How much shooting do some of you do?

[getitdone1]

In recent months I've shot more center-fire ammo than I ever have in my life--for that period of time. I would guess maybe 500 rounds. Way back in the 60s I would sometimes shoot that much in a week with my Marlin 22 LR Mountie, mostly offhand. 4 shots in a running rabbit one time with this gun. Also shot a rabbit runnining straight away in the head with this gun. Fast levering it was with the 4 shots but one time fast levering did me harm. Got my trigger finger between lever and end of trigger. Significant cut.

I know I'd be very impressed with the shooting ability of many of you guys.

Just wondering how much shooting some of you do per month or year? Would also be interested in some accurate shooting you've done on target or game.

One time I was out with a few buddies. I believe we all had 22 rimfire rifles and a friend in the bed of the pickup shot a bird out of the air while we were driving down the road.

Don

[shooter]

This year I haven't done much shooting, and it really shows when I do get to go out. Last year, when I had a job with regular hours, I was shooting at least once a week. I reloaded more last summer than I ever have. I probably went through 5,000 rounds or more through the course of last year. I know some people here shoot considerably more than that. With all the shooting I did, I was also shooting better than I ever had before. I've never considered myself a bad shot, but I could really see improvement with practice.

This year I have only been out a handful of times because of work hours, funds, etc., but I'm getting back on track with a new job, and plan on getting back to the range on a regular basis.

[Don McDowell]

It's not unusual to go thru a 1000+ rounds of bpcr ammo in the sharps. 3-400 rounds of levergun ammo in pratice and match shooting, and a carton or so of 22's and a couple hundred handgun rounds.
Then add about the same amount I load for my wife, and what seems like a large amount of lead, primers and powder long about February, turns into a frenzy and scraping the bottom of the barrel to turn out enough rounds to go to the last match of the year.
Regular ol hunting ammo I haven't loaded a box in 2 years or so, we just don't shoot those rifles much, a couple rounds to check zero, then go....

[kimwcook]

I don't shoot competitively so I don't get anywhere near what say Don or some of the other guys here. I'm a bit cyclic. Seems like I don't shoot for a while and then I shoot a bunch. I had to prep for a handgun certification this year and shot maybe 2,000 rounds before I shot the 1,000 round course. I do need to shoot more often though. If not for the pleasure of shooting, for the purpose of survival doing what I do. I don't work patrol anymore so my contacts are generally very well planned. Not like an unknown traffic stop or running to a domestic.

[Griff]

I only shoot a couple hundred rounds every few months... nothing consistent or even akin to "practice". Even when I "compete", it's more like plinking! I used to be serious about competing and practiced regularly, then it was about a 1,000 rounds/month.

[Terry Murbach]

I SHOT UP A BIT OVER 9000 [ 5000 22LR, 4000 CENTERFIRE ] ROUNDS IN SEPEMBER, OVER 3000 IN OCTOBER, AND HAVE A GOOD RUN STARTED IN NOVEMBER.
WE DID GET A LATE START THIS YEAR AS WE'RE AT 15,221 YTD.

[jdad]

I'm at the range almost every Saturday and sometimes Sunday, for at least 1-2 hours, unless family priorities pop up. I don't even bother to track how much rimfire ammo I shoot, but it's a whole lot. I never take my match rifles unless it's for a match. Like Griff, I refuse to practice since, in my mind, that makes it serious and not a "game" anymore.

Marksmanship skills are marksmanship skills......plinking and playing keep my skills up.

[BenT]

Terry, it's nice to you doing your part on keeping the heavy metal miners employed.

I shoot about 4000 rounds of 22LR, with about 2000 rounds of handgun stuff , mostly 32 h&r. Since I'm always tinkering with rifle loads I shoot about 700 rounds of various calibers a year.

[gamekeeper]

I guess I shoot often but don't get through as many rounds as I did when I was a member of a local gun club.
I walk around the 50 acres where I live most days and often don't fire a shot, if I feel the need to practice I go to a small chalk pit with my .22 and set up a few informal targets and use maybe 50 rounds, my 30/30 attracts too much attention from neighbours so I usually only fire a few rounds, likewise my shotguns.
I enjoy just being out in the fresh air with a firearm, "because I can"

[jeepnik]

I shoot pistols weekly. Generally in .22 (lr or mag), .45 acp and .45 colt. But still put some .25 acp, .380 acp, .38 spl and .44 mag down range every month. Rifles used to be almost weekly as well, but that seems to be monthly these days. Caliber is all over the place with these. It just depends on what strikes my fancy on any given day.

Shotguns not so much. I've never like trap or skeet or even hunters clays. I shoot them at the range for practice sake, and of course some "plinking" out in the desert.

Round count wise, some weeks it's a couple of magazines or cylinders full at the pistol range, other weeks its many more. I don't count. Again, with rifles, it all depends on what I'm shooting, and (sadly) how much time I have.

[AJMD429]

I always thought I should shoot (just) one shot daily with my CCW gun, since we have an appropriate gong in the back yard and no issues with the neighbors. I've never lived up to that ideal though, due mostly to needing to load up more practice ammo for that cartridge.

For hunting/varmint guns, though, my son and I often head back to the 'sandpit' on the spur of the moment, each with a gun, and we get one shot at the 100 yard gong if it is a rifle, or 50 yard gong if it is a pistol. Whoever misses is wimp-of-the-day. (Some days we're both wimps... )

With .22 LR, 9mm, & 38 Special, we probably go through the most, as those are my biggest 'introduce newbies to shooting' rounds. Probably went through 5,000 .22's and 1,000 of the others just doing that this year. I guess those rounds don't really count as 'practice' since other folks are pulling the trigger, but I may fire similar amounts myself, though maybe more variety of centerfire rounds. If I were able to 'retire' as some of my friends will be, or have already, it would be much more, but 65-hour weeks aren't likely to cease until I'm 70 or my wife is cashing my life insurance check (good thing I like my job). It would be good to be able to cut to 45-50 hours and still get paid, though, but if I had an extra 15-20 hours of 'free time' each week to get in trouble, which would surely include more shooting, my wife would likely kill me anyway.

This winter I'm going to try to get reloaded-up so that I don't feel guilty doing more shooting with some of the more expensive (that's getting to be all of them) cartridges.

[COSteve]

I shoot enough each month to keep proficient with each of my firearms. In the last 9 yrs I'm a bit over 140,000rds of centerfire in 30 carbine, 38/357mag, 40s&w, 45acp, 10mm .223/5.56, .308, and 30-06 as well as untold bricks of 22lr. That's why my XL650 and casefeeder are so well broken in.

[yooper2]

I shoot a brick/brick and a half of .22 ammo a week, about 90% go through handguns. 50-100 rounds of 44 Special and 41 mag, probably another 100 rounds of assorted rifle ammo. Keeps me busy reloading but I don't have a TV so I don't have much else to do in the evening.

Eric

[DixieBoy]

This is an interesting topic. For about a year or more I've been trying to shoot my pistols (.45acp) three times a week, about 100 to 150 rounds at a time. Been fooling around with the idea of shooting in some uspsa type matches and didn't want to be "the old guy, bringing up the rear." I'm 57, gonna be 58 in a couple weeks, so maybe I'm making up for lost time ?

Finally got where I can put most of my .45 shots into a 5" circle at a moderately quick rate of fire (fire, quick re-acquire the sights, fire again) at 55' distance. Figure if I can at least hit my targets well it will make up at least a little for slow knees.

Like to shoot the .45 Colt Blackhawk too, but it doesn't get near the quantity of rounds put through it as the .45 acp does. Maybe 1,500 rounds in the year. That's gotta change ... I dearly love shooting that revolver.

As for rifles, it's so darn hot in Florida in the summer that the .308 and .45 - 70 get put away by June at the latest. With most of my shooting of these guns being from the bench, it made me sick to watch my own sweat just literally pouring into the actions of the rifles. If things keep cooling down like they have been, I'll be out there within a week to do a lot more rifle shooting. Still, good sessions with the rifle usually run about 30 to 50 rounds at a session. Nothing like the quantity of rounds that go through the pistols.

So far, it looks like TERRY MURBACH has the quantity of rounds fired award pretty well locked up. As it should be. - DixieBoy

[OJ]

Every week - minimum of three 8 round mags through each of two Colt Government Model 45 ACPs - more, if I need to improve results. Half dozen ten round mags through Ruger Target Model 22 pistol and usually 10 round box of ammo through one or the other rifle - M1a or lever actions in 30-30 and 30-06.

Lucky enough to have a wife who thinks that's good for me and makes sure our social schedule doesn't interfere. Ammo cost doesn't concern her and I seem to have become a "life member" of our local range -

[Old Ironsights]

Not Enough.

[Newtmaker]

Since I started reloading a couple of years ago I average 3 or 4 trips a week to the range. I usually shoot a hundred rounds, +/-. If I shoot my rimfires I will shoot more.
I shoot, 22lr, 22wmr, 9mm, 38/357, 30-30, and now 6.5 Swede.
My accuracy does suffer if I lay off a while. Must be an age thing

Walt

[BigSky56]

Not much range work unless Iam working up a load or checking sights/glass, alot of predation shooting sometimes on a daily basis and of course theres elk hunting out my back door was on a couple of bulls this past week couldnt close the distance for a shot and I passed on a nice WT as I was chasing elk. danny

[Charles]

I shoot in a weekly falling plate match for 22 pistols, so between the match and practice about 300 rounds a week, which comes out to about 15, 000 per years. I also shoot about 50 to 100 rounds of centerfire pistol each week so that comes to about 3,900 rounds per year. When the weather cools off, I do lots of centerfire rifle shooting mostly off the bench, about 2,000 rounds per year.

So, that makes about 20,000 per year more or less. All of the centerfire stuff, both handgun and rifle are cast bullet handloads.

[rimrock]

I ain't retired yet and got 2 kids in college so I can't be like Murbach. I use about 1/2 brick of primers in large rifle, small rifle, and large pistol each year plus about 1 1/2 bricks of .22LR.

rimrock

[6pt-sika]

I think for an average year based on the last 2 or 3 I'll shoot something like 2,000-3,000 rounds of cast bullet 444 as well as a couple hundred of cast bullet 45-70 . With the bolt action , single shot and semi auto rifles maybe another 1,000 a year .Rimfire rifles are fired very little by me anymore so that one is maybe 200 rounds in a year .
With handguns I maybe shoot 300 rounds a year in the 44 MAG and 22LR . However recently with the TC Contender 444 I've maybe put 300-400 thru it this year .
For shotguns I mostly shoot my old 10 gauge at skeet , trap , sporting clays and birds . So I think with that one this year perhaps I fired it 1,000-1,500 times and maybe an additional 800-1,000 with 12 ,16, 20 and 410 .

So that equates to maybe 7,000 rounds a year total .

Way way down from the years I shot skeet and trap competitively . Then I would shoot something likes 35,000-50,000 target shotgun shells a year plus a few thousenad more for birds and maybe a couple thousand rifle rounds . But then I was a lot younger then and alot more gungho !

[ollogger]

around 2500 centre fire a year, not sure on 22s my Henry &
63 winchester really eat em up though
most of the C.F. is cast bullets

[Leverdude]

Dont really keep track of shots sent down range, but I go thru a couple thousand 357, 44, 30/30 & 45/70 I know from reciepts for bullets. Add to that a bunch of 7mm08, 308MX, 22lr, 9mm, 35 Rem, 44/40, 32/20, 25/20, 32/40, 38/55 & a few others and I imagine it adds up to 20,000+ a year. But hey, whos counting, I just shoot until I'm done & then load some for next weekend. Today I went thru 50 44's 100 9mm's and 5 rounds each 30/30 & 308MX (checking zero) and a couple hundred 22LR.

[piller]

Not nearly enough. Less than 500 rounds this year. Work schedule has been bad.

[madman4570]

Wife says way too much

Honestly,don't shoot as much as I used to.(probably 300rds of shotgun)and (about 200rds of rifle,mostly centerfire) (maybe 100rds of airgun) per month and as of late not having my pistol here in NYS yet that's about it. I am lucky to own my own shooting range also so that helps.

Don,
If there is any way possible for you to join a CMP (M1)shoot org,I highly recommend it.
The 100yd course is fine and usually they will loan you a Garand and the ball ammo from them is dirt cheap.
The guys that have been doing it for awhile will help you out and you will be amazed at how you will gain in ability.

Starting out with a score of 500(perfect)you will find most average hunter/shooter types will be in the 350-375 scoring.
(It's a tough course)
After about a year or maybe little longer,(if you really listen to the top guys and take in all they have to give)your score can improve dramatically like up another 100 points?? (example: a person that shot say 330 before might get to 430?)If you viewed before and after targets(vast difference)

Honestly,it is a fantastic program and most in it are great people. Also you can get your own M1

The key factor is do it to enjoy it and improve and don't get so caught up in the competition that it becomes not fun.(too hard on yourself deal)
Sometimes just chilling and taking it all in is fun and being relaxed in the end makes you a better shooter.

When you look at what the guys that have been doing it awhile(actually look at their targets)you will be amazed.

You will make many friends as a bonus also.

Also, what's kinda cool is you might make friends with someone that really say was a fine shot in their day but maybe they don't do the competition because of their physical ability now.However maybe they still reload big time and might be very/very good at that,
most are willing to share their expertize and special methods.

I had such a deal some years back with a very nice guy I met(he was a reloading fanatic)so I tried some of his reloads( )Anyhow the man had Sugar Diabetes really bad weighed about 350lbs and couldn't walk good,had to use a cane.
I used to have him reload for me, and I mean like 3000 at a time for the Match Colt HBARS

Bob even would spot for me and when the scores went through the roof he would tell everyone "ya know,it's because of my loads"(he's right it certainly greatly helped)
The wonderful man died just a couple years back and everyone misses that guy so much it's unreal.
I felt like I had to do EXTRA good not only for myself/or our team if we hosted events or traveled to other gun clubs/events, but also for Bob. God bless that guy. I know shooting someone else's loads by many people is not considered smart-----but after many outings.seeing/talking to other people about him he gained my trust.
Reload all my own since,or shoot certain factory loads. (however truthfully he forgot more about reloading than I know or will ever learn)
Anyhow----rant off!

[2X22]

As of today I've went through a bit over 13,000 large pistol primers, a hair under 1000 large rifle primers, but very few shotgun or small pistol primers this year. And probably not over 1000 22LR shells.

It was a slow year

2x22

[1894c]

every Friday--day off--lots of .22's and assorted calibers--some call it shooting I call it a therapy session :)

[L_Kilkenny]

It really depends on the hunting season for me. I don't plink much and don't do any compititions so any of my range time is practice or working up loads or tinkering with a project gun. I might not shoot for a month but more than likely I'm out at least every other week, sometimes as much as 5 times a week. But depending on my goals for the day I may shoot 18 rounds per session or I may shoot 75-100. I rarely do more than that and even then you can bet I had at least 2 or 3 guns out. If I had to guess I'd break things down like this (range and hunting): 100-200 centerfire rifle, 10-20 shotgun slugs, 1000 rimfire rifle, 1000 rimfire handgun and 1000 centerfire handgun.

This year, due to the guns I currently have, you could probably move most of the rimfire handgun rounds over to centerfire handgun. My rimfire handgun pickings are miminal right now and my "gun of the month" is my .32H&R. Over the last month I've put over 500 rounds thru it alone. Then again, I may buy a new .22 and the exact oppsite may be true.

LK

[jdad]

Wife says way too much


Don,
If there is any way possible for you to join a CMP (M1)shoot org,I highly recommend it.
The 100yd course is fine and usually they will loan you a Garand and the ball ammo from them is dirt cheap.
The guys that have been doing it for awhile will help you out and you will be amazed at how you will gain in ability.

Starting out with a score of 500(perfect)you will find most average hunter/shooter types will be in the 350-375 scoring.
(It's a tough course)
After about a year(if you really listen to the top guys and take in all they have to give)your score can improve up 100 points??

Honestly,it is a fantastic program and most in it are great people. Also you can get your own M1

The key factor is do it to enjoy it and improve and don't get so caught up in the competition that it becomes not fun.(too hard on yourself deal)
Sometimes just chilling and taking it all in is fun and being relaxed in the end makes you a better shooter.

When you look at what the guys that have been doing it awhile(actually look at their targets)you will be amazed.

You will make many friends as a bonus also.
!

Just as a side note.... our club does a Garand match monthly. They keep it fair and fun by making everyone use the club's rifles and ball ammo. As you sign in you take the first rifle off the rack, no picking and choosing, just totally random. I've never shot the match, but have seen scores posted in the low 400's.

[madman4570]

Wife says way too much


Don,
If there is any way possible for you to join a CMP (M1)shoot org,I highly recommend it.
The 100yd course is fine and usually they will loan you a Garand and the ball ammo from them is dirt cheap.
The guys that have been doing it for awhile will help you out and you will be amazed at how you will gain in ability.

Starting out with a score of 500(perfect)you will find most average hunter/shooter types will be in the 350-375 scoring.
(It's a tough course)
After about a year(if you really listen to the top guys and take in all they have to give)your score can improve up 100 points??

Honestly,it is a fantastic program and most in it are great people. Also you can get your own M1

The key factor is do it to enjoy it and improve and don't get so caught up in the competition that it becomes not fun.(too hard on yourself deal)
Sometimes just chilling and taking it all in is fun and being relaxed in the end makes you a better shooter.

When you look at what the guys that have been doing it awhile(actually look at their targets)you will be amazed.

You will make many friends as a bonus also.
!

Just as a side note.... our club does a Garand match monthly. They keep it fair and fun by making everyone use the club's rifles and ball ammo. As you sign in you take the first rifle off the rack, no picking and choosing, just totally random. I've never shot the match, but have seen scores posted in the low 400's.

ya know, really that would keep it fun and kinda fair it up a bit with the guys that don't work their guns/ammo

What my problem is,I am way to goal orientated and many times it does take the fun out of it.
The guy that really was my mentor(Charlie Strickland)of Towanda, Pa was very good at sharing his craft.
Few years back got into the 480 range(but, he still holds the record up here with a 493)
But,I got so all I could think about was getting higher than I got.(It became insane)I was shooting everyday and spending major $$$

Finally, had a choice if I wanted to stay married(cool it,a lot)
My easy out was few years back Charlie hosted this meet at the Towanda Gun Club (Offhand,5 shots,50 yards/any centerfire gun/any scope/sights ,but no sling) -------5 shots ------------60 seconds.

Make a long story short got down to him and me(what did I take that day )my open sighted Win Model 70 in 7MM Rem Mag.(box of pretty old Hornady 154gr soft points)
I look over at him,he says where's your HBAR???? I said----This is better

At the end-----he shot a 46(with his $5000 custom M14 NM)and I shot a 47 with my M70 I traded a guy for my old Ruger Super Blackhawk and western holster rig)for

He just went back,sat on the tailgate of his white Blazer(which was like a gun store inside)and shook his head saying(can't be)

Right then and there I told everyone----------------I can never beat that,from now on----I'm chilling

It's weird though with my own M1 Garand(very good shape)I only scored around the 420-440 range about 30 points higher than with my Colt SP1 AR15--------------When I moved up to the Match HBAR(Colt) my scores within a month increased by about 40 points.
For "me" they made that much of a difference. Also my brother's scores went up about 50 points (from his M1)when he also went with the Match HBAR.(from about 380 to 430)---so a lot of it was going to the better shooting gun(for us)?

[stew71]

Between work and hunting seasons, my range and competition time has fallen to near non-existence. On the other hand, the freezer is getting filled with duck, goose, venison, pheasant, and chukar.

[rjohns94]

I don't shoot enough. When I was competing in the 80's, i got 30,000 rounds of .308 and 30,000 of .45 acp to shoot each year(military issue) . In addition, i went through thousands of my own ammo. Now, I'm pretty much practicing for hunting, then the ammo shot while hunting. rimfire (.22lr and .22mag) out numbers all other smokeless. Shotgun ammo is next chasing after dove and upland birds. BP out of the .50 inline (50 rounds this year), .54 muzzleloader (none since last hunting season) and .54 sharps (lost count but I'm enjoying it alot- close to a couple hundred shots) are in the running there. My .20 cal pellet rifle gets a couple of tins a year though it. My bow gets about 100 arrows a day. My sling shot, maybe 50 shots a week.

[getitdone1]

Holy cow is all I can say about the tremendous amount of shooting some of you do or did!

Like I said, I KNOW I'd be very impressed with the shooting ability of many people in this group.

A contest between some of the best shots in this group would be well worth seeing and especially if it covered all types of shooting with all types of guns.

There's a lot of very knowledgeable, outstanding marksmen and hunters in this group.

Don

[Meeteetse]

Stopped shooting competitively a few years ago and stopped reloading (mistake) when we moved from Wyo to Texas (another mistake, but that is a different topic). I have been as high as 500 rnds/week of .22 and .45acp. Usually 300 of .22 and 200 of 45acp. Throw in atleast 50 rnds/month for each hunting rifle and several hundred rnds a year of .357/.38, 45 Colt and 44mag and I suppose the total was around 30,000 rnds/year at the highest. Currently I probably shoot 200-300 rnds a month, half with my CCW gun and the rest whatever feels good. So I guess I'm down to under 5000/year. Much of my fun shooting is .22lr to save money.