Low turnout at silo shoots

[Mike Sporer]

Hello,

I run smallbore silhouette shoots for the Broome County Sportsmen's Association (near Binghamton in south-central NY). I took silhouette over 2 years ago and have transformed it into a legitimate program. This is our first year with NRA approved shoots, so we're now listed in SSUSA. Our info is also listed in the local paper, on the web, and I send out an e-mail newsletter.

Despite these efforts we can only draw 4 or 5 shooters on a consistent basis. Some weeks we get lucky and have 7 or 8 but it's usually just us diehards. We have 12 slots so we're not even close to capacity. It's a lot of work to put this shin dig on every week and I'd sure like to see more people on the line.

If you folks know of any shooters in or near Binghamton, NY please let them know about our facility. All the info is on our web site:

www.hpcutlery.com/silhouette.html

Sincerely,

Mike Sporer
BCSA Silhouette

[Feez]

Nice looking website.  Keep up the good work.  Getting the word out like you're doing now should help.

Did you ever hear of a big motocross race a little north of you?  Well I was going up there every year but now I just started this sport and the dates conflict.  
Thinking out loud here...
the race is on Sunday and if I schedule it right....
I might just pop in there in August.
I know you are looking for more than 1 guy, 1 time a year but it's a start.

[davei]

Hey Mike,

One of the variables that i have seen clubs struggle with is how often to hold a match.  The clubs that go weekly usually have a lower turnout for their matches.  just the local diehards, no real draw from outside the immediate geography.  The clubs that hold monthly matches seem to do better for attendance...  drawing from much further away.   Except for the San Luis Obispo folks...  but they had a bbq at their wednesday evening matches...  Kind of a get together and potluck as well as a match but they would regularly have 20 to 30 folks show up.  just a thought or two.
dave

[chunter]

Mike,  

I understand what you are going through.  It takes a lot of work to get one of these events organized and running,  just to have 4-5 people show up.  

However, keep up the good work and the website.  It will help with you getting the word out.  It takes time, and it seems that each year can be like the ocean tides with the interest in the sport. I think that you are on to something with the cheap matches and other extra's that you incorprated into your matches.   If I lived closer, I would definitely try getting to a match.

[K2]

I like silhouette but every week would be too much for me!  Fishing and hunting can't be ignored ;~)

Hello,

I run smallbore silhouette shoots for the Broome County Sportsmen's Association (near Binghamton in south-central NY). I took silhouette over 2 years ago and have transformed it into a legitimate program. This is our first year with NRA approved shoots, so we're now listed in SSUSA. Our info is also listed in the local paper, on the web, and I send out an e-mail newsletter.

Despite these efforts we can only draw 4 or 5 shooters on a consistent basis. Some weeks we get lucky and have 7 or 8 but it's usually just us diehards. We have 12 slots so we're not even close to capacity. It's a lot of work to put this shin dig on every week and I'd sure like to see more people on the line.

If you folks know of any shooters in or near Binghamton, NY please let them know about our facility. All the info is on our web site:

www.hpcutlery.com/silhouette.html

Sincerely,

Mike Sporer
BCSA Silhouette

[shootingpaul]

Hello
It is a great job that you are doing DO NOT GET DISSAPOINTED AND QUIT, I strongly think that if you will keep up then with the time more people will show up.  How was it before you had legitimate matches?
maybe the whole "competition" scared some away?
I wish you all the best for the future
Pawel

[hh4064]

I too had the same problem. I tried to set up and run local silhouette matches. If we had 4-5 shooters we had fun. One day we had 3 shooters including me......... WOW :cry:  I heard one person say I cant compete with these guys. Look at all this equipment!!!!!!!! I talked it over with a few friends and decided to let people simply shoot what they bring. I was scared that the regular guys would get upset so I contacted them all and explained the situation. They all agreed. We started letting shooters shoot what they own. Mostly hunting rifles a few position rifles. Automatics everything. I realized that once shooters try to shoot silhouette they have so much fun that they end up getting the right stuff and continue to shoot. We had 5 people try shooting with what they brought. One didn't like it, one shot the same gun for a few years and 3 bought new guns and made it official. Before I moved to Michigan the numbers increased about 50%.  I am not saying that you should try this, all I can say is that it is another avenue to consider. It can also be hard for the dedicated hard core silhouetters to except. But if we all really think about it shooting is shooting no matter what name is on the receiver.
Jim Scouten says it perfect
shoot safely
shoot often
and share our sport
good luck

[eroyd]

It's hard to keep new shooters, they get discouraged pretty easily when there only getting  4/40s. I let newbies get away with a  lot during club matches, as long as they're having fun. The rules will come later. I have set up a set of closer targets and called it "sportsmans class", but have discovered after only   a few matches new shooters will developed enough technique/skill to graduate to the regular course.

[haroldclark]

Hello Mike,
Interesting reading here.  I too, started a Long Range Handgun Silhouette match (Shoot) at our club in California.  We shoot at the 500-meter rifle silhouette range.  My first match was February 2004.  

We had 6 shooters at the first match.

We cancelled one match due to lack of interest.  Only three of us would have been shooting and we shoot together all the time anyway.

However, things started to pick up and we now have between 10 and 12 shooters as of the last few matches.  

I don't think I could get the attendance or the interest if I held it every week, though.

Like HH4064 was saying, I started out without too many rules except a max barrel length of 20" including brakes or other extensions.  I have been considering adding some classes and gun rules.  I have been dragging my feet on imposing any more rules.

Dan D Man, who posts here often, shoots with our group.  He is excited and hopes to bring in a couple more shooters from the "Old Days".  I post results and stories in the bi-monthly newsletter and there is a lot of chatter about shooting our course, but it takes guys a while to get what they think they need to shoot.  But, they trickle in one or two a month.  

I actually have 12 listed shooters.  All of them may not make it each match.

We certainly have fun without getting very serious at our matches.  This is not to say that we're not completive.  The camaraderie and competition is what makes it fun.

Think about this:  We have 900 actively paid members and I can only get 12 shooters.  The BPCR and Military Silhouette matches draw around 20 shooters monthly.  Those matches have been around for many years and developed their numbers slowly.

Keep hanging in there and consider the frequency of your matches.

Lots of luck,

Harold Clark from California

[jneihouse]

One of the things we do at our club to attract and keep new shooters is to offer what we call a "club match".  We use the 1/2 scale animals at the same distance (roughly) as the NRA match.  We break it down by class and give away a plaque to each class winner.  We have a local sporting goods store that has put up a 50 dollar gift certificate for a perfect 40 on the club targets.  Interest has been pretty good, and we've had some shooters that came out and shot the club targets a few times, got hooked, and now shoot NRA matches.  It also lets the guys who shoot smallbore cowboy lever action get in a round of practice.

[minuteman]

HaroldClark, where are you located?  I'm too in No. CA.  And I'm looking for other places to shoot, than just my local range.

Minuteman

[Greybeard]

haroldclark You have elected to get e-mail notification of all new posts to this thread. Yet the e-mail you have on file in your profile is bouncing back to me like a rubber ball. Please either correct your e-mail in your profile to a valid one or change your election to watch topics and be notified of new posts via e-mail.

[haroldclark]

Harold Clark here and the email issue has been corrected.  I read your note on email yesterday and never once thought that I was a culprit of that dastardly deed.

There is a story, but I'm sure you don't want to hear it.  Thanks for the reminder.

I had a bunch of email stacked up under that address and I had wondered why I hadn't been receiving mail on that account.

[haroldclark]

I am near Sacramento, CA.  I'm really southeast about 25 miles and 17 miles from my second home, The Sacrmento Valley Shooting Club.  It is located at  15501 Meiss Road, Sloughhoue, CA 95683.

Meiss Road runs between Dillard Road and Ione Road.  If you have regular email, I will send you a map.

Check out our web page at sacvalley.org  The website is not complete as of this date, but it is about to be.  I'm working on a new webmaster.

The range is just under a thousand acres and the shooting spreads between 15 yard handgun to 1,000 yard rifle and some Encore Handguns as soon as we get ths sights elevated enough to reach the target.

For more info, email me at steelshooter@citlink.net

[K2]

Hi Mike

Cut your workload in half and hold 2 matches a month instead of every week.  5 is enough to run small bore for the targets are small and fairly light.  For big bore we won't run one unless we have 10 shooters signed up.  Too much weight to carry!  Any steel shooting sport is more work to run than a paper match.  Just the nature of the games.  You are doing the right things and if you enjoy it then keep it up, if not don't bother.  Your prices are a bargain so it isn't $ that is keeping em away.  

Hello,

I run smallbore silhouette shoots for the Broome County Sportsmen's Association (near Binghamton in south-central NY). I took silhouette over 2 years ago and have transformed it into a legitimate program. This is our first year with NRA approved shoots, so we're now listed in SSUSA. Our info is also listed in the local paper, on the web, and I send out an e-mail newsletter.

Despite these efforts we can only draw 4 or 5 shooters on a consistent basis. Some weeks we get lucky and have 7 or 8 but it's usually just us diehards. We have 12 slots so we're not even close to capacity. It's a lot of work to put this shin dig on every week and I'd sure like to see more people on the line.

If you folks know of any shooters in or near Binghamton, NY please let them know about our facility. All the info is on our web site:

www.hpcutlery.com/silhouette.html

Sincerely,

Mike Sporer
BCSA Silhouette

[RamSlammer]

Mike Here at my local club in Aus we hold mid week shoots and are getting 40 shooters each week. when we had the same match on a sat it only attracted 6-8 shooters max. I beleive that most turn up on a thursday because it doesn't intrude on their weekends as a lot of people have family commitments. They have the best of both worlds the way we run it,but we are lucky as our club is only 4 minutes from the central buisness district. Also it might pay to advertise in local gunshops etc as the shooters might not know your there. best of luck with it and I hope you go alright.