Cost Breakdown: UK Range Day vs Polish Shooting Weekend
Numbers compared. A serious UK range day vs a weekend in Poland — flights, ammo, beds, and trigger time included.
Every UK shooter who has hosted a serious commercial range day knows the number: it is not cheap. By the time you have paid for an instructor, ammunition, range fees and travel within the UK, a full day adds up. So how does a weekend in Poland actually compare? Here are the numbers, no rounding, no marketing.
UK — full commercial range day
Using a typical Midlands or Home Counties commercial provider, FAC-rated, with an instructor and centrefire rifle:
- Range hire + insurance: £150
- Instructor (full day): £250
- Ammunition (200× 5.56 NATO): £180
- Rifle rental: £80
- Lunch + coffee: £25
- Fuel (200 mi round-trip): £45
Total UK day: ~£730 — for one shooter, one day, one platform. No pistol work. No dynamic drills. No CQB. No 300 m steel.
Poland — weekend, two range days, two platforms
Flying from London to Wrocław (WRO), Friday night to Sunday afternoon:
- Ryanair STN→WRO return: £100
- Twin-shared hotel, 2 nights: £120
- Saturday full day (Glock + AR15, 350 rounds, instructor included): €180 / ~£155
- Sunday half day (precision rifle, 60 rounds): €120 / ~£105
- Airport transfers, round trip: €40 / ~£35
- Food, drink, sightseeing: £80
Total Poland weekend: ~£595 per person — for 400+ rounds, two platforms, full dynamic training, and a city break.
The trigger-time-per-pound number
| Metric | UK day | Poland weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Total cost | £730 | £595 |
| Rounds fired | 200 | 410 |
| Platforms | 1 (rifle) | 3 (pistol, AR15, precision) |
| Dynamic drills | No | Yes |
| Cost per round | £3.65 | £1.45 |
The per-round number is the headline. You pay less per pull of the trigger in Poland — including the flight and the hotel — than at any UK commercial range.
When the UK option still wins
- You only have half a day free.
- You need to use your own FAC-listed rifle for a specific discipline.
- You live near a club and only need range hire.
For everything else — serious training volume, new platforms, dynamic drills — the maths is decisive.