ihmsa forums

Lockhart, you are correct, we don't want to give anyone the impression they need high dollar guns.

When a new or potential shooter comes to a match and is willing to listen to me... I explain to them about bring what they have, learning about loads, ammo, and working on skill. I then explain to them at some point their skill will exceed their equipment and if by that time, they decide they like the sport and want to continue, then it becomes time to upgrade equipment.
I make sure that each of these points are clear and then I describe my own journey, what equipment I started with and how long it took me to assemble my silhouette guns.

I do not allow them the opportunity to get scared off by high priced guns. I tell them this game is all about skill and the best place to start is with what you have. Set the goal of becoming a better shot with what you have.

It does not always work but that is how I handle that situation. I have, however, located a dozen contenders and countless barrels for shooters over the years, so it works some of the time.

Joe

Lockhart, Sorry I misunderstood your comments. I agree with Joe about explaining our sport to new shooters. I guess we just have to figure a way to get them to our matches. Philip's situation sounds about like our local club. If we have three or four new people show up just out of curiosity that is the most we have had in one year. We probably are boring except to the few that believe in accuracy over raw fire power.

Yes, Joe has a very good idea in that. We had some young people come out
to our range in New Braunfels, last year. Two boys, and a girl, all looked in their
late teens or early twenties. They seemed very interested in our sport, but I dont
think I've seen them since. Too bad, would have been a good opportunity to try
Joe's idea out. Who knows? Maybe they will come back this season.

I guess you can call me a die hard as I mainly still shoot Contenders and Wichita's. But joe is right, as that is what got me started in IHMSA. a shooter just explaining the game. I then showed up at the next match and I have been hooked ever since!

Another thing I tell people is that if they play this game for a while they will improve how they shoot everything for the rest of their life.
In silhouette you get 40 opportunities to practice perfect sight alignment and perfect trigger control. If you shoot 2 or 3 guns then... you get that many more chances. With that kind of practice your skill will improve quickly and it will translate into everything you ever touch that requires marksmanship. It is because we practice those fundamentals over and over, sight alignment, trigger control, follow through. You will learn more about ammo, accuracy and the capabilities of your gun than you ever knew existed.
Not to mention we have the friendliest, most helpful shooters in the world. What other sport will have a shooter loan you their gun, ammo, sight settings and then spot for you while hoping the whole time that you do great?

Of course I just go on, and on.
The hard part is even getting them to listen in the first place.
Joe

jcunclejoe wrote: The hard part is even getting them to listen in the first place.
Joe

As Philip and I have mentioned before, this statement by Joe mirrors my experience. I have tried posting on other forums and have had very little success with it. Of course that only relates to my specific geographic region. But Philip lived for a time in southern Georgia and he had the same experience with shooters on the local shooters forum there. Another problem we have here in Louisiana (known ironically as the "Sportsman's Paradise") is a huge lack of shooting ranges or gun clubs.