Poll: Poll: What Period Of Time In Your Personal Life, Were You Most Actively Shooting Your Firearms?

[DunRanull]

30 to 50-55.
Where I live, I don't have many friends, especially of the shootist kind and I don't like to go shooting alone..
Finding a place to shoot has become more difficult these last years too. But I still collect and "play with" firearms...
Seems like I buy a "new" firearm every year or so- latest acquisition- a gen5 Glock 19...

 

[41mag]

Can't really numerically quantify. There is a decided drift into less competitive match time, yet I get way more actual target time. In place of spending most of day waiting for a turn at a course of fire, more trigger time yields better groups result.

 

[Mike_M57]

Late 20s.

I was working as a security guard, sometimes armed, and had bought a 6-inch S&W 586 .357 Magnum. I also had a Lee Progressive 1000 reloading press.

I would load up 2-300 rounds of .38 Special and drive out to one of the local shooting areas in the morning and shoot up all my reloads. Then I'd go home, clean and reload the brass and go back in the afternoon and do it again. Come home clean and reload all the brass for the next day. I'd do this 3 or 4 days a week.

I got pretty good at shooting a double action revolver.

I also reloaded for a 20ga. Mossberg 500. Got pretty good with that, too.

If reloading components and ammo were as cheap today as they were back then, I wouldn't be sitting her typing on this stupid computer!

 

[Member 53328]

When I got to shoot for free on the government's dime.

 

[Spitpatch]

Taking the liberty of leaving off "firearms" (in the strict sense), my dabbling in competition cannot compare with the amount of shooting I did starting at the age of 5, when an old Buckaroo in Golconda, Nevada gave me for my birthday his "kitchen door" Daisy Cub that he used to shoot magpies with.

I shot it all day, everyday when a small tube of BB's was a nickel, a longer one was a dime, and the fat one sold for a quarter. (When empty, the tubes served as a very challenging self-tossed airborne target.)

I lived, breathed, ate and slept with that gun, and with care it lasted until I was 11. Then I bought one new for $4.72 and shot it well into high school.

That's when I "was most actively shooting my 'guns' ".

 

[PrDubi]

I don't know....it's hard to define.

I was shooting alot more when .308 surplus was 1200 for 99 bucks Cavim.
Ak ammo was 1k for 79.99 and shooting out in the public range in California was fine and dandy.

I was pulling $200 a day teaching back in 1999 and as O didn't drink, smoke, or do drugs, shooting guns was a lot more fun.

 

[Member 38805]

Most of my adult life, but in my 40's-50's I began to shoot competitively in adult smallbore, and bullseye pistol matches. So I shot several times a week at the least, and sometimes a couple more days tossed in for practice.
But it did take time away from shooting all my other guns, so although I shot a lot, it was limited to one pistol, and one rifle for the most part.

 

[thekingoftroy]

Started shooting when I was about 9 years old. Got into it pretty heavily in my late 20's to early 30's. Shot several times a month for twenty years. Worked as a range instructor for several Police Departments. One of which had an indoor range connected to the building and a pallet of ammunition. When it was slow would get permission of my supervisor to go work on training drills. Haven't shot as much since my retirement. Having to purchase my own ammunition gets expensive on a fixed income. Hopefully that will change sometime.

 

[Catfishmoon]

Between 10-20 years old with primarily .22 and shotguns in a rural part of the state and now between 60-70 years of age with primarily pistols.
Getting closer to retirement age for me means many of life's necessities have been dealt with (kids - career - housing) allowing more time and resources for things I enjoy.

 

[P7M13]

I would not consider myself a shootist or gun enthusiast until I was 41.
Since then, ebb and flow. Many thousands of rounds some years, zero to one thousand others.
Shooting has always taken 3rd place behind family and work.

 

[bbbass]

I am wondering how many members here increased their shooting activities after they hit 70.

Due to physical maladies/conditions/limitations, my shooting activities have decreased by 90% or more. Getting old ain't for sissies.

 

[RVTECH]

Guns and shooting have always been a part of my life since my teens.

While I have gone through up and down phases of shooting and reloading, and have maybe forgone it at times due to other interests and activities, I have often included shooting (if only minimally) with some of my other outdoor pursuits.

 

[Martini_Up]

When ammo was plentiful and blue-box black hills 5.56 69gr ran $180/1000. Infringements were less - could offer a cash price at Brown's Camp pit for someone's rifle / pistol he was selling and be lawful getting it on the spot. Big-5 Sports has weekly specials with WWII surplus bolt actions for 1/10th what they're going for today and the ammo to feed them was everywhere (where's all that GP11 nowadays and how $$ again!?!)

If that were today, I'd be shooting a case of 5.56 a week - or more - like i used to. My age, so far, doesn't stop or slow this right / hobby down. It's other stuff. :/

 

[Wombat of Doom]

13-21ish I shot a ton. For a portion of that I shot every afternoon after work. (My boss let me use his personal 200 yard range) I hunted puma and coyote and jackrabbit. Then, after an incident that I will skip, except to say I had to fire my gun in defense, I went to college for ages. I still shot when I could. Stopped a murder in San Diego too. But it was hard where I was, and to be honest those incidents made it less fun for a bunch of years. It took time to be able to use certain guns again.

Then I got a highly stressful job and shooting has always been my zen. My breath control for target shooting physiologically forced my body to relax. I remembered how much I loved the roar, the fire, the recoil and the smoke as I hit the targets. And I got back into it late 30s to 40s.

 

[TTSX]

I picked 69 because it's the Internet

 

[Silver Hand]

So far in my 52 years on the planet my most active years of shooting were in my mid 30s to early 40s. I expected to be more active with the shooting hobby when I retired. Now I realize retirement won't happen before 70. I am wondering how many members here increased their shooting activities after they hit 70.

1950 - Pop was a Korean war Vet. Decorated U.S. Marine Sargent.
He had me carry a bow and arrow through he woods in the snow over rock walls and wire fences, from the age of ten. He then at the age of twelve gave me a single shot 4/10 short, Savage shot gun, and let me carry it one winter or so without a round in the chamber or in my pocket. All within his company, and, while hunting large and small game.
At the age of 13, I took a hunters safety course in lower NY state, with Hal Shustack the administrator of the test. Of many, many questions I missed one. It was, what is the breach of a gun?
I passed the test a year early and still retain the certificate with his signature, from November 1964.
I started shooting .22 rim fire at the age of 9 +-.
Now in my 70s still shooting quite a bit of cast in the trap . In the front of the house.
Wonder if I will ever re melt the lead again in that 3' x 7' stump I really doubt it.
My ending thought is every kid in this country should be taught how and when to use a firearm. Believe me, it should be an earned privilege. I support the second amendment.

 

[ma96782]

What Period Of Time In Your Personal Life, Were You Most Actively Shooting Your Firearms?

20-45

Aloha, Mark

 

[Silver Hand]

Because I am retired (30 years in the Army) and just turned 68, I have time and funds to shoot all the time and do. In the Army as a Special Forces NCO I really didn't shoot as much as I wanted! Now between the local club once a week match, NRL .22 2 times a month, Long range practice once a month (live fire Practice), Long range match once a month and teaching my Grandchildren safety and just having fun I have to say I shoot way more now than before I retired. If it every gets to where I am not having fun I will stop but I still enjoy shooting, not so much cleaning and reloading

Scott

RLTW Get a Dillon press for your short rounds, I l sure like mine. One pull = one round. 72 and stoll like to cast also. If not Sell me your powder, primers cases and pills.

 

[Tlock]

12 to 40.....I don't hunt as much as I use to but I shoot pretty much every day for work now. Been shooting everyday since 2007

 

[Pete F]

I bought ammo when it was cheap and had rebates. I just bought 500 M118 Winchester 175 grain 7.62x51 with a 25% rebate.

I have way too much ammo and nowhere to shoot it. I don't want to drive for an hour to shoot for a few hours and fight with the other people shooting or trail riding through the area on their motorcycles.

It used to be that I would drive a few miles to a gravel pit or Weyerhaeuser land and blast away. They are all gone or gated, making it tough to find good places to shoot where I live. My best friend had 16 acres and a good spot to shoot up to about 70 yards. He died of cancer 9 months ago - I miss him.