Got any good tricks for keeping costs down?

[Questor]

One thing I observe about clays shooting is that it's relatively expensive. This alone will limit the amount of shooting I do to a couple of rounds a week. Do you have any good tips for maximizing shooting while minimizing costs? Ammo is one thing at about five bucks a box, but it's about six bucks a round at the shooting club. $11 for fifteen minutes of shooting is a bit high.

Maybe I'm not seeing this correctly. Do shooters actually shoot a lot or do they just hang around the club as a social thing while only shooting a round or two per visit?

[jbmi]

I still can buy Federal 100 packs at Wal*Mart for $16.97 ($4.25/box) or shoot my reloads at $3.65/box. A round of trap at my club is $3.00 if you buy a 25 count punch card or $3.50 without it. So two rounds runs me $14.50 or less. During the winter that's about all I shoot per week. The other couple of hours are spent in the clubhouse around the wood stove with a cup of coffee.
I shop for bulk items to reload, can still find reclaimed lead for $1 a pound, 8 lb jug of powder is $95, free hulls and 5000 primers for $90.
It is expensive, put cheaper than golf, more fun than bowling, more exciting than cards. You have to spend your money someplace, might as well spend it on something you enjoy.

[Graybeard]

Most guys seem to shoot four rounds (100 targets) per day and many of them shoot three days per week at my club. Cost per round is $3 for members and $4 for non members. Annual dues are $50.

The only way to save money is to shoot less or save money on ammo by loading light loads and using them. For trap you can get by with an ounce rather than an ounce and an eighth or even 7/8 oz perhaps at the 16 yard line. Skeet is cheaper if you use a .410 or 28 and reload for it. Most skeet shooters now use no more than 7/8 oz even in 12 ga.

I mostly shoot two rounds per day and one or two times a week and use .410 and 28 gauge.

[rbwillnj]

$6 per round for Trap is pretty high.  We charge $3 per round for members, and $4.50 for non-members.     

I'm still working through 50 flats of Rios I bought for $38 per flat.   You just have to stock up when you see a good price, even if it means spending more than you would like to at one time.   

I shoot three times a week, at least 4 rounds each time I go out.   Wait till you shoot doubles, then it really gets expensive......but fun.

[Straight Shooter]

With the components I have on hand reloading is still the way to go.

I have been contemplating dropping my 12 gauge load down to 1 oz of shot from 1 1/8 oz.

I usually practice with the smaller gauges.

I have seen a couple of tournament shooters post in this forum, but it seems most folks posting here are casual shooters.

If you really want sticker shock try shooting a tournament.  Competition shooting is getting pricey.

[myronman3]

my idea is to get into making my own shot.  at 50 a 25lb bag,  it shouldnt take me long to drop ammo costs down.  a few guys i know are going in with me on the costs of the machine, so that should cut things down some.

[corbanzo]

Instead of the shooting club, we go to the creek bottom. - No club fees.

Buy shells by the case - you can get them for around $4 a box if you find the right ones.

I remember where wally world had the remmy 6-8 shot for $2.88 a box a few years back...

[gumby]

I shop for bulk items to reload, can still find reclaimed lead for $1 a pound, 8 lb jug of powder is $95, free hulls and 5000 primers for $90.

Where do you pick up reclaimed lead?

thanks

[Graybeard]

Where the heck can you find primers still that cheap? Even the imported ones were up to $110 I think it was months ago around here. RP and Winchester are close to $150 now I think. Your powder and primer prices both strike me as being from early to middle of last year. There have been at least two maybe three price increases since then.

[Hairtrigger]

The cheep 100 packs are now $21 at my local wally world

[BirdHunter94]

got to your local wal mart and get LEAD shots they are cheaper than steel

[rbwillnj]

Shot is on its way down.   Around here it's now available for ~$27.00/bag.   I'm sure it will be lower yet in a couple of months.  The spot price for lead is about $0.50/lb.  Last time it was that low, shot was going for $16.00/bag.   There is still a lot of high priced inventory around, but eventually prices will come down.

I ran the cost calculator,  http://www.trapshooters.com/reloadcalc.htm  and based on $27 shot, my cost for 1 1/8 oz loads is down to $3.75, and for 1oz loads its down to $3.55.   I shot mostly 1 oz loads, but step up to 1 1/8 oz loads for handicap at registered shoots.  Unfortunately, the rising cost of primers has eaten up some of the savings from shot.

I know of clubs that charge more than $5 per round, but most are below that.   Also White Flyer recently lowered their price for clays, so you might ask you club to pass the savings along.

[Hairtrigger]

You may want to read up on the subject before buying the equipment to make your own shot...
Seems there is much more to it than pouring lead into a shotmaker!

[myronman3]

yupper... i did.  never did get around to it, perhaps someday.  but if prices are on the way down, it may be put off a while longer. 

[Hairtrigger]

I had an off brand shotmaker that needed nozzles, I began ro read up on the subject and read so many people not getting round shot. Everybody had something odd they were trying, dropping into fabric softener or tranny fluid, different drop heights ect.
Then I never got the lead that I thought was for sale.
I found a guy that wanted a shot maker and sold it to him!

[rbwillnj]

I too thought about making my own shot.  I have a brand new shot maker with two sets of nozzles, plus a thousand pounds of muffin ingots all ready to go, but with shot coming down they are just going to sit there for now.   I still plan to get around to it some day.

[oneounceload]

drop your 12 gauge loads to 7/8 or even 3/4 - more money saved, less recoil, and the targets still break just fine.

There are folks shooting 3/4 and less in 20 and 1/2 in 28 - all still breaking the targets