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Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 9:08 am
by tomneal
So...
Over the life of a gun, which costs more?
- Initial price of the gun
- Mods to the Gun to get it "just right", plus repairs to the gun when stuff wears out.
- Gear for the gun. Range bags, holsters, extra magazines, special cleaning supplies, etc.
- Ammo
Just something to think about.
Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 9:16 am
by RoyGBiv
Ammo
next question?
Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 9:20 am
by stealthfightrf17
RoyGBiv wrote:Ammo
next question?
Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 9:41 am
by steveincowtown
Ammo [abbreviated profanity deleted]' sho
Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 10:05 am
by The Mad Moderate
Ammo

Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 11:22 am
by mgood
Ammo.
Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 1:05 pm
by texanron
Another vote for ammo here. Taking for granted that the gun is actually going to be fired and not be a safe queen.
Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 1:11 pm
by A-R
the reloading machine to make all the ammo

Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 1:20 pm
by Katygunnut
The only possible correct answer is "it depends"
Personally, I own guns where the gun costs the most, others where the ammo / range fees cost the most, and still others where the accessories / holsters cost the most.
For an EDC, it is probably ammo first, then gun, then accessories in most cases. A range gun would probably be the same order.
For a safe queen, the gun is going to cost alot more than anything else.
Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 1:35 pm
by WildBill
Katygunnut wrote:The only possible correct answer is "it depends"
Personally, I own guns where the gun costs the most, others where the ammo / range fees cost the most, and still others where the accessories / holsters cost the most.
For an EDC, it is probably ammo first, then gun, then accessories in most cases. A range gun would probably be the same order.
For a safe queen, the gun is going to cost alot more than anything else.

With the number of guns that some people own, they can not possibly shoot them all enough to make the cost of ammo surpass the original cost of the gun. YMMV.
Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 4:51 pm
by Katygunnut
This thread brings up a good point, that it's important to consider the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) with any purchase. Most people do this implicitly when they buy a .22 for target practice largely because the ammo is cheap, but a more formalized way of approaching this is also good.
For example, if you are deciding between a Glock and a purty 1911, don't forget to double the 1911's price tag to account for the various replacement parts, shipping, and lost time sending the gun back to the manufacturer, etc., etc.
Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 5:24 pm
by rm9792
mine is definitely smith fees. But that is simply due to the safe queens being built. If you limit to just my chl piece then ammo is running tight with initial cost of a Kimber Pro CDP. Eventually ammo will win though.
Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 5:26 pm
by michael e
Ammo. With the exception of my hunting rifles. Figurer good deer rifle /scope combo are going to run you around 1200+ ammo around a buck a shot . I only shot 5 or so rounds a year from my 270
Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 5:27 pm
by gigag04
austinrealtor wrote:the reloading machine to make all the ammo

I remember this discussion on the side of the road. What did we say, about 8k reloaded rounds to break even vs the savings of off the shelf ammo for .45?
Re: Which costs the most?
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 5:36 pm
by MadMonkey
For me so far? The gun. I haven't spent enough on ammo to cover the cost of any one gun, especially any of my .22's.
I also don't shoot a lot. Sooo let's say I get a Glock at LEO pricing (I'm security).. that's $400 (tax not included). I can buy 50 rounds of 9mm at WalMart for $10.47 (Federal, my usual practice ammo). $400 is 38 boxes of ammo... 1900 rounds. In the last year, I've (sadly) shot probably 200 rounds out of any of my 9mm's, much less any one gun.
Of course with anything more expensive than a 9mm to shoot, or an owner who shoots regularly, you'd rack up more in ammo costs than the cost of a gun in a hurry.
Although... what exactly do you consider to be the "life" of the gun? Because if you never shoot it, you'll spend more on cleaning supplies keeping it in pristine shape because it'll last hundreds of years...