Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Range time - how often and how many rounds?

If you're a factory ammo shooter, with the high price of ammo and related shortages, how often do you go to the range and how many rounds are you shooting? Before ammo went crazy, I used to try and go every other week and would go through 100-200 rounds each time. Now it's more like maybe once a month and 100 rounds max, if that, just due to the high cost.

Tonight was three 15 round mags through my M&P compact, five 17 round mags through my M&P 5" (my USPSA gun) and 150 rounds of 22lr through my SP101, all double action.

I've been shooting 22's mostly, it's the same fundamentals with less bang and much cheaper. Probably shoot them a couple times a month and a few hundred rounds at a time, and a box of center-fire about once a month.

I've done well at USPSA despite not shooting that pistol much.

I think double-action 22lr revolver time is great for the fundamentals.

I've been going quite often with only the SP101

Twice a week but only about 100 rounds each time.

Before ammo went crazy, I was shooting 9mm out of my Glock about like you, a couple hundred rounds of concentrated, technique oriented, shooting a week. Now, same as you, about 100 a month. I'm still shooting as often as before, but I've mainly transitioned to .22 rimfire, pellet rifle, and black powder (percussion revolvers and muzzle loading rifles).

I don't want to use up my reserves of the more important ammo I have too quick. We don't know how long the lunacy will last.

Except for rimfire, I load my own, and that doesn't address your question. But, I will say that my own shooting has been cut enormously. In Jan and Feb of 2020 I totalled approximately 2000 centerfire rounds. In Jan and Feb of this year, I've shot less than 200 total rounds. I believe I will continue to average about 100 rds per month of centerfire plus 100 rds of rimfire. Naturally that could change if I buy or sell a gun, or if a buddy wants to do more shooting.

I responded here, because I did want to remind everyone of a common range drill that I've found to be helpful/productive and doesn't use much ammo.

It's the tried and true Ball and Dummy Drill. Have buddy, or somebody here, load 5 inert (dummy) rounds for you. Stand at the line and mix up the 5 dummies with 1 live round. Get them equally warm in your hands so you can't tell what's what. Load the rounds into a magazine without looking. Practice your fundamentals as you squeeze the trigger. Eventually you will either fire your live round or cycle through the dummies, leaving only the live round. At that point, stop and start over--don't bother shooting when you know it's the live round or know that it's for sure a dummy.

I've found the drill to be helpful, because it slows me down. I focus on grip, sight picture/alignment, and trigger squeeze/press/yank. And, I am able to gauge my reactions when squeezing the trigger. (I used to have a vicious flinch. I looked like I'd been shocked by an electric fence as the gun went *click*. It was pretty awful.)

Anyhoo, you can spend 45 minutes on the range and shoot fewer than 10 rounds, but the entire time is useful. Obviously, if you are working on stuff that requires a real bullet (draw to first shot speed and accuracy, etc.) you are going to have to burn real ammo--which is why you're asking here. I get it. I just thought an ammo-saving option might also help.

Carry on!

I pretty much lost last year because of covid. At 75 with Heath issues it stopped my trips to the range. Now with both doses I’m up and going again. I shoot mainly reloads but also shoot factory. Minimum 100 rponds per trip. I shoot 38,45 and 9mm. I average 3 trips a month. Hasbeen

This is true. When I used to carry a double action revolver, it took near an hour to go through 100 rounds, because four of the six rounds in the cylinder would be spent cases.

After I stopped carrying a gun for money, my training plummeted. These days I shoot 99% for fun and for my kids to have fun, and occasionally "train" just to keep my baseline skills solidified. I live in a VERY low crime area, and I don't go to high crime areas on an regular basis, so the "threat" level isn't there to justify spending large amounts of money to maintain a really fine edge. These days I just consider myself a sport shooter, and I tend to shoot old revolvers more than anything else.

I picked up a G19 replica CO2 BB pistol. Except for the slide, the thing looks and feels almost exactly like a G19 Gen 3, or to be precise, with a .40 muzzle opening more like a G23. The weight is close, certainly more like a centerfire than a G44. Even the 15 or 16 round magazine inserts like a real one, and you can rap out the whole thing semiauto just like real. The trigger is Glock-like, but somewhat different, longer pull distance, but close enough.

Dirt cheap to shoot, and you can set up a range indoors. Accurate enough for close quarter drills. CO2 cartridges are good for about 50-60 rounds, so I figure it costs about 75 cents to shoot 100 rounds.

Airgun Depot has a whole selection of replica guns. Mine on sale was about $70.

One of the best purchases I've made. Happy camper here.

Good thought. I've considered them, too.

Hawkeye or anyone else, if you decide to get the Glock air pistol, here are a couple of things I've learned. CO2 cartridges vary significantly in price depending on the source and quantity. The best deal by far has been Walmart for 40 packs of Crosman Powerlets. BBs in bulk are dirt cheap. I can't say with any certainty that one brand is better than others. Crosman Copperheads seem to have quite a few surface imperfections (USA), Hornadys (yep, China) have a black finish so hard to see on the floor. Daisys are zinc plated and look smooth (China). A magnet on a stick is most useful to pick up the inevitable strays.

One quirk I've noticed with the gun is that if you remove a partially loaded mag, you have to let a loose BB drop from the chamber and out the mag well. If you don't remember that, a fresh mag won't seat. Not a big deal.

The casting detail on this gun is amazing. The mag release is pure Glock, as is the seating feel. Sights are non-removable, but standard Glock factory type.

They also have a G17 as well as several other replicas.