Retirement and gun/ammo/range costs

[mcapo]

#2.....I had a little trading session the other night. 3 pieces changed hands. Cost me $60 for the spouses cut.....
She is a very qualified negotiator.

I hope she monitors this thread as by my count you owe her another $120 for the six mags that changed hands. Four of which I deeply appreciate!!!

 

[churchmouse]

I hope she monitors this thread as by my count you owe her another $120 for the six mags that changed hands. Four of which I deeply appreciate!!!

Hush you.

 

[WebSnyper]

#2.....I had a little trading session the other night. 3 pieces changed hands. Cost me $60 for the spouses cut.....
She is a very qualified negotiator.

Man, she gets paid on trades and not just purchases? Sounds like she took financial lessons from the BMV

 

[churchmouse]

Man, she gets paid on trades and not just purchases? Sounds like she took financial lessons from the BMV

She is a very qualified negotiator....
The deal was an transaction. She sat in on this one. Saw my gun go out and 2 come in. I was doomed.....

I am just glad she missed the mags.....

 

[doddg]

You guys are hilarious!
Makes it all the more fun since I met your wife cm: a gracious lady.

 

[doddg]

Move to an area where you can shot outside your home. Anytime you come across an ammo deal, you buy it cheap and stack it deep.

1. Wow! That brings back memories!
2. I spent half my life growing up next to a woods: no problem shooting there, and in college in Arkansas, when married (1973) I could go outside the little "mother-in-law house" I was renting, and there was a cow pasture next door to me and I could go out, put a can on the wood fence post and "test fire" a little bit, if the cows were not around, ha!
3. I had a close friend who now lives in Denver who bought the quintessential "log cabin-in-the-woods, and had to buy a gun/rifle (not remember) for his wife since the occasional bear would roam around at night (unbelievable!). He was an avid hunter and he thought it was a great adventure. I lost touch with him but I wonder if she still lives out there.
4. All that to say, my wife isn't going out away from the city limits where you can fire your guns in this lifetime.

 

[CindyE]

I doubt I will retire if i can't do the things I enjoy, shooting being one of those things. I don't do enough of it the way it is. Husband is 59, so retirement is possibly looming for him. I never mentioned cutting back on shooting or guns. I DID mention he will have to cut back on beer, maybe help around the house more, so we both can have time to do what we enjoy.

 

[Snapdragon]

I do not think that reloading would be practical for you. What I would suggest is training efficiently with the ammo you buy. If you shoot one box per month wisely, you can keep your hobby for about $10-15 per month plus range fees, depending on the caliber. Choose one gun every month and do the dot torture drill. It is a very efficient, structured drill that gets in a lot of training on 50 rounds of ammo. It is geared toward pistol but could be adapted to revolvers.

[video=youtube;PfwjzYetglg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfwjzYetglg[/video]

 

[halfmileharry]

I doubt I will retire if i can't do the things I enjoy, shooting being one of those things. I don't do enough of it the way it is. Husband is 59, so retirement is possibly looming for him. I never mentioned cutting back on shooting or guns. I DID mention he will have to cut back on beer, maybe help around the house more, so we both can have time to do what we enjoy.

 

[doddg]

I do not think that reloading would be practical for you. What I would suggest is training efficiently with the ammo you buy. If you shoot one box per month wisely, you can keep your hobby for about $10-15 per month plus range fees, depending on the caliber. Choose one gun every month and do the dot torture drill. It is a very efficient, structured drill that gets in a lot of training on 50 rounds of ammo. It is geared toward pistol but could be adapted to revolvers.
[video=youtube;PfwjzYetglg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfwjzYetglg[/video]

1. Thanks! I watched it all.
2. Someone (maybe you) had told me about this and it is imminently practical.
3. I'd already thought about what said (since I over-analyze everything) and since I have only $13/mo. range fees, going 1x/mo. to keep active would be doable with the 9mms, plus adding in a little .22LR fun, ha!
4. When retired, I could find a place further away that's even less expensive, since I would wouldn't have work to mess with. I have heard of even "free" ranges at minimal cost.
5. When the time comes I'll ask on INGO.
6. Just ordered 50 online! Thanks again.
7. I did something like this in training and it is harder than you'd think being so close: lesson learned.

 

[Snapdragon]

Look for specials on the range fees also. I don't know how many ranges are in your area, but some of them have specials. I bought an 8-visit range pass to Point Blank for $40 or $45. Some ranges might have senior specials. I would shop around.

 

[CindyE]

Not even for guns and range time?

 

[doddg]

I doubt I will retire if i can't do the things I enjoy, shooting being one of those things. I don't do enough of it the way it is. Husband is 59, so retirement is possibly looming for him. I never mentioned cutting back on shooting or guns. I DID mention he will have to cut back on beer, maybe help around the house more, so we both can have time to do what we enjoy.

1. I had to smile at that. I try to drink 1 beer or some wine everyday like my vitamins/supplements if I remember, I'm a real lightweight. I'll go days and forget about it. Since last Friday I've been home sick and never even entered my mind.
2. My wife once did mention I'd have to cut the beer when retired (I think she was kidding, ha!). I buy the cheapest beer Sams has on sale. Lately it's been a $12/case for Millers. Yes, I'm that cheap. I do splurge and get the good stuff sometimes, but in the hot summer: just need cold anybeer after mowing the grass.

3. Someone has been talking to my wife.

Look for specials on the range fees also. I don't know how many ranges are in your area, but some of them have specials. I bought an 8-visit range pass to Point Blank for $40 or $45. Some ranges might have senior specials. I would shop around.

4. On that thought, I got my daughter to buy a 3 mos. of Point Blank Range time for Xmas: I think I'll start a tradition.
5. I had a retired couple at church that dressed sharp, b/c they went to the Goodwill, Kidney Foundation places on the days prices were marked down, and they knew where to eat out for lunch specials: my idols!

 

[Snapdragon]

There's a whole thread on saving money here somewhere. I'm running off to work right now. Can anyone else find it?

 

[NHT3]

1. They don't.
2. I won't be spending my last days as a range-rat: it's a hobby not a life-long quest.
3. Working at a range sweeping up brass won't work for me.



4. Now, working behind the counter helping people buy a gun: that's romance for me!

To each his own but I have NO desire to sell, I much prefer RSO work. Training and sweeping brass beats sales or range counter in my mind but again, to each his own. The selling is not nearly as glamorous as you might imagine. People can be difficult and there's nothing more difficult than a Youtube expert/Keyboard commando as a customer.
"Range rat" sounds a little derogatory but I'm happy still enjoy shooting and competing so I'll take it as a compliment. Acquiring the knowledge and skills to train others has been very rewarding for me. You won't get rich but it might support your habit.
I'm a firm believer that 6 hours of TV time a day is the path to an early grave but that's just MHO. You will want to find something to do and you might as well enjoy it and get paid a few bucks for doing it. There hasn't been a day that I regret being retired and I doubt that you will regret it either.
[FONT=&amp]NRA Life Member / [/FONT]Basic Pistol instructor[FONT=&amp] / RSO[/FONT][FONT=&amp]

[/FONT][FONT=&amp]"Under pressure, you don't rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training. That's why we train so hard" [/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Unnamed Navy Seal[/FONT][FONT=&amp]

[/FONT][FONT=&amp]“Ego is the reason many men do not shoot competition. They don't want to suck in public” [/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Aron Bright[/FONT]

 

[churchmouse]

To each his own but I have NO desire to sell, I much prefer RSO work. Training and sweeping brass beats sales or range counter in my mind but again, to each his own. The selling is not nearly as glamorous as you might imagine. People can be difficult and there's nothing more difficult than Youtube expert/keyboard commando as a customer.
"Range rat" sounds a little derogatory but I'm happy still enjoy shooting and competing so I'll take it as a compliment. Acquiring the knowledge and skills to train others has been very rewarding for me. You won't get rich but it might support your habit.
I'm a firm believer that 6 hours of TV time a day is the path to an early grave but that's just MHO. You will want to find something to do and you might as well enjoy it and get paid a few bucks for doing it. There hasn't been a day that I regret being retired and I doubt that you will regret it either.
[FONT=&]NRA Life Member / [/FONT]Basic Pistol instructor[FONT=&] / RSO[/FONT][FONT=&]

[/FONT][FONT=&]"Under pressure, you don't rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training. That's why we train so hard" [/FONT][FONT=&]
[/FONT][FONT=&]Unnamed Navy Seal[/FONT][FONT=&]

[/FONT][FONT=&]“Ego is the reason many men do not shoot competition. They don't want to suck in public” [/FONT][FONT=&]
[/FONT][FONT=&]
[/FONT][FONT=&]Aron Bright[/FONT]

Dealing with the general public holds zero glamour to me. Pre-determined opinions/notions put in place by friends/you tube are so hard to over come.

 

[halfmileharry]

Not even for guns and range time?

I guess a healthy relationship is full of compromise... (or so I'm told)

 

[bwframe]

I do not think that reloading would be practical for you. What I would suggest is training efficiently with the ammo you buy. If you shoot one box per month wisely, you can keep your hobby for about $10-15 per month plus range fees, depending on the caliber. Choose one gun every month and do the dot torture drill. It is a very efficient, structured drill that gets in a lot of training on 50 rounds of ammo. It is geared toward pistol but could be adapted to revolvers.

[video=youtube;PfwjzYetglg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfwjzYetglg[/video]

Save more money. Print your own, with black ink only:

https://pistol-training.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/dot-torture-target.pdf

 

[Leadeye]

I help the gardener with the dishes, it keeps her happy.

The gun or car hobbies never bother her.

 

[Bosshoss]

Been reading this for the last few days and said I wasn't going to get in it but I thought I would add my .

RELOADING
I hate reloading because years ago I was working 50+ hours a week and wife and I were shooting competition every weekend. With some practice thrown in I was reloading 40K a year to keep us both in ammo(not counting .22 we shot in competition). Not only were we shooting competition we were the Match Director at the local club and that entailed several hours work a week to keep things going at the club.
I still found time to reload as I couldn't afford to buy ammo at that volume. If you really want to shoot you will figure out some time to reload.
IMO if you truly don't have time to reload you don't have time to shoot.

I hear all the time "I don't have space"(CM ) again if you want to shoot much you can find a way. I knew a guy that lived in a tiny apartment that had 1 room and a bathroom. He had a hitch adapter made up that his press mounted to and carried his press out to the truck and set down behind the truck and reloaded. Heard of a guy that retired and had a small motorhome that traveled around the country shooting USPSA matches had a similar setup that he reload from the hitch on the back of the motorhome.

Someone mentioned that if the price of ammo went up the price of components would go up also. While that may be true to some extent it hasn't went up the same amount as loaded ammo. One of the big wins for reloading is after Sandy Hook loaded ammo disappeared from the shelf's of stores. I continued shooting as normal with the exception of .22's and I quit using them for practice and saved what I had for matches. Those that didn't reload quit shooting because they couldn't find enough ammo or were afraid to shoot what they had because they weren't sure they could get more.

Primers and powder were harder to come by during that period but if you looked around you could usually find it and when you did you stocked up.

OK how on to the cost involved. A reloading press is a investment if you buy the right equipment. Not only will it pay for itself, when you are done with it you or your family can sell it and recoup a large portion of your investment. IMO it is just another gun in my collection.

9MM ammo is cheap right now but I can load 100 rounds for $10-$11. So it would take a little longer than some calibers to "break even on the equipment".
I can load 45acp for around $15 a 100 and .40 S&W in between the two.
The big savings is the less popular calibers like .44 Mag/Special and 10MM, and 45LC, which I can load for between $15-$20 for 100 depending on what bullet I use and how hot I load them.
Any rifle caliber except .223/.556 and maybe 7.62x39 it is much cheaper to reload and even those two it is still cheaper to reload than shoot factory.
I didn't count the cost of brass because it is a reusable item and cheap in the popular calibers or free if you want to pick up range brass.
If you are shooting factory ammo and not picking up your brass then you are walking away and leaving money on the floor even if you don't reload.
If you are only shooting a couple of hundred rounds a year then yeah you don't need to reload.

Not picking on anyone but just a few observations. I have to admit that it seems hard to figure that someone works overtime or extra jobs to come home and order more ammo when they could stay home from work and load there own.
I must confess to doing the same thing though and the overtime I worked bought me some great cars, motorcycles, and guns that I couldn't have had otherwise. But going to work when I could stay home and do something I could do myself seems silly now that I'm older and retired.

I said at the start I hate reloading but I realize that I couldn't shoot as much or at all without reloading so it is a necessity
to enjoy the shooting sports at least for me.

It seems strange to see pictures posted of some great collections of guns(worth thousands of dollars) and the owners say they don't want to reload because of the initial investment .

Reloading is not for everyone and while I don't necessarily enjoy it, some really do enjoy reloading just like some people like mowing the grass . I don't care for either one but still do them.

I don't know the OP but I have followed his journey online with fascination and sometimes bewilderment .
It's great to see someone so excited about our hobby/sport.
I have to say that his claim of being fugal/tight/thrifty is funny when he is spending $5200 a year on ammo and not even considering reloading but instead will shoot less when you retire to save money. You do know that if you quit shooting all together you will save even more money. In fact if you sold all your guns and put the money in the bank you can sit around in your retirement and admire your bank balance.
I'm just picking on you to try to make a point. It's your retirement do what you enjoy and retirement is not a reason to stop doing what you enjoy. If money is tight you will find a way to make it work.

A couple observations doddg your shooting has improved a lot since the beginning and you are shooting good groups.
IMO now you should work on getting your speed up. It will be a whole new challenge and will be a new learning experience trying to keep your accuracy up while upping the cadence some.

Good luck with your decision.