Hello all, first time posting. Question for all of you. I have got interested in giving this a try and was reading the rules. Noticed it said sponsored shooters aren't allowed to be members. I have a sponsor for other shooting activities so does that mean i can not be a member? Second question is can I shot without being a member?

To my understanding you cannot have a sponsor for your IHMSA shooting. I can't imagine that it would matter if you have a sponsor for some other competitive shooting that you do.
Most ranges will allow a non-IHMSA member to shoot, this most likely varies from range to range. Your scores would not be 'official' IHMSA scores and would not be recorded.

I doubt if your "sponsored/professional" status in other shooting sports would affect your ability to compete at IHMSA matches. I would say you are welcome to join IHMSA and shoot at matches as long as you did not promote your other shooting sponsors at the IHMSA matches. Since there is no longer any money paybacks involved in IHMSA all you win now is bragging rights until the next match. About the only sponsors who would be interested in IHMSA now would be the powder, brass, bullet, ammo and primer manufacturers. There is a limited number of gun companies who support IHMSA these days and I suspect they would not spend money sponsoring a professional shooter at IHMSA matches. By all means try our shooting sport. You don't have to run, jump, crawl through pipes or hang off of buildings. We just stand up or find some other comfortable position and shoot. Each shooting sport has its niche and ours is long range precision shooting. Give it a try.

NO FLAMES PLEASE Yes I meant all caps for the beginning. Let's imagine that certain members that wanted to be "professional" shooters found themselves sponsors. They only shot against themselves at "championship or championship type matches". We as an organization would get more publicity in the public at large. We have no one that a "new" shooter to long range handgun shooting can emulate or look up to. There aren't ten or more pros flying in to shoot at the ECC, WCC, LASC Extravaganza, Southeastern Open or other match. Their faces are not in magazines touting the best handgun, brand of bullet, brand of primer, brand of powder, or any equipment. So as Lynn said the industry doesn't get overly excited about us. We COULD have the best of both worlds by having a professional class and the amateur class.

I know I've brought this up before, but it's something to think about.

35isit,

I like your thoughts!!

Back in the 80s the LHA used to pay back money based upon the number of entries in each class. I just happened to walk by the car of a consistent winner in R-INT when he called me over to his car. There in the trunk was a case of Federal factory 240 grain 44 ammo that he had just gotten from Federal. He let it slip that Federal had sent him the ammo. Now I don't say he was being sponsored but getting free ammo had to be a big plus back then. This same shooter also quit shooting silhouettes when the pay back system was dropped. I heard later he went into bass fishing competition where some big money could be made. I guess there might have been some under the table sponsorship going on back then but we all didn't care since we were just having so much fun shooting steel. Our sport could definitely use a big shot of publicity and if a sponsored shooter would bring that to our sport then what would be the harm. I'm sure there are many great shooters in IHMSA today and I know of several here in OH that could provide stiff competition to any shooter, sponsored or otherwise.

heck, I'll sponsor you LYNN!!!!! allen

Done got my shirt printed for the ECC
"Team T daddy"

TEAM T DADDY!! I like that Craig. sounds good. allen

I'm guessing he will have a rule that all shots fired by team members will need to have at least a 1 foot flame extend past the muzzle.

Flame radius rule. Ultra - mo video will be used to confirm this. Kind of like watching a top fuel dragster going down the track.