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Doing your yearly budget


Ben Stoeger

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Wow, you get away cheap. Just did my taxes and I'm around 40K for last year. Made about 20K back off prize tables etc., but I'm still 20K in the hole. Nice hobby we have.

You spent FOURTY GRAND on shooting last year? That's <expletive> INSANE! 40k a year and you better be winning every flippin match you shoot weak hand only. :blink:

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So on a tangent... for those who sat down and computed their cost for this year, how many of you saw the number and said to yourself: "I need to dry fire more to get more value out of my range time"?

That is a big part of this.. your budget informs you in a lot of ways. In a world of limited time and money we need to be smart about our training to make sure we accomplish the goals we have set forth.

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If the wife and daughter are happy. I'm going shooting. Just for the Florida Open I'm going to end up spending 5k. New 6in. Match fee motel 3 night and taking the wife and daughter to chase that @&$#%€ing mouse around Disney for a day. I better enjoy it. There goes the budget out the window. I had to ask if they would like to go this time. :roflol: Really we will have a great time. But the budget, maybe next year? :devil:

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My last year that I held competition licenses in autosports, my outlay was $97k. Winnings, contingencies, and sponsorships came to $110k.

3gun is not 3x pistol, it's about 6x. Rifle and shotgun ammo are much more expensive, and we shoot a lot more of it. The average guy stepping to the line has between 4 to 5k in gear on, most carry some backups. Open is easily 10k or so at the line.

I'd venture to say the difference between Ben and Chuck represents a reasonable difference in costs for two high level competitors in pistol v. 3gun.

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Cheap is the only way!

This year I got a couple cheap ones lined up......

Florida Open......

$200 entry fee

Lodging free - staying with family, they feed me too!, but I gotta pay to eat whether I am at home or away.

$60 roundtrip airfare - Friend who is a pilot

$128 rental car for 8 days.....Hotwire.com

Cost of ammo

Rocky Mountain 3 Gun

$30 entry fee.....benefits of being an RO, includes meals and a room and the entry fee.

1/2 the cost of gas to drive there with a friend....about $40 my share

Cost of ammo for three guns

A few years ago I started looking at where all my relatives live, and my close friends who moved away. 2 birds with one stone!

I went to Georgia matches twice (Area 6, GA state) and visited a cousin and two different friends. Free lodging!!! Got to keep those connections strong!

Randy

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Don't feel bad. I have $65 per week to shoot off of and pay for gas to go to work and the range. I take my lunch to work and never spend a dime at work not even on soft drinks or snacks. Overtime is non-existent at work. I try to scrounge extra little jobs after work and look for stuff sitting around that I do not use to sell. I sold a Warn Winch and a Scope to buy my CZ. Eleven years ago when I started shooting competitively money went farther than it does now. I only shoot local matchs with small entry fees. Bullet costs are eating up most of the money. To buy a new gun I have to sell a gun.

My wife is not the type that likes a lot of fancy things. We eat out probably less than 6 times a year. We do not smoke and do not drink anything with caffeine in it much less alcohol. Water is the main thing we drink. We are on a good community water system. I cannot remember the last time we went to a movie, probably the 1980's. That's the only way we can afford for the son and I to shoot. None of us spend a lot of money on clothes either. We do not feel like we are deprived of anything. Would like to switch from Production to Limited but that's not happening. Costs too much.

Bobby H.

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I am not surprised by these numbers. I have talked about it a bit with rentcollector. I started adding up that for a just one weekly IDPA match and one monthly steel match (5 matches) and practice ammo last year I consumed 6000+ rounds. So this year I am planning weekly IDPA, Weekly USPSA, some monthly matches and a few big matches. I expect nothing less then 10,000 rounds maybe 12-15K. At $0.09 a round I stopped my figuring right there. I did not need to know.

I still need one more holster, belt, mag pouches setup and I am considering another gun setup too.

No need to add it up, as long as I am happy and not broke I will keep shooting.

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I plugged my numbers in and this is what I came up with. I can live with it.

Practice ammo:

.04 cents a round total for bullets, powder, primer. (cast my own practice bullets) 1000+ an hr

250 rounds per session (average) 3 sessions per week (average) 12 months. 3000 rounds per month on average for 12 months. 36,000 rounds.

Total 36,000 rounds = $1,440

Match ammo:

35 locals, 3 majors

.16 cents a round for Montana Gold Bullets, powder, primer

Total 8,500 rounds = $1,360

Equipment/Parts:

Total about $500

2 Cases of targets + pasters + staples and misc range supplies like that

Total $0 use leftovers from matches

Assorted Expenses:

Range memberships $0

Fuel to and from practice range ($0 each) live at the range

Fuel to and from matches in the area $500

Other misc expenses (pro grip, etc)

Total $800

Matches:

Estimated cost for match fee, fuel, hotel, etc

Alabama Section $0 (it's in the backyard)

South Carolina Section $500

Gator Classic $500

Match Total: $1,000

Total Estimated 2012 Cost:

$5,100

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"No need to add it up, as long as I am happy and not broke I will keep shooting"

As far as I am concerned, this says it all. I doubt there are many cheaper than I am, but there are some things in life that NEED to be done! Care for the family and enjoy your hobby.

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Practice ammo:

.22 cents/round (Remington UMC).

250 rounds per session, at .5 sessions per week = 6,500 rounds/year.

36 Local matches at ~150 rounds/match = 5,400 rounds/year.

1 class at 1000/rounds/class - 1,000 rounds/year.

Total = $2,838

Match ammo:

5 majors at 300 rounds/match = 1,500 rounds

.28 cents/round AAA ammo.

Total = $420

Misc:

Mag springs, targets, pasters, fuel, etc:

Total = $750

Range memberships = $250

Matches:

Space City: $175

Arkansas Sectional: $350

Unknown match: $300

Unknown match: $300

Production Nationals: $1,000

Match Total = $2,125

Class = $200

Crap I buy that I don't need and that for some reason I don't sell:

$1,000

Total Estimated 2012 Cost:

$7,583

Edited by beltjones
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This is why I've drastically scaled back my shooting the last couple years. Two new mouths two feed, wife not working and staying home w/ the kids, and some home remodelling projects.... hotels/gas/bullets/entry fees had to get cut back. I looked at the numbers and couldn't justify it right now. Hopefully back full steam in a couple years....

-rvb

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