Longest You've Gone without Shooting?

[buck00]

With everything going on in life- work, family, kids, social events, not to mention financial concerns- mortgage, rising gas prices, rising ammo prices, I’ve found that I am shooting less and less. Then suddenly, the other day I realized I hadn’t shot a firearm since before Christmas, despite owning several.

I really do enjoy shooting, but either time or money conflicts have been getting in the way lately.

So I’ll pose this question: what is the longest you’ve gone without shooting? What is the bare minimum you shoot a year? Has anyone here gone over a year(s) without shooting?

 

[Kimber1911Fan]

I feel your pain...

The wife and I haven't been since January; but, our anniversary will be this Wednesday and the plan is to head to the range!

I love my wife --

Plus, she's a good shot. Keeps me in line.

Neal

 

[OregonJohnny]

I'm planning on going this saturday. Last time was about 2 weeks ago. I lived in LA for almost 3 years and the entire time I lived there, I shot twice. It was a 6-hour round-trip out to the desert and back to my apartment in Santa Monica. So I'd say the longest was over a year.

 

[MikeH]

I started shooting when my wife and son lived out of country. Back then, missing 2 consecutive weekends would have been a dry spell for me. Now that they're back home, it's been 2.5 months and counting ...

 

[sharkhunter2018]

I went 2 weeks ago, but it was New Years Eve before that. I shoot on my own property and its pretty much my only option since the closest range is about an hour away. I could go to the NRA range, but I prefer shootin' outdoors. I don't shoot too often because I don't want to tick the neighbors off, and I am tired of listening to the messages I get on my phone afterwards.

 

[nbkky71]

Yup... took a 3 year hiatus from shooting when I started rock climbing.

Once I started NRA highpower I got back into the sport full swing. Now the pendulum has swung back the other way & I haven't been on a rope in years!

 

[Starter52]

I used to shoot every week all year round, but the only nearby indoor range closed three years ago. Now I have to travel a bit, so in the winter I go 4-6 weeks sometimes without shooting. In summer - every week; often 2-3 times or more.

 

[JBP]

I've had detached retinas and cataract procedures that have prevented me from shooting for up to six months at a time; the latest being last year. Also, the outdoor range I frequent burned down last year so after I got the OK to resume shooting it was only handguns until the range reopened and the weather got warmer this spring. I go once a week shooting (mostly my rifles). I will be taking a month hiatus as the wife and I are going on an extended vacation but will pick it when we get back.

 

[stephpd]

shooting

Shot guns as a child. Grandfather took me hunting. Learned gun safety early and probably used a gun every year from the age or 7 until I was 18.

Just got back to guns within the last two years and I'm quickly approaching 50. So that would be over 30 years without the smell of hoopes #9.

 

[bg]

It'll be close to 5 years.

 

[oneshooter]

3 months. Took a job in Pascagoola MS. on a 6 month contract. Finally got bored of not shooting and brought a AR back from a trip home. 120 miles round trip to Alabama to find a range, but worth it!!!!!!!!!

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

 

[bumm]

I love handguns and shot quite a bit until I was well into my thirties. THEN one of the kids developed some rather bizarre problems... we spent a lot of time and money seeing doctors and getting tests done, and I sold my handguns. Not a big deal, nothing irreplaceable. After my dad died, I inherited a few more handguns and got back into it. After 12 or 13 years, it was almost like starting over. Not like riding a bicycle... it's taken me years to get the little holes anything like close together again.
Marty

 

[cerberus65]

From age 16 or 17 until 42. At least 25 years. Never again!

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

The location of my range makes it difficult to go shooting when there is an abundant amount of snow on the ground, so it's not unlikely to go a month or so without shooting in the winter.

If I didn't live w/in city limits, I don't think I'd go more than 24 hours without popping off at least a couple of rounds.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

When I changed jobs to join the skilled trades, I found that I couldn't find the time for shooting and working a lot of overtime, plus college. Shooting took a back seat for about 4 years. Then when I started carrying, I swore that I wouldn't go over a month without firing at least my carry weapons. I'm ashamed to say I broke that vow several times, but still like to go at least every month. Now that I'm retired, I'd like to make that every week. I'm going thursday. Rifles, this time.

 

[poet]

40 days once, gave it up for Lent and the guys really razzed me for that

 

[Cannonball888]

From 0yrs old to 14yrs old and 23yrs old to 45yrs old.
I made up for the gun gaps by buying 20 guns in the past two years

 

[steveracer]

I never get to shoot on shipboard deployments. Call it 6-9 months.
Long time to have a weapon in your hands every day and NOT fire one round. Sucks.

 

[kymarkh]

Used to be about 200 rounds of 9mm or .45 a week. Then the kids came along (3 and 5 months) and it slowly went to 200 rounds every 2 weeks, then 100 rounds once a month, then whatever I can scrape together whenever I get a chance. I still try to go shooting at least once a month, and I find that in the winter months I can kind of catch up on my shooting since the weather is colder. Those Advantage Arms .22 conversion kits are starting to look real good to me.

 

[BlackJackal]

Maybe alittle over a month is the longest time, in this month ive shot a value pack of federal, some #7's, a few .22 shorts and a few .32acps, now that i count it up this isnt so bad

 

[crushbup]

Absolute longest I've gone was 12 years, because I only started when I was 12. The longest since I began was about a year.

 

[Ninja42]

About six months. The local range are used for police training during normal work hours, and we civilian shooters are allowed to shoot there an hour or so after the police are done. However, according to danish law, it is illegal to discharge firearms after sunset, so I can only practice during the summer

 

[ilbob]

several years a couple of times.

a couple of months right now.

 

[CajunBass]

Oh, let's see. From maybe 1988 or so until 2003 I guess it was. Now during that time I may have fired a gun a time or two, but if I did I can't recall the circumstances. I had taken up tournament bass fishing, and found that hunting and shooting just weren't as much fun. Even during hunting season the weather was nice enough that I kept hearing the river calling me.

It wasn't until after a divorce, and remarriage that my current wife, a woman from Chicago of all places got me interested in shooting again. (No, my ex was not "anti." As a matter of fact she hunted with me a lot.) It was she who convinced me to get a CHP once she found out she could get one. ("If WE don't take advantage of this law, "they" will just say "See, no one wanted this law. Let's repeal it.") Once the bug bit again, it bit hard.

 

[cloudedice]

Besides the stretch before I got into shooting, the longest I've gone has been the stretch I'm in now. Heading into the 10th month.

Since I'm not a resident of NY, I can't buy a gun, and I wouldn't buy one in a state that requires registration anyway. I'll have to wait until I move back to CT. At that point it will be about 1 year and 4 or 5 months since the last time I went shooting. It's miserable.