The bottom line is , do I like doing this? , and am I having a good time?
It is, really. And therein lies the problem of growing any shooting sport. Growth means attracting new people, while losing as few of the current people as possible.
The attracting new people issue with benchrest is that while almost everyone likes the notion of being able to hit a fly at 100 yards (or 500 meters for the Aussies), it doesn't take them long to figure out that really isn't benchrest. Especially every day, and esp. when you begin to figure out that only the misses become important. .02 inches just isn't generally significant in "being a good shot."
Often they figure it out before buying the equipment, which is a good thing, I suppose.
But once they commit -- usually by spending a bunch of bucks (whether or not that's a sacrifice or not is irrelevant just now) -- comes the "now what?" Most of us aren't going to be good enough to consistently shoot in the top 10. Eventually we figure that out. Why stay with something you're not that good at?
Well, an interest in "innovation in accuracy" could be one candidate, but in spite of the announced purpose of benchrest, innovation is stifled by the rules. Barrel taper restrictions cut out all sorts of stuff, as do stock taper rules. Etc.
But there are still "little innovations" and "little technical improvements" people can investigate. Kinda of the purpose of this forum. Fun for a while, but eventually, you figure out that won't consistently get you in the top 10 either, and improvements pale beside the bigger possibilities prohibited by the rules.
So once again, why stay?
Friendships made is probably the biggest factor. And that's sort of a matter of luck -- you meet people everywhere, some become close friends.