JJ-IA,
I only ask about your equipment because the figures you use for purchasing equipment are a bit skewed to real world figures. You could have purchased a PSL winning Turbo a few months back for $4000.00 not $5000.00 (but I routinely see 40X's around $2000 to $2200 that would be an excellent choice not only for a beginners gun but a seasoned competitor, I bought a used Turbo 3.5 years ago for $2700), a brand new Pappas one piece rest (I bought a used Hongisto 2 years ago for $450) is $675 not $1000, a Weaver 36X scope for $380.00 (through Killough Shooting Sports) not $2000.00+ for a March (it's plenty good enough for competition), and $995.00 for a case of Eley Match ammo (through Killough Shooting Sports) that you could easily test and tune, practice with and still shoot 75 registered ARA targets in a season. Yes, it's still a lot of money, I know. But even if you had to purchase bases and rings for a used 40X and all the bells and whistles of a one-piece rest, well proven scope, a fine set of windflags, and a case of ammo it would easily fall under the $5000.00 you quote just to buy a rifle. The ammo would be the only thing that you'd have to replenish from season to season. Yes, the price keeps going up from year to year, but the quality seems to be getting better and better. I shoot around 100 registered ARA per season and I usually purchase around a case of ammo each season.