The rising cost of shooting

[meles meles]

Maybe now you oomans can appreciate our fascination with Noise Magnets and P14s

[dromia]

I've always found happiness using the 80/20 rule. 20% of the cost for 80% of the gain, I tend to live my life by it.

And what does than mean when applied to shooting?

[Geordie bloke]

I started with benchrest many years ago and got the accuracy bug and owned a lovely 6ppc rifle made by George Kelbly. I then started F class shooting with the F class leagues inauguration at Bisley and loved it. The idea of shooting with very good shooters appealed and eventually when the league was up and running, I used to go away to various ranges for weekends and did so for many years. The cost of the weekend away (hotel, food, beer etc) was expensive and I managed to do this without too much pain. But as my income is a third of what I used to get whilst in full time employment, something has to go, and unfortunately expensive shooting weekends is the victim. Some say it was becoming an arms race, and to some extent that is true. The good thing was that GB won the World Championships at Bisley and thrashed the American team. So these guys had the shiny bling rifles and all the kit, and had the gear and the idea, and the level of shooting was excellent. But as others have said, you can shoot pretty cheaply in comparison with the formula 1 boys, and you do not have to have all the bling and the finest bullets and use a Remmy or even old military rifles at your local range. Every shooter can find enjoyment in shooting something that is not expensive and just have a good time. I am sad that I cannot keep up my F class shooting weekends and will really miss my friends as we always had a fantastic time and loved the social side of shooting as well. But that is life!
So I have had to sell off my lovely BAT rifle, spare barrels, all my good reloading gear and will cut my cloth to suit my pocket. I will probably buy something that will enable me to shoot but at a reduced level and expenditure and just enjoy it. Now where is that old lottery ticket!!!!!!

[Demonic69]

Maybe now you oomans can appreciate our fascination with Noise Magnets

Got one coming

[snayperskaya]

Maybe now you oomans can appreciate our fascination with Noise Magnets and P14s

Wouldn't a Noise Magnet attract noise rather than make it? tesnews

[meles meles]

There's always lots of noise around our Noise Magnets...

[HALODIN]

It's the same with anything that suffers from diminishing marginal returns, there's a point where you get the best bang for buck and this usually makes people happy. i.e. cost is usually inversely proportional to enjoyment, it represents value. So for instance you buy that £3K rifle, but there's an expectation of how much enjoyment you'll get from it, perhaps it doesn't meet your expectations and then you're bothered by the opportunity cost. It's all based on how much money you have and your personal values. Perhaps it's not 80/20, but it helps to know what that personal rule of thumb is IMO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle

And what does than mean when applied to shooting?

[rox]

if you want to compete at the top in <snip> TR etc then you will need to join the arms race and the fashionista circles for new and shiny.

Utter nonsense. There is absolutely not an arms race at the top in TR, and very few people who "compete at the top" are using particularly new rifles or other kit in general. Our own GazM has spent some time at the top using Swings, and only just replaced them - mainly because of the risk of problems obtaining parts. There are hardly any aluminium stocks in use at the top, (although I have one myself, it is quite 'unfashionable', was bought second-hand, and carries my [also second-hand] full-bore actions from 1984 and smallbore from 1976, effectively making it an economy via sharing).

Most of the people at the top are there because they have worked long and hard to become excellent shooters, and they tend to stick with what has worked for them during their climb to the top. In fact, they worry more about the possible detriment of changing the formula (by adopting the new and shiny), and that drives people to stick with their tried and tested kit.

..

[dromia]

Too much "management consultant" speak for it to register with my mind, still puzzled.

"Opportunity cost"? "diminishing marginal returns"? Any chance of a further translation/explanation please I know what the individual words mean but I am not sure I know what you mean when you put them together, I tried the link you gave but I just glazed over when I tried to read it.

[John MH]

I manage to produce 'Match' grade .223 ammunition for 21 pence per round. The most expensive component, after the reusable case, is usually the bullet and shopping around or grouping together can save a significant amount.