The Cost of Being Good

[biodsl]

Gotta pay to play, Chellie. Entry fees, travel expenses, guns, ammo, upkeep and on/on. I'd say most here don't subscribe to the entitlement philosophy-if you want it, you fund it!

A big congrats to Stokes on his accomplishment.

I'm an endurance motorcyclist and shutter to think of the money spent on this hobby over the years. In 2007, I ran the Iron Butt Rally. The official slogan is "11 days, 11,000 miles". The unofficial slogan is "11 days, $11,000". It's closer to truth than you might imagine! To achieve some goals requires a high price in time and treasure. It appears it was money well spent for Stokes.

[LR1955]

A big congrats to Stokes on his accomplishment.

I'm an endurance motorcyclist and shutter to think of the money spent on this hobby over the years. In 2007, I ran the Iron Butt Rally. The official slogan is "11 days, 11,000 miles". The unofficial slogan is "11 days, $11,000". It's closer to truth than you might imagine! To achieve some goals requires a high price in time and treasure. It appears it was money well spent for Stokes.

Folks:

I moved this post by Paul into a new thread as I think the cost of being good at anysport is a huge factor in attaining a sports related goal.

I figure at High Power a guy will spend from $8K - $12K per year just for ammunition, practice sessions, maintainance, and the cost of competing. That is, if the person wants to be competitive.

I didn't include the initial expenses that last for a number of years until a person gets those things that give him confidence he can win and be competitive. A guy won't go out there and become a Distinguished Rifleman or High Master without a huge dedication in time and money.

I am curious of your own experiences in terms of expenses involved in becoming good at some sport. Marksmanship more so than others but I am interested in how much Paul has spent to get where he is today.

LR1955

[biodsl]

In order to delve into this question, a little explanation of endurance motorcycling is probably in order. An endurance rally is like a scavenger hunt on wheels. You are given a list of locations and points associated with them. To be awarded points, you have to prove you actually visited the location. This might be by answering a question about the location or taking a photograph of your bike and an identifying article (usually a towel or flag with your rider number on it) or some combination of both. The rider who collects the most points wins. Usually this is the one who figures out the most efficient route (the most points with least miles) though not always. It might be won through sheer miles or speed, but usually winning a rally is about finding the right time/distance/point combination. Oh, and don’t be late: that will disqualify you. Most rallies are at least 24 hours, but they can be two, three or even 11 days in length. It is common ride at least 1,000 miles a day.

Besides the physical aspect of riding these distances, it’s an equipment intensive hobby. Your bike has to be as comfortable as possible and you have to ride in all kinds of conditions, day or night. This requires the right bike set-up and equipment. Driving lights, custom seats, extra fuel cells (minimizing stops), and GPS’s are common. As with firearms, sometimes you buy gear and it doesn’t work to your liking. More money is spent trying the find the elusive ‘perfect’ set up. The same goes for riding gear.

With all of this said, the stage is set to answer LR1955’s question; what has it cost me? As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve intentionally not tracked my rallying expenses. Literally, I thought that if I tracked it I might be tempted to quite the hobby. So what follows is a quick estimate and I assure you I’m UNDER estimating the numbers.

First, the fixed costs. I figure I have about $15,000 in my bike, custom seat, lights, auxiliary fuel tank, GPS’s and riding gear and smaller incidentals. I spent $900 on a tire changer so I could save money on tires by purchasing on-line and mounting/balancing myself. I’ve ridden about 90K miles with this set-up so my cost per mile is about $.165 or $165 for every day (thousand miles) I’ve ridden. I forgot to add insurance to this which is around $400 a year.

Now rally costs. This includes entrance fees, tire wear, fuel and lodging. I excluded food since I would have to eat anyway, but it is more expensive on the road. Fuel for 1,000 miles would be around $87.50. Tires will go about 8,000 miles on my big Yamaha FJR and run around $280 a set. Tires are often replaced early though so you don’t find yourself at the wear bars in the middle of an event. Entry fees probably average $150 for a one day ride and the 11 day Iron Butt Rally is now up to $1800, a little more than $150 a day. I tend to go cheap on lodging since I’m sleeping only 2 or 4 hours a night. Let’s call it $60 average. This brings us to $328.5 per event or $.32 per mile.

Adding this all up, I might have spent over $44,000 over the last seven years. I’ve had fun, enjoyed the competition and made some good friends. However, there’s a second part to LR1955’s question: am I any good? What’s the cost in time to be competitive? That will be another post.

So there you go Horde. Build that $2000 rifle, buy that $1200 scope and $1800 rangefinder. Spend a grand on reloading equipment supplies. It's a bargain!

[Drifter]

It's all relative.

My boat is up for sale in part due to the high cost of offshore fishing. I was working towards honing my skills until I felt that I could be competitive in billfish tournaments. While some luck is involved in landing the heaviest blue marlin for our largest local annual event, I was gearing more towards the catch-and-release division. Prize money would be less (~$75k vs ~$1 mil), but entry fees were also less (~$3k vs ~$15k+). The odds would've been against me (huge understatement) if I ever reached my goal, but I didn't care.

Like shooting, fishing is a sport where the best in the business often openly share their techniques. With the internet, I was conversing with the top people in various parts of the world. I have lures made from around the globe. At the time, I felt that I was ahead of the curve, using and learning to understand various designs of artificial billfish lures during a period when tournament rules were evolving to make natural bait less effective (requiring circle hooks), which had always been the mainstay of the local fleet (using J-hooks).

As I said, boat is now for sale, then the gear will go, and finally the slip will be sold. I could make it happen from a financial standpoint a few years ago, but not anymore.

So I'm back to shooting, and more than I ever have. Enjoying it too. And much less costly compared to the aforementioned hobby.

Again, it's all relative.

While I recognize the importance of money for survival, the older I get, the more that I realize that time is so much more precious than money.

Enjoy whatever it is you like to do. Pursue it with passion. If you don't get enjoyment from the time and effort required to reach your goals, and the associated costs loom too large, find another hobby that stirs your soul.

[bwaites]

I started rifle shooting a little differently than most. I started hearing about the 6.8 and in doing research on it, I came across the Grendel. When I compared the two, I could find nothing that the 6.8 did at close range that the Grendel couldn't duplicate with the right bullet, while the 6.8 certainly couldn't match the Grendel at long range.

At the time, I had never owned a rifle of any kind.

I bought a GDMR Grendel and never looked back. It was sufficient for 600-800 yards, but after attending my first Boomershoot at the invitation of LR1955, I was truly hooked, and started looking at rifles that might be a better match for 1000 yards and out. I ended up finding a great deal on a semi-custom 7mm WSM, and then finding a Nightforce scope, and since then I have continually upgraded the rifle and the scopes I use on other rifles. I now own a 28" GSR that I shoot at matches out to 600 yards, topped with a Nightforce.

I've added better reloading equipment, wind meters, spotting scopes, etc.

I've deliberately never totaled the money I've spent, but I have intentionally made sure I am getting the best return on my investment with each purchase.

I will try to total out what I have spent to get involved in F Class, since it is the easiest for me to track. I don't shoot a lot of matches each year, generally only 1-3, so my costs are lower than some.

As has been pointed out, its all relative!

I do know this is comparably expensive to my golf hobby, which I have significantly decreased as I have shot and competed more frequently.

[Rambozo]

I have been shooting club matches for a while now, and been trying to get into the F-TR game. My F-TR has been limited, primarily due to equipment and cost.

I've seen many people just outright buy what they need out of the gate, and while that is ultimately cheaper, it's less accessible to me because I can only afford a little bit at a time. I learn the hard way, and through time, what works and what doesn't, because I simply can't afford to buy a Nightforce as my first optic. I have to be creative in finding my solutions, and they don't always work. I have to take the longer path, and do more work myself. Fortunately, my father is a machinist, and has been for many years. I am even more fortunate that he takes an interest in my shooting, and has taken up gun smithing. What we lack in finances, we try to make up for in labor. The downside is that it's slower, and more difficult. The upside is that I can gain a more intimate knowledge of my equipment and how it all works together. This is one reason I am sticking to F-TR. I know I cannot afford to compete in F-Open right now.

I don't think I've shot enough F-Class to even classify yet. I've been fiddling too much with my equipment. One piece at a time, I will get there, and I will be competitive. It's a very short list of F-TR shooters here in Arkansas. The last regionals didn't even produce enough shooters to warrant medals. Had I attended, we would have had enough. I just didn't have my crap together.