2010 goals/wish list

A few people have posted their gunnie/shooting goals for 2010, which got me started thinking about my own. I'd already developed my planned purchases/wish list, but each of those has an implicit goal behind it, so I figured I'd make those goals explicit.

Here's what I came up with:

• Shoot expert-level (in NRA competition.)

Okay, this might not be the best statement of that goal. I have no idea if I'm capable of shooting expert, so this is lacking the "achievable" quality necessary for a good goal. It's probably better to state this one as, "Practice shooting twice a week." If I'm capable of shooting expert, consistent practice should get me there. This shouldn't be a difficult goal to make, given that I'm now shooting three times a week. I've also shot expert-level scores a couple of times in practice, so it's not an unreasonable goal.

• Get started in high-power and shoot as many matches as I can this year.

This one's fairly easy. I'm already planning on shooting my first high-power match at the end of March. Once I do the first one, I'm sure I'll have no trouble making the other ones.

• Go to Camp Perry.

I'm not so sure about this one, at least this year. One of the things I like so much about competitive shooting is how inclusive the sport is, and I'm sure that newcomers are welcome at Camp Perry, but maybe I should get some more (or any at all, really) competition under my belt before I think about doing this.

• Shoot a 2700 match.

There are two scheduled at my club later in the year, so this shouldn't be a problem.

The goals are fairly easy. The wish list is a bit harder. These are the major items:

• Dedicated .22 upper for my AR-15. ($1100)

• A serious upper for my AR-15. ($1000)

• A decent .22 target pistol. (Most likely a S&W model 41.) ($1000)

• A decent .45 target pistol. ($1000)

• Reloading equipment. ($400)

I've already ordered the dedicated .22 upper (from Compass Lake), so that one's checked off. I want to get a service rifle upper from Compass Lake, but that one's not really a must-get for this year.

The .45 target pistol probably comes before the .22 target pistol. I have a Kimber .22 rimfire target that will suit my needs for the moment. It could certainly use a trigger job, but I'm guessing I can get that done cheaper than $1000 (assuming it's worth doing it
on a pistol I plan to replace.)

So I'm looking at a low of $2500 to a high of $4500, and that's not including the incidentals. .22 ammo alone will run somewhere between $500 and $1000 based on my practice schedule (for low-end target ammo, as the cheap stuff just won't cut it anymore.) .45 and .223 would probably run about the same, given that I'd be shooting a lot less of each. And once I start reloading, that cost will go down a bit.

So I'm looking at somewhere between $3500 and $6500. I predict it will be on the low end of that. I also predict trying to shave off as much of that expense as possible. I doubt I have to spend that much on reloading equipment, and maybe I could look at putting different sights on my existing 1911 (a Kimber Pro Carry II with fixed sights.) It certainly wouldn't be optimal, given that it's a 4" barrel, but it could be a reasonable alternative.