Indians For Guns

i am thinking of getting into sports shooting. i went to a local shooting range and used an air-pistol. it was fun and i did decently well. the coach said i could consider taking it more seriously (not sure if he was honest or wants money, but i hope it's the former )

is shooting as a sport meant only for the wealthy?

can someone give me a ballpark estimate of how much it would cost for someone to get to national level shooting?

i read online that high level coaches can charge 4k per day of training.

also is this something i can take up part-time (on weekends, or after work) and get really good? or is it more like football where it is almost impossible to get to national levels unless you dedicate yourself full time?

thank you

Hello Pix

You can start as low as 300 per day for getting a feel of it. Once you are sure you want to take it to competition level then around 5000 per month where weapon is not yours. Later after participation in a few events you may get your own weapon which will cost above 1 lakh for most of the stuff out there. This is based on an assumption that you are talking about air pistol or rifle. For firearms this cost will go up significantly


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the coach said i could consider taking it more seriously (not sure if he was honest or wants money

it is my personal experience that range managers/coaches say these things to hook you in - obviously for the money:
their clubs get more members - fame in numbers
membership fees
they sell you the pellets and other accessories - at substantial margins
personal fees - for special coaching

MOST IMPORTANT - eventually they talk you into buying an imported weapon (saying things like - if you plan to participate in serious competitions you shall need and have to buy a weapon of your own.) - of course they purchase this weapon for you - charging you at least ₹10,000 - ₹15,000 extra.

If you do not buy it from them - don't expect them to be nice to you or even pay you any attention on the range - some may even go to the extent of sabotaging your career in shooting (were you to have one in the first place) and may just forget to inform you about the oncoming competitions and the regulations.


is shooting as a sport meant only for the wealthy

In a way - yes - (sorry do not intend to disappoint or discourage - but better to get some things straight) unless one is reasonably well off (at least upper middle income group) OR exceptionally talented - things may be quite difficult - if not impossible.

if you are well off - then you can afford to spend money on expensive hobbies
if you are exceptionally talented (and there is no dearth of talent in India) - you may be lucky enough to get job through the sports quota or scholarships or stipends or whatever else is available ( however, considering the corruption in various levels of bureaucracy in India - I would not count on it to much)


can someone give me a ballpark estimate of how much it would cost for someone to get to national level shooting?

to get to the national level -

1. you first need to do a basic/beginners 10 days course: ₹2,500-₹5,000 depending upon your city
2. then an annual membership of a rifle/pistol club for regular practice: ₹10,000+
3. pellets and targets (assuming the club provides the weapon): at least a 100 pellets per day (approx 5 tins/month X 12 months)

Pellets:
Geco diabolo: ₹400+ per tin of 500 (depending upon your location)
RWS R10 match: ₹650+
H & N finale: ₹590+

https://kiehberg.in/shooting/pellets/match-pellets.html

4. targets: ₹10/day - ₹50/day (minimum - assuming initially you use 10 targets per day - later you need 50-100 targets/day)

5. dedicating minimum 3 hours per day.

6. the competition fees

7. Somewhere down the line - you have to buy your own weapon - you cannot hope to qualify at the nationals with a weapon which has been used 12 hours daily for 8-10 years by hundreds of persons. (accuracy shot to hell, settings changed several times a day to suit personal needs, etc.)

8. So the pistol:

steyr pistol: ₹1,30,000 - ₹1,50,000
morini pistol: ₹1,20,000 - ₹1,75,000
walther pistol: above ₹80,000
pardini pistol: above ₹1,00,000

Any imported air rifle: above ₹1,75,000 (the ones commonly used for competitions)

see the prices on:

https://www.tenexe.com/in/c/Air-Pistols/2/1/default/3

https://kiehberg.in/shooting/airguns/ai ... ice&store=

for rifle - the kit alone costs: ₹35,000+


9. If you have a job - then getting leaves throughout the year - with or without pay - to participate in the competitions

10. the travelling, lodging and the food expenses


Adding all the above :

₹1,30,000 (pistol - one time cost) + ₹40,000 (for pellets/year) + ₹15,000 (club membership/year) + ₹15,000 (approx. 50 targets/day X 330 days) + travelling (to competitions and daily commuting to your club) + food + lodging + competition fees

approximately: ₹1,30,000 (one time for pistol) + ₹70,000 (recurring for pellets, targets, membership) + travelling + fees + lodging

how soon you are good enough to qualify in the nationals - well that depends on you inherent skills and the dedication of your practice.

ALL THE ABOVE ARE FOR .177 cal weapons and accessories - others are obviously more expensive.

i read online that high level coaches can charge ₹4,000 per day of training.

have no idea about that - but if you want the best - you can be sure you shall have to pay the best price


also is this something i can take up part-time (on weekends, or after work) and get really good? or is it more like football where it is almost impossible to get to national levels unless you dedicate yourself full time?


Weekends - NO - you cannot shoot for 2-3 hours for 2 days of the week AND expect to make big - if it was that easy - there would be crores of national players today

after work - that depends on how taxing physically and mentally - your work is. You need to be relaxed and focused for shooting.

about full time dedication - if you read the interviews/daily routines of Rai, Bindra, etc. you will get the idea.

I repeat - if you are EXCEPTIONALLY good then there is a very good chance that you can overcome the other constraints somehow.

I sincerely hope that my points have not upset or discouraged you in any way - but I have seen several boys and girls at the club I practice who are from the poor or lower middle income group - talented - but cannot afford a weapon of their own, or the high-end pellets, sometimes even the annual ₹2,000 (the air charges - if not included in membership fees)

If there are any inconsistencies or inaccuracies in my points - I shall be grateful if anyone points them out. I apologise for them and thank for the corrections in advance.

@WilliamTell,
you spoke my mind. I myself was wondering why in the world was this sport so costly. Many interested people have been put off by the cost, including me.

I had posted about the cost in relation to Trap/ Skeet at viewtopic.php?f=31&t=24535&p=249736#p249736

The content of my post is pasted below for easy reference:

Precision shooting (rifle/ pistol) is VERY different from shotgunning. However, it can be used as a starting point insofar as instilling proper (responsible) firearm handling & range discipline if someone is a complete newcomer to firearms/ shooting.

If you wish to learn trap shooting (with the aim to qualify as a renowned shot in the Nationals), IMHO you need a bare minimum budget of ₹10,00,000/- out of which half would be fixed asset acquisition (the gun) and the balance half would be consumables (ammo/ clays/ coaching). The break up would be as follows:-

ITEM	QTY	RATE	TOTAL (rate*qty)	COMMENTS
Imported Ammo	10,000	Approx Price per round ₹40	₹4,00,000/-	To be shot over the period of 1 or 2 years. Ammo price assumes purchase from your shooting association/ club
Imported Trap Gun	1	Minimum cost in Indian market ₹5,00,000/-	₹5,00,000/-	Price depends on make/ model/ condition, this figure can easily be double or more of this. If you are really lucky you may be able to get it for slightly less than this amount, just be careful that it is a dedicated Trap gun and not a sporter/ skeet gun. Sporters and skeet guns sell for a little less than Trap guns. While you can shoot Skeet with a skeet gun or a sporter you CANNOT shoot Trap without a gun built specifically for the purpose of shooting Trap
Coaching	20 days	Per day cost ₹2,000	₹40,000	Some coaches charge a lot more, this is a lower end estimate. Minimum No. of days of coaching required - 20 (assuming 5 days at the outset, then 5 more days after one/ two months, then 2 more sets of 5 days each at periodic intervals. Please NOTE: Some people will require a lot more coaching, 20 days is a lower end estimate of coaching required. Some folks may say that they can make it without any coaching at all, this route is also possible. However, without any coaching it will take longer (read more range time/ ammo) to reach the same level of proficiency.
Clays targets	12,000	₹6/- per clay bird	₹72,000	Qty assumes a 20% loading for broken/ no birds

Grand Total: ₹10,12,000

There would also be range membership/ fees to deal with for e.g. in Delhi one would spend about ₹18,000 at Dr. KSSR for six months of membership fees.

The same budget would apply if you wish to take up Skeet, though the cost of a skeet gun would be slightly less than that for a trap gun. As mentioned earlier you can even shoot skeet with a sporter gun, which should be even cheaper than a dedicated skeet gun (just make sure it has a single trigger and adjustable screw in chokes).

Some people I know have been able to qualify with a rental gun at the range, but there are serious challenges in taking that route - inability to get someone to fit the gun stock to you, major difficulty in participating in outstation competitions, etc.

Some people have been able to qualify with shooting half the above mentioned amount, some have taken more - but the above estimate should be considered as a safe bet for most people.

All of the above is assuming that the person is willing to spend 2 hours a day, 3 to 5 days a week for a minimum six months at the range.

There will be a lot of heartbreaks in your journey, but don't get disheartened, just keep at it and follow your dream!

Cheers!
Abhijeet

first of all Sorry that I missed this thread. I am totally agree with william tell and mundaire. even the cost is going high day to day.
A very important point William tell mentioned is that the sheer business attitude of the so called clubs or shooting ranges. their inclination towards the sports is less and more for increasing margin.