The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

I obtained my first FAC in 1971 and have had a brilliant 50+ years of reloading and shooting.

I was a founder member of the UKPSA and have enjoyed practical pistol, practical rifle and practical shotgun comps over the years.

My main sphere of interest has always been with military rifles from late 19th to mid 20th century and I built up a comprehensive collection of rifles over time.
I would have an `Axis` or `Allied` day on the range, interspersed with a `Non combatant` day when the Schmidt-Rubin's, Swedish/Colombian Mausers etc were in use.

I have relinquished membership of 2 clubs, as I can no longer be bothered to get up at some ridiculous time in the morning and travel 40 or 50 miles to get to a range by 8am.

I will continue to shoot on a regular basis, but I am in the process of thinning out my collection down to a handful to keep things simple when the time comes.

ukrifleman

Considering packing in target shooting, my club is 45 minutes away, I don't seem to have time for it really amongst work, family, clay pigeon shooting, studying, wife's hobbies etc. Shame as I only took it up in 2018 but never really have the time for it, whereas my local clay ground is 5 minutes away so I can smash out a 50 bird in under an hour, which also aligns with my game shooting more. I'd be interested in retaining a rifle for some paid stalking a couple of times a year, but that's about it I think.

Since becoming a father nearly 2 years ago my priorities have naturally changed so i've been shooting less, but Covid was another big factor as with one of my main ranges being in Scotland and them having tighter controls through most of it, it basically wrote off 2020 and most of 2021.

The problem i'm now having is the sheer cost of it. If i was to enter all of the practical shooting comps I had been in 2017, this year the entry fees alone would top £1000. Added to that the huge leap in ammo prices recently and i'm rapidly being priced out of the game.

Saying that the small PSG club I help run is going from strength to strength and the membership has grown year on year, it will likely have to be capped this year as there simply isn't the space required for more than 3 squads of people to shoot at the same time.

Blackstuff wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 8:50 am The problem i'm now having is the sheer cost of it. If i was to enter all of the practical shooting comps I had been in 2017, this year the entry fees alone would top £1000. Added to that the huge leap in ammo prices recently and i'm rapidly being priced out of the game.

This is very much as issue going forward for many of us, on top of the other big jumps in food and fuel costs, plus massive jumps in domestic gas and electric bills that everyone is now facing this year.

I’ve just checked out the price of a box of Eley Match - same price as Tenex was eighteen months ago.

Rockhopper wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 9:42 pm I’ve just checked out the price of a box of Eley Match - same price as Tenex was eighteen months ago.

18 months ago, a box of 50 x Matchtech .45LC was £30.....it's now £63.

I have seriously reduced the amount of shooting I have done, not \through choice. Age and creaking joints forcing me out of Service Rifle and IPSC. Now I shoot only the twice-yearly 'geriatric' shoots with no timed movements or changes of position. I am still doing Service Pistol and Speed Steel, but have switched to a .22RF pistol as 9mm and .45 ACP pistol ammunition is getting harder and much more expensive to buy. My long range club now demands a vaccine passport, and since I don't have one of those, that's off the table for now. I am doing more clay bird shooting, but only when the weather is good. Last month it has rained every single weekend, so starting to go through withdrawal.

Becoming a dad at the start of last year has significantly reduced my shooting, although I did manage a level 3 PSG comp still.

Now things have settled a bit more I'm gonna get out and shoot more too, although family will always come first.

Rockhopper wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 9:42 pm I’ve just checked out the price of a box of Eley Match - same price as Tenex was eighteen months ago.

Likely an honest dealer that is selling the stock they have left at the price it was when they got it. Once they have to rebuy the price will rocket.

My go-to birdshot cartridges for PSG have gone from £204 per 1000 to £297 per 1000 in 18 months (they just went from £291 to £297 in the last fortnight!)

Interesting to see comments about the cost of full bore pistol ammunition. Back in the pre-'97 pistol shooting days, to be competitive you fired thousands of rounds each year. Nobody used factory ammunition, Often, if you bought a new gun, the dealer would give you a box of 50 rounds as part of the deal and that was the only factory ammo you ever shot. I reckon that, between 1970 and 1997, I got through more than 50 thousand rounds of .357 ammo and to this day I have never fired a factory round.
Fred