Friday, May 4, 2012

Shooting versus diving

In the comments here, Andy states that buying a $3,400 custom 1911 is less expensive than other hobbies like SCUBA. As a gunnie and as a master diver, I say that he is totally wrong. I added up what it would cost to get quality equipment and training, and tried to see how much I could get if I spent what I would buying a custom 1911.
Open water SCUBA class: $200

Mask, fins, booties, snorkel: $275

2 tanks: $350
Regulator set: $420
Octopus: $70
Dive computer with air integration: $600
Buoyancy compensator: $275
Total: $2,190
Of course, a new diver doesn't usually buy equipment that is this good. A basic scuba setup can be had for about $1200, plus the $200 certification class.

The cost to actually shoot the gun, like the cost to dive, is extra. Ammo runs about $175 for 500 rounds.  So if you shoot 200 rounds every time you go to the range, and you go once a week, ammo would cost about $3600 a year.

Air fills cost about $3. Hiring a charter boat to take you out would cost $50 for half a day. For that same $3600 it costs to shoot 200 rounds a week for a year, you could go SCUBA diving on a charter boat every Saturday and still have $700 left over.

Sure, you could reload your ammo and make it cheaper, but I can buy my own compressor and do beach diving, and my dives become cheaper still.

I just can't see spending over $3,000 for a special race gun. To each their own, I guess.

1 comment:

Robert Hewes said...

Maybe he was including a boat? Or maybe a rebreather?