Comparing the Cost of Shooting Sports

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Aragon

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I was just thinking about what it costs to shoot a match versus other activities I am involved with on weekends:

Golf:

Green Fees $47.00
Cart fee (I don't use one) $0.00
Miscellaneous (lost balls, etc.) $5.00

Specialized gear (clubs, shoes, bag, etc.) $750.00


Day Hiking:

Parking permit on some weekends: $5.00

Specialized gear (boots, trekking poles, ice axe, backpack) $500.00


Shooting:

Match fee: $15.00
Ammo (last weekends, 300 rounds of .22LR) $25.00

Specialized gear (guns, cases, ears, eyes, etc.) $950.00


I never really thought about this in these terms before...
 
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I'm lucky since I can hunt my own land so meat cost is down some but I know it's not free like people thing. Dove season this year was $$$$ for me, had to buy out of state 3 day license ($60), drive 2hrs there and 2 back, feed my kids, shells shot, etc and got one meal out of it. Yes, that was an $$$$ meal!

A small gain to the shooting sports is that your gear has some value down the road. I'm not a golfer but seems those clubs aren't worth much once you walk out the shop with them. Also, I can shoot a lot on my place with just the cost of ammo after the other sunk costs.

Shooting air guns is even cheaper if you like that (I do).
 
i just bought an elk tag this afternoon. $646. if i get lucky and shoot an averaged sized one, i think it would wind up around 250 lbs of meat. so, just the cost of the tag is over $2.50 / lb not counting the cost of the trip, equipment, and labor. plus whatever processing fees i wind up with. and i could come home empty handed
 
I wonder the cost per pound of some of H&H Hunter's Africa hunts. Of course it doesn't cost me much to drive a short distance for quail.
 
taliv said:
i just bought an elk tag this afternoon. $646. if i get lucky and shoot an averaged sized one, i think it would wind up around 250 lbs of meat. so, just the cost of the tag is over $2.50 / lb not counting the cost of the trip, equipment, and labor. plus whatever processing fees i wind up with. and i could come home empty handed
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Some/all of that expense needs to be allocated to recreation/vacation... The meat is simply a bonus.

Now if I go out and shoot a big old wild boar (no tags needed) and drag it to the processor ($100.00/boar) I do look at it more as a "meat adventure."
 
I think if I had $20K worth of golf gear in the safe I'd question my sanity. Guns though? Not a problem.
 
Some of us are target shooters, so there's no meat involved. But some time ago I did compare my gun hobby to fishing. By the time you factor in boat, motor, trailer plus all the latest gear, shooting looks like a bargain.
 
The cost of a shrink to treat nervous disorders for guys who never learned to get out and have fun: $300/hr for 10/hrs. And then they tell you that you need a hobby. Cut out the shrink and start a hobby and enjoy it.
 
Now if I go out and shoot a big old wild boar (no tags needed) and drag it to the processor ($100.00/boar) I do look at it more as a "meat adventure."
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Do they let foreigners from other states murder wild boar without tags?

The cost of a shrink to treat nervous disorders for guys who never learned to get out and have fun: $300/hr for 10/hrs. And then they tell you that you need a hobby. Cut out the shrink and start a hobby and enjoy it.
Click to expand...

Good point. Made me laugh too.
 
I tried golf a couple of times and had to quit. I decided I like it and I had enough expensive hobbies.

Downhill Skiing: Even with my wife and I volunteering for Ski Patrol we spent about $3K a season in training, travel, gear, food, and lodging.

Motorcycles: Wasn't that bad once the bike was paid for until we got into international tours. Then came the crash, air evacuation jet, hospital stay and months of physical therapy.

That makes the 300 rounds I 22LR I shot this afternoon look really cheap. $30 for ammo, the gun was $300, plus about a gallon of gas to get to the national forest and back.
 
"A golf course is the willful and deliberate misuse of a perfectly good rifle range."
Bill O'Connor.
 
Try shotgun shooting games/sports. A decent target shotgun can run from about $3K to $30K, for shooting you pay for ammo AND targets; at least with golf you get to use your ball more than once (well, I wouldn't :D) and a decent set of clubs is a LOT cheaper.

Here in FL, there are almost as many golf courses as snowbirds; gun clubs - not so much.
A sporting clays tournament costs me $75 must for the targets - add in a cart (sometimes), ammo about $35, 1/2 to 1 tank of gas, and it's $125 a shoot..............
 
Try archery. One bow and a dozen arrows that you get to use over and over. We have both archery and riflery at summer camp and the budget for archery is a third the riflery cost.
 
Cycling is my other money thirsty hobby. If you think a nice rifle and scope are pricey, go check out a "mid-level" carbon fiber bike and decent wheels. Just my road bike cost more than my Colt AR and Aimpoint, combined! Add tires, tubes, chains, ride fees, travel time, plus the 6-15 hours a week to stay in shape to hang with the almost not quite fast crowd... I will happily argue with the people who say you have to factor your wage time into reloading! I want to know how they would justify the hours I've spent pedaling. ;-)

Sadly I no longer fly fish. That was another fun waste of... I mean, way to provide sustenance.
 
You are looking at this all wrong.

You're right, Guns and accesories can be quite pricey.

Though you can't effectivley defend against home invaders with a Cliff bar, LL bean backpack and a pair of Merrill (sp?) hiking boots. Well, maybe you can.

You can't kill a deer, pig or some prize trophy animal with some topflite balls and a Callaway driver. You could be Rambo for all I know so you may hunt with golf clubs.

Oh yeah, golf balls are expensive, and some course require you wear golf shoes. Izod shirt, fancy visors and big cigar....optional.

All hobbies are kinda niche-y. Some bicyclist spend $600 for their bike and another $150 for their Lance Armstrong wardrobe. Others spend $15k on a bike. It just depends on how deep down the rabbit hole you want to go. I fish with a $60 rod with cheap bait and lures. My friend has some pretty high end fishing stuff, when we fish I may as well be using the Ron Popeil Pocket fisherman compared to him.

Your monetary complaint will legitimize when you start getting into hotrodding, drag racing and other motor sports.
 
Since it mostly comes down to paying to have fun, may as well buy the most fun possible. For me, that's shooting and snowboarding. Got my year-round entertainment covered.
 
Why do they call it GOLF?

ANS:
All the other four letter words were taken.
:)


I have the guns because I like them so their cost doesn't really factor in.

The shooting is only about $200/yr for our club membership, about $3-5 in gas for a range round trip and the ammo usually ~700 rounds of .22lr when my Wife comes along to shoot steel plates which is about $35 an outing at today's prices I'm willing to pay (still shooting our pre-Sandy Hook supply, we've cut way back basically I only shoot .22lr when my Wife comes along). About $40 when I go alone and shoot 9mm & .45 reloads typically ~400 rounds.

Well worth the cost!
 
Starter52 said:
Try archery. One bow and a dozen arrows that you get to use over and over. We have both archery and riflery at summer camp and the budget for archery is a third the riflery cost.
Click to expand...

Archery is VERY COOL! I just tried it last year and got hooked. I also hot into knife and hatchet throwing. All three are a great deal of fun...
 
Sol said:
You are looking at this all wrong.

You're right, Guns and accesories can be quite pricey.

Though you can't effectivley defend against home invaders with a Cliff bar, LL bean backpack and a pair of Merrill (sp?) hiking boots. Well, maybe you can.

You can't kill a deer, pig or some prize trophy animal with some topflite balls and a Callaway driver. You could be Rambo for all I know so you may hunt with golf clubs.

Oh yeah, golf balls are expensive, and some course require you wear golf shoes. Izod shirt, fancy visors and big cigar....optional.

All hobbies are kinda niche-y. Some bicyclist spend $600 for their bike and another $150 for their Lance Armstrong wardrobe. Others spend $15k on a bike. It just depends on how deep down the rabbit hole you want to go. I fish with a $60 rod with cheap bait and lures. My friend has some pretty high end fishing stuff, when we fish I may as well be using the Ron Popeil Pocket fisherman compared to him.

Your monetary complaint will legitimize when you start getting into hotrodding, drag racing and other motor sports.
Click to expand...

Actually it's you that "looking at this all wrong." What a nonsense posting...

Plenty of hikers and golfers not into guns in a recreational sort of way still have firearms for self defense.
 
Most people who hate golf have:

* Never played a round. (the 9 hole pitch-n-put round while drunk in 1988 doesn't count.)

* Have never played anywhere near a decent round.

* Got uptight and upset every time they tried to play golf.

* Can't afford to play golf.
 
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