How do YOU afford this...

[ADHD]

52 , self employed since 24 , raised 6 kids , now have my youngest daughter (20) and grand daughter (7 months) and slowed down on spending a little until they are financially on their feet . 6 figures in guns,glass ,etc . Was to the point that accountant advised starting gun shop to reap benefits of purchasing wholesale as well as write offs . So did that 5 years ago , and went crazy at first with shows and sales , etc , but now just have my Cerakote guy and machinist working part time and told them to take in enough work to break even on gun shop until I can make it back over to run it ,after taking advantage of the new economy with my primary business . Gonna ride it out and when goes belly up , will probably make the step to close primary biz , sell off equipment ,trucks ,etc , then go over to semi retirement and run gun shop again

 

[GunHawk]

I had more when I was in this category...

Mid 40s
2 kiddos
Run a sales division for small for the industry (200M) company.
Worked in sales all my life--helped grow a couple smaller companies
My uncle was an avid collector--I inherited all of his collection (class 3 stuff double rifles, nice shotguns--he had good taste and deeper wallet than me--plus I have been interested in guns and hunting all my life...id tell you what I have invested and inherited but--I'm embarrassed...I got into long range just 8-10 years ago..so I'm still learning...my collecting passion are S/S British shotguns, Double rifles, and Remington 600s...

I have been into guns all my life--my parents let me run around the ranch when I was pretty little I had a 22 short single shot lever action..I hunted a lot back then..I found a old pic the other day with me and that rifle...good memories

One piece of advice..don't be extreme--buy quality--but you don't have to have the best of the best...wait....good stuff does go on sale...old model good stuff...is still good stuff!

Like you, I'm mostly a British double person with 4 hammer guns collected over time. It has taken me 20 years to acquire them and none are London best. Just getting into rifles by having a SAKO 85 customized. I work for local government, so well under 100K/yr.

 

[Country Bumpkin]

Allow me to ask you a question. Do you know what you want to get out of this? Do you consider yourself a hunter or a shooter?

As a hunter I don't shoot my "custom" belted magnum that much other than to verify ballistics and scope zero. I really do not spend a ton of time on the range. When I do go to the range I might shoot 20 rounds max.

You might consider a quality rifle school to give yourself more confidence with your rifle.

How much time do you spend getting in shape for hunting season? What do you hunt?

When I read your post I perceive you to be more of a shooter than a hunter. I am a bit of both. I have a few rifles with dual purpose for range/hunting. My 6.5 CM is great for the range and hunting, ammo is not terrible, and it is a short action.

You can buy a sub moa rifle for under $1K (sake/tikka/browning). You need about $1500 for good glass. You don't need to be rich but you do have to pick and limit your passions.

I will play along:
* 50 going on 40
* Sales Management
* X wife of 22 yrs got $$$$ but not my guns
* No kids, but I did pay for invetro 5 times
*If any of you have an attractive daughter at least 30, athletic, likes hunting (ability to pack out a rear elk quarter a +) and more to the conservative side?

I'm much more on the hunting side of things.

I hope I didn't lead anyone astray with my OP. I certainly have found a way to satisfy 85% of my "wants" with regards to shooting. When I don't have funds for shooting components/guns, it's because I've used my monthly discretionary budget for hunting specific items. I think we ALL want to shoot more, because it's fun to ring steel and shoot rocks. I draw the line when shooting fun starts to encroach on my hunting budget.

Please don't think I have the "woe is me" perspective. Last year, after saving up and paying cash for all expenses, a friend and I went on a "budget DIY" hunt to POW AK, hunting Sitka Blacktails (story in link).

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/sitka-blacktail-pow-island-ak.205928/

After that, I set after filling my Limited Quota Elk tag. All of my hunts are DIY.

After that I got a decent mulie.

I do have a very nice rifle, which is wonderful, but it doesn't kill any more animals than my budget bow, or my Factory rifles prior to getting the custom. I'm absolutely a hunter first (shooting is fun and makes me a better hunter). Hunting is my main passion.

Training: twice a week I take my 60 lbs pack and hike as hard as I can for 30 minutes up a steep ridge on my way into work. It's just over 1-1/2 miles and I gain 1,500 ft. Heart rate typically between 180-190 (I'm 33, so 220-33=187 - so I'm typically exceeding the suggested 90% of max). It's a leg and lung burner. I started with my pack in the stairs, 3x per week, in late November. We have been hiking the ridge since mid April. I'll keep this up, and running about twice per week, until archery elk opens on 8/31.

I really appreciate all of the reply's, I can't believe how much interest this has sparked.

I guess what I really should have communicated in the OP, was "what types of sacrifices do you make to ensure you satisfy your shooting/loading/hunting addiction?"

 

[Country Bumpkin]

I'm noticing a common theme, I think this is where we should be investing our resources ...

 

[Danny1788]

Age
31 Married for the last 4 years. Been with my wife since high school.

Occupation
Oil Field Process Control Operator I work a 7-7 schedule so I have lots of time off every other week. My wife works full time in the office of a landscaping company. We live a great life and don't really want for much, unless its more toys or vacations.

Kids / no kids =
1st daughter Born in April, going to have at least one more.

Dollars invested in custom rifles and attached scopes.

ENDLESS..

My wife and I both work and have very flexible schedules and do not pay for day care( yet anyways). But this could all change. House I bought when I was 25, bought at a good time in the market and its only gonna make us money. I drive a 4yr old truck and my Wife drives a some what newer car that is paid for.

Started buying rifles and reloading when I started making money in the oilfields right out of high school. Bought new trucks and new rifles and money wasn't really a problem. This is where the dark rabbit hole got me hooked. Had three semi custom rifles built and while I still have two of them. I started build my own personal rifles 5 years ago.
first lathe, learned to use and sold for a profit to buy a better lathe.
Second lathe learned a lot more and got way more than my money out of it. Sold it for a profit still.
Third lathe I still have. Not to mention a Mill last year. I cant even count the amount of tooling, reamers, cutters, oil gauges, measuring equipment. It doesn't really matter anymore.

How much money do I have into all this???? I have a safe full of full customs that I have built they all shoot great. Use mainly two rifles now for hunting. I don't do PRS or any comp shooting. That's not really my thing. I like building tac driving hunting rifles and like to shoot them at distance for fun and hunting only. I have an entire room setup for reloading which I have no idea how much money I have into that. If I had to guess in total maybe $50k or more into my hunting rifle building obsession. Because that's what it is to me is an Obsession now.

So now im 31 and I have so much invested into building rifles, O well most of it is paid for. If I had to sell all of it I could make some of my money back. But I love it so I cant put a price on it. I'm just getting excited to start building small rifles for my daughter to shoot.

 

[Country Bumpkin]

Age- 42
Occupation- Millwright/machinist/gunsmith
No kids
And no comment on the last question.
Ebay is your friend. I bet you have enough "stuff" laying around, in storage, or on shelves to buy your dream gun with optic. Especially if you have kids and a wife. Do a big cleanout and sell it all on Ebay.
I personally don't sell guns, ever. But I bet you have several that are there cause of sentimental reasons, or ones that you don't use much. Offer a gunsmith a trade for the work/labor. Buy one component at a time and put in in a rifle case. Once you acquire all the pieces, send it off to the gunsmith.

I bet you pay $1500.00 per year for cable with 100 channels of garbage programming, or hollywierd propaganda. Cancel it, and hand out books to the wife and kids, or play board games at family time. Hulu type internet video plugged into the TV when you want to have movie night.

Do you pay a gardener to mow your lawn, or housekeeper to clean your house?

Do you drop $7.00 per cup of coffee at a fancy place? Or do you make it at home and take it with you?

Clothes line rather than clothes dryer. Will drop your power bill a bunch.

I disconnected our propane tank, and sold it. Installed a wood stove, and turned off the breakers for the electric heat. We go into the mountains and cut our own wood. Get the wife and kids out there to help and have some good family time too. No "bought air" as far as heat.

If you live in suburbia start moving lawns and shoveling snow in the winter. Or build fence. All stuff the kids can help with.

Any shooting, EMS, or craftsman's skills you have could be taught to your friends or neighbors at a fee.

Another option, although not popular, that I have done myself, is to take the credit cards away from the wife. I recognized the hypocrisy of not being able to buy things I want, because I have bills from her buying things that she wants. I set up a joint account we both contribute to based on budget. We each have our own separate accounts. I don't spend her money, she doesn't spend my money, and all house bills are paid out of the joint account off a budget. It's amazing how much money I have for myself now that plan is in action. I still hear the dumb comments once in a while when I come home with a new toy, but I still have the new toy.

I like you, haha!! We do most of these things. Cancelled cable, heat 100% with Wood that we gather as a family in the mountains, do our own bidding around the house, we have goals and nothing will derail us.

 

[Lee Goodwin]

Savage 12 FV $419 at Cabela's, 6.5 or 223? 22-250?
Nikon scope $500? $600?
1000 yard gun?
Ammo....gotta reload?

 

[Lycanit]

I'm 52
Single
No kids
Trauma nurse and TEMS officer
>15k

 

[Elk868]

hello
i m in the 50 s and single . collect part by part and take time . first Long range rifle was sako trg s . basically a Hunting rifle with normal Barrel . then i was goin to gunsmith and added a 28 " Barrel and muccle break. then i saved Money and got me an nightforce scope . it s close the same as sako did with theyre sako Long range model
i built it around 95 to … 2000,
same with my 300 . first i got me remington Long range rifle and added a burris laserscope .then i saved Money and added MTD stock . burris scope was from an other rifle and i owned it before . and now i save Money to get me nightforce atacr scope to put it on the 300 .
next plan is to get me an cheap used rifle with an bolt face wich Matches for the 264 Win and rebarrel it . so i work on get me part by part till i have what i would like .

 

[Stillwaters636]

We all have various levels of engagement in this sport, and we are all from different walks of life with different expendable incomes.

My Wife and I have "good" jobs, 2 young children that have a lot of interests/activities (cha-ch$ng). We manage our money well and have an eye for the future.

I was reading a thread recently about various mountain scopes, and some of you fellers listed off 6-8 scopes that you currently have in circulation that I would absolutely drool over.

I've lusted over the "kit" required to do long-range hunting any justice for years and years. In addition to a small safe filled with hand-me-downs and affordable factory guns, I have 1 custom rifle that was given to me as a thank you for coaching their sons lacrosse team for 3 years (fortunately it came with a nice scope too - VX6 6-24x52). I shoot as often as I can, I but in reality I wish I could shoot 3-4 times more than I do .... it's the cost of ammo/components that prevents me from going hog wild. I also would like to get a light caliber semi custom to get my kids in on the fun (but we will make do with our ruger American predator just fine.

I stand no chance of "keeping up with the Jones'" but I'd sure be curious to know....

Age
Occupation
Kids / no kids
Dollars invested in custom rifles and attached scopes

This should be interesting!

We all have various levels of engagement in this sport, and we are all from different walks of life with different expendable incomes.

My Wife and I have "good" jobs, 2 young children that have a lot of interests/activities (cha-ch$ng). We manage our money well and have an eye for the future.

I was reading a thread recently about various mountain scopes, and some of you fellers listed off 6-8 scopes that you currently have in circulation that I would absolutely drool over.

I've lusted over the "kit" required to do long-range hunting any justice for years and years. In addition to a small safe filled with hand-me-downs and affordable factory guns, I have 1 custom rifle that was given to me as a thank you for coaching their sons lacrosse team for 3 years (fortunately it came with a nice scope too - VX6 6-24x52). I shoot as often as I can, I but in reality I wish I could shoot 3-4 times more than I do .... it's the cost of ammo/components that prevents me from going hog wild. I also would like to get a light caliber semi custom to get my kids in on the fun (but we will make do with our ruger American predator just fine.

I stand no chance of "keeping up with the Jones'" but I'd sure be curious to know....

Age
Occupation
Kids / no kids
Dollars invested in custom rifles and attached scopes

This should be interesting!

 

[hseII]

I'm transitioning towards a Switch Lug on a Long Action Accurized Remington R700 or Aftermarker Clone.

1 Stock/Action/Rail/Scope with multiple barrels- a poor man's Desert Tech or AI.

I've got various others but consolidating helps.

 

[bowhunter123456789]

I'm 61 and 8 months from retirement. I have hunted since I was 12 , with my father ,brothers and friends . I have 8 long guns , shotguns ,.22 up to 2 -.300 win mags.8 handguns, .22 up through .44 magnum. Nothing custom , all factory, I only bought a third of the guns, most were given to me because of oppressive gun laws where my brothers have moved or my dad passing away.
I'm to the point where I can afford a nice , not custom , rifle for long range with a Nikon Black FX1000 ,which was just on sale for $200 off.
My point being is that , I can afford my hobby now ,I reload , built our custom loghome , fix my own cars and heat 100% with wood .

 

[wv270wsm]

I'm 37 and worked as oilfield trash the last 10 years . And proud of it . My wife has a good job and make as much as I do . Two sons that are teenagers . I personally have over triple digit firearms not including what we've bought our sons . Granted none of them are extremely expensive but some are very nice in my opinion. We shoot as much as possible throughout the year . Reloading our own saves quite a bit especially since before my dad passed away he bought a gun store that was closing out of bullets primers and powder. A whole pickup load for real. Mom was slightly aggravated LOL .
I've always had the impression that firearms are a better investment that most other things .
Up until three years ago I thought my gun collection was kinda expensive, that was until my youngest son got the bear hunting with hounds bug . Six hounds right at 10 grand not counting food or tracking devices. But he's paid what he can for a 15 yr old
Save what ya can where ya can love the old lady and kids those kiddos . Teach em all to shoot

 

[BallisticsGuy]

Not quite 50 yet.
Professional cat herder & javelin catcher (aka computer nerd) and I do a lot of little things on the side.
2 grown sprogs, 1 in college, 1 graduated already.
Invested? Ha! That suggests a possible return. How about we just call it "spent on and still own". Then probably around 10 grand in scopes I still own. Rifles, too many.

When you're young, if you're smart you'll forget about it and just own what you actually need. Not going to happen for 99% of people. When your kids are in their late teens you can start to think about having nice things. When they're out of the house you can start having nice things. Don't rush it and accumulate things over time.

How I ever afforded the fancy optics and building custom rifles, mostly from cashing in vacation time and the occasional bonus that the wife would let me have some of. The rest of the time the fancy/expensive kit comes from saving up for literally years just for that one specific thing. I also almost never pay retail. I usually get the things I want pre-owned. The great thing about tier 1 optics and such is, they're pretty much the same after having been owned for a few years as they are new and you usually don't even have to put in the work to give them little scratches and wear signs that add character.