How has the current economy effected your shooting/training?

[RogerinTPA]

For pistol, I've been shooting 9mm, 150 rounds max per weekend and the same for .223, almost exclusively since the "Obama Effect" took hold on ammo prices after the election. I occasionally shoot my M&P40 and 45 every other month and no 7.62x39 any more, due to sky rocketing prices. If this keeps up, I'll be down to my .22 ammo exclusively for pistol training. Every time I look at my AK stash, I think, this would be a a good down payment on a new car!

[Gutshot John]

I voted "very little" but that's only partially true.

I'm actually training/going to classes more...and getting broker everyday since the state of Obamaconomics is likely to make it more vital.

Fortunately I had stocked up on a lot of 9mm/5.56 ammo, but since I don't see ammo getting any cheaper, there won't ever be a better time.

I don't go to the range for practice/fun as much as I used to and I shoot less when I do. I now train with a purpose and when I do practice, it's never more than 150-300 rounds/range session. I try to save my ammo for classes as much as possible.

[RogerinTPA]

Fortunately I had stocked up on a lot of 9mm/5.56 ammo, but since I don't see ammo getting any cheaper, there won't ever be a better time.

I did the same thing thank God. I should be GTG for the next few years, but I have cut the ammo expenditure buy 25%. Sticking to just one caliber in pistol and rifle helps. The AK variant, the .40 &.45 pistols, will have to be retired to familiarization purposes only. Dry firing drills are going to be the preferred method of training if this keeps up...



I try to save my ammo for classes as much as possible.

Same here, and trying to get at least 2-3 classes per year.

[HES]

Well my business has taken an over 50% hit in income. The cost of gas and food have skyrocketed. The kids are eating more as they grow. Finally, of course, ammo prices have gone through the roof. So time at the range has been severely diminished for us

[BrentPete]

I am actually more serious about training now. I am taking my first real class in June. :p

[RogerinTPA]

Well my business has taken an over 50% hit in income. The cost of gas and food have skyrocketed. The kids are eating more as they grow. Finally, of course, ammo prices have gone through the roof. So time at the range has been severely diminished for us

Sorry to here that HES. I hope your business will recover soon.

[FlyAndFight]

I voted "very little", but truth be told, I've been shooting more in the last couple of months than I have in the past 6.

I've been taking "newbies" to the range and exposing them to the wonderful inalienable right that they have, found in the 2nd Amendment of our Constitution... ;)

Two of those actually voted for the current President. Go figure...

While I too was able to stock up on the major calibers (9mm, 5.56, etc...) I'm still buying a couple of boxes of those, plus my AK calibers (7.62 and 5.56), .45 ACP as well as a ton of .22LR whenever I run into it.

[LOKNLOD]

The whole thing is frustrating, if not downright infuriating.

I'm a young guy, and only in the past couple years have I been getting on my feet enough to actually get serious about this. Now is an expensive time for me, we're at the age to be focusing on buying our home, having kids, and building some financial stability. We've had threads where others have basically said "we knew this stuff was coming, it's your fault if you didn't take advantage of the good times". Well that's half true, because I did know it was coming but just flat out couldn't do much to take advantage of the boom days. I missed the heyday of cheap ammo by the truckload.

Now, if I buy guns, I can't afford the ammo for them. If I buy ammo, I don't have much to shoot it through. If I focus on training, I can't afford the ammo and accouterments for for the class. What ammo I do have on hand, I'm leery of shooting because I can't afford (or find) replacement. Then on top of the financial concern of the whole deal, is the lingering fear of legislation preventing me from getting one thing or another before I'm "done".

Makes it tough to be a serious-minded shooter these days.

I do have to temper this by saying I can only complain to a point, because I've been very blessed in most every way/ I'm a lucky man and am very rich in many non-material ways... but I still get a little disgruntled because everything I enjoy and value in life is under constant assault...be it socially, economically, or politically, seems like somebody's always casting a bad shadow.

[HES]

Sorry to here that HES. I hope your business will recover soon.
Thanks. Its just so damned competitive as a male stripper these days.






Seriously though, it could be worse. Most of this is me crying in my beer. At least Ive got one paying client and the shoulder is feeling like its ready to head out to the range. So who knows. If I can get a hold of reloading things will probably be looking better. We'll all get through this. We just have to hang in there.

[Bat Guano]

My 5.56 practice is usually single shots on a timer, so I don't fire all that many rounds. I reload, so I use my "seconds" loaded rounds for close fast work. I am content with firing two 18 round short mags.

I shoot mostly revolvers, and mostly DA revolver these days. As a rule I load them "ball and dummy" aka "skip loading" which gives me three live rounds for six hammer falls. Good discipline for trigger control and follow-through, plus it doesn't take much ammo for a productive session.

And then there's always the .22 LR. I have a Colt conversion unit for 1911s, and a S&W M18 .22 Combat Masterpiece (plus various other .22s.) Interestingly enough, .22 LR smallbore rifle was somewhat popular, with outdoor ranges out to 100, 200, and even 300 yards. I have a nice M1903 M2 Springfield with 1934 barrel date and Lyman 48 sights. Also have the wind and elevation charts for .22 LR out to 300 yards. If my eyes were up to it I would be good to go...

I remember saving up to buy .22 Shorts when I was a kid, so frugal shooting is an old story to me. Never could understand why some people think they need to be ankle deep in fired brass to have a good time.

[Dedpoet]

I voted down 50%.

LOKNLOD's post could have been my own. I'll be 33 this month and bought my first firearm at 29. In that time I've gotten married and we're getting serious about having children. Meanwhile I've gotten serious about training and shooting and have just started dabbling into handgun competition. The ammo requirements for this stuff starts to add up incredibly fast. .223 was still relatively inexpensive when I started shooting but by the time I bought my AR it was climbing quickly.

I load all of my .45ACP and shoot cast lead for the most part, so I can load .45 cheaper than I can buy factory 9mm. I have some .223 that I loaded for about $260/1000 including purchased processed brass. But I don't like to dip into it much since replacing it would cost close to $400/1000 now with the component price increases, if I could even get my hands on primers.

I got a CMMG .22 conversion kit for my AR and that has helped tremendously and have also been splitting handgun range time between my 1911's and my Buckmark. Even bulk .22 is getting hard to find now. I made nice with the sporting goods guy at the China-Mart around the corner from work and he has been sending me a text message when he gets Federal bulk .22 boxes in. I stopped in Monday because I hadn't heard anything in over a week. He opened the cabinet, scanned the shelf barcode with his gun and showed me the screen. "Out in warehouse. Cannot order." Yikes.

[larry0071]

I said very little because I just recently got back into firearms after a wife and 3 child forced break for 10 years or so. OK, 15 years.

I would be more active but I am currently in debt out my butt, my business is pretty much completely failed and I'm near bankrupt from that, and I just took on a full time job in November since we were in the midst of a nasty financial "crash and burn" that is far from over. Owning your own small business is the greatest feeling when it is working and the orders are rolling in... but when the phones go silent and money stops coming in.... real fast you realize your overhead is eating everything... you try to ignore it and hope for a come back that will save you.... but it never comes. Soon, you owe thousands of dollars to suppliers and customers and you have no money to pay any of them. You panick.

So because of that situation, I have closed the retail store, gotten rid of all employees, dropped nearly all advertising and have no one to answer phones. I am working a full time job that I barely like and trying to isolate my family from my financial ruin of the once thriving business. For now, one day at a time and hope no one I owe money to shows up and kills me. Yea, things are bad. So bad, I am thinking of selling my guns to pay off some debts. I don't want to... in the worst kind of way I don't want to.

[WGG]

For the first half of 2008 I was at the range at least twice per month shooting. Once the gas and ammo prices went through the roof I cut back to no more than once per month.
I bought two Nighthawk 1911's and an LMT m4 last year . While I don't regret these purchases I wish I had the foresight to have purchased more .45 and 5.56 ammo. I continue to train but do so less frequently now. I am forgoing some sessions at the range to save money for ammo purchases - when I can find it.

[RD62]

I've consolidated calibers and gone from .45 ACP to 9mm. It allows me to shoot more for the same $$$.

When I can actually find ammo that is!

That's been the thing that's cut into my range time most!

-RD62