The Gun Is The Cheap Part!?!?

[WisBorn]

I have said that the firearm is the cheapest part of purchasing a new gun in the past. I was thinking about a recent purchase to see if I'm right?

New Glock 20 gen5 not the cheapest 10mm or the most expensive.

G20 with tax and background check
$700
400 rounds of target ammo
$320
100 rounds of defense/hunting
$100
Decided to try a red dot
$200
OWB holster (yet to buy)
$40-80
Chest holster (yet to buy )
$100-150

$1500 for a $700 pistol

 

[chicharrones]

Plus lots of extra magazines!!!

 

[jak67429]

You forgot 10mm dies, 3 different kinds of bullets to test, primers and powder.

 

[WisBorn]

Plus lots of extra magazines!!!

Thank goodness they start you with 3.
But yes a few more, at $30 each that's $300 more

 

[jmr40]

It's that way with anything. Buy a new car/truck, drive it 100,000 miles and you'll spend more on gas, maintenance, and insurance than you paid for the vehicle. And that's just normal maintenance. If you have to pay for any parts replacement you'll spend a lot more.

 

[WisBorn]

It's that way with anything. Buy a new car/truck, drive it 100,000 miles and you'll spend more on gas, maintenance, and insurance than you paid for the vehicle. And that's just normal maintenance. If you have to pay for any parts replacement you'll spend a lot more.

This is true! We stress about saving a couple of hundred dollars when we buy a big ticket and don't look, at the full cost.....

 

[FL-NC]

I re-learned this lesson in spades when I got into crossbow and black powder hunting a few years back.

 

[Coyote3855]

Truglo TFX pro tritium/fiber optic sights. $150 installed.
Apex Trigger Kit. $150
Annual Range fee. $250
Truck to haul gear to the range $50,000

 

[Ethan Verity]

Yep, and that ammo is a never ending investment! I cringe to think of how many thousands of dollars worth of ammo I have run through just my cheap little Ruger LCP!

 

[tarosean]

Buy a new car/truck, drive it 100,000 miles and you'll spend more on gas, maintenance, and insurance than you paid for the vehicle.

Been to a car lot lately?

I agree with the OPs premise though, unless we are talking 5-6 figure guns that don’t get shot a lot.
I have scopes that cost 3x the cost of the rifle. RDS’s that cost more than the pistol they reside on, etc. not even getting into high round counts.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

During the Bicycle Boom of the 1890s the following limerick was quite popular:
Hey diddle diddle
It's part of the the riddle
The strangest part of the deal
If you add up accounts
You will find by amounts
That the sundries cost more than the wheel !

 

[LiveLife]

firearm is the cheapest part of purchasing a new gun in the past

If you factor lifetime of shooting, especially if you shoot a lot like for USPSA/3-gun match/practice, purchase cost of guns becomes less significant.

Going on 35 years of shooting, I spent over $185,000 total on my "shooting hobby". But only about $25,000 went to purchasing guns/shooting accessories like scopes/bipods/etc. and most of $160,000 went to buying ammunition and reloading expenses.

I shot around 750,000 rounds of centerfire pistol rounds (I do not keep track of rifle rounds) and over 250,000 rounds of 22LR. And to reload all those centerfire rounds, went through 15 reloading presses and recently bought 16th and 17th presses to continue my "ELEY level match grade" reloading (ELEY uses RMR jacketed bullets) with focus on "finished OAL" consistency and no bullet setback "chambered OAL" consistency, even with using mixed range brass.

Yes, firearm is the cheapest part of our hobby/passion of shooting.

 

[DustyGmt]

Thank goodness they start you with 3.
But yes a few more, at $30 each that's $300 more

One of my LGS used to keep the extra magazines sent with guns and only sold it with one mag so he could sell em afterward and had the highest prices of anywhere. When did Glock start selling guns w/3 mags? I've only ever got 2

 

[wesmonster]

As a guy who's owned motorcycles, vintage scooters, sports cars and classic cars, firearms is a cheap hobby compared to anything with a license plate. Boats are worse, just a hole in the water you try to fill with money.

 

[LiveLife]

firearms is a cheap hobby compared to anything with a license plate.

4x4s with toy haulers demand "real" money, especially diesel ... But can you put a price on family fun with lasting memories?

Boats are worse, just a hole in the water you try to fill with money.

And boats for salt water fishing ... Oh my ... blackhole for money.


But these are more the reason why we should embrace and enjoy our "cheap" hobby of shooting.

I used to tell people my guns make "10 cent" 9mm holes (20 cent for factory) each time I pulled the trigger. Now the holes cost "15 cents" each (25 cents for factory).

So for lifetime of shooting 1 million rounds, that's $150,000 of reloads or $250,000 of factory (2023 pricing) ... Of course, if you shoot other calibers than 9mm, cost goes up even higher.

Good news is 22LR is back below $25/500 shipped for "5 cent" per hole fun - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-shipped-pricing.902560/page-12#post-12647254

 

[Mk-211]

Whatever you do, don't think about a rifle and everything that goes with it.

Swallowing hard for a $2K+ scope is a hard thing. When you get behind it and see the impact at 2K yards, you kinda forget about it.

 

[WisBorn]

One of my LGS used to keep the extra magazines sent with guns and only sold it with one mag so he could sell em afterward and had the highest prices of anywhere. When did Glock start selling guns w/3 mags? I've only ever got 2

I would find a new gun shop.

 

[DustyGmt]

I would find a new gun shop.

Yeah I did. I had a couple instances that left a bad taste in my mouth concerning ethics. I think one of my last attempts to do business with em was when I was selling a mint stainless/walnut Mini 30 I offered it for sale and he offered me $200. It was more insulting than unethical, he just tried to convince me that they really didn't bring much money and I wouldn't get much for it because they just weren't in demand anymore . He was standing in front of a used beat mini 14 with an $800 tag when he said that to me

 

[Hugger-4641]

One of my LGS used to keep the extra magazines sent with guns and only sold it with one mag so he could sell em afterward and had the highest prices of anywhere. When did Glock start selling guns w/3 mags? I've only ever got 2

My G20 gen 4 came in case with 3mags.

 

[wally]

If you practice regularly it doesn't take too long to spend more on practice ammo that you did on the gun.

 

[Riomouse911]

As the guys said, any hobby has an initial expense, then a bunch more over time in ongoing costs. Snow skiing, golf, collecting things, on or off road motor sports, guns, it’s all the same.

But hey, it’s all good.

Stay safe.

 

[LiveLife]

hobby has an initial expense, then a bunch more over time in ongoing costs. Snow skiing, golf, collecting things, on or off road motor sports, guns, it’s all the same.

But gun hobby can put food on the table and defend your/family's lives if someone wants to mess with yours.

 

[Riomouse911]

But gun hobby can put food on the table and defend your/family's lives if someone wants to mess with yours.

Yes it can.

Stay safe.

 

[Ignition Override]

Investing in the lowest-priced Current .308 (mostly) brass-cased ammo requires dedication when owning three different battle rifles.

Some of us fell for them in 2022 (!!) many years after good deals on surplus NATO ended.

I’ve not yet needed, or bought a scope. Age 67.
Such cash—used by other people on accessories —has all gone into ammo.

Fortunately I have no desire for my guns to resemble any modern military rifle (ie SEALs) with the extra gear.
The only desire is to Shoot my guns Pretty Often- we can Not Do so “in the Next Life”. That could begin…tomorrow.

 

[PzGren]

Even a .22 pistol can be accessorized and become expensive. I know many people that started with a Ruger MKII and put Volquartsen parts that cost several times the purchase price into the gun. For me it's the Hammerli 212, while a gun like that is only about $1,500, the Nills cost an extra $230 and magazines start at $150. Of course, it isn't necessary to have 20 Hammerli mags (or put Nills on them), it is nice to go shooting with the mags prepared and having 200 rounds of SV ammo ready.
When I had a bad case of falling plate addiction, I shot about 3,000 rounds of centerfire ammo a month. That was during the times of cheap reloading components, nowadays the money spent on that wouldn't cover a good steak dinner for the family.