The range receipt says $20 for the lane; the real cost of the afternoon is the ammunition. A box of 50 rounds of 9mm at $24.99 is fifty cents every time you press the trigger. Divide the box price by the round count for cost per shot, multiply by what you fired, add the lane fee, and you have the number to budget a range day — and a clear picture of why .22 LR practice is so popular.
150 rounds of .22 LR from an $18.99 box of 50 is 150 × $0.38 = $56.97, plus a $20 lane — $76.97 for the session.
The example
Three calibers on one range trip. The rifle shooter fired the fewest rounds and still paid nearly as much as the pistol shooter who fired 100.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caliber | Box price | Rounds/box | Cost/shot | Shots fired | Lane fee | Session cost |
| 2 | .22 LR | $18.99 | 50 | $0.380 | 150 | $20.00 | $76.97 |
| 3 | 9mm | $24.99 | 50 | $0.500 | 100 | $20.00 | $69.98 |
| 4 | .223 Rem | $12.99 | 20 | $0.650 | 60 | $20.00 | $58.97 |
The formula
Cost per shot in its own column, because it is the number you compare across calibers:
How it works
A division, a multiplication and an addition:
B2/C2is the box price spread over its rounds. $18.99 over 50 is $0.3798 — show three decimals so the .22 and 9mm do not both look like "$0.40".E2*D2is ammunition burned: 150 shots at $0.3798 is $56.97.+F2adds the fixed lane fee. Fixed costs go on the end, not inside the per-shot number.- Compare rows. Per shot, the rifle is 1.7 times the price of the .22; per session, fewer shots kept the total close.
If you buy by the case, use case price and rounds per case in B and C. The per-shot number falls and the formula does not change.
Try it: interactive demo
Enter the box price and round count for your ammunition, how many you fired, and the lane fee.
Variations
Whole boxes to bring
You cannot buy 150 rounds from 50-round boxes as 3.0 boxes — well, you can here, but for 175 shots ROUNDUP tells you to bring four.
Cost per hour on the lane
Session cost divided by lane hours — useful when comparing a slow precision session with a fast pistol drill.
Pitfalls & errors
Include sales tax and any per-box range markup in the box price if you buy at the counter. Online case pricing and range counter pricing can differ by 30%.
Keep cost per shot at three decimals. Rounding $0.3798 to $0.38 before multiplying by 150 overstates the session by a few cents; rounding to $0.40 overstates it by $3.
Rounds per box is not the same for every caliber — rifle ammo often comes 20 to a box, rimfire 50 to 500. A copied-down "50" makes the .223 look cheap.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
Should reloaded ammunition use the same formula?
How do I budget a monthly range habit?
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