Before we jump into the nuts and bolts of competitive benchrest, some uncomfortable details have to be addressed – Right here, right now.  There may be folks that visualize themselves playing benchrest shooter without a full understanding of some prerequisites.  A couple or three questions need to be asked and realistic answers are recommended.

1) Do I have the time?

The possibility exists that sanctioned Benchrest Shooting is not something you can do.  Attending a sanctioned match will very likely (if not always) require traveling hundreds of miles and the expense of a weekend from early Friday afternoon to late Sunday night.  In many locations, that would be a minimum.  Do some homework to determine where you will have to go to compete.

Later, there will be a suggestion to travel to a match just to look around and get a feel for “things”.  If following that suggestion gives you the slightest heartburn then perhaps a re-think of the whole idea is necessary. A “problem” with time resources is not a show stopper in some cases but a significant consideration in every case.  Don’t fail to factor in family commitments - both real and perceived

2) Do I have the money?

The purpose of this question is not to have you evaluate your relative net worth.  Trust me, you have ENOUGH money.  The real question is whether or not you have THE money?  I talked with a spectator at a match one Sunday and he stated that he would dearly love to get into benchrest shooting but just couldn’t afford it.  Later, I was cleaning my rifle and saw him driving away in a brand new custom painted chrome plated pickup truck pulling a real nice trailer.  There was a four wheeler in the bed of the truck and three more on the trailer.  I figured the 4 wheelers were a family thing and that was how his priorities aligned.  On the way home that night my Caravan shuddered past 170K and I paid the light bill plus late charge on Wednesday.  It was either pay the light bill or get my wife’s partial plate fixed.  It all worked out well at the time because I bought a jug of powder and all we could afford was soup and mashed potatoes anyway.  Money is not a show stopper either.  Just give it some direct thought before you end up taking a loss on your purchases.

3) Am I a competitor?

Last but by no means least is the will to win and a tolerance for losing.  It’s OK to have a little internal bleeding because your last shot knocked you out of a 3 Gun win at the nationals.  That’s the way it should be.  Try not to let it trickle to the outside.  It’s not OK to be satisfied with less than the win nor is it OK if warts grow on your lips if you don’t win.  Nobody wins every time and nobody is expected to win every time.  If you already know that you can’t laugh it off or don’t believe that you can win then pass on Competitive Benchrest Shooting.  This IS a show stopper.  If you are so disposed, you can't have fun and it's the fun that keeps you going.

Have you read those rules yet?