The cost of competitive shooting

One of the differences that I noticed between the Pistol Championships and the Rifle Championships was the amount of equipment that competitors use on the firing line. In the smallbore rifle matches, competitors camp out on the range in tents and canopies from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day. One reason for this is because of the amount of equipment needed to compete to the best of their abilities. A competitor may shoot on the firing line six times each day, and make three or four trips to the line to carry equipment.

Today, I talked to the Kempley family and Bill Kelly, residents of Nevada, about how expensive it is to be a competitor in the smallbore rifle matches. The first thing that they helped me understand is that there is a wide range of different brands and types of equipment with many different prices. Obviously, the more popular or higher-quality brands may be more expensive.

The Kempley family traveled to Camp Perry with their two children. The prices below are rough estimates of what it takes to be a competitor while traveling to Camp Perry to compete.

Rifle: $8,000 for an Anschutz, including modifications
Ammunition: $4,000 each year, about 10,000 rounds (including practice and competition)
Shooting Attire: $1,800 for a set of two (includes pants, jacket and shoes)
Spotting Scope: $1,200
Travel Expenses: $800 driving for about 5,000 miles round trip to Camp Perry from Nevada
Lodging Expenses: $300 for about 10 nights in a trailer park
Entry Fee: $390 for the one competitor in the 3-Position, Prone Matches at Camp Perry 2008
Total = $16,490

Last year at Camp Perry, Reya Kempley was the women’s champion of the National Smallbore Rifle Prone Championship and is currently leading the Metallic Prone competition. Although expensive, it is apparent that the Kempley family takes the sport of shooting seriously and thoroughly enjoys Camp Perry, inside and outside of the competitions. Like most other competitors, they appreciate that Camp Perry promotes a very sociable atmosphere while also encouraging a competitive edge during the matches. They also mentioned that Camp Perry is a great place for junior shooters to become more involved in the sport. In the smallbore matches alone, junior shooters account for the majority of competitors. To the Kempley family, having the opportunity to bond with family and friends who all share a common interest in the sport, overweighs the overall costs involved in competitive shooting.