“I’d love to try competitive shooting, but I don’t have the money it takes”
Is this actually a valid reason to avoid competition? It might be for a person that doesn’t already own a firearm and isn’t already going shooting on a semi-regular basis. Otherwise, probably not.
For a person that already possesses a firearm, dry practice is free. The cost to attend a local match will be about the same as plinking the same number of rounds.
While attending an event at a range new to me, the Match Director gave me a tour of their facility. Mid conversation we heard someone in a different bay rip off an extended blast while bump firing probably two dozen rounds.
“Oh, that’s just one of the locals that never attends our matches because he says he can’t afford to shoot competition,” the MD said with a laugh.
At a different event, Bill Wilson informed our group that his company’s “Texas Barbeque Special” outsells their competition-specific models even though the BBQ gun is more expensive.
If a gun owner wants to become more skillful and test skills in a competitive environment, they’ll likely be able to find a way.
Firearm User Network 
Billy
Dec 10, 2017 @ 10:25:14
Depends on the competition. Years ago, I was a member at a club that ran bulleye matches. Those guys were shooting $3000 guns… in the 80’s. OK, too rich for me. Then came this new interesting type of shooting called ISPC. A bit of research revealed that they also were shooting high dollar ($3000-$4000) guns that looked nothing like my nightstand gun. Then came along IDPA. They had a class suitable for my nightstand gun. I determined that I could shoot an IDPA match for just a little more than a trip to a typical indoor range, and I got a LOT more for my money at a match. The organizers would set up complex (compared to shooting at a range) combination of targets (which they provided), with complex instructions on how they had to be engaged (again, compared to shooting at a range). You get to draw, shoot rapid-fire, shoot around obstacles, and run around. All of which are prohibited at every range I’ve been to (for good reason). And other people score your shooting. What a deal! I just had to paste targets, and help tear down. Oh, and you get to see how much you really suck at shooting. LOL.
Rimfire is probable even cheaper (been meaning to try it out). USPSA is a little more expensive, due to the typically higher round count per match. 3-gun? Now we’re back to an expensive hobby. Same with cowboy.
Any of these competitions CAN be expensive if you decide to make it that way. There are classes in any of them for the high dollar guns. If that’s what you want to do, you can. But now, at least, there ARE economical options that weren’t there 20 or 30 years ago.
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John M. Buol Jr.
Dec 11, 2017 @ 22:56:13
>> Depends on the competition.
Oh, you can certainly find competitors that have spent heavily on their competition rigs. Some of those people might even have skills that match their cash outlay :-)
My point is that the cost to shoot a local match is about the same as it is to go plinking. Gun owners that are shooting on a semi-regular basis are already spending the same as local competitors.
The difference in performance and score between top-end competition guns and “regular” guns is much smaller than many people realize:
https://firearmusernetwork.com/race-guns-vs-regular-guns/
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KR Training January 2018 newsletter – Notes from KR
Jan 28, 2018 @ 14:21:01