Range junkies, how do you keep costs down?

[PIRATE14]

Well this is what...I do..

Own a few gunshops....

Work my range shoots into marketing and advertising....

Go bar hoppin...get a few decent girls out to try shootin for a first time...

Join a club...

Drag everyone out to the range....toss CWS shirts on everyone...have a blast....

Leave all the brass there and mark them all with CWS....I only leave the brass...cause I have truck loads already...

[Mendo223]

im usually "jewish" about money in my life but when it comes to the range i dont hesitate running through 200 bucks in ammo...and i dont collect the brass either. at the appleseed shoot a couple guys came up to me like.."can i get your brass" and start crawling around picking up casings haha.

40 cents a round is expensive but experiancing a mag dump without ear protection on is worth every penny.

[Cowtown44]

I use a lot of small paper plates and 3x5 note cards. I've found that if I choose a smaller target I focus more, get better overall accuracy through increased concentration and save money because each shot counts and note cards/plates are cheap.

I also have lots of 22s to shoot to "get it out of my system".

When shooting revolvers, I don't load one chamber to focus on trigger control plus it saves a round.

Lots of dry firing.

[bombadillo]

I just bought a couple of .22s for this reason. I expect my ammo costs to drop and my range time to increase substantially.

This! I just bought a .22lr pistol which will keep costs down and trigger time up. I am going to start getting pickier about what I shoot and sell off some things that I don't use much anymore.

[Call_me_Tom]

I just returned from a day at the range. It ran me $18 for my girlfriend & I. I brought my own targets & ammo & this time I did my best to police my brass; & those of others shooting next to me. I'm going to start reloading sometime in the near future. 22LR is still on the list of things to buy.

[CalNRA]

I shoot one round, make a "pew pew" sound, and then shoot another round, repeat.

Costs can really be kept down when you get thrown out of the range within 5 minutes of starting....

[Tanner68]

Like others said.... make every shot count, focus on accuracy, and shoot with a plan.

I also shoot black powder. I sometimes hunt and shoot with a replica Hawken. The per round cost may still be around 25 or 30 cents, but when it takes a couple minutes to leisurely reload, I sure make every shot count.

[Tanner68]

Well this is what...I do..

Own a few gunshops....

Work my range shoots into marketing and advertising....

Go bar hoppin...get a few decent girls out to try shootin for a first time...

Join a club...

Drag everyone out to the range....toss CWS shirts on everyone...have a blast....

Leave all the brass there and mark them all with CWS....I only leave the brass...cause I have truck loads already...

What is up with that creepy third hand? Is that Thing from the Adams family?

[shooting4life]

Revolver same on ammo compared to autoloaders

[Turbinator]

I've been doing money saving tricks on range trips ever since I got into the hobby.

Bring my own targets - usually sheets of paper that I can tape up to one larger sheet.

Old calendars make great targets - you can aim for and try to hit specific days, or play "rack up the most points" by hitting the highest numbers. Just don't hang the calendar upside down such that you start hitting the hangers by mistake.

Bring my own supplies - everything - often the only thing I need from the indoor range is a lane. That's it.

Reuse my foam earplugs until they're too dirty, then wash them to reuse them some more. This is the plugs + muffs approach. I have essentially a lifetime supply of earplugs, with the bulk pack I bought long time ago.

Reload - costs less to shoot per round.

Save all the brass - even brass for calibers I don't shoot yet - no, I don't steal them from the range, I pick up the brass of my friends who don't reload.

Shoot bolt action - and go for accuracy, not volume or speed.

Take turns with a friend shooting a specific target on the paper (e.g. a colorful dot, or the X ring) - 1 shot at a time only - whoever hits it first wins. Introduces an element of competition, and slows you down to only doing 1 shot at a time. You have to make your shots count if you expect to beat your buddy at this game.

Turby

[Retzius]

Shoot alot of .22lr

When you are "expert" at your .22lr at 25-50 yards (which won't be any time in the near future) then move back up to your large calibers..

The improvement in your shooting will be enormous.

You need volume of shooting to really improve. Shooting 500 rounds of .308 is a pricey affair.

Yesterday I shot 500 rounds of .22 for 20 bucks.

[lugee]

I shoot a lot of .22LR (caliber conversions and own a lot of 22LR rifles), reloads, and wolf if necessary. I am a member of a club and that really helps to cut costs down.

Recently I have also cut down my shooting sessions from 3 hours to just 30 minutes to 1 hour. Also practicing on not being trigger happy and making your shots count really helps - haha.

[PutTogether]

im usually "jewish" about money in my life

Dude, WTF? Come up with a different adjective than "Jewish."

[UserM4]

I dry fire a few thousand times between range sessions. I've seriously been dry firing a lot and have had less urges to go to the range. I'm looking for a cheap laser light to help my practice at home.

[spencerhut]

Dude, WTF? Come up with a different adjective than "Jewish."

Uh . . . get a sense of humor and don't be such a PC wimp.