Broke Gun Enthusiast Budgeting

[Magnus]

How do you guys manage your budgeting for guns, ammo and other things?

I learned not to bring what I have at home. I load up one magazine for each firearm and stop at a gun shop to buy shooting ammo. After that I bring home and store what I haven't used. I'm bad with holsters, I think I'm about 2 gun purchases worth of holsters in. The holster's are mostly for my 1911. I have one flimsy holster for my revolver I never carry. I need a holster for running and working out. I barely have 200 rds through my handguns and I already want to change sights. It's hard loving guns.

 

[Cleck]

My budgeting is broken down into my hobbies. It used to be worse, but now that I have a better job. the wife basically supports it as long as I don't get into too many hobbies at once. This year is shot since I'm going camping/hunting with @NirvanaFan in Colorado in October, most of this year has been spent getting ready for this trip. Otherwise, it's just a save and spend on this hobby or another. I buy ammo when it's on sale, a box here and there. Next year will be spent getting my supplies/counts back up, I've slowly rolled through them this summer.

 

[Marine Cpl]

I was at one point buying a certain amount of rds at about $150 month. Had to stop due to financial issues with my new home.

When things get back in order, I will continue.

 

[Cleck]

I'd love to do that, but it's more like 150 rounds a month, lol. Well, probably not even that.

 

[Marine Cpl]

Even if it's a box of 50 a month at about 40 bucks, it adds up when you don't fire them.

 

[Magnus]

It does add up, I have to buy new ammo cans. I also take some friends to the range and make them chip in for ammo, they don't enjoy it as much as me so they don't go through all the ammo. I've been collecting brass as well so I can start reloading after I get set up.

 

[dsdmmat]

When I was single I belonged to the gun of the month club. When the VA was paying me to go to college and I was still working my full time Job I belonged to the gun of the month club. When I was married with small children I belonged to the gun I already have club. When my daughter gets out of college next year I may join the gun of the month club again.

Put what you can away, even if it is just your pocket change, you will find out that in about a year or so you have a lot of money to spend on gun stuff.

 

[Podmonkey]

I've been on a firearm binge this year. When I was in NY I was always hand to mouth moneywise but now? Well since March I've accumulated one AR, 3 handguns (traded one in for the other two) dozens of mags and, oh, bout 4k rounds of ammo split between 5.56 and 9 mil. But I do the same thing as the OP as well, What I buy online or at the store goes in the stash and I buy my shooting ammo at the range and save the leftovers
View attachment 73

 

[Criticalt]

The reason I got into guns was because it was far cheaper than my other hobbies.
Cars, motorcycles and boats eat up cash really fast. I did however just come home with a 1971 Harley XLCH900 Sportster that my girlfriend is just thrilled about.

 

[GOPerfect]

I was lucky, kinda. I got a part time job at Gander a few years back and the deals were out of this world. In the four years that I worked there, I amassed a rather large collection of guns. For a while, I was buying one every two weeks. That has slowed down a lot since leaving. I steadily buy guns though, at least one new gun every three or four months. I look at it as an investment as well as my biggest hobby.

Ammo, I buy all the time. Everytime I walk into a store that sells ammo, I look at the prices, if there is a price that I am happy with, I buy as much as I deem needed that day. Sometimes one box, other times, many boxes.

I do have a budget for my hobby, if I have extra cash, I buy guns and stuff. If I have no extra cash, I do not buy. The nice thing with my job, if I want something, I work a few extra shifts of Overtime, it never runs dry.

 

[Catskillkid]

The way I look at it is this: guns and ammo are still cheaper than booze and bimbos.

 

[prambo]

I've been on a firearm binge this year. When I was in NY I was always hand to mouth moneywise but now? Well since March I've accumulated one AR, 3 handguns (traded one in for the other two) dozens of mags and, oh, bout 4k rounds of ammo split between 5.56 and 9 mil. But I do the same thing as the OP as well, What I buy online or at the store goes in the stash and I buy my shooting ammo at the range and save the leftovers
View attachment 73

Is that Federal HST 9 milli 147 gr +P? If so, outstanding choice.

 

[prambo]

The way I look at it is this: guns and ammo are still cheaper than booze and bimbos.

Ask Bubba.

 

[rpf427]

I buy ammo whenever I can. Usually 2 or 3 times a month, varying calibers. If I have shot up any, I try to buy double what I used at range. Gun purchases have slowed last few years, impulse buy only if smoking deal.

 

[camper4lyfe]

I can't remember the last time I went shooting. Actually, I can...it was the NYF campout and I fired off some .22.

Lately, my budget has gone almost exclusively to running (shoes and race entry fees are crazy!). It's really cutting into my shooting and tattoo fund, but at least I'm healthy...except for my foot. My foot is pissed off.

 

[Podmonkey]

Is that Federal HST 9 milli 147 gr +P? If so, outstanding choice.

I prefer the standard pressure 147s myself, but those are 124 gr, 50/50 mix of +p and standard. I goofed up ordering, wanted all +Ps. Oh well not much variance at all throughout the HST line performance wise anyway.
Getting them for .50 a round, can you believe that?

 

[Aimtite]

What is budgeting? lol

 

[Magnus]

What is budgeting? lol

I say the same thing at the gun shop, and the whole ride home I'm crying inside. lol

 

[Eddie Gunks]

The reason I got into guns was because it was far cheaper than my other hobbies.
Cars, motorcycles and boats eat up cash really fast. I did however just come home with a 1971 Harley XLCH900 Sportster that my girlfriend is just thrilled about.

har har har! you are buying the wrong(right) guns. BNIB transferable M16 is like $40,000 the last time i saw one. M2 go for big bucks too. even those pesky stens are getting like $5,000 now.

now i know what you are going to say....about being in NY....title II etc etc.

look at it this way. all the money you saved from not buying Boats, cars, cycles, and skyscrapers you could use to get he fuck outta NY!

priorities man! priorities!

 

[Criticalt]

har har har! you are buying the wrong(right) guns. BNIB transferable M16 is like $40,000 the last time i saw one. M2 go for big bucks too. even those pesky stens are getting like $5,000 now.

now i know what you are going to say....about being in NY....title II etc etc.

look at it this way. all the money you saved from not buying Boats, cars, cycles, and skyscrapers you could use to get he fuck outta NY!

priorities man! priorities!

We are on our way out, I already have several guns on my radar.
We should be out of NY by November if I get the house ready. We bought a piece of property just 10 miles from our current property.
The house on the new property needs some work that is going slow but is liveable.

I must add that new property is in PA. If PA goes the way of NY, we are going back to Alaska.

 

[Cleck]

The way I look at it is this: guns and ammo are still cheaper than booze and bimbos.

Cheaper that booze, bimbos, kids, cars, and divorces.

Still, I'm married with 3 kids, lol. One is in college, but on his dad's dime, not mine. I still have his other and my own to worry about for the most part.

I look for deals. I'm not choosy on my range ammo, so I've been known to go to Walmart for cheap range shit or Field and Stream when they have a sale. If I can get a box for 20 or less, then I'm good. You're right @Willjr75 it does add up when you don't shoot a lot. I haven't been going out, since it cuts into my current hobby budget, so things have been piling up, except the two days I did go shooting, lol. For a while, I was at paltry level of ~500 of .223 and .40 (each). I wanted that to be my minimum level, so I'll get back on it after this trip.

 

[VietnamEraVet]

We are on our way out, I already have several guns on my radar.
We should be out of NY by November if I get the house ready. We bought a piece of property just 10 miles from our current property.
The house on the new property needs some work that is going slow but is liveable.

I must add that new property is in PA. If PA goes the way of NY, we are going back to Alaska.

Shit. I'm jealous! Seriously, - you're a lucky bastard!

 

[FRANKIE]

The reason I got into guns was because it was far cheaper than my other hobbies.
Cars, motorcycles and boats eat up cash really fast. I did however just come home with a 1971 Harley XLCH900 Sportster that my girlfriend is just thrilled about.

Sparkling America edition?

 

[Acer-m14]

I'm working on a new plan to get more ammo/gun $$ .. always been living pay check to pay check it seams like . so changing my dependents on my w2 to 100,000 because of the new immigration plan .. i think that should help ..

 

[togmaster]

I own a boat. I have no money.

 

[camper4lyfe]

I own a boat. I have no money.

A hole in the water you throw money into

 

[Phauxtoe]

Yes
Believe it or not, Guns and Shooting is an inexpensive Hobby compared to all my others!

 

[Snappo]

How do you guys manage your budgeting for guns, ammo and other things?

I learned not to bring what I have at home. I load up one magazine for each firearm and stop at a gun shop to buy shooting ammo. After that I bring home and store what I haven't used. I'm bad with holsters, I think I'm about 2 gun purchases worth of holsters in. The holster's are mostly for my 1911. I have one flimsy holster for my revolver I never carry. I need a holster for running and working out. I barely have 200 rds through my handguns and I already want to change sights. It's hard loving guns.

I do it a weird way. Pay my bills off my salary, load the 401K, IRA and my annuity with a fixed amount; and any month my investments go up $5K or more I piss away whatever is left over. If it doesn't go up I put the leftover cash into stocks I already own to do dollar cost averaging. So basically about 8 months a year I blow $3K a month on toys and 4 months I go into stocks and don't spend on anything more extravagant than a slice of pizza.

 

[Doc8404]

What is budgeting? lol

Stop posting.
Every time I see your avatar I....I.....ummmm
Can't think

 

[atc250r]

A friend of mine gave me the advice to buy a box of ammo with each paycheck. I try to stick to that suggestion although occasionally I won't buy for 2 months then I'll buy several boxes. It all comes down to getting the right sale and then if I can stack a coupon on top of the sale. Buying guns I try to put a couple of bucks away each pay check and buy when something is on sale or the LGS has a good deal on something used. Like others have said while shooting can be an expensive hobby it's normally cheaper than my other hobbies of boating and snowmobiling. Boats are terrible on gas (3 or 4 mpg in my case) and even though I do the work myself upkeep always costs something. Snowmobiling is cheaper than boating until you figure the cost of trailering upstate to where the conditions are good and getting a room. I won't even start on the bar bills.