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[high standard 40]

I have been resisting saying this but, what the heck, I'll go ahead and spit it out.

IHMSA can't be fixed and returned to huge success by anything that we can control. The problem is societal. The shooting public has changed and I don't believe it is ever changing back. I don't know the exact percentage so let me just say that the VAST majority of gun owners and active shooters today have no interest in our sport and never will. Our sport is too hard, paced too slow, and does not involve scenarios. If we try to change our sport to attract these new shooters, you will likely alienate our current base. I have studied this issue and discussed it with shooters across Region 2 and beyond and I believe my theory to be accurate. If you do some soul searching and be honest with yourself, you will probably agree with me. I love the sport and will continue as long as I am able but I don't think it is possible to expand our numbers to any appreciable degree.

[Rodent]

I have been resisting saying this but, what the heck, I'll go ahead and spit it out.

IHMSA can't be fixed and returned to huge success by anything that we can control. The problem is societal. The shooting public has changed and I don't believe it is ever changing back. I don't know the exact percentage so let me just say that the VAST majority of gun owners and active shooters today have no interest in our sport and never will. Our sport is too hard, paced too slow, and does not involve scenarios. If we try to change our sport to attract these new shooters, you will likely alienate our current base. I have studied this issue and discussed it with shooters across Region 2 and beyond and I believe my theory to be accurate. If you do some soul searching and be honest with yourself, you will probably agree with me. I love the sport and will continue as long as I am able but I don't think it is possible to expand our numbers to any appreciable degree.

I do believe that you are 100% correct.


Mike

[260 Striker]

My whole view on categories and classes is we don't have enough (very tongue in cheek). Commenting that the average guy can't compete with the specialized guns tells me a person is more interested in beating someone else and their equipment instead of just showing up with what you can afford to shoot and forget the other guys. Somebody is always going to have deeper pockets and have more expensive equipment and dodads to go along with it. Don't worry about them! Just enjoy what you own and shoot steel. I personally have owned some expensive guns and didn't do any better than the plain guns I was already shooting. If we had a separate class for every gun made (big pun inteneded) then everyone would be a winner and then probably complain because they were the only one in their class. IMHSA was about winning years ago before the payback cap and did see some of the money shooters leave. The ones that stayed with the sport are here to just have fun and enjoy the people. If you go to a match worrying if someone else is going to shoot against you with a fancier gun, you have already lost the intent of our sport even if you ended up with the highest score. I almost forgot my point. Forget the other guy and just have fun with what you shoot.

[RockinHRacin]

"There are classes that make it easy to compete with shooters who are on your skill level", (very few shooters are willing to spend the amount of money it takes to compete in the present classes).

Okay...Here's where I disagree with you. The quoted statement is absolutely true. I do it every year (except this one, but that's a different story). I show up to our State Match with a Single Six revolver and win the A or AA Class Revolver. I'm happy with it. If it were my desire, I could get a Browning Buckmark with a 10" barrel and take the AA or AAA class in several categories, year after year. It is a personal choice to purchase bigger and better guns to get into the INT Class where everyone fights over a win. I have purchased two guns that have put me in that category, a Ruger Charger and a Savage Striker. I've heavily modified the Charger and it shows in my 1/5 Scale scores. The Striker is great out of the box, in fact, it's better than I am. What I see around me when I'm shooting BB are a lot of really good shooters. Many have purchases XPs and such. I don't have the money for it. I am also an INT shooter. Have I won a BB Match? Not yet, but I've taken a couple 2nd places and I've been in several shootoffs. I'll get that win. That in and of itself makes me happy.

I guess the point I'm rambling around is 1) you don't have to compete at the top level to win, and 2) you don't have to have the greatest equipment to win at the top level, just don't expect to dominate there as the competition is fierce.

[kg4tyr]

Did you read the new IHMSA news? Looks like Michigan is pulling out because of the new $50 per year dues and Illinouis already has. My prediction is many more will states will follow. Those states are still having their matches, just not under IHMSA sanction. Sad...

I haven't got the news yet, but that is sad to hear. I grew up in MI and I know at least 2 of the ranges are both within about 45 mins of where I lived. Shot my first match at Barry County, and was a member at South Kent

[IHMSA80x80]

Incidents of cheating have occurred throughout the 25 years I shot this game. A few were caught and dealt with, many were allowed to slide with no effort on match directors part to address the issues. I have brought up some of these events myself to the MD, only to be given the "shrugging shoulders" response. The last straw for me was the 2010 Internationals incident and lack of board member response that caused me to quit IHMSA. Now they raised the dues to $50 per year. For what? Declining membership, a very thin newspaper that has articles about shotguns and archery and old rifles, match reports that are months late. I don't blame some for dropping out. I have discussed the problems with attracting and retaining new shooters with many others, with the same conclusions as Charlie has. The vast majority of shooters only want to shoot as fast as they can pull the trigger, as many rounds as they possibly can, on targets that aren't even close to the 50 meter chicken distance, and are 10 times larger.

I still enjoy shooting at steel, but unsanctioned only, just for fun.

[260 Striker]

I sincerely hope there is a way to resolve our money issues and any other issues that need to be addressed in IHMSA. I too have heard talk from several shooters about shooting at unsanctioned matches since we are just doing this for fun. I don't disagree with that as a last resort but I do believe we need the sanctioning body to provide oversight for all the countries/states so we can rely on more than just local ranges to shoot steel. I don't get to travel to shoot but it is comforting to know there are other ranges and shooters holding/attending other handgun matches around the country/world. We need IHMSA to provide the oversight for our sport but without all the melodrama that we see today. I keep hoping there is a fix that will be acceptable to the membership. Many shooters compete as non-members since there really is no advantage to having an IHMSA membership other than the newspaper and being able to attend championship matches. If a shooter only cares to shoot at local matches, then there is no disadvantage to not being an IHMSA member. I just like being part of the IHMSA family. Makes me feel like I belong with other dedicated shooters.

[ole95]

I will agree with high standard
I practice at a national forest public range. the place is packed
with 98% of the shooter firing AR or SK wont-a-bees ,riot shotguns and 40 cal auto's
just a fast as they can pull the trigger. I'm standing there shooting 5 shots in 2 min. using the taco and they think I the one crazy.
what 's the avg. age of a IHMSA shooter 60. there's very few young shooter, remember we can't even pay those high dues on line, and can't get the new letter on-line because a lot of the members DON'T use computers! if this sport is dying it's because were (or at lest the powers to be) still living in the 70's! but are you interested in changing to the new wave, changing to say you got 30 sec. to shoot all 40 targets non stop! because I think that kinda shooting is about the only thing to get young shooter in the sport! be careful of what you wish for, change can sometime be for the worst.
I paid $35 last year and got to shoot in 2 matches I've just pay my $50 this year and hope to shoot in 3 maybe 4 matches. yes it pissed me off to pay $50. I would have been better off paying $10 a round and letting the other 5 go to IHMSA but that's not how it works. So I have decide suck it up pay my money as long as I can and enjoy the fun of the game. before the swat team shooter take over.
jrs

[Justin Cider]

I will not argue this with you, Tonedaddy ! You have your opinions, and you have every right to express them. Don't get mad just because everyone does not agree with you !

I try not to Phillip, I just cannot believe that we now only have around one thousand members, and how many actually shoot? I just believe the IHMSA needs totally restuctured and cash prizes need to be part of the equation. If Rich Mertz and the MOA shooters can raise over 10k in prizes for their annual shoot that is attended by less than 50 people, why can we seem to do that with many more people? The answer is easy, MONEY TALKS! Even for poor guys like me!

Maybe more people would join if every thought out of some people's mouths (who seem to do the majority of the posting) weren't just always griping and talking about how great things "used to be". Elgin Gates, back in the good ol' 1980's, blah blah blah. Don't see those people on hear really talking about "shooting".

[braud357]

I will not argue this with you, Tonedaddy ! You have your opinions, and you have every right to express them. Don't get mad just because everyone does not agree with you !

I try not to Phillip, I just cannot believe that we now only have around one thousand members, and how many actually shoot? I just believe the IHMSA needs totally restuctured and cash prizes need to be part of the equation. If Rich Mertz and the MOA shooters can raise over 10k in prizes for their annual shoot that is attended by less than 50 people, why can we seem to do that with many more people? The answer is easy, MONEY TALKS! Even for poor guys like me!

Maybe more people would join if every thought out of some people's mouths (who seem to do the majority of the posting) weren't just always griping and talking about how great things "used to be". Elgin Gates, back in the good ol' 1980's, blah blah blah. Don't see those people on hear really talking about "shooting".

Why Justin ! Thanks for your addition to this subject. Lets see - when I joined IHMSA in 1980, every match I attended had at least 80-100 entries. I remember being at a match in Lafayette LA. where we started shooting at 7:20AM, and the shoot-offs were held at dusk. At my SB-FP match last weekend, we had our "average" day of about 13 entries. So, by my definition - those WERE the "good ole days" !!! But, I guess that I am just an "old fart", with a faulty memory ! Sorry we bother you !