Benchrest Popularity and Growth

[DShortt]

Ok here goes. No flames please.
I was hot to trot in the 1990’s. I really wanted to get into serious benchrest competition. After visiting and asking questions with a couple fairly well known shooters I lost interest. Words that came to mind: elitist, condescending, dismissive. Totally turned me off. Probably (maybe) just a couple bad apples but I was done.

You asked.

Bingo!

I personally don't have any interest investing time and money into a hobby only to wind up insulted.

Go shoot your matches. I'll do my thing on my range. And find someone else to admire that wood. Your ego needs it, apparently.

A few people should know exactly who I'm talking about. But I'm sure they'll never notice. Whatever. It only takes a few to ruin it for the many.

As in the post I quoted, you asked.

 

[Tim Singleton]

Short range Group can be tough to get started in
Building a new LV rifle can take longer than most have the patience for

 

[CharlieNC]

While not exactly the same, the 22lr bench rest games are growing and probably in part due to lower cost factory class category and ammo in general. I shoot less FClass these days and only practice with 22lr.

 

[RabbitSlayer]

Seems simple to me, you can't buy a box of match ammo, a 2k dollar gun, and win anything or even get close. There is a reason PRS is popular...

 

[docmusk19]

I think there are a few barriers. The first one being marketing. In terms of going up against the pros from the start, I think this highlights the impact that club matches could have. You could pretty much bring any bolt action rifle to a local match, and even shoot off a bipod at first. There is a reason why the factory/varmint classes exist. You can count on all the dudes there knowing something you don’t know. Regardless of them being a good shooter, there are several learning curves an experienced shooter can help a new shooter bypass before reading wind and tuning become the sole reasons one isn’t shooting great. Most of the time they are happy to see a younger shooter and are willing to help. This is also a good place to get your hands on a good used rifle at a good price if and when a new shooter catches the bug.

I agree that it can be crazy expensive, but the financial burden is tapered. Do you want to bring the smoke to a club match? You don’t need to have sorted through 10 barrels to find a “good” one. Most of the barrels these days shoot well enough to compete at a club match. You don’t have to travel across the region to hit all the NBRSA matches. Learn your grandpas old front rest and it’ll work just fine. Nickel and dime your way to having the fancy press or primer seater you think you need, but pre loading with a rock chucker can be good enough. Not to mention, be aware of how much you spend on take out and alcohol and all of a sudden you have a comma in your bank account.

Building a new LV rifle is difficult. Stocks are almost impossible to find, and buying a new one is financially just hard. Even if you have the money, it causes some head scratching. Again, there are several old timers with GOOD rifles that are available. But I really think stocks are a supply demand thing and could be reversed.

In reality, how many of us are actually trying to get new shooters into the game? What have YOU done to get someone new to a local club match this year? I know I personally have done literally nothing. I sit here and use every excuse in the book to justify why SR BR is dying, but at the end of the day part of the blame is on me.

 

[DShortt]

I think your assessment is pretty close to the truth, and I think you're very honest to note the things you have.

 

[mharp]

I am kind of like Schipper, shooting with the best actually attracted me to the sport. At the time I got into this game I was consumed with golf. I knew that I would never be able to tee it up with tiger or Phil Mickelson. But in this sport, pay your entry fee and you might have tiger on a bench next to you and Phil on the other side. Appreciate it and see what you can learn.

i’m guessing very few people have entered this sport with less knowledge than I did. In my first match, just a regular shoot, I think I came in 32nd out of 34. My goal was just to keep getting a little better each time I went back. Many of the shooters are very, very good at what they do. I’m guessing at a big shoot half the field might be capable of winning a yardage. To win a big match Two Gun, the list gets much shorter. Yes, some shooters run on an unlimited budget and unlimited time to commit. At the same time I know there are many successful shooters that run on very modest budgets. Starting out, keep your expectations realistic.

From the very first match I went to I have found almost all shooters to be remarkably friendly and helpful. Once a big match starts, some might not be so chatty and everyone is probably grouchy after a train wreck or the famous 4 and 1.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Benchrest is never going to be big like PRS. It just appeals to less people. And thats ok. At least thats my conclusion after asking myself the same question. I used to do youtube vides at deep creek. Interviews with shooters, whole relays so guys could see how the match runs, pits so you could see that. Just ways to expose people to it. Because most people have formed very wrong opinions of what its like. We also did the club gun where guys could come shoot the rifle for free and see if they liked the game. It did pick up a couple guys but in general didnt really make dent in the numbers. I gave a stock blank to the ultimate reloader youtuber in hopes he would bring that rifle to a match and film it. Invited him to deep creek. No go. Exposure will help a little but at the end of the day its a niche game that will never be huge in my opinion. I have had some customers that like to shoot groups and have the equipment but where too nervous to go to a match because they didnt think they were good enough yet. I encourage them to go as much as I can and the ones that have did much better than they thought and for the most part become regular shooters. Inviting friends that have the right kind of mind set, letting people shoot your rifle for a match or taking the time to let some one shoot a group with your rifle during a tuning session can pick up a few too.

 

[whatwind?]

Easy Access to a proper range and events

 

[mikecockcroft]

No where for most guys to practice.

 

[JB10]

I would love to shoot benchrest, but life can get in the way. I work about 11 hours a day 5 days a week and quite a few Saturdays. I always have sundays off. I also have a family that id like to spend time with at some point. I dont get to vacation much as it is let alone travel for shooting. My line of work does not come with many paid vacation days a year. Cost of the rifle? Upfront fee that can be doable if planned out. I shoot a lot as is so i already spend $ on reloading components so i know what to expect. The younder guys that i have gotten into the sport like the more tactical looking rifles and lean that way instead of benchrest. Of there was more local matches in my area, oh then i would be very interested. Ben Avery is about 1 hour from my house and i hate driving to that side of Phoenix. There is another range closer to me but they dont have that style matches. I had an old coworker that was involved with Rio solado sportsmans club and was trying to get something put together, at least thats what he told me. He said he did not think it was going to happen. So for now i just compete against myself when i go out. I think younger people might look into it more if there was more stuff in my area to promote it or experience it.

 

[Will Henry]

I started shooting silhouette about 8 years ago. I am probably too old to ever excel at it, so I am competing with myself (and still losing!). If I start shooting BR again, I suspect I'll be shooting about like I did when I last shot, about 44 years ago. Sadly, while I was winning then, the same performance won't do much for me now. Still, I'll have some fun doing it. I even managed to buy back my best rifle from back in the day (needs some work)! Like I said, I'll have some fun. WH

 

[Larry Koch]

Only accurate rifles are interesting. That sums it up for me.

 

[Silo1616]

The cost of entry for a full-blown SR BR rig and equipment can be daunting for someone on the outside looking in. Honestly, I probably wouldn't be doing it if I hadn't "limped in" over the last 10 years.

IMO some sort of club level "beginner" class (stock, pro-stock, factory, whatever you want to call it) with a reasonable rules package, including maybe their own target, would go a long way toward recruiting new shooters. Basically, some way to participate with the "Target/Varmint" rifle they already own against others with similarly capable equipment and skills.

The club in Austin, TX has found a formula that works for them. They get 6-8 "factory" shooters on a regular basis. Maybe they will chime-in here and share what their doing?

 

[Doug Beach]

The cost of equipment argument doesn’t hold much water to me. Look at the cost of the vehicles on the sight in / plinking ranges. Look at the zillion guns people have, that they bought off the shelf, with no specific purpose in mind. The money is there.

 

[Dimner]

I don’t believe that money is keeping newcomers from sr benchrest. There’s too many $80,000 trucks in driveways that have never been hooked to a trailer or left the pavement for me to believe that. I believe that the 2 largest factors are distance to matches and advertising. Who’s going to drive 3+ hours one way to try something new that you have no idea if it’s something you might enjoy. Other than 2 forums and the nbrsa magazine where else have you seen anything about benchrest? There’s a pile of potential new shooters that have never heard of benchrest. I don’t have the answers to how we can reach new shooters and get them hooked but I wish I did.

This is America. You can take an eight year loan out on a truck. Benchrest doesn't do financing.

Seriously. It's a big problem with any generation of Americans right now. If it cannot be financed down to a monthly payment, people won't buy in.

So the 6k price tag is a barrier, because people can just find another hobby they can dive right into for $X99 per month.

 

[Fast14riot]

Let's face it, BR is not a novice level sport. Biggest draw for new competitors is from shooters already established in the shooting sports. There is a huge learning curve that usually starts with a factory gun and ammo. Then they decide to learn to reload. Then its bolt on parts like stock, trigger, scope. They think they're a bona-fide shooter now! Show them a match ready SR/BR gun, rest, mobile reloading gear, wind flags, half a day spent cleaning for 40 rounds fired, it is intimidating.

Factory gun, ammo, big steel targets a few sand bags, sunglasses and brand logos on your shirt is much easier to achieve for the novice with a few extra thousand to play with every year.

Those of us here tend to overlook our own journey into the competitive shooting world. Not everyone grew up learning to reload or how to adjust for wind.

Also, I'm 41, F/class is my game of choice. I have a family with 3 teenagers and work 50+ hours a week. I'm lucky if I get to shoot 10 matches a year, and not all of those are F/class. Hard to compete against the retired guys who are at the range every week testing, tuning, and have the disposable income to remain at the top.

 

[hdskip]

I will throw this factor in the mix. We, as a society, are more easily offended by things that in the past would not have bothered us. Stand offish , elitist, and other similar terms have been with us forever, but nowadays seem to affect us , as a group, more than it used to. I competed in registered skeet for many years but same factors affected me to stop. Mainly unsustainable expenses of travel , lodging, food, fuel, not to mention rising expenses of components and entry fees. With both of us shooting is stopped making financial sense. We do it at club level now and it's still enjoyable. I also shoot rifles at same pace. That's sort of how I see it.

 

[JFrank]

Seems like there’s more excuses to not shoot than to shoot.
we only have a couple hundred total long range shooters in the US, I’d sure like to see more but I also understand it’s a financial commitment along with a learning curve that’s sometimes painful.

I can varifiy that btw, but I keep trying to get better and constantly reach out and share information wherever I can in hopes to gain interest and raise attendance.
I’m probably the only guy at my little range that shoots BR or puts in any work in the off season, too bad really.

 

[SeabeeKen]

Going out on a limb, but if compared to ASA or IBO archery and you have to shoot against the pro division shooters right off the start most will be intimidated. If there were a rookie class where once you won an agg or yardage, or top 3 couple times move on up.
People don't want to spend thousands of dollars competing against pros when starting out. Short range br is the only sport I know of that runs that way.

At 66 yo, I recently shot my first UBR matches. I am not intimidated at all. I love to learn and compete against myself, striving to get better. I'm currently building my rifle while shooting a friends rifle in matches. I wish I had done this years ago but kids, work, and a military career kept me far too busy. I've dove in whole hog. Folks getting into it should just take their time and get their equipment together. I am having a ball and meeting some awesome guys and its an honor to compete with them and share the experience.