Retirement: Shooting more, less, or the same as pre-retirement?

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When I worked, I had money but no time.
When I retired, I had time but no money.

When social security & medicare kicked in & I had both money and time - my health gave out.
When I got a lot of my health issues squared away by losing weight, swimming a Km a day & riding a bike 12 miles a day - a very cold & wet Spring & COVID kicked in.
So now my health is in the crapper again.
 
jar said:
While I haven't fired a shot in over a year now, I was shooting more often after retirement than before retirement.
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This is exactly my situation.

I was shooting indoors once a week at the special weekday morning geezer rates, haven’t been to the range since this scourge started.

Now that I’ve been jabbed a second time, I hope to remedy that.
 
I'm glad to hear from the many retirees here. I recently retired from my part-time job (AF Reserve), but I'm still grinding at the full-time. I am glad to get the weekend a month of my life back and I do intend to shoot on one of those days at least. It will be a while for the real retirement to come, but I am looking forward to it.
Pre-Covid I usually made it to the range once a week on a weeknight. The last year I didn't go much at all.
Next on my list is to buy a property that I can get out to on a weekend to plink on my own land.
 
I now shoot less than when I was working five yrs ago for a couple reasons. I started shooting shortly before retiring and used to shoot after fatigue set in and was wasting ammo. I didn't realize this until the pandemic ammo prices forced me to shorten my range trips which resulted in better quality practice sessions. This year I didn't renew my range membership because I'm afraid they may go out of business. Paying $30/HR range time and inflated ammo and component prices have made me cut back to fewer range trips and shorter sessions.
 
More, a lot more. Training is not a waste of ammo, and I have all the components I'll need for a LONG time, and I have the time to use them.

I do "almost" feel guilty in the range burning 200+ rounds of ammo, but that's where planning got me :)
 
Retired in 2016 first couple of years 2 to 3 times a week .this year not so much .health issues.
 
I will try to keep this short. I shot USPSA for several years '97-'14 and had a friend that owned gun shop and range, I practiced at his range at least 1 but sometimes 3 afternoons per week. Then I retired and moved to Tn. I reload so ammo isn't the issue, but nearest range is ho, hum, good range is and hour away and great range is 1 1/2 hours away. I can shoot near house as we live in the sticks, but I also hunt there and respect my neighbors. Bottom line I shoot less. Also nearest USPSA shooting club is 2 hours away, sounds like I need to move huh??
 
Retired, last year. Shooting less because I am preserving ammunition thanks to the Covid conspiracy. Shooting .22 about the same as I have enough .22 ammo to last until the cows come home and the sun burns out.
 
Less. Way less, and being a fat old retired cripple has zero to do with it.

The fact that any ammo I shoot at the range cannot be replaced, or if so, would have to be at 3 times the cost...

THAT is why I shoot less.
 
Retired early 4 years ago and initially shot a lot more. Prior to retirement I shot a little IDPA & USPSA as well as occasional target practice at the range. Post retirement we moved closer to the grandkids which also happened to be 30 minutes from an excellent outdoor range with rifle (100-1000 yards) and pistol ranges, 15 tactical bays, and skeet and trap. I joined the range and got much more involved in USPSA and was shooting 2-3 matches/month. I also got into shotgun shooting with skeet, 5 stand, and sporting clays. All that changed starting about 18 months ago. First my range closed thanks to ongoing litigation from an adjacent property owner. (His property is nothing but empty land out in the country.) The only reasonably close ranges now are 2 indoor ranges which I don’t particularly care for. Then came Covid which shut down competition matches. I haven’t pulled a trigger in a year. Now that things are easing the price and availability of ammunition are problematic. (My 9mm match ammo is currently triple it’s pre-Biden/Covid price, if I can find it.) So it remains to be seen how much I get back involved in shooting.
 
I've been shooting more due to having more time and having that time during the week when the range I use is much less crowded and sometimes completely deserted. I believe I've improved a bit too!
 
Encoreman said:
I will try to keep this short. I shot USPSA for several years '97-'14 and had a friend that owned gun shop and range, I practiced at his range at least 1 but sometimes 3 afternoons per week. Then I retired and moved to Tn. I reload so ammo isn't the issue, but nearest range is ho, hum, good range is and hour away and great range is 1 1/2 hours away. I can shoot near house as we live in the sticks, but I also hunt there and respect my neighbors. Bottom line I shoot less. Also nearest USPSA shooting club is 2 hours away, sounds like I need to move huh??
Click to expand...
I shoot clay target games; the closest is 45 minutes for mere 5-stand; closest sporting 1.5 hours and I need to tow my golf cart there. After that any other sporting club is a minimum of 2.5 hours each way - still manage at least 2x per month on those longest trips; yep gas prices don't help; but this IS my hobby so I make the effort.
 
Since i have so much shotgun ammo i may look into shooting trap again. Have a neat 12 G greener martini "deck" gun thats a hoot to shoot. Other calibers not so much.
 
Retired in 2013.

Bless Nick Newman and his staff at Cherokee Firearms in Springfield, Missouri. Cherokee Firearms is a local gun store with a first class 8 lane climate controlled indoor range. I paid the $300 annual membership fee and can shoot as often as I want, for as long as I want. I go at least twice a week, sometimes more often. It is a 10 minute drive from my home. Half a box of .22 LR, 20 rounds of .38 Special over an hour’s time is like meditation.

All of you should have such an opportunity.
 
J-Bar glad you have that range close by. Personally I don't like indoor ranges, have shot at several, but am an outdoor shooter. Btw I have a neice that lives in Walnut Grove, Mo.
 
Less quantity shooting, better quality.
Before, had to pack it all up, haul it to a public range, and try to shoot it all.
Now, with more time, and a small private range, I can concentrate on one or two guns, and get some really good practice in, without the benefits of coffee saturated RSOs breathing down my neck, other shooters, and all the other PSR distractions.
 
Just semi retired, work 2-3 days a week. Shooting more and reloading more. Partly because I've moved back to my hometown where I've had a home for many years, its rural and I can shoot at a gravel pit just 6 miles from the house. Also have built 2 new rifles in my spare time.
 
Been at it for about 50 years. Retirement did not come easy.... very hard to put something down that you love. Took several "tries".

Shooting has progressively gone towards quality vs quantity.... and has zero to do with Wahoo virus,components,$$$,or time. It has to do with not wasting effort. If what I'm shooting doesn't have a direct effect on my skill as a loader or shooter,what's the point? It's the whole "perfect practice" argument,one I fully endorse.

Don't shoot handguns that much anymore,got a bunch and plenty of components,yadayada. But if I did,and what the driver is now on my cast varmint rigs... "slow is smooth,smooth is fast". I don't like mistakes,gotta get them out of the equation. A "mag dump" for me is running 3-5 shot groups out of a cast bolt rig trying to catch a condition. Much easier said than done. Metric tonnes of dry fire practice makes it noticeably easier.

Good luck with the retirement.
 
I've been shooting more than I did since the '90's, but a lot less than I did in my single days of the '70's. My range is $250/yr unlimited range time indoor. The free state ranges were just rebuilt with great covered shooting stations and new berms so spring looks like a great one for the AR & .22's. Only get together with a couple friends for trap occasionally now.
 
I shoot more. I have more time to load so I have more testing to do . I shoot at home mostly but when I feel like shooting 300 yards and beyond I go to the range , I love the fact nobody is there as the sun comes up on weekdays .
 
Fully retired in March 2020. Hadn't really done any shooting since 94 when everything went into storage for an overseas move. Had everything except powder, so it was easy to get started again. Even picked up a couple of 1911s before it got really crazy. I shoot here at the house and really enjoy the "quality vs quantity" that has been previously discussed. Have also had the opportunity to expose some of my friends to shooting and encourage them to get pistol permits. What's not to like.
 
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