Just dumping lead into the dirt might make for some economical scrutiny.
But if you're wanting to shoot well (and or well more often).....then you will reload.
Unless you choose something funky, the costs are about the same.
So you can pick just about anything.
Maybe even more than one rifle
Shooting is not a cheap sport. Shooting above average means investing time and money in gear, and ammo. But IMHO the ammo is the least of the worries.
Who cares if a couple of boxes of ammo cost an extra 20 bucks over the cheap milsurp stuff? When you miss a day of overtime at work (taking Saturday off) and burning 30 bucks in gas to go to the range and back.
Sure cheaper ammo and guns are fun. But you don't really learn anything by messing with stuff that shoots with more variation than the shooter.
So.........you have serious guns, and fun guns.
I do understand economics, but wonder how much of this detailed bean counter mentality..........is guys driving new cars wanting to shoot for pennies. Spend your money however you want....but I keep seeing this supposed studious look at shooting, where folks want one gun to do it all.
Really, if one gets serious about their shooting of that one gun........it is MHO that they will buy more than the one gun. Then all that banter about economics just went down the toilet.
Never met a serious shooter with just one gun.