Save money at the range

June 2022

     There is a bright side to the increase in ammo prices. This is a two-for-one argument. The amount we spend on ammo can be the same as before the price hikes, and the price increases force us into a great opportunity to improve our skills.

     You can see the "Truth about pre-pandemic ammo prices" below, but let's operate on the fact that most people were paying 20 cents and 30 cents per round for 9mm and 5.56 after tax and shipping. Now it's been hovering around 60 cents per round for each of those and it's either doubled or tripled for defensive cartridges.

     Two thirds of the rounds we fire at a range are wasted.  Let me lay out the practices to see if you agree that these behavioral changes not only reduce the cost but also increase our enjoyment and improve our skills. The bold dollar amounts are what I think many people can save at a single range day.

1. ($3.00) Sometimes after finishing a string of fire we have 4, 5, 6 or 8 rounds left in the gun, and instead of unloading it, we "unload it the fun way" and shoot it empty, often without really aiming. That may have been fun when it cost a dollar, but now I'd rather use this as an opportunity to take a lateral step, lock my slide open, and remove the magazine. Bonus points to you if you can identify which skill you'd be training for there. Unloading the fun way is different from the obligatory mag dump, of course.

2. ($10.00) The obligatory mag dump, of course. Hey ... guilty. Well, guilty unless the statute of limitations on that is 2 years. I just don't get $9.00 (15 x $0.60) of enjoyment out of that, let alone $16.80 (28 x $0.60).

3. ($5.00) That thing we do when our pistol shoots low left or our AR's ammo isn't accurate at 50 feet - what is that? Do you ever shoot 5 or 6 rounds slow fire, feel a great disappointment, and then rapidly fire the rest of the magazine? I think it almost feels like we can force accuracy, which logically doesn't work, but it seems we're operating on feelings alone at that point. I see it happen to pool players, too. We have some undesirable mechanics or fundamentals that aren't working, and we try to force our shot where we want it to go, while at the same time it obscures our error from us because we don't have the time to dwell on each shot. Slow roll a ball, slow fire a shot, and you're forced to face that you're doing something wrong. If we slam it, it hides that a little bit, but it also hides from us what we're doing wrong. Most of the time, our problems are from anticipating the recoil. Inert cartridges and laser cartridges are great ways to fix that.

4. ($3.00) We can use a fraction of the targets we currently use. Sure, targets are cheap, but you can save a few dollars by putting 200 rounds through each one instead of 20 to 50. On top of that, it gives us a more accurate picture of what we're doing. We like to see where our rounds hit of course, so it takes a little getting used to, but really it's fine if our good shots go through a giant ragged hole in the target. We really only need to know where our misses go. 

5. ($10.00) Using an inert cartridge in every magazine (or an empty chamber in a revolver) has a few great benefits. It helps us train for malfunction clearing, if that's something you do. It tells us if we're flinching or anticipating the recoil. It allows us to tell ourselves "this one is the inert round, and it's going to go 'click,' so don't flinch." It also slows our rate of fire, breaks it up, and makes it more interesting. It's hard to put a number on how many rounds we save by doing this, but I imagine it's at least a magazine or two. This is really a great way to improve slow fire, fast-pace shooting, and tactical and practical manipulation.

6. ($6.00) Some people choose to dry practice at the range before shooting live fire. Yes, it takes time away from shooting just to do something you can do at home, but wow does it make you a better shooter just to dry fire a dozen or two times at the beginning. If you spend that time dry firing instead of shooting out that first magazine and work on trapping and resetting the trigger and setting your finger where it needs to be on the trigger, you'll have better groupings, you'll save money, and you'll improve.

7. We all need to spend more time dry firing anyway. Unloaded practice of trigger work, draw and manipulations does more for our skills than live fire with a whole lot less noise, lead, money, time, and effort. See the laser cartridge recommendation. Make a routine, and make it fun.

8. On that note, we can also take some time to learn the intellectual and philosophical side of the concealed carry lifestyle and other firearm related skills.

9. I'd be remiss not to recommend getting a robust laser training simulator, but that's not for everyone, and it's a topic for a future article. Edit: Here's that future article: A virtual range setup.

     One less obvious benefit to these practices is how you're treated at a range. They'll make you look like you know what you're doing, and RSOs will sometimes give you a little more room, autonomy, time, or other benefits - and certainly more respect.