What % of your disposable income is spent on guns, ammo, range fees, related?

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jsalcedo

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A couple of years ago I noticed that a good deal of my family income was going towards eating out (crappy restaurants),
buying crap at the mall.

Dumb things like credit card interest and stupid junk (ronco)
that ended up in the attic anyway.

Slowly but surely I canceled the credit cards, got rid of the dumb
cable channels, stupid phone services and began cooking meals at home.

Guess what? Lots of extra money. After investing part of it I noticed there was a few hundred a month available for gun stuff.

I went from 4 to 40 guns in 3 years. My family is happier and healthier and I have a sizeable investment in my gun collection
which I enjoy very much and hope to pass on to my son and nephews.

I figure on average I spend 20% to 25% of disposable income
on guns and related items.

Is this in line with the other folks here or is it higher or lower?
 
It's certainly less than 1 percent. Or maybe 2 percent. Unless you count ammo and everything, then maybe 3 percent, or perhaps 4. Well, now that I think about it, could be 5 or 6. Maybe 7, but no more than 8. Okay, it's probably 10.

Hard to say, because I've never tried to figure out what my "disposable income" or discretionary spending amounts to. But 10% is probably in the right ballpark. Got too many hobbies.
 
Hrmm... percentage of disposable income? That's kinda hard to estimate. I like cars. I have a project BMW 535is and I'm saving up for an early 80s Porsche 911SC. Those take up a bit of disposable income. We just moved in a new-to-us home and there are ongoing improvements. The wife and I both like movies A LOT and buy way too many DVDs and go to theaters too often. And she likes to eat at casual restaurants quite often.

I don't spend as much on guns as my wife probably thinks. I admit I stopped contributing to my 401k after I lost money three quarters in a row. I know... I know... Plenty of reasons to stick with it but I quit. I went through a big spurt of buying guns and reselling them for slight profit but I got to check out all kinds of guns as long as I wanted to. A unique position to be in. I've slowed down lately though.

I'd probably estimate 10% to 15% of my disposable income has gone to guns and ammo etc... over the last two years.
 
I don't have disposable income.

Every penny I make has somewhere it needs to go, but somehow, some way I manage to squeak out a few bucks here and there for guns. Any time I make a firearm purchase, even ammo or accessories, I'm neglecting something in my life to do it.

Sad reality of being a married guy with kids.
 
after the economy took a dump I haven't bought a single gun, unless you count the .22 I picked up for next to nothing. right now everything and then some goes toward rent, bills, and food and even then there's not enough to go around so the credit cards have all gone to collections, it's kind of amusing that these people somehow think that since I haven't paid a credit card bill in over a year then it must mean I have tons of cash laying around just waiting for them to call so I can pay off the whole thing.
 
I have 2 jobs....one full time and one part time.about 60 percent of my part time check goes to guns and ammo.I have put all but 1 of my guns on layaway to buy.Huge mortagage,15 yr old daughter,older house,crap car,these seem to take up most of my income.......buy hey "you Never Know":D
(NY staters will know the reference):cool:
 
I'd say 25-40% on ammo...

But our credit cards disagree because of impulse gun purchases. Now both of us have said, "No more guns until the credit card debt is paid off". Every time we seem to get a little ahead, one of us buys another toy.

Sheslinger
 
Great question and one that's been bugging me for the past 3 or 4 years because I suppose I'm not spending enough of it. I have a different problem than most folks. And if you think I'm cheap, you should meet my relatives.

After years and years of scrimping and pinching pennies I've finally reached the point where the only bills I have are for utilities, insurance, taxes and food. The trouble is I've grown too used to being cheap.

I guess I'll eventually get used to being able to buy stuff on a whim. Let me tell you it beats the heck out of paying half of my monthly takehome for a mortgage payment like I was in 1980. (Got my ex-girlfriend to sign the mortgage application, but not the deed, because she was a starving artist and moving west.)

Well, to be precise it was 75 cents less than half and all that bought me was an 80-y-o house that hadn't been heated for 2 years. No good deed goes unpunished...I take a chance on fringe area with a 12.75% mortgage...and now the city says it's worth $192K and wants $2660 for this year's taxes. :)

I'm off again today. One more cup of coffee and I think I'll go shopping on the way to the range.

John
 
Guns are at the bottom of my list when it comes to spending what ever extra money I have. I really only need one gun (IMO) and any other gun purchase takes a back seat to just about everything else.

This does not mean I don't have several guns a year pass through my safe, but I usually try not to lose money (at least not too much) on my gun purchases/trades. Other than my favorite 1911 which is my HD weapon I don't have any attachment to my guns so I end up trading and selling quite often.

At this point, I guess I could say I have spent everything I am ever going to spend on guns as I keep working from the inventory I have, but I reserve the right to change that at any time :)

ehenz
 
Disposable income...? Bwahahaaaaaaaaaaa!

Move guns to the "necessities" category is all it takes.
 
It depends which income stream. My summer/winter job, probably 20% goes towards guns, the rest towards college. My on-campus (only during the semester) job goes 100% to guns and ammo. Being 21 and only having to pay tuition bills (and gas for my truck) is great for my gun collection.

Kharn
 
What % of your disposable income is spent on guns, ammo and range fees?

Zero. During the Clinton years - when I was working - I "stocked up". I thought it was a good strategy, given the rate at which he and his cronies were stripping us of our Rights associated with firearms. I stopped buying guns and accessories when I stopped working, I reload everything I shoot except .22LR, I've got a lifetime supply of it. I volunteer as a Range Master at the local city shooting range - so my range fees are free and I get to contribute something back to the community in which I live. My shooting related costs are limited to my hunting license which I buy every year.
 
whats a disposable income ?? after been out of work for three months I have to scrimp every penny I earn for the next 3 months . but for the moment I have all my firearms back at home , so I won't be needing anything quite yet , but when it s time ........ :D
 
Oh my .... some sneaky guys around!!

Me? probably too much! Percent? No clue!

As i work for myself .... cash flow is very up and down .... in down spells i go from crisis to crisis at times .. then when better .... seem to find a gun purchase ''therapeutic''! :p Wife is incredibly understanding ..... but as long as we get bills paid ... somehow! ............

Seeing as I have just this week upgraded my truck (bigtime) and today also upgraded wife's car (bigtime) .... seems like another gun is way off on the horizon.

But .... I have a P97 on layaway and so ....... gotta find something to get that finalized!!

Oh, the holes we dig!!:rolleyes: :eek:
 
If you count....

- Shooting club memberships
- ammo
- firearms
- hunting licenses
- hunting trips & expenses
- Association memberships (NRA, etc)
- shooting accessories
- hunting clothes
- reloading components
- gun show fees
- trap-skeet-sporting clays fees
- targets
- gun cases
- optics
- hunting toys (ATV's, etc)
- meat processing after the hunting trips
- holsters
- gun magazine subscriptions
- firearm books & reloading manuals
- taxidermy

....multiply this by X3.....dad and two kids :what: I use to spend around $15,000+ per year, been trying to cut back....
 
Year to date I spent 17% of all my income :eek: on range fees, training, match fees and ammunition :eek: :eek:

On the hardware side, been mostly sales except for the .22 conversion and shipping and handling for repairs.
 
And i was feeling gulity when I bought 80 dollars worth of ammo last weekend :eek: . Made me start looking for a cheaper ammo eating gun like a 9mm or .22. What logic huh, ammo for your gun too expensive....buy a different gun :).
 
Life's too short and you are dead a long time. Enjoy the time you have to best of your abilities.

You can always make more money.

If anybody would like to hire my services as their personal financial advisor I can be reached at.....:neener:
 
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