Number of rounds I shot yesterday:
100 rounds of .22 LR pistol
20 of .45
6 of .38 special
2 of .357
Number of rounds I shot the day before yesterday:
80 rounds of .22 LR rifle
40 of .223
10 of .308
10 of 30-06
That’s pretty much typical for me, with either pistol or rifle on any given day. I’m a slow shooter, taking my time with each shot, calling them in my head, and evaluating what happened to try to get better. I have friends at the range that I see often. Talking is almost as big a part of my range time as shooting is, and you meet good people at the range.
Your experience may differ, but I enjoy it in the way that someone else might enjoy playing darts. With that much practice and daily dry fire, my shooting turns out pretty well. If I take a deer (inexpensive, healthy lean meat), I go for the head shot and drop it right there instead of tracking. I’m too old to follow a wounded deer all night!
I don’t feel like shooting makes me a boy or a man. It’s a hobby and a skill that’s fun to maintain. In an emergency, if firearms can solve a problem, I will at least be able to hit whatever might be worth shooting at (I’m reasonably good with moving targets, not just with punching holes in paper).
Your whole post makes complete sense to me. It also reminds me of why I don’t shoot much: I’m cheap. Cartridges are just too expensive for me. :-)
BTW, I let a local kid hunt in my woods. He brings me well dressed deer meat. We see a lot of deer and turkey on our property. I’ve thought about giving it a go, but I need to bone up on how to dress both.
Last week my wife called me at work and said it sounded like there were hundreds of turkeys in the woods next to our house. It is not unusual for me to hear a couple as I get into my car, but that was nuts.
That’s kind of expensive. And finding replacement ammo can be a challenge at times.
You might try some high quality air guns instead. MUCH more cost effective. You can fire 500 rounds a day for less than the cost of a hamburger.
If you look on-line, you can find clones of most popular handguns. They have nearly the same look, feel, weight and balance as their respective firearms, and similar operation.
The kick and noise are a lot less, but low noise is an advantage. If you wish you can even set up a target range in your basement.