Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Guns that shoot gold, silver and bronze are not easily affordable;,the minimum cost of a rifle is Rs 5-7 lakh. Can a common man afford it? The answer is a big no, specially for an upcoming shooter. Yet, if shooters have an international gold or silver or a bronze in their pocket, they can get sponsors.
Rule the shooting range rifle is yours, the guns that cost in lakhs get many shooters for free. But, is it actually free? They pay for it in the shooting range, they make the down payment in terms of their hard work, dedication and focus. In order to get sponsors for an elite expensive sport like shooting. A shooter has to prove himself many times. Your luck and hard work play simultaneously in this.
When asked how much does a Rifle cost, Olympian shooter Mary Tucker said, “I think they cost around (Rs 5.75 lakh), 5000-7000 USD. But the one I have is sponsored.”
The Free Press asked some shooting professionals, how much does it cost to be a shotgun shooter- the answer was, a shotgun costs around Rs 4-8 lakh depending upon the version. Apart from the weapon it takes around Rs 5-10 lakh a year for a shooter to pursue shotgun shooting professionally, they added.
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Shooter Chinki Yadav informed that; every pistol that is used in different events is priced differently. The weapon range starts from Rs 1 lakh and goes up to Rs 2.5 lakh for basic guns. A bullet costs around Rs 35. If we include international championships, we can say that it costs around Rs 3 lakh per month including everything including bullets and other equipment.
Earlier while talking to the Free Press, Olympian shooter Manu Bhaker stated that there are many senior athletes that are playing well yet they quit shooting due to lack of sponsorships. But nowadays, athletes get monetary help as they should from the government or private sponsors.
“Every athlete who is playing well should get financial assistance and support. Yes, there are schemes but more athletes should get financial benefits if they’re playing well,” Olympian shooter Manu Bhaker
“I am a sponsored shooter and I learned shooting through NCC. But if NCC wasn’t there she would have not been able to pursue shooting as a career. As the equipment are expensive.” Olympian Anjum Moudgil
