Yearly Gun Expenditure

[giggitygiggity]

For this year, I have decided to limit my gun-related spending to $3000. I do not know how much I typically spend, but I am going to monitor it more closely. It's too easy to buy more than what you need because of the abundance of cool items out there.

The $3000 includes guns, optics, lights, lasers, scope rings, scope bases, ammo, slings, bipods, etc. According to my rules, if I sell a gun-related item, the proceeds from selling that item go into the gun budget.

Does anyone do something similar? How much does everyone else spend on guns in a year?

 

[FROGO207]

Boy you show some restraint there. Wish I was that focused.

For a loooong time I was in the buy a firearm a month club. Now I only buy something if it is really interesting or too good of a deal to pass up.

FWIW I spend three times that amount and then consume the same on reloading supplies in an average year.

 

[LoneGoose]

I don't know how a lot of people are, but I spend when I feel a "need" for something. As an example this year, I bought a Richards-Mason Conversion replica in .44 Special that is too accurate to believe. So I got the components and started loading .44 Specials. Then I thought, "I wonder how .44 Russian would do in this?", so I bought the components and started loading them. Had to get a holster for it. Then I realized how much used brass I have handy and thought I'd better start reloading for all of those other calibers as well. More components. Got them all loaded, so I thought I'd better stock up on components while they're available and affordable. A pistol here, a rifle there, who knows? I consider shooting to be my favorite hobby, and to me a hobby is where you put money you can afford to spend. Also to me, there's nothing worse than having a beautiful summer day and no ammo.

 

[JSH1]

I have my eye on a Ruger GP100 Match Champion. I also seriously need to lose some weight as I'm now well past 200 pounds and closing in on 220 pounds. So, I have made a wager with Healthywage.com that I will lose 35 lbs in the next 12 months. I put up $60 a month, if I meet the goal I get my $720 and they kick in another $360 for a total of $1080 in my pocket. That should be enough for the Ruger, a set of dies, and some ammo. If I don't hit the goal, no Ruger for me.

I'm good on ammo but I'll be adding an air pistol to the collection for garage target practice.

 

[savage24]

savage24's four step budget plan:
1. Contribute to savings
2. Pay bills
3. Fund retirement
4. Buy guns with what's left

I'm not sure how much I spend per year on guns, shooting, reloading but it is probably between $6-10k.

 

[arizona_cards_11]

I probably spend about $10k/year on guns/ammo/reloading -- but then I'll sell $5k of items from the previous years. I feel too guilty to continue spending money that way without selling something to recoup part of the cost.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

savage24's four step budget plan:
1. Contribute to savings
2. Pay bills
3. Fund retirement
4. Buy guns with what's left

I'm not sure how much I spend per year on guns, shooting, reloading but it is probably between $6-10k.

Smart plan

 

[Devonai]

I buy one gun a year on average (and usually trade something I've lost interest in), and I'm not a high-volume shooter, so I clock in under $1000/year. Some notable exceptions include the year I bought an M1 Garand and late in 1999 when I fell victim to Y2K hysteria and bought a few thousand rounds.

 

[v35]

How much does everyone else spend on guns in a year?

Not nearly enough, but I'm working on it.

 

[horsemen61]

Just in case the better half finds this I spend less than I want to I don't keep track of it

 

[cat_IT_guy]

I just gave myself a "raise" to $175/mo, following a really good year at work (and corresponding increases in income). This is part of the normal budget. If we come into unexpected money, that is, money outside of normal income (bonus, tax refund, gift, inheritance, etc), we set aside money for retirement, taxes, future needs, and finally earmark a chunk of it, usually 10-30% for fun spending. Fun spending generally translates into guns & related items for me.

 

[tark]

Not sure how much this totals up to, but this is my 2015 buy, excepting the Ruger old army and the Pedersoli double rifle. They were given to me. The Browning Auto is a 12 Mag and is Belgium. It has had maybe one box of shells run through it. If I had a box I could almost call it NIB. It was made in 1976. I Ran a thread on the broomhandle, it is the one that was apparently never fired after Proofing. The other one is my shooter.

I am guessing about $7,000 for the bunch.

 

[Cowhide Cliff]

For this year, I have decided to limit my gun-related spending to $3000.

Thats per month right?

Honestly I could never put a number on what I spend because it's all determined by other costs of living and how much extra spending money I have left over. After that I don't have a certain list of what to buy. Depending on how much time I get to shoot determines cost of ammo and you never know when you come across a deal on something too nice to pass up.

 

[gbran]

I just spent more than $3,000 in the last few months. BTW, I didn't get much. I'm not rich, but I'm not married either.

 

[morcey2]

More than I should, but less than I want.

Some months I spend $0, but others I spend quite a bit (relatively). It all depends on what I'm doing that month.

 

[22-rimfire]

Don't have any budget for guns. If I get the urge, I try to buy the best possible choice that I can afford. I was also in the gun a month crowd for a few years. Sold a lot of those.

 

[tarosean]

I plead the 5th

 

[bannockburn]

1) Pay bills. $$$$
2) Contribute to savings. $
3) Fund retirement. $
4) Remodel home. $$$

Right now there's nothing really left in the budget to buy much of anything. $0

 

[Praxidike]

I spend about $1000-$2000 a year on firearm related items (ammo, accessories, range fees, firearms, etc). I'm even going to try and cut that back this year, but I'm already about $600 in the hole buying things I want, but don't really need...

 

[BearBrimstone]

I think I spent around $1500 on firearms related items last year. I don't limit myself to a specific amount, but I believe its in that ballpark every year.

 

[il.bill]

Just in case the better half finds this I spend less than I want to I don't keep track of it

Ummm ... I too, spend next to nothing on my shooting hobby, dear.

 

[yugorpk]

Between bonus's, capital gains, a rental house sale, a boat sale and some other stuff I had a VERY good year last year. Very good. My gun expenditures were in the $20K+ range. I don't expect to repeat that this year. I spent some time and money bulking up on supplies for the post election madness I see coming. Ive got 5+ years of ammo and supplies and all the guns I need/want so this could be a rather light year actually.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I try to limit myself to no more than two gun purchases a year, but that often involves a trade in. In years past, between ammo, and gun purchases, I was probably right around $3000. I have just picked up a Dillon Press though, so I suspect that my expenditure this year will be more like $3000 to $5000.

 

[RA40]

My rough estimate would be in the $2.5K range and 1/3'rd is towards ammo. I'm pretty happy with what I've bought that I'm not on a treadmill of buying. There are many temptations and I only have room for so many so purchases are tempered in that regard.

 

[Reloadron]

Does anyone do something similar? How much does everyone else spend on guns in a year?

No, I don't have a gun budget and I have no idea what I spend on guns every year. I can tell you that I do not spend money I don't have on anything. The next major expense is another gun safe. I estimate around 3K on that. Before I get that I need to make space in the gun room area. Currently I just have too many guns crammed in the existing safe and don't want my long guns scraping on each other.

Anyway as to guns expenditures? No idea but it is not a constant. One year I may spend 10K and the following year 2K. When I see a gun I like or collect I buy it if we have the money.

Ron