Ready on the Right--Ready on the Left--Ready on the firing line
You can thank part of the high price of ammo on the Enviro-Nazis...
Even ten years ago, lead semi-wadcutters were cheap and plentiful.
Try finding them now...
(The $14 is at The Firing Line, isn't it?)
You are right about the enviro-Nazis. I honestly think more ranges, etc. are going to insist we use "green" bullets (there is a post about lead below). I think the cost of shooting is going up and a good part of it is due to the anti-gunnies. As far as The Firing Line, got it in one.
I reload zillions of shotshells for my skeet, trap and 5-stand clays shooting. I find it Murphy's Law of shooting, I'll always have plenty of time to shoot and not enough time to reload the hulls!
How often do you get to the Firing Line? I've only been there once but I'd like to go back - I've been thinking about heading back up around my birthday to treat myself to renting a full-auto Thompson... 
I'd eventually like to get into handloading, but it will involve renting a large backhoe to clean out my basement first...
We get up there about every other week--give or take a little. We rent one of their full-autos every now and again, but the cost of the ammo is a real pain. Handloading is good, but you probably wouldn't save enough to pay off the backhoe rental.
Your estimate of only 5% may well be quite low. Just as an anecdote, my understanding (sorry, no source to back it up) is that ~60% of the price of a brand-new Cessna 172 is to cover Cessna's liability insurance. A few years ago those planes were about $140k before optional equipment. No doubt they're more now. So that means a 172 buyer was paying $84,000 to the tile crawlers, and $56,000 for the plane.
WRT range fees, that sounds like a rip-off to me. Most places I've been charge around $7/person for the entire day, not just 1 hour. Annual memberships are typically in the $75 range. Of course I live in AZ, as opposed to New England. Everything is more expensive out where you live.
Trying to compare apples to apples here...I bought a Colt 1911A1 in 1978 for $250 new.
In 1996 I bought a Colt 1991A1 new for $496...which is $198.40 in 1978 dollars.
In 2004 I bought a Colt Gunsite new for $1530...which is $528.09 in 1978 dollars.
The 1911A1 was, I believe, still made the "old fashioned" way and the 1991A1 is made with more current mfg methods and, if you will, more corners cut.
The Colt Gunsite is a Custom Shop piece more similar to the 1978 Series 70 first listed and with more attention to detail, so neglecting the better sights this is as close as we can get to the earlier Series 70 and before models. 211% price increase in constant (197
dollars.
The "el Cheapo" 1991A1 is a mere 79% of the earlier model, a decrease (in constant (197 dollars).
Ideally we need a gun made the same way now as it was then, and with the MSRP for each year.
FYI....
Commenting by HaloScan
