How do we increase membership today?

J

Joe Krupa

Member
After this vote thing is over, we need to get back to the real issue that faces our sport today - declining membership.

There is a group in the NBRSA that is focusing on this (Lou Murdica, Allen Tucker, Denny Andrews and me). I know that several IBS officers are focusing on the same thing.

Here in the Eastern Region several of the guys are calling past shooters and trying to get them to reengage in the sport. Other guys (notably Jack Neary) are getting prize donations and continually drumming up interest in the very next scheduled match. We also have a kind of an informal mentor program.

This weekend at WWCCA in Plymouth, MI a few of the benchrest shooters are putting on a shooting and equipment demonstration at our club Open House. This function has been advertised on local cable, at local gun shows and at local non-shooting events.

I know of a few guys out East who are attempting to get an exhibit on benchrest into the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, VA.

We're a bunch of smart guys here on this site, what are some suggestions that we can take to our respective organizations, or simply try to use informally in our local clubs, to get our numbers up again?

Let's please be positive in our posts. I'm traveling next week and won't have access to this site, so please blast away.
 
How about a representative for our sport along with a display table at every gun show we can get into. That is where a lot of the shooters can be reached. Larry
 
I am one of the people we are looking for [ a vision of searching for fossils just popped into my mind :( ]. New guy, 2nd year of club match participation. I have tried to get more people to come out. Really talked it up on various outdoor related sites. Talked to people at gunshops. Talked to shooting buddies.

Zero success rate. I have just about quit putting any effort in it. There are so many things that demand people's time nowadays, especially if they have kids. It's beyond my comprehension [ no kids ], but even one Saturday a month seems to be impossible to arrange. Ball, gymnastics, archery ;), weddings ;), fishing, household chores, etc.

The ONE THING I think we SHOULD try is to advertise in local newspapers or put out 'news releases' in the Weekend Planner section of area newspapers. We should put flyers up in ALL local gunshops . There are lots of local shooters that don't have any idea that BR matches are held in their area.

I thought about advertising a rental/school program in our club newsletter. Rifle, rests, ammo, loading set up, instruction on shooting and loading; everything but the entry fee. Many BR shooters would be more than happy to loan out a complete set up but I think a lot of people feel ackward about accepting such an offer from a complete stranger. The liability aspect keeps me from following through.
 
One more thing. At the IBS winter meeting the Group Committee addressed expansion of membership via a comprehensive, but mult-faceted, approach. One thing we are working on is establishing a cadre of volunteer mentors so we can direct new shooters to someone in their area.

As an aside, a few months ago I sought some info from the USPSA. Within hours I had an email from the PA director and some pretty slick info both emailed and mailed to me. Of course, they have some 30,000 members and lots of $.

Another group, SASS (cowboy action) now has 75,000 members!

Guess we don't have enough "gee whiz" appeal...

Maybe since benchrest is considered the "Formula 1" of shooting that it appears too daunting to the average person. (Where are all the hot women at our shoots that hang at the Formula 1 venues???? :D)

Jeff
 
Jeff,
This is my take on the growth of 'action shooting' in general, no matter which costume [ old west or camo ]. It's make believe. Pretend. I think it's an outgrowth of our society's direction.

There is no make believe in BR shooting.
 
Recruit Our Youth

Everyone that we are speaking of sounds like the retired set. I believe we should attempt to appeal to the youth of our clubs. The junior rifle programs in our clubs are the possible future of our sport. Put demonstrations on to these groups and offer our equipment and knowledge to get these young people started. Put on clinics to show them how to get started. Factory guns,
reloading techniques, windflag 101.
Get them away from the video game and out to the range, before it is to late...

Mike
Harrison, Michigan
 
Joe, I've wondered about this myself and it is almost impossible to talk to the average shooter to come to a registered shoot let alone try to get him to participate. It seems that the average BR shooter was interested in accuracy before they started competing and have done some experimenting already. The varmint guys are usually the most interested, but getting them to step over to the competitve side is the next challenge. It seems that most are daunted by the idea of starting in the "big league" and maybe if their was more smaller unsanctioned shoots that they could experience at the club level you might see more newcomers. At one swap meet at a local club, I had a guy come up to me saying that he had a small rimfire br thing started at a club an hour away and asked a bunch of questions that I couldn't answer so I told him about this forum and that they had a special section for rimfire that could answer his questions.
 
My two cents

I am new here so please don't shame me but why not try to get Guns & Ammo TV or Shooting USA to come out and do an episode on BR, they are continually doing episodes on competitive pistol shooting. I knew nothing about the sport until I went to the range and there were a couple of guys shooting their bench guns. It seems to me this would reach alot of people. On another note, one of the excuses I always get is that newcomers want to have a starting place in the organization and not be fed to the wolves the first time they go to a shoot. This year is my first year to shoot and was very very intimidated at my first match. It is hard to go to your first match and not be intimidated because you are shooting against some of the worlds best shooters.

Take it or leave it this is my two cents worth!

Trae
 
Ok I'll add my 2 cents;

I think the love for extreme accuracy starts with someone learning how to reload. Not the guy looking to save a few dollars on the cost of ammunition but the guy looking to hunt or target shoot at longer distances.

When ever I take my BR rig to the local gun range it draws a crowd, I spend as much time answering questions as I do shooting. I think most guys believe BR is for guys with an extensive knowledge of reloading and most probably believe it takes years to learn how to reload good enough for competition.

I think this is where you will find the most interest in long range competition.
 
My first BR match....

.... was a score match at WWCCA in 1995. I went there with a .22-250 Rem. 700 and tried to get on paper during the first target at 200 yards. I remember a couple of guys shaking their heads and predicting that I wouldn't be back.

One of the guys ended-up being a long-time friend who had been shooting score for several years. He got his first Group Hall of Fame point at Kelbly's last year.

The other guy came up to me at WWCCA (13 years later) and asked me to help him figure out how to get better in this game.

When you finally decide to go to a match, the intimidation factor can be overwhelming. But, usually the guys you meet there are very willing to help. Some of them even ask you if you are going to come back.

And Centerfire, thanks for the comments.
 
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A "slowly" successful method...

Years back, the southeast region director cooked up a "loaner" program. This loaner program consisted of a turnkey set of equipment which was the best available at the time...R/L Panda, Shilen, Hart, and Walther barrels, Kelbly stock, Bald Eagle windage slingshot rest, Hammond and Wilson dies, Hood press , Cartensen seater, Harrell powder drop, Ziegel box, Gary Price paint job, etc... Bullets were donated, powder was bought with donations,...Only the best stuff.

The idea was to have a guy attend, shoot and not feel outclassed. An additional concept, and perhaps the entire concept, was that the guy could see the game as it is rather than trying to compete with non-competitive equipment. The "program" was successful if you call greater than half of the loanees bought equipment and continued.

Offering to loan a fellow your stuff is no where near as acceptable to him as offering him stuff that is dedicated for that purpose.

The reason it died (after three years) was simply because nobody wanted to fool with it any longer. Certainly it did not die for the lack of tangible donation. The intangibles were to find a loanee, haul the equipment, set it up, give the fellow a five minute crash course and continue to advise for the remainder of the day. Not a lot of volunteers for that....

I wrote the above not only to offer a method that was/is successful but to support a point. The point is....any effort to increase membership that involves a membership effort will fail in the long run....likely in the short.

Individual members should follow their hearts with the knowledge that all hearts are not equal. Benchrest competitors are born rather than made. You can lead a horse to water...etc..

Having more members is not the issue. Getting more members to attend and support the host ranges is the real issue. Agreed, it's kinda the same but it ain't. Good grief, if more members was the issue we could double the membership for another 50 bucks each and not do anything.

It's the ranges that need help! Load the wagon and go.....myself included.
 
Wilbur, that program sounds like a real winner. I know that this beginner would love to see a program like yours because it overcomes the signigicant barriers: Money, Gear Selection, and A Mentor.

Those three are pretty big hurdles. Even if you have the Money, trying to figure out the gear selection as a newbie seems to be a multi year learning project.

Once you decide what the 'right' gear is, finding that gear is another problem that can include a year long waiting list, not to mention the gear is not exactly available online for immediate purchase.
 
I agree 100%

I do agree with you Joe, everyone was very helpful but the most helpful were the people that I went with. I can tell you now had it not been for them I would have never come to a match. There are 3 guys inparticular that have taken me under their wing and pretty much forced me to go to my first match. It is the initial intimidation that keeps some of the people I know from coming. Invision this, everyone that I shoot with is 60 plus years old. I am 30 and these guys have been shooting competitivly for longer than I have been alive. If there were more people my age with my experience I would feel more comfortable. I feel like it would be a confidence builder to younger people with less experience to have a class to shoot in where they at least have a chance to compete and can learn the basics. After all, the whole goal is to try and get new people.
 
I am always surprised at the number of people at any given range that think Benchrest(capitol"B") is only the act of placing the rifle in the bags and firing off a bench. The understanding of the game is nil among the vast majority of shooters. They seem to have heard the name but have no concept of what the game actually entails. I seldom see a rifle shooter hang a target with any sort of"bull" on it. When asked I always try to explain what I am shooting but the response is usually a head shake. Handing the person a 6PPC round is usually a surprise to them; a .30BR raises eyebrows. I don't see how to get more shooters involved unless it is through a dicipline that they already have equipment for. Our local Club has a decent turnout for Club "Benchrest" matches. We alternate between group and score and they are equally attended. The large majority of the rifles being shot are factory or modified factory rifles. Part of the problem, in my mind, is that a lot of the younger folks do not have the competitive fire that my generation had. They seem to place more value in the experience than in winning.

Mike Swartz
 
FBecigneul said:
The Boy Scouts want to use the range on Saturday afternoons and this also accommodates them. None of them shoot benchrest....yet.

Get their attention before they get old. When fishing, drop your line in uncharted waters.
Click to expand...


Boy Scout regulations are very specific regarding use of firearms. To have an effective Scout shooting program requires you to do a bit of homework in order to stay on the right side of the regulations. A few pointers:

1. Rimfire rifles: May be used by Boy Scouts and Venturer Scouts but not Cub Scouts.
2. Pistols: May be used by Venturer Scouts, but not Cub Scouts nor Boy Scouts.
3. Centerfire rifles: May be used by Venturer Scouts, but not Cub Scouts nor Boy Scouts.
4. Shotguns: May be used by Boy Scouts and Venturer Scouts, but not Cub Scouts.
5. Black Powder: Sorry I do not recall these regulations.

Any shooting events that will have Boy, Cub, or Venturer Scouts as participants must have an NRA Certified Range Master present, AND an NRA Instructor (trained for the specific discipline) present, AND must have a BSA tour permit (which provides their insurance).

Naturally the 'Two Deep' requirement of two registered BSA volunteer leaders applies to all scout activities.

Thank you for thinking of involving the Scouts, it should be a great experience for all involved.
 
Outside Looking in

Hello all, To say I am new to BR would be the understatement of the year. I will give you one mans opinion of the lack of new shooters.

I started getting serious about accuracy about three years ago. Before that, just your typical hunter/varmint guy. I got into accuracy to improve my varmint hunting and extending my hunting range.

The bug bit me something fierce. I found this site and read all I could and applied it to my lack luster shooting gear. I started looking for a way to get involved but found many obstacles.

1 Limited Funds.
2 Limited Shooting opportunities.

I was having a hard time investing the money in something I could only use every 3 or 4 months. Not much BR in the northwest. Also was this something I would like? Where do you go from there? I am sure one of you guys would be more than happy to let some new guy shoot a gun at a match to see if he likes it. But most people are not going to show up and ask. Additionally, If your competitive losing is not FUN. To be competitive you have to have the best gear and that is VERY expensive if starting from zero.

My compromise was this..Shooting F-class at 600 yards. i could put the money into my hunting/competition gun and use it almost weekly. My range shoots an informal 600 yrd match every week. Then have the best equipment I could afford for my hunting rig!

I will have a BR gun some day, but time and money are hard to come by when you starting out in this thing called life. I am sure when I get close to retiring (30 YEARS) I will have an opportunity.

Just a couple thoughts..
Most gun ranges host a boy scout troop. Why not have a BR class for the boy scouts father son thing. It could be something they enjoy together.

BR shooter go to your local hunters safety classes and talk about shooting skills and invite them out.

BR all comers, Have gear set up with ammo for them to shoot. Let them take there targets home!

Winter leagues for the Varmint hunters ..BR for score with reduced targets to simulate P-dogs at extended ranges.

Hunter sight in days..Set up a bench with the gear at your gun clubs sightin days and offer them to shoot. Most people would love the opportunity to shoot a REAL BR gun. Have em take there target home to show there buddies.

I will stop rambling, just want to give you feed back from some one still on the out side looking in.

And I do agree with Wilbur. Support your clubs. It’s a lot of work to put something on like that.

Willys46
AKA Cody
 
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