Has ammo price/availibility changed your range habits?

[CapnMac]

I'm having a hard time telling, but, unemployment has cut into my nage sessions more than anything else. (Hate having the time, but agonizing over the cost.)

But, when I go out, there's the anagging thought of the empty shelves or increased prices to replace what I'm (happily) shooting away. (Was good to get great deals on ammo in the beforetimes.)

My guess is that I'd be close to my present reduced rate, but for ammo conservation rather than dollar conservation.

But, that's me, and my reduced circumstances. What of the rest of you?

 

[jakemccoy]

My range habits changed a long time ago. I shoot mostly shotguns and .22lr rifles.

My .308 caliber rifle is not all that fun to shoot because of the price of ammo. The same goes with my .40 caliber handguns. I really don't want to have to buy more rounds in these calibers. It seems like the prices of ammo doubled over the last couple of years. It's just not that fun to shoot when all I can see are dollar signs where the holes on the targets are.

 

[tju1973]

Not really- -we average a trip once a month or once every other month. Although ammo is still spotty, we have bought at least one box of something every week, sometimes more.

.22 is the easiest moneywise to shoot still, and 12ga has never been short here.

9mms always get a workout, and I usually run a box or so through the XD45--

We have always been frugal on the range aspects of life, but the Obango times haven't changed me one bit.

In anything we do.

 

[lamebums]

I haven't fired a shot in two months. And until the situation improves, it could well be another two months.

 

[Elvishead]

Yes,

I use to go every week, now it's more like once a month and I shoot less 9mm, .38, and .357s, esp .357s.

I bought a 22LR handgun which I should have done years ago anyways, just before the 22lr ammo shortage started. Luckily, I bought close to a 1000 rounds before the shortage.

Now I shoot my Beretta jamo-matic Bobcat 21A much more than any other gun.

 

[22-rimfire]

Yes, the cost and availability of ammunition has changed my shooting habits. It didn't happen over night or in 100 days, but it slowly happened.

The truth is that I have shifted back to shooting more 22LR than anything else in the last couple of years.

The price of centerfire handgun ammo had a lot to do with it. I just can't see blowing away $100 or more of ammo at the range in a single day. Call me cheap if you like.

Elvis, you need another 22!

 

[mongo4567]

I shoot just as much or more than I used to. My range habits have changed in that I've been shooting a lot more 22lr. I got 22 conversions for my AR15 and 1911.

 

[CapnMac]

Thank you, kind Posters

I'm glad to sse this is not all in my head.

And, it can be hard to tell, for me, when I go to the range, it's middle of the gay, middle of the week (since I can). So, I'm not as "in touch" with the regular weekend shooters.

Ugh, now, if we could just get some rain, heat is like a physical impact today.

 

[crazy-mp]

I spend more time at the reloading press than behind the gun(s) now days.

I have been buying up bullets and brass for a few years, I figured with the lack of shooting, might as well start loading my own.

The only thing I shoot now, is my reloads when I am working on a new load, or my 22's when its been a while.


.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

It has not changed my range habits.

Spouse and I shoot X rounds each month in total on one or two visits. It was a way to get spouse to calm fears about ammuntion availibility in case of hard times and maintain weapons proficency.

This number of rounds are counted for 6 months worth of good quality range shooting as best as we can do, always trying to better than last visit.

Every 4 months I order the expended amount plus 30%. That way it might take me two months to replace the shot ammo and gain more for the box.

I spend X dollars each month towards the tri-yearly ammo order.


As a side note, UPS flipped a trailer on the interstate down in Little Rock a few days ago with ammuntion aboard. I dont think it was my shipment on there. But whoever had that stuff on lost it most likely.

 

[sernv99]

yes, it changed my range habits. I only shoot my handguns and rifles maybe once every 6 months now, maybe shoot up 200 rounds of .45 and 200 rounds of .308. I just got a 10mm and bulk 10mm ammo so I'll have to stretch that out to over several months.

I now shoot the shotgun sports a heck of a lot more. It's cheap and it is also fun (shooting outside vs. shooting in an indoor range). I burn through about 400 shells a week. I can't do that, costwise, with .45, 10mm, .308, 'x39, or .223.

 

[BigGuy52]

I've cut my shooting time to half. It's been two months since my last visit to the range. It used to be that when I shot a gun, I'd use 100 - 150 rounds per gun. Now, I shoot only one box per gun.

My 12 guage shotguns haven't been fired for over a year. But that's mainly due to the fact that there are no places to shoot clays around here.

 

[AirForceShooter]

Cut my range time a lot.

AFS

 

[MacTech]

Yes, the current ammo prices/shortages have really changed my shooting habits...

I used to go to the range every weekend, now I go every other weekend, sometimes every third weekend

I limit myself to 50 rounds maximum for my Kimber Custom II .45, and these are rounds that I've handloaded, I go for maximum accuracy, slow-fire shooting
I generally shoot 50 rounds each in my Ruger 10/22 and Mark II, so I don't dip too much into my backstock of .22LR cartridges
I haven't shot trap in at least two years, as the range charges per game (you're paying for the clay targets used in the session)
Once I get my Savage 111 .30-06 sighted in for 100 yards, I'll be putting minimal rounds through it while I build up my stock of .30-06 ammo

the only commercial ammo i've been purchasing (to replenish what I've shot up) has been mainly .22 and .30-06, I pick up the occasional box of 12-gauge from time to time, but not on a regular basis

I've actually been putting the most money into stocking up on my reloading components for .45 ACP, bullets and primers mainly, still have plenty of powder

even though reloading for my .45 makes it dirt cheap (.13¢/round $13 per 100 rounds), I still ration my supplies and reload no more than 100 rounds at a time, I still have 1,500 primers left to install in fired brass, and approx. 400 primed cases that simply need to be loaded with powder and bullets, I'm still treating those cartridges like expensive commercial loads and limiting my shooting of them

before the shortage, back when I had both a 9mm *AND* a .45, and before I got into reloading, I'd burn through 200 rounds each per weekend, 200 rounds of commercial ammo, and at least 200 rounds of .22 in each of my .22's (Ruger 10/22 and Mark II), and I'd buy twice what I shot to replace it, if I shot 100 rounds of .45, at the end of the day, I'd buy 200 rounds to replace it, one to store, one to replace what I shot up, now, the 9mm is gone, sold off, because shooting handloaded .45 is cheaper than commercial 9mm, and I just like .45 better, and I treat my handloaded .45 cartridges like my precious commercial loads

Basically, I've gotten stingy, I'm even rationing my .22 use for Og's sake....

 

[Superpsy]

Now I only shoot .22. I'm not shooting from my stock of 9mm until things calm down a little. Thank goodness I invested in a good 10/22 and MkIII.

 

[mcdonl]

I have stopped going every week, and now go every two weeks but when I do I still shoot 50 rounds of .40, a bunch of .22, 100-150 rounds of .223 (Still new to me!!) and the 50 handloaded 7.65x54.

I only shoot a few of my cary gun (.380) because they are tough to find around here.

 

[Lightninstrike]

Shooting a lot of 22lr. Looking for a good sidearm in 22. Wish I had bought one long ago. :banghead:

 

[jkingrph]

No, distance to the range is my limiting factor.

 

[22-rimfire]

I hoping to change the distance thing as a limiting factor in the next month or so. Didn't mention that in my orginal post. That was my dominant limiting factor last year.

The price of gas is going up and the outdoor range I have preferred to go to is a bit over an hour drive. Time is a major limitation. Who wants to ride an hour each way to go plinking with a 22?

Time + Gas + Higher Ammo Costs = Reduced Shooting.

 

[searcher451]

I'm spending far more time on the range with a .22 than I am with a 9mm or a .380. Fortunately, I still have adequate amounts of .22 to use, though I haven't been able to buy a bulk box for at least three months now.

 

[garymc]

A week or 2 ago I bought my first box of ammo since last fall. I was able to get it because WalMart instituted a 6 box limit. I've done very little shooting of any kind since dove season.

 

[The Wiry Irishman]

My shooting has increased significantly, but only because I started loading my own in February for a half to a third of retail prices.

 

[Flash!]

I still shoot 2 to 3 times per month and like always, I take 8 to 10 guns...... but what I noticed a couple days ago is that I have become obsessed with making sure I pick up every piece of brass I've shot..... I used to be happy with getting 75% of it...... now I want it all back.....

 

[Deckard]

I've been using up the last of my centerfire ammo that I bought about a year ago, but once it runs out I think I'm gonna cut back to almost exclusively .22LR.

 

[22-rimfire]

I just go word that I will be a new member at a local outdoor range. Looking forward to it. They have shooting all the way out to 500 yds.

Let the shooting begin!!! Yeah!