Back in the day I would go to the range 3 to 4 times a month and fire 50 to 100 rounds each time. Now that ammo is more expensive I figured I would just shoot 50 rounds once a month. But then I thought I am paying for the range time. It would be more cost effective to shoot at least 100 rounds for each range trip. I don't have an annual membership right now. And I don't reload yet either. Just out of curiosity, how many times a month do other people go to the range and how many rounds do you shoot at each range trip?
Rounds at the Range
- Thread starter gdeal
- Start date
I don't go to a 'range' persay, but when I go out to the abandoned gravel pit in the sticks I usually light off a couple of cylinders each of .357 and .38, and then we take turns throwing clays for each other, usually 25 shells worth each... so ~50 rounds of pistol and ~25 rounds of 12 gauge on an average day.
GeekWithAGun
New member
Depends. I'm not that fiscally responsible to figure if I'm getting a good deal on sending $.11 of lead down range (although the wife would LOVE it if I was!
).
Most of the time I go to the range, it's because it feels like it's been too long (about once a month) and I want to make sure my EDC is functioning right(and it gives me a visible reason to clean it). If that's the case, I might go through as little as 50 rounds, or as much as 150. Other than that, I might just get an itch to shoot. (maybe every couple months) Then I might put 300 rounds of .22LR and another 100 of .40S&W, and maybe another 20-30 .380ACP downrange. Then again, if I end up going out with friends, it's a crap shoot. I've gone with 2 friends and only shot 100 rounds of one caliber, and I've gone with 6 friends and shot several guns and more money than I care to try to figure.
EDIT: ohh, and I always foget about the cost of range time. (I said I wasn't that responsible with money!
)
).Most of the time I go to the range, it's because it feels like it's been too long (about once a month) and I want to make sure my EDC is functioning right(and it gives me a visible reason to clean it). If that's the case, I might go through as little as 50 rounds, or as much as 150. Other than that, I might just get an itch to shoot. (maybe every couple months) Then I might put 300 rounds of .22LR and another 100 of .40S&W, and maybe another 20-30 .380ACP downrange. Then again, if I end up going out with friends, it's a crap shoot. I've gone with 2 friends and only shot 100 rounds of one caliber, and I've gone with 6 friends and shot several guns and more money than I care to try to figure.
EDIT: ohh, and I always foget about the cost of range time. (I said I wasn't that responsible with money!
)Depending on your level of experience / I think 100 rounds per trip is enough to stay sharp per range visit - with a primary carry or defensive handgun / regardless of whether you reload or not.
Again - it depends on your experience / competance with your gun ... but while one range trip a week may be the optimum / backing off to 2 or 3 range trips per month is probably ok too. We all have budgets - and sometimes it means you can't shoot as much as you want.
An option - is to shoot a .22 conversion kit / its not the same recoil - but it is trigger time / and it'll help you stay sharp.
My primary gun is a 1911 / in .45 acp - but if I wanted to keep my range costs down - I have the same gun in a 9mm ( so I would shoot 6 - 8 boxes a month of 9mm / maybe 1 or 2 boxes of .45 acp ..). The 9mm still gives you some recoil / the gun feels the same coming out of the holster...
I reload / and I've reached the point in my life where I can pretty well do what I want - so I still go to the hand gun range 1 to 2 times a week and shoot 2 - 4 boxes on average with my handguns. I find I can miss a couple of weeks at the handgun range / and still be 85% of what I could normally do ....( my target aquisition slows down a little, groups are a little looser, coming out of a holster is a little slower ..).
I get out to shoot Trap or Skeet every week - and usually 4 - 6 boxes ( of 25 ) ... If I miss a week or two / I give up 1 or 2 more targets per round / but not too much. I'm not a tournament shooter anymore - so its not a big deal.
Rather than just pour ammo downrange at a hand gun range - have a plan ...with a set course fire ( say for 48 rounds )...
say target at 21 feet
1. Draw weapon - fire 2 rounds in 4 sec ( do it 3 times ) ( 6 rds )
2. Draw weapon - fire 3 rounds in 6 sec ( do it twice ) ( 6 rds )
3. Draw weapon - fire 3 rounds - reload - fire 3 rounds - in 10 sec. ( 6 rds )
Move target to 30 feet
do it again ....
Move target to 35 feet
do it again
( score how many hits you have outside the A zone on an IPSC target / or Primary Neutralization Zone ). If your hits are 100 % in / then speed things up ( take a second off each relay ). Make up a notebook / keep a journal ...
If you're shooting once a month / you're only 50% on target - you need more range time, work on fundamentals, maybe some time with a .22 ... get the accuracy up / then decrease the speed. You decide what is good enough / if I miss 3 of 48 rds - but they're only out an inch or so / its not a big deal ..... If I yank 50% to 9 o'clock / I have an issue .... As I speed up / if I miss 6 or 8 rounds - time to go back to the basics ...
How many times a week or a month you go isn't the issue / its what you do with your range time / how good your eyes are ... lots of guys shoot better and faster than I do / but I have to set my own goals and chart my own results. Take care..
Again - it depends on your experience / competance with your gun ... but while one range trip a week may be the optimum / backing off to 2 or 3 range trips per month is probably ok too. We all have budgets - and sometimes it means you can't shoot as much as you want.
An option - is to shoot a .22 conversion kit / its not the same recoil - but it is trigger time / and it'll help you stay sharp.
My primary gun is a 1911 / in .45 acp - but if I wanted to keep my range costs down - I have the same gun in a 9mm ( so I would shoot 6 - 8 boxes a month of 9mm / maybe 1 or 2 boxes of .45 acp ..). The 9mm still gives you some recoil / the gun feels the same coming out of the holster...
I reload / and I've reached the point in my life where I can pretty well do what I want - so I still go to the hand gun range 1 to 2 times a week and shoot 2 - 4 boxes on average with my handguns. I find I can miss a couple of weeks at the handgun range / and still be 85% of what I could normally do ....( my target aquisition slows down a little, groups are a little looser, coming out of a holster is a little slower ..).
I get out to shoot Trap or Skeet every week - and usually 4 - 6 boxes ( of 25 ) ... If I miss a week or two / I give up 1 or 2 more targets per round / but not too much. I'm not a tournament shooter anymore - so its not a big deal.
Rather than just pour ammo downrange at a hand gun range - have a plan ...with a set course fire ( say for 48 rounds )...
say target at 21 feet
1. Draw weapon - fire 2 rounds in 4 sec ( do it 3 times ) ( 6 rds )
2. Draw weapon - fire 3 rounds in 6 sec ( do it twice ) ( 6 rds )
3. Draw weapon - fire 3 rounds - reload - fire 3 rounds - in 10 sec. ( 6 rds )
Move target to 30 feet
do it again ....
Move target to 35 feet
do it again
( score how many hits you have outside the A zone on an IPSC target / or Primary Neutralization Zone ). If your hits are 100 % in / then speed things up ( take a second off each relay ). Make up a notebook / keep a journal ...
If you're shooting once a month / you're only 50% on target - you need more range time, work on fundamentals, maybe some time with a .22 ... get the accuracy up / then decrease the speed. You decide what is good enough / if I miss 3 of 48 rds - but they're only out an inch or so / its not a big deal ..... If I yank 50% to 9 o'clock / I have an issue .... As I speed up / if I miss 6 or 8 rounds - time to go back to the basics ...
How many times a week or a month you go isn't the issue / its what you do with your range time / how good your eyes are ... lots of guys shoot better and faster than I do / but I have to set my own goals and chart my own results. Take care..
I shoot primarily .22 whenever I go. Depending on how things are going, it's usually 200-300 rounds. Usually I bring a buddy and we'll kill a brick and some change between the two of us.
Also tend to shoot maybe a box of 9mm. It's gotten so pricey I look at it as a treat, so don't always shoot it off, or might only shoot a magazine worth.
Been going about once a week lately now that it's summer and I've been showing remarkable improvement. Last year was making it out maybe once a month, probably more like once every two months.
Also tend to shoot maybe a box of 9mm. It's gotten so pricey I look at it as a treat, so don't always shoot it off, or might only shoot a magazine worth.
Been going about once a week lately now that it's summer and I've been showing remarkable improvement. Last year was making it out maybe once a month, probably more like once every two months.
chris in va
New member
Back when ammo was affordable with WWB being $9.98/100 I would pick up 4-5 boxes of that, probably 7-8 boxes of Wolf x39 and about 300 rounds of 22.
Ah the days.
Ah the days.
I go twice a week to an indoor range, and shoot about 250 rounds of .22LR. My "regimen" is somewhat varied - 5-15 yards for pistol (Neos), and 10-25 yards for rifle (10/22). I tend to go through a lot of targets, so I use cheap printed ones.
I may also start using their 50 yard rifle range, but they have a 25 yard minimum distance on that, which is still a little bit out of my league for pistol usage.
When/if I acquire a centerfire handgun, I'll probably substitute 50 rounds of 9mm for 250 rounds of .22LR once every week or two. I'm really trying to keep under $10 per range trip, not including range usage fees ($35 a month).
That said, I'm still a relatively new shooter, so I may need to shoot more frequently to build skill than just maintain it.
I may also start using their 50 yard rifle range, but they have a 25 yard minimum distance on that, which is still a little bit out of my league for pistol usage.
When/if I acquire a centerfire handgun, I'll probably substitute 50 rounds of 9mm for 250 rounds of .22LR once every week or two. I'm really trying to keep under $10 per range trip, not including range usage fees ($35 a month).
That said, I'm still a relatively new shooter, so I may need to shoot more frequently to build skill than just maintain it.
DiscoRacing
New member
we(myself,two sons, and one daughter)..go to our private range at least twice a week...we usually shoot up close to 300rds total of .38spcl and .40S&W.
I visit the range 5 or 6 days a week, usually somewhere around 90 rounds of .22LR and maybe 60 rounds of .38SPL wadcutters (home-brew; I reload these) per visit. I also have an annual membership and I've gone so often in the past two years that I've brought the average price-per-visit down to something like $2.40.
It helps to reload (and .38 is easy to load for) and to have stocked up on .22LR before the crunch, and it also helps that the range and Walmart (where I get my .22s...maybe twice a month right now, if I'm lucky) are both on my way home from work.
It helps to reload (and .38 is easy to load for) and to have stocked up on .22LR before the crunch, and it also helps that the range and Walmart (where I get my .22s...maybe twice a month right now, if I'm lucky) are both on my way home from work.
About 100 rounds of .40cal when I go.(About once a month) 
Thank goodness for snap caps and the cheapness of shotgun ammo though!
I run at least 75+ through my shotgun every trip to the outdoor range(usually once a week). Busting clays and just running general drills for HD. Bulk shells are plentiful and cheap around here.
If you want to work on drawing and a little trigger time invest in some snap caps. They are well worth the investment, I have found that my groups stay tight, and my target aquisition continues to improve because I practice at home with the snap caps. They are great to practice trigger control too.
Thank goodness for snap caps and the cheapness of shotgun ammo though!
I run at least 75+ through my shotgun every trip to the outdoor range(usually once a week). Busting clays and just running general drills for HD. Bulk shells are plentiful and cheap around here.
If you want to work on drawing and a little trigger time invest in some snap caps. They are well worth the investment, I have found that my groups stay tight, and my target aquisition continues to improve because I practice at home with the snap caps. They are great to practice trigger control too.