Has the economy affected your shooting habit?

[Ulmus]

With everything going up in price, have you changed your shooting priorities?

Do you go to the range less?  Do you bring less guns?  Do you shoot less ammo while at the range?  Do you shoot more rimfire and less centerfire?  If in a sport (IPSC, SASS, IDPA, Skeet, ect...) do you go as often or do you miss a match or two?  Have you skimped on something else so you can keep up with your habit?

I know it's affected me.  I haven't bought any ammo in months and the last time I was at a range was when I went to pick up that beautiful Mossberg 464.  (I did sneak in ten minutes at a public range and fired of maybe 35 rounds of rimfire since it was near my official destination, but I can't really count that.)

How's your habit going?

[TAB]

yes, its let me actually shoot more.( which is to say once or twice a month, rather then once ever 6 weeks or so)   Instead of me having 10-12 guys working for me on 5-7 jobs at a time.  its down to 2-4 and only 1-3 jobs.

[jaybet]

I shoot less (more carefully) but go to the range more often. I used to blast away, rapid fire, etc. just for the sheer fun of it. Don't do that much anymore. I shoot less .45 acp and more 9mm and .22 LR. I also shoot a lot more Wolf than I used to...the savings are significant and I have no problems with feeding or failures.

[twyacht]

Yes, I don't shoot the ones I really like to shoot as much. The prices of .45LC sting!

I have bought more firearms this year, due to the very likely chance that they will be more next year. But ammo prices frankly "suck".

I shoot my 22 more, and instead of shooting 4-5 boxes, just shoot 2 of other calibers. .380, .40 ..45 ACP, .223,

Looking at a 7.62 x 39, just because ammo is still "reasonable".

I shoot 3-5 times a month and that hasn't changed, just the volume and variety.

Hell, they even raised the price for my Airsoft pellets!

[alfack]

It has affected me, too. Even the price of reloading supplies is ridiculous. It costs as much to roll your own as it did to buy commercial ammo a few years ago.

I can't believe demand has not lowered enough to cause prices to drop.

[Sponsor]

[m25operator]

Yes it has affected me as well, as a lot of you know, I dropped out of active shooting 7-8 years ago for many reasons, now I'm shooting competition again, and needing to replenish my supplies, I am getting sticker shock every time I shop.

I stocked up on supplies and ammo many moons ago, If all did was hunt, I would pass on 5 lifetimes of supplies and ammunition for the common person. But, I was and am a shooter, that means shooting alot. although I have what most people would consider more than I need, if I go back to shooting 5k rounds a month, it will go fast. I also want to protect my reserve supply, the stuff that is there if things go bad, kind of like your savings account and 401k, I don't want to touch it. Although prices are so high I could make an easy 3,000 dollars on ammo that I have put away. At some point I would have to replace it so there it is.

I do shoot more .22rf now, as it is cheap and works to keep the trigger time in, when I practice with centerfire, I try to do it, with a purpose, to improve.  I love to blast as much as anybody, but it's alot like gasoline prices, I don't do 70 and 80mph, like I used to, when I see somebody peel out at a red light I say " there go's a buck for 30 feet ".

I even have casting equipment and supplies that I have never tapped, because things were so reasonable in the past, but it's there when I want to do it.

My advice, look for deals, on ammo and components. Stock up on any good deal even if you don't shoot that caliber, you can trade it later. Go to older shooting ranges and stores that have old inventory, that may not have been marked up yet. I'm Thinking of building the 5.45 AR15, because that ammo has not gone up much, YET!!!

A side note, match ammunition has not gone up percentage wise like surplus and commercial, for years .308 Federal gold metal 168 match has been 17 - 20 bucks a box of 20, it is only 25 bucks now. Military surplus has gone from 15cents around to 50 cents a round 300+ %, match ammo, up only 25%.

[Bill Stryker]

Yer durn tootin it has affected my shooting.
1. I hardly ever shoot shotgun anymore since the price of shot soared over $40 here. I used to shoot shotgun once or twice a week.
2. I am shooting my .22 more and my centerfires less.
3. I used to bring several guns to the range to maximize my range time. Now I bring only 2 or 3 and one of those will be a .22. I am still using .22 ammo I bought on sale as much as 20 years ago.
4. While I still go to the range several times a week, I do not go to the range that charges me $15 to $20 to shoot indoors. Instead I go to the outdoor range that does not charge me for rifle or pistol shooting because it is included in my annual dues. Did I mention that the clubs outdoor range has a cover over the firing points and part of it can be heated in winter.
5. I dropped out of one of the clubs I belonged to for many years because I was not using their shotgun range enough to make it worth it and they started chargeing a "lead removal" surcharge! One of my clubs made big bucks allowing a mining company to come in and remove the lead from the shotgun fields and rifle/pistol berms!
6. I have reloaded for a very long time. Now I am considering and doing reloading for more calibers than before.

[tombogan03884]

Yes, I can't remember the last time I shot my .45, strictly 22 the last 6 months or so. And between gas prices and ammo prices I have not shot rifle this year

[Walter45Auto]

Yes it has, because the economy (Namely the housing market.) has affected my WORK. I don't get to shoot as often, and cant afford to be a member on my favorite shooting grounds this year. It hasn't affected the number of guns I take to the range (Still have 9 left to clean from last Saturdays trip.). The last 2 range trips, I  did shoot fewer rounds of ammo, but both were more due to time constraints than ammo price.

[2HOW]

Absitively, posalutely, AFIRMATIVE.  Sucks to be broke, WANNA BUY A FORD? CALL ME