ihmsa forums

I am with you Robert on the shooting positions in field pistol. But now comes the cost of advertising in the magazines for the organization is running out of funds. I still believe the promotion of the sport to some of the closest ranges would help greatly if the range is willing to help is the area. We shoot as much as we can, but, work, funds, sickness, the cost of the long travel to a range that supports the sport is very costly. Fuel, meals, lodging is not getting any cheaper.

I also belong to the Cast Bullet Assoc and one thing they did was to offer their bi-monthly magazine in digital form and sent to member who have chosen this as an Email. Each member that chose this would get a reduction in their yearly membership dues. If the cost of printing the IHMSA paper could be reduced, could that then be applied to promotional ads. Again just thinking of possibility's. I'm sure this has been looked at before. Could there be a IHMSA poster be available on line so that any match director could down load it and have a local printer make copies and have the club members distribute them to local sport and gun stores. That way some of the promotional cost would not be solely on IHMSA. An increase in participation to the local clubs may offset the cost to the club and have an increase to IHMSA. It maybe small but would it be worth the try?

oop's .I see some of the thing's I just said was already mentioned of sorts. I guess I should have read all the posts before making a comment. Sorry.

With all the discussion of the organization's finances and well being it is interesting to note that it appears NO officers have chimed in. Is there anyone in charge?

Philip

I felt I was becoming a bit too abrasive. I have a tendency to do that and that was not my meaning in all this. What I really wanted was to get people talking and thinking. In that I was successful, but as always, I always end up putting my foot were my mouth should be.

Will

Hay Will, you did exactly what you wanted to do. That is, getting people talking and thinking. Just maybe some good will come of all this discussion. And someone else was right, is any officials going to chime in and give some views of what could be done? It is going to take the whole IHMSA membership to chime in and help with the whole matter, not just a few like what is happening and what happens as usual.

i really don't know who's in charge as i never here from any other board members. i already print my own scorecards to save IHMSA a few $ but that's not going to get it. as far as trophies at the Intenationals is beyond me why they give everyone a trophy. i got 1 this past year even though i didn't win anything except for 4th place in unlimited international. really don't know what the answer is. i would be in favor of a 60 round international match. as far as target setters go i would be in favor of automatic reset at the big match, but that kind of limits our choices at ranges to have the match. allen

I dont know the answer to our problems, but I have been told by members on
here, and some I've talked to at various matches, that if things dont change in
a hurry, that IHMSA has only about another year or so to live. I know that our
range in New Braunfels, Texas will continue to hold silhouette matches even if
our national organization fails, as will some others here in Texas. Our range
is totally set up for just about nothing BUT silhouette shooting. So, we will
keep on keeping on. I just hope it doesnt come to that, tho.

Promotion and advertising may work on the local level, with some exceptions. I remember reading about IHMSA and handgun silhouette back around 1978 - 79. It sounded interesting, but I made no effort to see if it was being done in my home state (Louisiana). Fast forward to 1980 - my brother was working at a sporting goods store, and was told about a match in Lafayette, LA. He attended a match in April of that year, and I attended with him in May. I found out later that Louisiana had been shooting since 1978 ! We have run advertisements in our local newspaper and also in our metro area newspaper. Our ads in the local newspaper have generated ZERO interest, and the metro paper has only done a bit better. We have been investigated by a few curious individuals, but we have not been able to garner any "keepers". One of the first questions we have been asked is - "when can we come to the range and practice "? Well, we use the local sheriffs dept. range, and we only have access to the range on match days. --- "there goes the interest" !! We do not really have much to offer other than one day a month - and this is not enough for the new shooter. We are hanging by the proverbial "thread" here in Louisiana, but we have made enough to pay our insurance premium the past several years and have no intention of quitting. We will continue to try to cultivate new shooters, but the available pool of prospects is getting smaller and smaller. We are definitely a "niche" shooting game, and I do not think that reinventing our game is the answer. Practical Hunter was supposed to generate some crossover shooters, yet we have yet to have anyone express any interest in it. Even Field Pistol has died down - I do not think that we even had 10 entries fired at our range TOTAL in 2013. I am glad that we are talking about this - and I am hoping that it helps !

Back several yrs. ago, there were several silhouette ranges here close to us in Alabama. But they dwindled away. I was talking to Carroll Pilant with Sierra Bullets some time back and it was mentioned. Carroll told me they use to come and support the shoots here but it got to where they were the only ones who came to shoot. So, with that thy quit coming for they said if the local shooters won't support their own range and match-why should they. I believe if enough ranges would put forth effort and just a little advertisement, it could help put just a little more life into the sport. Yes, the game is a hard game and not for everyone, but the most dedicated shooters and members are the only ones keeping it alive. I truly believe something needs to be done, and believe it can survive as long as everyone can help in doing his and her parts including verbal advertisement and helping at the ranges by doing their part as of setting targets, gathering them up at the end of the match. I have seen just as many of you have that some shooters come to the match, jump ahead of everyone-not lifting a hand to help, shoot their targets and then leave, leaving the work for a few to pick up targets and police the area and clean up after them. As said-Everyone Needs To Do Their Part. I have been trying to promote the handgun sport for over 40 yrs., which included handgun hunting, but, as said, it is a hard sport and not everyone wants to trey it. I still talk till blue in the face on the subject just hoping I can get just one interested in it and be dedicated in the sport.

I've been away from my computer for a few days so I'm just now seeing this thread. Most of what has been stated in this discussion has been said already in previous threads, many of which I have responded to. So once again, here is my take on this subject. I keep hearing that our guns are too expensive. I just can't see the reasoning in that, as least as it applies to the decline of our sport. There is no doubt that there will be some people who will attend their first silhouette match and immediately give up because of the percieved cost of the equipment needed to be competitive. But I would dare venture to say that those same people would shy away from "ANY" organized shooting sport for the same reason. Go to an IPSC match and price a "race" gun and accessories. Go to an F Class match and price a competitive rig with a Nightforce scope. Go to a Cowboy action match and ask the price of a full compliment of equipment for that game including wardrobe. Or for that matter, go to a sporting clays or trap shoot and price a set of shotguns to cover all the gauges.....same for "3 Gun". Any shooting sport is expensive-------and getting more so by the day. Yet the combat shooters fill the parking lot to capacity on match day while we struggle to stay afloat. So why is that? I offer that it is because society has changed. Our sport is not "cool" anymore.

F Class is popular because snipers are thought to be cool.
IPSC is popular because you see running gun battles on every channel and in most movies today.
People still like to play cowboys and indians.
3 Gun emulates Rambo.

So what is the solution? In my opinion,changing our game is not the answer. If IHMSA strays away from it's current form we stand to loose already established shooters (read old timers). I love the game just the way it is....don't change it. Sadly, I think I am in the minority as far as 21st century gun enthusiasts are concerned. Long story short..........I don't think that a solution exists that will ever get us back to where we were even 20 years ago. Ain't gonna happen.

I can offer what I am doing as the last remaining IHMSA match director in Louisiana. Starting this year I am joining my Smallbore and Field Pistol match with the local NRA Smallbore Cowboy Rifle shooters. We both shoot the same targets with the same time limits. All I need to do is add an additional target rail at 40 yards for the rifle guys. I hope to get some crossover shooters once they see our game, though I hold out little hope for that. They have known about us for a few years already, but no takers. Anyway, this will get me more shooters on the line every month to help us defray costs and keep us afloat. I am also adding an IHMSA Big Bore match to tie in with their High Power Rifle silhouette match at a new facility I am helping to organize. Perhaps other ranges elsewhere can pursue similar ideas. The NRA Cowboy Lever Action rifle shooters use the same full scale targets at the same distances and time limits as IHMSA Big Bore. With just a little give and take we can shoot the two disciplines together. I do however realize that even this is merely a short term "fix" to what I see as an unsolvable situation. Times have changed. You can't fix that.