Declining attendance

[Hunter]

As for "Prices for everything involving shooting has taken a toll," I wonder if the dramatic increase in wages since, say 1970, has largely offset shooting-related price increases.

Last year, I did an in-depth review of competitve short-range Benchrest cost comparing the year 2000 (when I started) to 2023. The data indicates that equipment cost is not a major issue in preventing an individual from entering the sport of short-range benchrest. These costs appear to not have increased at the same rate as inflation (74.7%). My data indicates that the total cost to “get into the sport” has increased 72.8% since the year 2000.
...
Here is some of my summary data:

Total Cost Summary:

​

Item	August 2000 - Cost $$	April 2023 - Cost $$	Difference
Table 1: LV Rifle	$3,700	$6,350	(72% increase)
Table 2: Bench Equipment	$490	$1,055	(115% increase)
Table 3: Brass Prep & Reloading	$1,200	$1,795	(46% increase)
Table 4: Range Equipment	$735	$1390	(89% increase)
Grand Total	$6,125	$10,590	(72.8% increase)

Lee, thank for your detailed analysis that covers approx. 23 years. I did a quick Google search of starting salaries and found this >>> https://www.naceweb.org/job-market/...-starting-salaries-for-new-college-graduates/. The first two columns in Figure 1 therein have "some" relevance to this discussion; however, since that table only goes through 2015, and I'd like to compare numbers over a 23 year time span (to be somewhat comparable to your 23-year analysis), I compared the 1992 number ($28,111) with the 2015 number ($50,219).

Those last two numbers above represent a 78.6% increase in starting salaries over that 23-year period. I'm not sugesting that everyone's income increased at that rate over those 23 years; however, that comparison may somewhat support my thought expressed above.

 

[Steve Krause]

I, too, believe the Factory class is one of the best ways to promote new participation. Indeed, at the club, nonregistered level. Most people, save for retirees and lottery winners, ease into benchrest. Like a lot of other sports in general, you start in the shallow end. We have always had a Factory rifle class at the Austin Rifle Club. We only shoot score matches. When I started in the early 90's, that class had just as many entrants as Hunter (no VFS back then as I recall). Mostly Rem 700's in 243, 308, 300 Sav. Really didn't need too many rules .....these were mostly hunting guns, deer hunting guns. More than a few shooters graduated to custom guns and still shoot.

Recently, we have run into the changing dynamics of "Factory" guns. Now, Factory guns showing up are Savage, Bergara and Rems...with heavy barrels which , with a sizable scope, came in weighing more than a legal Heavy Varmint. Tried to limit weight at 13 lbs....but a hvy bbl Savage is 12 + lbs out of the box, without the scope. Add a fine Nightforce and it is closer to 14-15 lbs. But that's the only gun they got to compete with....hard to tell a shooter his rifle weighs too much. Where do you draw the line ?

In an effort to have more shooters, rules have been relaxed and some of these 'Factories' are shooting clean or real close to it. And that's a good thing. Part of the evolution of progressing to the top tier. Over time , you get better, get better equipment, better gun, better knowledge. Gotta upgrade.

So promote a factory class if you can. Before long they're looking for a good used VFS or Hunter. And sitting next to you getting 19 X's.

 

[cdiver]

Social security 2024 3.2 percent increase.

 

[shootN133]

For generations the Sears catalog was a fixture in just about every American household. The Sears brand loomed as large over the corporate landscape as its 108 story headquarters did over the Chicago skyline.

Sears was the Amazon of 20th century. So what happened??


America changed and Sears failed to adapt with the changes.

I am afraid that the two leading benchrest sanctioning bodies are in the same rut that Sears fell into. This is especially true for the group competitions.

I don't know what the final solution will be but I do see the final result if nothing is done to adapt to today's America. I am afraid that 10 years from now there may only be a handful of multi-day matches in existence and the attendance numbers will be extremely low. The numbers could even get so low that only the regional and national contests will happen. The leadership of the benchrest community needs to take a good look at the demographics of the boomer population because there is a massive change coming.

A factory class would be the most logical way to obtain new blood in the sport. I see no reason why a factory class could not be shot as a sanctioned class even at the national and regional levels. This is currently being done by another sanctioning body with great participation. It has brought in many new shooters that eventually move on to a custom rifle.

A modified class would also be beneficial because it would allow yet another lower cost avenue to enter benchrest.

A great opportunity was missed a few years ago when Savage first came out with the precision target rifle benchrest model. The leadership of the benchrest community should have partnered up with Savage to promote benchrest through a factory class. This could have brought in the new shooters that are going to be desperately needed in the future because of the aging population.

For the shooters that are so dead set against offering any other classes, how would this negatively impact your shooting?

 

[Al Nyhus]

With the popularity of 600 yd competition events, why not add a class to SR BR that allows those guns in a seperate class? The shooters are there and they already have the gear.

Seems like a good way to bolster the number of shooters and encourage cross over in both directions.

The IBS and NBRSA could give a nod to Benchrests past and call it the 'Cruiser' class.

 

[Lee Hachigian]

With the popularity of 600 yd competition events, why not add a class to SR BR that allows those guns in a seperate class? The shooters are there and they already have the gear.

Seems like a good way to bolster the number of shooters and encourage cross over in both directions.

The IBS and NBRSA could give a nod to Benchrests past and call it the 'Cruiser' class.

Not sure that will work….
Al, I’ll make sure the guy with the 300 Mag is on the bench to your right! LOL

 

[mwezell]

For generations the Sears catalog was a fixture in just about every American household. The Sears brand loomed as large over the corporate landscape as its 108 story headquarters did over the Chicago skyline.

Sears was the Amazon of 20th century. So what happened??


America changed and Sears failed to adapt with the changes.

I am afraid that the two leading benchrest sanctioning bodies are in the same rut that Sears fell into. This is especially true for the group competitions.

I don't know what the final solution will be but I do see the final result if nothing is done to adapt to today's America. I am afraid that 10 years from now there may only be a handful of multi-day matches in existence and the attendance numbers will be extremely low. The numbers could even get so low that only the regional and national contests will happen. The leadership of the benchrest community needs to take a good look at the demographics of the boomer population because there is a massive change coming.

A factory class would be the most logical way to obtain new blood in the sport. I see no reason why a factory class could not be shot as a sanctioned class even at the national and regional levels. This is currently being done by another sanctioning body with great participation. It has brought in many new shooters that eventually move on to a custom rifle.

A modified class would also be beneficial because it would allow yet another lower cost avenue to enter benchrest.

A great opportunity was missed a few years ago when Savage first came out with the precision target rifle benchrest model. The leadership of the benchrest community should have partnered up with Savage to promote benchrest through a factory class. This could have brought in the new shooters that are going to be desperately needed in the future because of the aging population.

For the shooters that are so dead set against offering any other classes, how would this negatively impact your shooting?

You bring up a lot of good points that appear logical and well thought out.
Promotion is key but factory class is where we need to work really hard to get more attendance. We all started out somewhere and a lot of times, it was just our best shooting factory rifle and a buddy or two shooting against one another on the farm or at the range. It grows from there. Anybody that has the itch to shoot well, is a potential BR shooter. Access is number one, IMO. Most people think we are nuts to drive a few hundred miles to go shoot a rifle, and they are probably right! Then getting them there! Once there, they get the feel of what the game really entails and they can see what other classes are in terms of equipment, the people and very possibly, get to shoot something that is a true high end custom rifle for BR. If they have the itch and are there..let them sit behind your rifle and when they instantly shoot the smallest group or best target in their life..the hook just got set.

 

[rsmithsr]

I NOW SHOOT long range and short range br, i STARTED IN CLUB LEVEL LOCAL BENCHREST. WE HAD SEVEN CLASSES. 22 RF, 17 RF, HUNTER, TARGET, VARMIT, and finally unlimited..mostly real br rifles .i could shoot every month 4-6 classes for 2 bucks per class plus ammo. i did this for years before moving up to a real br rifle, a 30 br.
costs suck but local matches can be fun when shot low key friendly matches. seven of our classes were FACTORY. OEM CHAMBERING tho bbl could be replaced, factory trigger, rework ok, no bedding. only the unlimited class allowed custom rifles stocks, scopes,actions triggers..at my club 6ppc and 6br were common. since we actually shot score, i built a 30 br!( on a third hand bbl in a 700 action with a factory trigger!).
work on club matches and shooting let the players grow as they choose