Love of Shooting in the Age of the 'Rona and The Big Guy

[WAB]

I never cared much for punching paper so my shooting habits in that regard really have not changed. However, I am shooting  much less skeet etc these days. Somewhat due to increased ammo prices but mostly I'm just not enjoying it much any more. Most of the guys I enjoyed shooting with have either died or quit. I also do not care for the high handed way the board deals with business. Particularly their disinterest in outreach for new members. This club cannot afford to be snobbish. The community cannot sustain it. It's a sinking ship and the crew has turned off the pumps. Sad.

I hear you. The three guys I shot a lot of skeet with all died during COVID. I’m forcing myself back to the club, but it is definitely not the same.

 

[Joker12]

I find that I shoot less center fire and shoot my flint lock muzzleloader a lot more. Black is easy to find and we will never run out of rocks to make spark.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

@mdwest "starter wife..." Love it! I always referred to my ex as "the practice wife" or "La Bruja".

Life changes have changed my shooting habits. I have always stocked up during sales or bought in volume to justify high shipping costs, so the Great Panic-demic did not change anything for me and I actually shot more during that time period. However, I downsized my firearms collection tremendously and kept the ones that I actually use.

I shoot daily for several weeks prior to deer season or a scheduled hunt. I never cared for a .22LR although I have taken truckloads of small game with it and always have an assortment of rifles and handguns in that caliber. I always preferred 22WMR, 22 Hornet or 218 Bee. Now I find myself shooting more of my rimfire guns than ever.

The cost of components finds me shooting more regular factory ammo for practice and saving my premium ammo and reloads for hunting.

Safe shooting

 

[mdwest]

W

The daughter should be practised enough by then … to pick up on all your bad habits and start coaching you!

She is already a much better trap and skeet shooter than I am.. unpracticed Im a mid 80s shooter.. if I spend a little time knocking rust off and training I can get into the low 90's, but thats about the best I'll ever do... Im definitely not a "pro", or even collegiate level shotgunner... just a reasonably "good" or maybe an "above average" one..

She kicks my butt every time..

With Sporting Clays I can typically hang with her.. but she still will take me as often as not.. and thats honestly because skeet is really her game.. thats what she enjoys most and practices most, with trap being a close second.. she doesnt care a whole lot for sporting clays, so it gets the least amount of attention... if she put more focus on sporting clays, Im pretty sure she'd kick my butt routinely there too...

 

[mdwest]

The cost of components finds me shooting more regular factory ammo for practice and saving my premium ammo and reloads for hunting.

Component costs have definitely gotten crazy...

I focused on reloading for my hunting rifles several years back because the cost of premium ammo was so high.. I could load my own, using the same projectiles, at similar speeds, typically with tighter groups, for significantly less money...

These days it pretty close to the same cost to load up premium ammo, or just buy it off the shelf.. and as others have pointed out previously, there are still components that are difficult to find (even at their new inflated prices).. good luck finding swift a-frames on the shelf anywhere.. barnes ttsx (Im a huge fanboy of barnes for everything from 270 to 416) has maybe 1/4 of the shelf space covered these days that they used to (I just checked cabelas yesterday for 168gr TTSX in 308... not a single box was on the shelf.. 3 years ago there were always at least 5-10 boxes available).. primers are still a challenge at times, etc..etc..

If I didnt already have more ammo and reloading supplies on hand at this point than I know what to do with.. Im pretty sure I'd go back to just buying factory stuff... Im not sure all the additional time and effort is worth the minimal cost savings these days.. and while my hand loads are typically a little more accurate than good factory loads.. at the distances I typically hunt, does .15 MOA difference really matter?

 

[Puddle]

One thing that hasn't changed is during the dead-dark winter months I'm doing full-anal prepping of a few thousand brass across a number of cartridges so that my 'on demand loading' approach isn't hindered.

 

[steve white]

Already too late for that this year....the crappie are already in shallow water!

 

[ZG47]

I never cared much for punching paper so my shooting habits in that regard really have not changed. However, I am shooting  much less skeet etc these days. Somewhat due to increased ammo prices but mostly I'm just not enjoying it much any more. Most of the guys I enjoyed shooting with have either died or quit. I also do not care for the high handed way the board deals with business. Particularly their disinterest in outreach for new members. This club cannot afford to be snobbish. The community cannot sustain it. It's a sinking ship and the crew has turned off the pumps. Sad.

I actually rescued my former NZDA branch from a steady membership decline--back in the 90s--by doing the obvious things: creating/distributing our own membership forms, instead of relying upon National Office to process queries; greeting new people at our monthly clubnights; distributing our annual Branch Calendar to local shops; and acquiring brochure holders to display my newly created branch brochures at clubnights, our range complex and willing retailers.
It is quite depressing when you have to deal with people who appear to switch off their brains immediately upon being elected to a committee/board.

 

[FlyGuy]

I shoot a lot less than before.
As mentioned already, component supply and cost have become a real problem.
I love reloading and shooting, so I’m thinking about picking up a .223
Rem. They’re inexpensive to load and shoot compared to larger cartridges.

 

[Puddle]

During the last unpleasantness when H4350 was very tough to source I quickly learned just how many of my loads across 8 - 9 cartridges were based on H4350. My bad.

So, while I'm doing the same amount of regular field practice this year, I've actually increased the amount of bench time I'm spending working up equivalent loads with different powders as backup for my existing H4350 loads. I'm about a third of the way done.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

What's everybody's pulse like on shooting since the 'rona?

I shoot a great deal less today than I did 4 years ago. Components have certainly gotten more expensive, but that isn't it for me.

I have a lot of powder, I'd surmise in the neighborhood of 35-40#.

I have probably 2K+/- LR primers

I have heaven-only-knows how many bullets and brass for all my rifles.

What I lack is the confidence that I can replace any of that if I start to run low. So I don't shoot nearly as much as I would like.

@sgt_zim
I'm hearing your pain
I have a similar amount of powder but 5-6k large rifle and 6k small rifle and plenty of projectiles.
BUT
With they way things look in Australia with some powders like H110/2205 things look grim.
We have limited types of Thales powder that produce your hodgon powders here in Australia.
I need to make sure my son has enough to keep him going for at least the next 10 years or more.
Can always practice with my 22lr out to 200 to keep my skills up
Bob

 

[D.M.V]

It's amazing when I think about my shooting habits from circa 2017-19 vs now. I really miss those days. I hope things change for the better in the future

 

[Hunt anything]

I sort of blew my fun budget at the range Saturday! 20 rounds of .416 Rigby, 30 rounds of .338 Win Mag, 50 rounds of 10mm and 100 rounds of 9mm. May have to get my wife to get a job so I can afford to replace all of that ammo. But it sure was fun!

 

[Ridge Runner]

I sort of blew my fun budget at the range Saturday! 20 rounds of .416 Rigby, 30 rounds of .338 Win Mag, 50 rounds of 10mm and 100 rounds of 9mm. May have to get my wife to get a job so I can afford to replace all of that ammo. But it sure was fun!

Bravery?....or Insanity?.....

Really?....you actually let such a thought enter your mind. Hope you weren't thinking out loud within a woman's long range sensory hearing range when that thought when (hopefully) rocketing though your brain.

Please keep us informed; we (at least us guys here on the forum) would like a report:

1. on how to successfully asked the wife to get a job so we can afford more ammo (and other such manly items).

2. how your wife accepted (or not) the idea of getting a job to help pay for our ammo (and other such manly gun, hunting, etc. related items).

3. I'm sure if you were to post the ER visit, the hospital you are in, when you expect to be release, the extent of your "sudden" illness(es), "accidental " injuries, etc. we would thread you get well quickly wishes, etc..

OR

3) hopefully the wife will post when, where, what you were wearing, etc. when you were last seen should you become a " missing person".

4. Please ask your wife (widow) to post photos of your no longer needed outdoor gear, hunting gear, fishing gear (if any), firearms and assorted shooting and reloading gear, truck, etc. should you "succumb" to your "accidental" injuries and/or injuries.



Maybe, hopefully your bride won't be so hard on you and praying you can help others with the needed information as to how to ask the wife to help financially support the hubby's "endeavors".

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I now have learned to take availability for resupply into consideration.

I spent the weekend shooting 375 HH off the “bench” (sandbags on a job site box) and developed exaclty the load I want to use for an upcoming hunt.

Turns out, I didn’t factor in that one pound of powder is only about 100 rounds of 375 and I can’t get more. Should have enough to load up for the hunt but I’ll be shaking the dust out of the bottom of the can to do it.

And I miss trail boss. There was something fun about shooting a heavy rifle with the recoil of a 22.

 

[Hunt anything]

I now have learned to take availability for resupply into consideration.

I spent the weekend shooting 375 HH off the “bench” (sandbags on a job site box) and developed exaclty the load I want to use for an upcoming hunt.

Turns out, I didn’t factor in that one pound of powder is only about 100 rounds of 375 and I can’t get more. Should have enough to load up for the hunt but I’ll be shaking the dust out of the bottom of the can to do it.

And I miss trail boss. There was something fun about shooting a heavy rifle with the recoil of a 22.

I may be crazy but I ain’t stupid! She was off with the kids and grandkids in Destin.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I'm on the same page as most of yous guys. I'm sitting on plenty of components, but lack faith in being able to replace said components. I too find myself shooting a lot of rimfire just to scratch the itch. Us guys get together every couple of week to send 'em down range at the farm. Sometimes it's a few games of rimfire golf (gambling is encouraged) and other times we set up 2' x 2' targets at 200 yards to make it interesting. We have a great time, but I certainly don't shoot the amount of centerfire I used to.

@TheSayHeyKid
Try smaller targets at 200 with the rimfire. Something like clay targets or 600 mil plastic drink bottles. I have a reactive target with 2,4and5 inch steel gongs in it that I use at various ranges from 50 to 200 yards for fun. The 2 inch target at 200 is a real challenge. I think I've hit it a few times out of a box of 50 but that's more arse than class. I use sub sonic ammo only as well.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Time is my main issue. I spend more time looking through a windshield these days than I care to.
I agree with you in that there is a replacement concern. Aside from shooting some nuisance critters I don’t get to shoot. I miss it, however I want to get all this overwhelming chaos over and done with so we can get back to regular chaos.

@Just Gina
Just remember @Action Bob maybe a nuisance critter at times but he doesn't need shooting.
Ha Ha Ha Ha
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Definitely traded up… but not without a cost…

The first one left with both boobs I bought for her… and the paid for SUV as well!

@mdwest
When I trade up my first one left with the gold mine. I just got the shaft.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

@HankBuck
You are absolutely correct. Thank you for that!!

@Just Gina
When you are living to work instead of working to live you have thing arse about face. Remember you need Gina time, @Action Bob time and time to work. When work over rides the first two you end up with everyone being unhappy.
I know been there done that
Bob