Geez, I thought someone died or got a terminal illness when I saw the title of this Thread. Owning guns, hunting, and shooting has always been as expensive as you want it to be. A bird shot with an English Best gun is not killed any more dead than a bird shot with a Nitro Special. But even the really expensive stuff can still be a relative bargain if you buy intelligently. And what hasn't gotten significantly more costly since anti-gun Democrats got control? Add to that the loss of buying power due to inflation, and what most of us have lost in our 401-K's and other investments, and it's little wonder that many folks are reevaluating the costs of hobbies and other interests... such as buying food...
I'd bet the cost of buying and servicing a new pickup truck has increased more than the cost of buying guns and having them repaired. I do all of my own gun repairs, which may not save me much when I factor in the cost of tools. But I enjoy doing it, and don't have to worry about long waits or FedEx losing or damaging my guns. I have shotshell loaders in 10, 12. 16, 20, and 28 gauge. I also reload for most of my rifles and handguns too. The savings from reloading are not as great as they once were. But it does help, and creates options during times when factory ammo is expensive or in short supply due to panic buying or fear driven hoarding. I fondly recall getting some pretty dirty looks several years ago when Obama was president. I would walk past the ammo vendors at gun shows and loudly ask my buddy, "I wonder how many dumbass Obama voters we have here standing in line to pay a buck a round for .223 shells?" Some pain is self-inflicted.
If things get really bad, I can always watch some YouTube videos and learn to make my own homemade black powder. I plan to continue to keep shooting as long as I have the strength to lift a gun and pull a trigger. Cost or inconvenience isn't going to stop me.
