Rounds at the Range

I can only get out once, sometimes twice a month. I hate indoor ranges, and I hate paying for ranges, so I usually drive out to one of the National Forest public ranges. Since it's a bit of a haul to get there, I take several guns with me and make a day of it. I'll typically end up shooting 500-600 rounds of some combination of 9mm, .45acp and .38spl/.357, and now .380acp since I added a P232 to my lineup.

I usually practice the 9mm, .380acp, and .45acp at 5, 7, 10 and 15 yards. Then I like to finish up with one of my Ruger GP100's shooting just for pure fun - either at 25yds, or if the rifle ranges aren't filled up, I'll go over there and try my hand at 50-100yds just for laughs (sadly, usually just for laughs with my sad old eyes and my progressive lens glasses :) )

I'll pack a lunch and spend the whole day out there, or combine it with a hike in the Blue Ridge or something else to fill a nice Saturday or Sunday.
 
To make it cost and time effective I shoot 100 rounds of primary (.380 ACP, 9mm, .45 ACP, .223, 7.62, etc) ammunition and 100-200 rounds of .22LR.
 
Man, I have got to get into that.
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It was one of the best decisions I've made in a while. My frequency to the range has at least doubled. I can't say for sure that I've saved a lot of money but I'm definitely shooting more.

I like to keep it to about 3 guns with 50 - 100 rounds per gun. In normal range session I will go through about 200 -300rds of various ammo. It's great because I no longer feel like I'm killing a baby unicorn everytime I pull the trigger.

Just pick up all the brass, go home, and make some more ammo!
 
Just pick up all the brass, go home, and make some more ammo
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I know of one range that you are NOT allowed to pick up any brass at all.
All brass becomes the property of the range. Nice, huh.

And another range where you can only pick up your brass. Hmm... I wonder if someone else's brass looks like yours though. I guess I'll start another thread sometime and ask people what they use for bass buckets and how often they pick up during the shooting session. Through out or all at the end.
 
I try to put at least 100 rounds downrange when I go, and prefer to fire closer to 200. Actually, I'd like to do even more, but the outdoor ranges slow me down too much with ceasefires & 6-round-load-limits. Indoor ranges are easier to send lead downrange faster, but two hours of rangetime will cost me $30 as opposed to ~$10 at the state park for a whole day.

Time is almost always more valuable to me than a little money.

Jamey
 
The cost (and availability) of ammo is putting a damper on my trips to the range as well. I normally go through 200 to 250 rounds per session, but I'm hesitant to do so now, knowing I might not be able to replace that ammo. I like the .22 LR COnversion kit idea and just might buy one. You guys might also want to consider buying a decent airsoft gun that is an exact replica of your gun. You can practice in the comfort of your own home and shoot till your heart is content (or until your significant other makes you stop to pick up all the pellets! :eek::p:D). While there is no recoil and the weight of the gun is different, I find airsoft a great tool for practicing "snap" shooting. If you can't get your shots on target quickly, then you are at a serious disadvantage. With the airsoft, I tape the sights and practice shooting without relying on the sights. I've actually gotten pretty good at it and can consistently hit a 6" x 6" sticky target from across the room without the sights. That translates easily into a center of mass hit (head shot even?) with a real gun. You could also use it to practice tactics and scenarios (read playing) with friends.
 
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