Which group buys guns & accessories more often?

[Monkeyleg]

I'm curious as to what members here think about the gun and accessory buying habits of the various subsets of the shooting community. Do you think that trap shooters buy more guns and accessories than, say, competitive pistol shooters? I'm not talking ammo, but guns themselves and accessories such as scopes or shooting vests or treestands, etc.

I figure there's hunters, trap shooters, competitive shooters, plinkers, people who just like guns, and I'm sure other groups I'm missing.

So which group do you think gets more new stuff more often, and why do you think so?

 

[Justin]

I suppose you'd have to look at the minimum equipment required to participate in any given shooting event and break down the costs of each piece of gear.

For instance, the gear required to compete in IDPA is a lot different than the gear required to compete in ISSF air rifle or NRA Bullseye.

That said, competitive shooters probably spend the most money, especially those who are at the top of their game. They're willing to spend the money on equipment that has even a modest edge over other pieces of gear, and they also drop significant amounts of money on ammunition and reloading components.

 

[M2 Carbine]

From personal experience I would say the group that buys the most stuff is older shooters that have reached the point where they have a good bit of "disposable income".

I find that "senior" friends and I impulse buy a lot of guns.

 

[ErikO]

I'd have to go with the rich, retired segment of the community as M2 pointed out.

 

[JohnBT]

I'd vote for benchrest , but there aren't all that many of them. And duck hunting can chew through some money, but again, how many are there. But what do I know. There are an awful lot of deer hunters, even if they don't buy as much per person.

Good question.

 

[Racinready300ex]

I'd vote benchrest shooters. You need a rest and bag, and most guys go through a couple before finding the one they like. Wind flags are a must. Look at the guns, and the scopes. Think about the top level guys changing there barrels after 800-1000 rounds. Think about the reloading supplies, I have several scales, and a couple sets of dies per caliber. And that doesn't get into the testing of loads.

You can shoot benchrest with out spending that much, I do. But, I won't be setting any new world records either.

 

[rjrivero]

I shoot a lot of local 3 gun matches. That gear gets pricey quick. My daughter started shooting Jr. Marksmanship at our local Gun Club, and the outlay for her is much more modest than the multi-gun crowd, by a long shot.

 

[Geckgo]

tactical ninjas and rich kids with nothing to do buy the most accessories I think. Seems like the less a person knows about firearms the more "stuff" that they want to get.

Next would be the competition guys if I had to venture a guess, does gunsmithing count as an accessory?

Then, disposable income, but they fall into a couple groups. Some just shoot a lot, some buy accessories, some like to custom build 22s, some just want a lot of guns, others might be collectors.

Just my two coppers, I have not read any demographics on this topic, but I imagine the breakdown looks something like above.

 

[Justin]

I shoot a lot of local 3 gun matches. That gear gets pricey quick. My daughter started shooting Jr. Marksmanship at our local Gun Club, and the outlay for her is much more modest than the multi-gun crowd, by a long shot.

I'm fairly well convinced that 3 Gun is probably the most expensive shooting sport going. Most shooting sports you only need one or two guns, not three, plus all of the accessories and ammunition that go with them.

Another demographic willing to spend big money are guys who are into NFA items.