New thoughts to build IHMSA

[high standard 40]

It will be a sad day indeed if we were forced to go to postal matches. I know that postal matches do have at least some degree of popularity in other disciplines, but they have never appealed to me very much. There are several factors that got me hooked on IHMSA, I have always loved the challenge of mastering handguns and began stretching the distances long before I became aware of IHMSA. That first match I attended back in 1980 was all it took. The long range aspect was challenging, Then there was the visual and audible verification of success when you where able to make your shot go where you intended it to go. And you can never discount the pleasure of spending the day at the range with a group of like minded people. What's not to like?

Postal matches..........paper targets..........where's the comradery? There's no personal interaction, no face to face sharing of successes, and failures, or good hearted ribbing. and there's none of the visual or audible pleasure factor of target hits when shooting paper. We would just as soon shoot bullseye targets.

Yep, a very sad day indeed.

[LOCKHART]

I believe that regardless of whether IHMSA survives or not, there will be silhouette
matches held at the ranges that are holding them now. Most of these ranges have
a large monetary investment in TARGETS, if nothing else, and a range that was set
up purposely to shoot silhouette would have to be changed drastically to hold
most other types of shooting sports. So, I think our local clubs will be holding matches
regardless of what happens to IHMSA.

[35isit]

I believe that regardless of whether IHMSA survives or not, there will be silhouette
matches held at the ranges that are holding them now. Most of these ranges have
a large monetary investment in TARGETS, if nothing else, and a range that was set
up purposely to shoot silhouette would have to be changed drastically to hold
most other types of shooting sports. So, I think our local clubs will be holding matches
regardless of what happens to IHMSA.

I think you are right to an extent. But we need an "organization" to bind us together. How else would a small range in Ky convince shooters from 13 states and Canada to attend a match. If matches are held in the "status quo" and there was suitable enticement for me I might would travel to shoot somewhere.

[LOCKHART]

I dont want you fellows to get the idea that I dont care about IHMSA's
future, I do, but lets face it, if we dont get some new blood in to shoot,
we are pretty much doomed to just shooting local matches. I dont know
how long that would last, either. We are in dire straits.

[high standard 40]

I dont want you fellows to get the idea that I dont care about IHMSA's
future, I do, but lets face it, if we dont get some new blood in to shoot,
we are pretty much doomed to just shooting local matches. I dont know
how long that would last, either. We are in dire straits.

And what if there are no local matches? Like for us here in south Louisiana. Our local range is Jackson, MS. This is their last year for IHMSA because of lack of participation. We used to have at least 8 big bore ranges in our state. Now there are none for the same reason as Jackson. There was Mobile, AL but they lost all their targets to a theft.......not enough participation to justify replacements. Pensacola, FL no longer hosts big bore because the few shooters left are getting too old to set the range up. Yep, you can continue to shoot the local matches..........if you can find one. I am trying my hardest to build a new big bore range in Louisiana but it is a gigantic job, without much help. But I will continue to do all that I am physically able to do.

[35isit]

I dont want you fellows to get the idea that I dont care about IHMSA's
future, I do, but lets face it, if we dont get some new blood in to shoot,
we are pretty much doomed to just shooting local matches. I dont know
how long that would last, either. We are in dire straits.

And what if there are no local matches? Like for us here in south Louisiana. Our local range is Jackson, MS. This is their last year for IHMSA because of lack of participation. We used to have at least 8 big bore ranges in our state. Now there are none for the same reason as Jackson. There was Mobile, AL but they lost all their targets to a theft.......not enough participation to justify replacements. Pensacola, FL no longer hosts big bore because the few shooters left are getting too old to set the range up. Yep, you can continue to shoot the local matches..........if you can find one. I am trying my hardest to build a new big bore range in Louisiana but it is a gigantic job, without much help. But I will continue to do all that I am physically able to do.

Luckily for us we have mechanical reset targets for EVERYTHING. It took David Bemis and others a lot of hard work and dollars, but it only takes minutes to set up our range. Remove the lockdown bars, turn on the air and attach the ropes and fire away. IMHO mechanical resets were the future of IHMSA. All clubs should have worked toward mechanical resets. No target setters needed per se, shooters don't mind setting targets and with some kind of transport down range they don't mind painting either. It also takes a lot less club facility to put the range on.

We have +-245 guns signed up for the ECC. If the machines and weather cooperate we will stay right on time like we did last year. We only have 1 bank of each animal and run the guns through pretty quick.

[LOCKHART]

Yeah, bout 6 years ago, we had plans at CTSA, in New Braunfels,Texas, to put in
reset targets on our range. At the time, we had no electricity there, but local cops
put in a range next to us and got power down there, now. The subject hasnt ever
come up again, far as I know. Target setters will make or break a match, nowdays.
People aint gonna drive for hours, and then have to set their own targets, like we
used to do back in the old days.

[high standard 40]

You know, we can all speculate about what keeps IHMSA from growing. Many opinions have been offered, as well as suggestions to aid in growth. I feel that the best way to find the answer is to solicit the answer from "the other side".

Here in South Louisiana there is a locally based internet forum dedicated to the shooting sports and gun owners in general. It is a VERY active forum. I just visited the site and at that moment there were 500 people logged on and it is often many times that number. I decided to seek input from others there about why they were not interested in IHMSA Handgun Silhouette (I have promoted it there for several years). I will let the responses build and will report on what is said. It should give us some insight.

[Proclaim]

You know, we can all speculate about what keeps IHMSA from growing. Many opinions have been offered, as well as suggestions to aid in growth. I feel that the best way to find the answer is to solicit the answer from "the other side".

Here in South Louisiana there is a locally based internet forum dedicated to the shooting sports and gun owners in general. It is a VERY active forum. I just visited the site and at that moment there were 500 people logged on and it is often many times that number. I decided to seek input from others there about why they were not interested in IHMSA Handgun Silhouette (I have promoted it there for several years). I will let the responses build and will report on what is said. It should give us some insight.

GREAT idea! Looking forward to your findings.

[high standard 40]

There has been much talk during the last several years about the slow decline of IHMSA, both in membership numbers and in general funds. I can remember that at the 2008 Region 2 Championship in Lawrenceburg, KY about a dozen active members gathered at the end of one day’s competition for an informal round table discussion of this very issue. No workable answers came from that after much back and forth. We have done the same here on several occasions and many ideas have been offered to grow our ranks and keep us a viable organization. Some of those ideas I have differed with but it’s good that we are having this debate. I came to the realization that in all things, to correct a problem you have to first identify the problem. You can’t just throw about “solutions” just because you think it might help. So let’s take an intelligent look at the factors at play.
The truth is that there are far more gun owners in the US today than there were when IHMSA was founded. There are also many other very successful shooting disciplines. So why have our numbers dwindled? You must first consider that a very large number of US gun owners have no interest in any kind of competition. They never have and never will shoot for score. Only a fraction of gun owners compete in formal matches. Of these remaining gun owners, how do you appeal to them to try IHMSA? I felt that the best way to find the answer to that question was to ask it of people who aren’t yet IHMSA members.
Now let me say that what I did is not a nationwide sampling and should not be considered scientific, but I think that what I tried be will prove very representative of what we face. There is an internet forum based here in south Louisiana that caters to shooters of all ilk. The membership there is very large and activity on the forum is brisk with many active threads and large numbers of users logged on, often numbering well into the hundreds at any given time. It is important to state that their membership is not limited to Louisiana. It covers many states. I have maintained a presence there for a few years and have promoted IHMSA on that forum with little to no effect. So anyway, here is what I did. I started a thread there and asked the question……..”Why aren’t more people interested in handgun silhouette?” The answers I received are very telling. Some of the respondents knew little to nothing about IHMSA but many did. A couple suggested we “get the word out better” but the overwhelming statement I heard over and over was, and I will paraphrase here, “Your sport is boring”. It was repeatedly stated that there is little interest in shooting sports that have such a slow pace and use handguns that have “not practical purpose” beyond silhouette. Now this may be hard to swallow by an avid silhouette shooter. We hardly find our game “boring”. But I have realized for some time that we are in a minority. The top selling handguns today are by far compact semi autos and people want to shoot the guns that they have. Some others admitted that they felt they lacked the skills required and there were other reasons offered as well such as “cost” and “free time limitations”. In short, we are no longer the cool sport.
What I take away from this is what I have known for years. IHMSA is not an easy sport. It takes adequate equipment, time, and large measures of dedication and patience. These are commodities that are sorely in short supply in today’s hurry, hurry, “I want it now” generation. Sadly, I see little potential for any meaningful growth.