I can’t speak for other countries, but in Australia where I live, I’d say not very. Hiring range guns plus ammo is easily $150+ each session, so owning my own firearms is the only practical way to afford the hobby. I also own a 12 gauge shotgun and a .223 Taipan pump action ‘AR’ style rifle to use on the property I own, which I’ll also occasionally bring to the range with me.

Competitively, I shoot a CZ Shadow 9mm, and while the upfront cost was high, the amount saved over time makes up for it, plus I can better compete knowing I’m more familiar with my own gun. Range guns are also generally quite battered (the Glock 19 I did my training on would jam literally every other round and was miserable to use.) There’s also personal adjustments to sights and grip preferences that aren’t possible with hired range guns. 9mm ammo costs roughly $25-$30 per box of 50, while the .44-40 is substantially more expensive at $75 per box for Magtech (hard to find the genuine Winchester brand .44 ammo here.)

If you’re interested in picking up the sport, I’d go into a range and try out a few different guns to get a feel for it, then go through the process of acquiring your own, whether that be a safety course and training like here in Australia, or the much simpler process in the US (although I’d still recommend training, as it helps you become familiar with and respect your weapon.)

I hope that helped, even if my experience as an Aussie is likely to be far different from most of the world’s.