In the last four years, inflation has driven up the cost of living for many Americans. Saving money is important whenever possible. Prices are rising, but wages (for the majority of us) are not. Here are six ways to save money on shooting gear and other expenses.
1. Watch for our Deals of the week. AccurateShooter.com features some of the best bargains every Monday in its Daily Bulletin. We search the internet to find great deals on firearms, ammo, reloading parts, optics and tools, as well as electronics, gun safes and other items. Our Deals of the week can offer savings of up to 35%. Many of our vendors offer special deals to AccurateShooter.com subscribers.
2. Check out the Forum Classifieds. The AccurateShooter shooters’ forum has great deals every day. The latest deals can be found in the right-hand column of each Forum page. Browse through the Forum MarketPlace, which has four main categories.
Guns, Actions Stocks & Barrels
Tools, Dies, Rests, Reloading Components & Misc
Scopes, Optics, Sights, Rings, Bases Etc.
Commercial Sales by Sponsors Paid
3. Share a Ride for Matches. Fuel prices are rising. Regular gasoline costs $5.13 a gallon in California and $3.54 a gallon across the country. Fuel is a major part of the hobby budget for many shooters who live 30 to 100 miles from their nearest range. We’d estimate that 90% of shooters travel alone to matches in large trucks, which are gas-guzzlers. If you drive 200-miles round-trip in a vehicle that gets 20 mpg, you will burn more than $35.40 of gasoline. This adds up. You can cut your fuel costs in half by sharing a ride with another shooter. You can also save money on vehicle wear and tears if you share a vehicle with a friend from one match to another. Consider the savings at $0.58/mile.
4. Use Discount Codes and Save. Check for discounts before you purchase. Every Monday morning we feature “Deals of the week” in the Daily Bulletin and provide discount Coupon Codes if available. These Coupon Codes can lower the cost or reduce shipping costs. You can search for codes at Brownells Creedmoor Sports EuroOptic Graf’s Midsouth Powder Valley Sportsman’s Warehouse KYGUNCO MidwayUSA Precision Reloading. Check your email as well — some discount coupons are only announced via email newsletters. If you cannot find a Coupon Code from your preferred vendor on Gun.deals or RetailMeNot.com, then visit these sites. RetailMeNot.com lists thousands of vendors, while Gun.deals lists the latest coupon codes.
5. Optics “Demo Shop” Modern optics of high quality can easily cost up to $1500.00, or even more. They often exceed the value of the rifles on which they are mounted. Demo optics can save you 20-30%. These are usually display units used at tradeshows. The scopes may have minor ringmarks but are otherwise “as-new”, as they have never been used in the field, or on a rifle which has fired live ammunition. Ask about the warranty when purchasing demo scopes. Most demo scopes are covered by full factory warranties. EuroOptic.com, SWFA.com and other respected vendors offer a wide selection of demo optics.
6. Rimfire Rifles are a great way to learn. Hand-loaded, match-grade, centerfire ammo can now cost more than $1.50 a round, if you count premium bullets, primers, powder and brass (10X loads). If your competition barrel (chambered and fitted at $600) is toast after 1500 shots, add $0.40 per shot for barrel deprecation. You’re now approaching two dollars per round! You can get.22 LR ammo that is quite good for less than $0.18 per round. You don’t need to worry about your barrel wearing out quickly with a good rimfire barrel. A quality rimfire can maintain its accuracy for at least 7,000 rounds. A.22 LR cartridge at 100 yards can simulate the wind drift experienced at long distance by a centerfire cartridge. This allows for cross-training using much cheaper ammo.
