Where all all the shooters???

[DHuffman]

Even if people are close to a range they still have to want it bad enough to put in the work to be competitive.

Everyone wants to win, few people have the heart to keep getting repeatedly beat and keep coming back long enough to find some success and learn what it takes to find that success.

@dmoran your quote in your signature line about the difference in the will to win and the will to prepare to win sums it all up.

You have to be willing to travel, spend the money on equipment and consumables but most of all you must be willing to make the time to test and prepare for competition. Without that you are going to spend a lot of money getting beat.

A lot of people think making it easier and more affordable will draw more people. This sounds like some kind of a factory class with factory ammunition to me. The reason I got into IBS benchrest competition was because I was determined to get the right equipment and develop the skills to competitively shoot long range benchrest with some of the best shooters / tuners in the country. These same people have helped me every inch of the way. The help is there for new shooters willing to sacrifice the time and make the commitment.

The thought never entered my mind to try to regulate these shooters back down to my skill and equipment level at the time because I wanted to climb to their level.

 

[sdean]

All the shooters are out shooting. Competitions might be the smallest group of people with guns. You can't even guess of how many people are really shooters. With a back log for almost every component in a rifle, to all the homeshop people with lathes. Plus there are more matches than you are probably aware of. Within 2 hours of my house, every weekend 40 or so shooters attend a Fclass match. New shooters receive all the help and advise they need everywhere I go. Watch in Arizona this week at the SWN and you will find a pile of shooters.

 

[dthomas]

No matter what competition you want to get into you will get your but kicked when you start out. keep at it and you will get better. If you like it you can slowly upgrade your equipment. You will learn a lot if you listen to the better shooters and most of them will be willing to help you. That is how i got started in f class last year and enjoy every minute of it.

 

[SPQR70AD]

Even if people are close to a range they still have to want it bad enough to put in the work to be competitive.

Everyone wants to win, few people have the heart to keep getting repeatedly beat and keep coming back long enough to find some success and learn what it takes to find that success.

@dmoran your quote in your signature line about the difference in the will to win and the will to prepare to win sums it all up.

You have to be willing to travel, spend the money on equipment and consumables but most of all you must be willing to make the time to test and prepare for competition. Without that you are going to spend a lot of money getting beat.

A lot of people think making it easier and more affordable will draw more people. This sounds like some kind of a factory class with factory ammunition to me. The reason I got into IBS benchrest competition was because I was determined to get the right equipment and develop the skills to competitively shoot long range benchrest with some of the best shooters / tuners in the country. These same people have helped me every inch of the way. The help is there for new shooters willing to sacrifice the time and make the commitment.

The thought never entered my mind to try to regulate these shooters back down to my skill and equipment level at the time because I wanted to climb to their level.

who is telling you that you have to compete with a savage axis and a 3x9 tasco scope? you stay in your class and other meets can be made with stock rifles hopefully to lure younger guys in. car racing has classes. you don't see fuelly dragsters racing street cars in 1/4 mile races. they are separate classes. I do not know if you get money when you win a match. if not a lot of young guys would figure all the money time and devotion put into it equals zero dollar return

 

[DHuffman]

who is telling you that you have to compete with a savage axis and a 3x9 tasco scope? you stay in your class and other meets can be made with stock rifles hopefully to lure younger guys in. car racing has classes. you don't see fuelly dragsters racing street cars in 1/4 mile races. they are separate classes. I do not know if you get money when you win a match. if not a lot of young guys would figure all the money time and devotion put into it equals zero dollar return

I thought that was what I said?

What money? This is my point if you want to shoot benchrest you are doing it because you want to shoot benchrest not because there is some payday somewhere down the road.

 

[SPQR70AD]

I thought that was what I said?

What money? This is my point if you want to shoot benchrest you are doing it because you want to shoot benchrest not because there is some payday somewhere down the road.

I went by what you said which was I never thought to bring those shooters down to my equipment level. I wanted to get to their level. so I interpret that as to bad if you cant afford the best gear. then you misunderstand me. I said most guys will not put all that time and money into competition if they are not getting paid money for it. if you buy ladders a truck sprayers etc it is a bunch of money. then the time it takes to paint a house. BUT you get paid well for it. so a lot of guys figure I can spend my time making money that is what I meant

 

[DHuffman]

I went by what you said which was I never thought to bring those shooters down to my equipment level. I wanted to get to their level. so I interpret that as to bad if you cant afford the best gear. then you misunderstand me. I said most guys will not put all that time and money into competition if they are not getting paid money for it. if you buy ladders a truck sprayers etc it is a bunch of money. then the time it takes to paint a house. BUT you get paid well for it. so a lot of guys figure I can spend my time making money that is what I meant

You've completely misunderstood almost everything I've posted.

I'm have no problem with different classes with different requirement of equipment and experience. I chose to jump straight into the deep end. That's my choice and it's not for everybody!

I don't discriminate against anyone because of what they can't afford. I've worked and made sacrifices my whole life and been broke myself and could be again someday you never know.

All this talk of race cars and paint sprayers is irrelevant and I get you're trying to make a point but you keep ignoring my point. No one is getting paid for it other than a few who have figured out a way to make a living in the community such as gun smiths, bullet makers etc. but I bet most of them have a regular job or business to help them along as well.
I personally chose to do it because I want to test myself against the best and I'll gladly pay my own way because I enjoy it for as long as I can afford it knowing the real payoff is the satisfaction of my progress to compete at the top level and spend time with some like minded people.

If someone else is happy shooting a factory type class I'm happy for them and more than a little jealous. That would make things much simpler.

 

[dmoran]

When shooting competition, I use everyone in attendance results to judge how I stack up, with the primary person I am really trying to beat is myself. Personal bests is what motivates me and drives me to do better each time I go to another match. For me, Benchrest brings this out of me more then other shooting disciplines that I have participated. Its demands to excellence has never let me settle for one accuracy level, and challenges me and all my equipment to do better every time I head to another match. Hence, why I get high off it and envy those in attendance finishing in front of me.

@DHuffman... you have basically the exact motivation that got be going in the sport as well.
It's to late for you.... your an addicted LR addict now to !.!.!

 

[Shooter13]

I told this story in this forum before but I'm going to tell it again because it is worth repeating and show what the people are made of:
At a match this past summer and get called to the line, I shoot my 3 minute warmup (UBR) at 100 yards then we are ready to shoot the relay, my gun is shooting really good, fire command is given and my trigger wound pull, I mess with it for the first 4-5 minutes and at that point I pick the gun up and carry it to the bench (bolt out) and announce that I am done, @John Beauchamp comes over and offers me his gun and ammo (I'm shooting my 30BR and he is shooting a 30 major), at first I refuse and tell him its fine I'll just enjoy the day, he insist he has enough ammo so I shoot his gun in the first relay shooting a 66 (6 Xs) I had never been behind his gun but when he hands it to me he motions with his finger a circle like the x and says I'm holding here, LOL so I take 1 or 2 sighters and fire 6 round making the score in less than 3 minutes with about 10 seconds left when I finished, I couldn't thank him enough as I was worried he would have enough ammo prepped (thank goodness he did) I fix my gun between relays (a grain of powder had dropped into the trigger) and shoot 3 65s with my gun winning the 100 yard relay. Had John not offered I would have sat and watched the 100 and 200 yard relays and shot the breeze for a couple of hours, this is the kind of people that are at the matches. It also inspired me to make sure I have plenty of ammo "just in case" someone else is ever in that situation. Thanks @John Beauchamp again!

 

[JFrank]

And when you meet folks at matches you get better equipment offered to you free or very discounted to see you get better.

Where does a fella find them friendly matches with the free stuff

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Where does a fella find them friendly matches with the free stuff

Get in with some friendly mentors and get to know em

 

[JEFFPPC]

Where does a fella find them friendly matches with the free stuff

I see your hair turned green with envey over the free stuff your missing out on, lol.

 

[JFrank]

Funny stuff,

Ok back to on topic,

 

[JEFFPPC]

Funny stuff,

Ok back to on topic,

Yea I agree, my original question was so so many on this forum and so few actually shooting matches? I think if a lot of guys would give it a try and see how much they could learn and what a friendly group of guys they meet, more would give it a try. About the only shooting game I have not participated in is Fclass. I know out of all the different disciplines I shot, by far the most helpful and friendly have been 95 percent of the benchrest shooters. Yes , there are a few obsessed with winning and records but they are a small minority. I tell groudhog hunters bring your rifle and shoot some ground hog paper matches for a season and you will be amazed at what you did not know, what you will learn, and how it will help your live hunting. Same goes maybe even much more so for big game hunters.

 

[Tim Singleton]

I have offered to loan a rifle and ammo to anyone that would like to try SR group in the SE region
I will do it again this year
Just send me a pm

 

[JFrank]

Well I shoot from a bench so I can be comfortable.
Don’t like laying on the ground cause maybe a dog crapped right where I’m set up so prone is out.

Don’t look good in camouflage so PRS is out, plus I can’t tune by chronograph.

don’t have enough flags for short range...

Hey in all seriousness I brought my 16 year old grandson to an informational 600 yard match a few years ago and by golly he won his class first time out got his plaque and all that, he came once more and shot lousy lost interest don’t come anymore etc. but the main reason is they just have buddy stuff to do that doesn’t include hanging out with old people.
They like shootin just not preppin

 

[JEFFPPC]

Well I shoot from a bench so I can be comfortable.
Don’t like laying on the ground cause maybe a dog crapped right where I’m set up so prone is out.

Don’t look good in camouflage so PRS is out, plus I can’t tune by chronograph.

don’t have enough flags for short range...

Hey in all seriousness I brought my 16 year old grandson to an informational 600 yard match a few years ago and by golly he won his class first time out got his plaque and all that, he came once more and shot lousy lost don’t come anymore etc. but the main reason is they just have buddy stuff to do that doesn’t include hanging out with old people.
They like shootin just not preppin

SPJ, you may be on to something. When I was 8 we moved. Two house away was my new best friends whose dad Boyd was an avid ground hog Hunter who had a pair of M70s in .220 Swift. Boyd I came to find out was a very decorated WW2 veteran who had been shot down multiple times, machine gunned while coming down in a parachute, captured, escaped only to get back in a plane to fight on. Boyd always took me along with his son to the range and hunting. My dad did not hunt. That summer , at 8, I shot my first ground hog at just over 200 yrs. That's were it started for me. If my buddy and I got bored at the range or while hunting, we could entertain each other . That was how my love for shooting started. So maybe when you take a youngster out consider taking their buddy and introducing them to our spot also. Never know what you might start. My buddy hunts but never got into shooting per se, but thanks too his dad I was introduced to a life long enjoyment of the shooting sports.

 

[will16]

If we are talking specifically about BR, it’s this. There is no way to actually get competitive without dropping a crap load of money on gear that will be totally useless at anything else besides BR, and even then you’re still not going to even be able to come close to the people who have been doing it for 10+ years. BR is just not a good sport to start out on and actually see semi good results until you’re experienced at it. That’s why I’am going to start in midrange F t/r.

 

[Shooter13]

Sometimes or maybe most of the time what discipline we shoot is determined by were we are located and what is "near" us, like I have said in previous post I have 3 ranges with a little over an hour from me and another one 3.5 hours away all shooting UBR, I would love to try my hand at 1000 yards and beyond but just not possible, and this has been mentioned before just because you spend the money on a gun you can get a return on it, it is not a total loss, you can as I have recoup 80 to 90% of my money (except on barrels) on guns I've purchased and even more on some.

 

[Greyfox]

If we are talking specifically about BR, it’s this. There is no way to actually get competitive without dropping a crap load of money on gear that will be totally useless at anything else besides BR, and even then you’re still not going to even be able to come close to the people who have been doing it for 10+ years. BR is just not a good sport to start out on and actually see semi good results until you’re experienced at it. That’s why I’am going to start in midrange F t/r.

While I am not trying to start an argument, some of your assumptions are not quite correct. Some of what you say is true. If you happen to live in a part of the country where the only game is short range group benchrest or maybe serious long range benchrest, then you are probably correct. However, those who happen to live in the south central US may be within driving distance of a range that holds UBR matches. It started in KY & TN, but has grown into most of the connecting states and has moved north as well. It is certainly not necessary to spend an exorbitant amount of $$ to compete in UBR score matches. Of course, should one choose to go into custom class then that's another conversation. However, it is a proven fact that to compete and win in Modified class does not cost an arm an a leg, it just requires some good judgement as to where you spend your $$. I have won SSOY in Modified Class twice with rifles that I bought for less than $500. I'm pretty sure you can't compete in FTR for that, but then I could be wrong. I'm simply pointing out that a new shooter can compete in a fun benchrest environment without mortgaging the ranch. I looked at your location and it seems you are in MS. Of course, I don't know what part, but you are probably close enough to at least check out what I'm saying. Brock's Gap in Hoover AL holds 100 yard UBR matches on the 3rd Saturday of every month year round. Also, should you or anyone else who wants to give it a try, would be welcome at Dry Branch Rifle Range in Dixon Springs TN. I provide a complete rifle/ammo/bench setup for a first time shooter who is willing to pay the $30 match fee for the day which includes lunch. That's surely affordable for anyone who is even considering competitive shooting.

Rick