RE: Shoot What You Brung Article

[19 Turkeys]

I received an email from an IHMSA member that read the "Shoot What You Brung" article in the IHMSA News.


I wanna play too! Your IHMSA News article was so inspirational that I immediately took my 4 ½” Blackhawk to the range for sight calibration, not in “clicks” but, in “hold over”. The plan is to shoot “Standard Handgun” at the Douglas Ridge match tomorrow. I hope make it to the Grants Pass match in the very near future. Thanks to the JCSA shooters for reviving the roots of silhouette shooting.

Looks like a few people may be trying this idea. Dust off that handgun languishing in the back of your gun vault, and tell us of your exploits!

Steve W.

[IHMSA80x80]

My question is, why didn't they come out before? They've had these handguns for awhile, and any match director would let them shoot those guns, since they already fit in a category before.

[19 Turkeys]

My question is, why didn't they come out before?

I haven't asked that question, but I'll give an opinion. Primarily because having a "Standard Handgun" side match provides competition. Ultimately, we are competitors.

Steve W.

[IHMSA80x80]

I understand the side match you've been having with a Standard Gun, and I know you've had a lot of success with it. But isn't that just your regular IHMSA club members shooting it? My question was referring to non-members.

[19 Turkeys]

My question was referring to non-members.

I have marketed the crap out of this side match with Cowboy & Action Pistol shooters (we have clubs for each), put posters on the range bulletin board and gun clubs and announced it at our range board of directors meetings. To date we have had a couple of people come look, and some even tried it, but no one has ever come back. I can only conclude that the challenge of shooting out to 100 yards is just too much for the "average" shooter.

Our matches are even held close to the pistol range, and I go over there & talk with shooters. Again, some will come & observe but none really wants to give it a shot.

The only thing I can conclude is that "times they are a changin'" & people are more interested in close in fast shooting than in accuracy.

The best results we have had here in recruiting has been with air pistol. We have several people from the air rifle club that have joined us and some have even "graduated" to small bore & even big bore. So, while we continue to run the Standard Pistol matches, I believe AIR offers us the greatest opportunity, at least here in SW Oregon.

My personal belief is that IHMSA must go outside the organization and hire a public relations firm to promote our sport before it is too late. I have communicated this to the Board, and you will see in the May President's Column that Nancy is taking this idea seriously and has promised to bring it to the full Board at their July meeting.

Steve W.

[bj7mm]

The "old days" used to be all "shoot what you brung". I started in IHMSA in the early 1980's and things had evolved somewhat by then, but I remember reading about things like people shooting accurized 1911's, 7.5" Ruger super blackhawks, .30-30 Contenders, etc. The people really pushing the envelope at that time were using .223 necked up to .30 caliber.

All of these things left something to be desired, but quickly we got Contender barrels that worked well, and custom XP100's. I remember when Ruger came out with the 10" Super Blackhawk and how popular it was, then the Dan Wessons that were even better.

But the problem with most guns was not a matter of caliber, it was a matter of sights. I remember shooting NRA Hunter Pistol silhouette and it was hard to get sights adjusted for proper elevation. The sights were crude and the adjustments were crude. Even the Contender 10" barrels had pretty crude sights. The advantage of the unlimited gun seemed not to be because of the gun, caliber or trigger, as the advantage in sights.

I think the average casual shooter at a range has the same issue with crude sights as what we used to have before we got specialty guns for IHMSA, so full size targets out to 200 meters will be too much of a challenge. If you want to attract average shooters then maybe you need a new class- use full size or 3/4 size targets out to 100 yards, half size targets out to 100 yards are too small. (maybe half size targets out to 75 yards). Limit the class to standing, and use only certain production calibers with barrels of 5.5" or less. This would allow the most common revolvers and automatics without competing against specialty guns.

[Justin Cider]

I was wading through old posts, what a great topic this one was. If more people had this approach, IHMSA would be in much better shape than it is now

[xterrettx]

It seems to me that the issue is, its not hip to shoot a handgun incredibly accurately, just fast. That is what the shooting world is so interested in now.
At some level the issue is not how to bring IHMSA to action shooters on there ground, that wont work.
The issue is how to convince the average handgun shooter that accuracy at distances over 50yards is worth pursuing - and very possible.
But thats just my two-cents

[IHMSA80x80]

I was wading through old posts, what a great topic this one was. If more people had this approach, IHMSA would be in much better shape than it is now

IHMSA has had a Shoot What You Brung category since inception. It is called Production. You bring your stock gun and compete with others of the same skill level as you have.

[kg4tyr]

Why does everything in this organization take so LONG!!?? This has been talked about for over 2 years! As I said, they have one meeting a year at the Intls, what is this 1950?? I asked Warren Alkire last year about a Physically Challenged question in Jan 2011 and did not get an answer back till after the Int's last year in July 2011! I could have given up and walked away waiting on an answer. Why do these people only communicate once yearly?? To the board, DO YOU KNOW WHAT EMAIL AND CONFERENCE CALLS ARE!!??

+1^^^