I, like many other shooters in this sport, wonder just how much longer
we can keep this sport going? I had a conversation with two friends just
after the Texas State Championship match at Greenwood Gun Club, in
Lake Jackson, and were discussing why such a low turn out. I've always been
of the mind that we should never have changed the rules to allow high dollar
guns into this sport. Elgin Gates, love him or hate him, had the right idea and the
people put in charge after his death wasted no time in approving these extremely
expensive firearms for IHMSA use. I'm speakin of the Freedom Arms revolvers, as those
were the first ones that were approved for competition and the very ones that Gates
tried to keep out. Now, I have had freinds mention that "you are only really shooting
against yourself" and to a certain extent, that is true. But, people also like to WIN
everynow and then, too. If there is a perception, however unreal it is, in a new
shooters mind that he has to have a 2,000.00 revolver to be competitive, he is probably
not going to join our ranks. Remington came out with a 10" xp-100, and what did we do?
We told them no way, it would put TC and other singleshots out of competition, while we
turned around and did the same thing to Ruger, Smith & Wesson, etc, with our approval of
the Freedom Arms revolvers! Guess it just depends on whose ox is getting gored, huh? And,
then Remington, being scorned by us for their efforts at bringing a modern bolt gun to
our sport, just quit making xp-100's altogether! Guess we showed them, huh? In
this economic climate, if you want to attract new blood to this sport, making the guns
to actually WIN with so expensive is not gonna do it. I was match director at New Braunfels,
Texas for 10 years and i've seen this sport go down the tubes, as far as membership and
entries in competition. I have no answers, but put this out there for all to think about.

I do not have the answer as to how to grow the sport other than saying that it is each member's job to try and bring in new shooters. That said, here in Grants Pass, OR our most successful discipline in recruiting new members has been in the air pistol discipline. And you can get in that game for $200!

I am not sure that we can lay all the blame on the cost of an FA. Why? Our local 3 Gun Club is growing like crazy here and it is very easy to invest $4,000 or more in those 3 guns and their accessories. Plus you are talking buying a Dillon reloading machine plus reloading for a shotgun.

I have recently had a conversation with IHMSA's secretary/treasurer and my region director. I am hopeful the leadership will attack this situation at the Internationals later this month.

Steve W.

Steve, I think we are talking apples compared to oranges here. Doesnt
3 gun competition pay MONEY? IHMSA does not!

This topic has but discussed at length several times. As I have stated before, it's clear to me that the reasons for the stated decline is societal. Times have changed, peoples interests have changed. We now live in an instant gratification society. IHMSA is not easy and requires not only an investment in equipment, it requires a major investment in time and effort. Plus, the equipment we use is not featured in the movies. People have for years wanted to buy and play with the guns just like they see in the movies. Just look at the shooting games that continue to be popular......Cowboy Action, Practical Pistol, F Class rifle, 3 Gun.........all of these allow shooters to "act out" like they see in the movies. The four sports I mentioned roughly duplicate gun fights and snipers. Think about it and you will see my point.

Is there a solution that we can implement to help grow our sport????? I don't see one. At least not in any meaningful way. It's hard for me to understand because I love silhouette so much and can't see how others don't feel the same way. I strongly believe the reasons for our decline are societal and nothing we can do can change that.

LOCKHART wrote:Steve, I think we are talking apples compared to oranges here. Doesnt
3 gun competition pay MONEY? IHMSA does not!

Not at my club.

Steve W.

Guys, I do love IHMSA and do not want to see it fall, but, if
we dont do something to bring new members in, I see this
association going bellyup within a couple of more years. I
think at this point in time, what guns are allowed or not
allowed is no longer relevant, that horse left the barn when
we took the price limits off.

I don't think the price of the guns has the least little thing to do with it. None at all. Go price the equipment that it takes to compete in any of the popular shooting games out there and you will exceed the price of an IHMSA setup.
Try getting the full compliment of guns to shoot Cowboy Action (including the costumes) and see what it costs. Have you priced a competitive F Class rifle with optics? The price of the toys is not the issue. One could indeed argue that allowing the semi custom handguns (MOA--FA--BF) actually moved the science of long range hangunning forward.

Hi standard 40, It might have propelled the science, but it sure
played hell with the membership. Folks wantin to start out, look in
IHMSA news, see what the winners shoot. Most revolver winners shoot
FA's, they then find out what those costs, and lot of em have a heart attack!
No, the price of the guns in an amateur shooting game DOES make a big
difference in how many people participate in it. Elgin Gates knew that, and
thats why he kept the rules the way they were, until his death.

I started this thread to get our members to thinking, and it
looks like it had it's intended purpose. I hope we can come up
with something that will allow this sport to continue, but I have
no false hopes on that idea. And, I dont care what it costs to shoot
3 gun, cowboy action, etc, because we are not talking about those
sports, we are talking about HANDGUN SILHOUETTE SHOOTING.

Here is my take. In the early days no one had dreamed of using handguns to shoot at the distances we now consider to be "normal". It was exciting and everyone was basically on their own to try new ideas of guns, loads and gear. Just the idea of knocking over heavy, steel targets at unheard of distances presented a challenge no matter what guns were used. People back then had FUN along with being serious and wanting to win once in a while. Pretty soon cash prizes came along and some shooters became serious when they shot so they could win prize money. Some actually made money at our shoots in the 80s and early 90s. When our club eliminated the payback system, several shooters quit coming to our matches. The rest of us just kept plugging along because it was still fun. Shooting sports today are the run and gun type events and even cowboy shooting has now become a speed event so trick guns are needed if you really want to win. IHMSA has always appealed to me since I try new guns, new loads and no sight settings at matches just to see if I can still hit the targets. I don't care if I win my classes or not since I am still having FUN after 30+ years of shooting steel. Gun prices have nothing to do with our game. I can shoot the same bad scores with expensive guns as I can with the cheaper guns. What we can't seem to sell to new shooters is how much FUN you can have with ANY gun when trying to knock down targets at long ranges. How do we push the FUN factor for IHMSA to new shooter? I really don't know. If you can't enjoy shooting for the sake of shooting and have to, or expect to win at every match, then that person is missing out on the fun factor anyway. Too bad IHMSA is declining but I know many clubs around the country will still shoot steel even if IHMSA (heaven forbid) should dissolve. I don't have the answers but I sure wish I did. Money is tight now along with hard to find reloading components which also has had a negative impact on IHMSA matches. Good posting and I hope it will stimulate some good suggestions to help our organization.