unless you buy huge quantities, I'm pushing $0.25+/rd for 5.56 if I already have the brass. If I have to buy once-fired brass, I'll be at or slightly above what I'd spend on new, factory loaded ammo. Not worth my time.

 

[susieqz]

i'll second the airgun advice of gw. i bot a $67 vantage 1200. it's cheap n fun to shoot n i bagged one bunny so far, at 15 yards.
these are fine small game guns at close range.
plus i can shoot in in the house in bad weather.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I will suggest setting aside a place in the new house to set up a reloading bench,and ease in slowly,as funds allow.

Yep, already done. The attic of the place I'm buying is finished. It's too short for me to stand up in as it's under 6 feet in height, but it's certainly tall enough for me to sit at a bench with a turret press on it and crank away. The great part too is that I've always planned to get into reloading, so I've been saving cases for several years. I have a whole lot of loading to do, I just need a Dillon gift card to get rolling. Reloading in the attic, beer brewing in the basement.

I venture to say, if you have a strict budget(as you indicated) your money is already tight.

I wouldn't say its tight per say. I just want to ensure I'm saving enough cash for emergencies, broken stuff, renovation projects, and I need to bump up my retirement savings. The good part is I planned $120 a month for fun, $100 for miscellaneous expenses, and I left myself a $500 buffer which is mostly intended for savings. So chances are the ammo budget will get increased, though not a lot as other items come up like vehicle insurance and property tax increases.

Plus, owning a home has more pitfalls than you anticipate.

I believe it. I plan as being broke as hell until sometime next year. I got to buy one gun earlier this year though, and it was a nice one, so I'll just let my Cabella's points grow in the mean time.

Anyway, you didn't say what you shoot so maybe $70 will get it done.

Your $70 fits into the discretionary category . Look good but it`s the first thing to take a hit when the water heater goes out.

Also true. Oh good god no, $70 won't cover it. I shoot 22lr now and then. 9mm isn't too bad. My real problem is I shoot a lot of 357's and 45 acp. I also really enjoy 460 mag, 454 Casull, and 45 Colt. The only way that will continue is if I reload. Those 45 Colt family cartridges are way too expensive any more.

Second, I do not spend the same amount of time at the range each month, it can vary greatly.

Same here, as it is dependent on weather. I do 98% of my shooting in the woods at targets I set up myself. At least I'll save on range fees.

Although I reload for most of my shooting, most of my shooting is with airguns.
Trigger time is trigger time.

I'm not real interested in airguns, but I do dry fire my guns a lot.

i'll second the airgun advice of gw. i bot a $67 vantage 1200. it's cheap n fun to shoot n i bagged one bunny so far, at 15 yards.

Boy susieqz, the population of bunnies on your property has to be down to nothing by now! There's a whole lot of bunny baggin goin on!

 

[susieqz]

my goal is zero evil bunnies. they cost me over $200 last year.
after a 5 year drought, the rains came n bunnies are everywhere.
they are breeding like flies but predators like coyotes take a long time to increase.
i trap them, i shoot them but they keep coming.
i dug a huge trench to bury chicken wire around my fence. i hated them more with every shovelful of dirt.

 

[g.willikers]

I'm not real interested in airguns, but I do dry fire my guns a lot.

If shootin' irons could be worn out by dry firing, I tried.
But now when I pull the trigger, I want to see some action.
Holes in targets, swinging targets that go swinging, you know, that kind of thing.
Just shooting at air isn't nearly as fun - no feedback, either.

 

[susieqz]

does anyone know if i can safely dry fire a ruger 22/45?
like, thousands of times?
i was inserting old casings by hand but that gets old.

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

About $100. However we go for breakfast on march days and there is the cost of gas.

 

[joem1945]

I don't have a budget for ammo. Years back I would go to the club on Sundays only as work got in the way. A older fellow would show up every Sunday, shoot 5 or 6 rounds, pack up and leave. One day i asked him why he would waste a beautiful day like this? He responded that is all he could afford. Right then I started buying as much ammo as I could(cases and cases)so when I retired I can shoot as much as I want, which I do

 

[aarondhgraham]

I actually laughed out loud,,,

I foresee problems......

I actually laughed out loud,,,
Best delivery of an understatement I've read in quite a while.

Bravo,,,

Aarond

I almost forgot,,,
I get to the range about once a week now,,,
A hundred rimfire and box of .38 or 9mm range fodder each trip.

Todays prices would be $21.95 per bulk pack of .22,,,
Then average $15.00 for centerfire,,,
That's $81.95 for four trips.

I'm single so that's doable for me,,,
I actually budget a Benjamin a month for ammo,,,
I would double the rimfire number if it were readily available.

.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I actually laughed out loud,,,
Best delivery of an understatement I've read in quite a while.

Bravo,,,

Aarond

I was wondering why no one had made mention of that. Moving that close to my FFL is going to be mighty tempting.

 

[22-rimfire]

I did do a budget when I purchased my last house. I had a feeling about the closeness of my finances and wanted to convince myself that my thinking was correct on paper. But....

Budgets are wonderful things if you and your wife pay any attention to them on a regular basis. No budgets here. No ammo budget. I buy when I have the urge and have money in my pocket. $70 a month could be one or two boxes of cartridges or 20/40 rounds. So Yes, your budget is probably inadequate for ammunition, but you will adjust. I find that groceries almost always cost more than I think they should, but at least my utility bills tend to be fairly predictable.

Buying a new house puts the hurt on your finances for a while. Hopefully, you can adjust and your income will rise. But (within reason), it's worth it. Renting is not for me.

I go through periods where I don't shoot much and I go through periods where I don't spend any money on ammunition. I would make an exception for normal priced 22LR as I used to buy it continuously whether I shot it up or not. It was simply part of my Walmart shopping run which was typically weekly.

In my current house, I did everything right (I thought) during the purchase. It wasn't 2 months and I had to replace the central HVAC system. Prepare yourself. Somethings cost a bit more than you might have just lying around.