Tiimes have changed

[martinibelgian]

Don't forget the Norwegian krags had 2 locking lugs...

[Orville]

When they went from steel targets to paper the crowds disappeared the crowds could no longer get instant feed back on each shot by the sound of the bullet hitting different parts of the target.

[John Bly]

I found it very interesting that they used the middle finger as the trigger finger and never let go of the bolt handle. Quite some shooting and certainly a spectator sport in Norway.

[High Desert Hunter]

Just like other traditions that are waning, or outright dying, we need to try and reach audiences in the medium they frequent. Magazine sales are down, newspapers are dying, my kids who are in their 20s tell me Facebook is for old people. Even cable and satellite TV will soon be on the way out, streaming TV. In my 52 years of life, we have gone from records and radio, to 8 track tape, to cassette tapes, to CDs, then MP3s, and now they stream their music from the interwebs. Just like the church I attended, I knew we were in for rough times when we were having more funerals than baptisms or weddings. I work with young people every day, and I have to say that more often than not I don't understand them, or what makes them tick. We need to figure out what intrigues them, and hope to bring some into the fold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQrw2LLXNWA

[Kurt]

Kurt: not only can they work a bolt, but at least one also used an obsolete and unsafe Krag Jorgensen action!

I saw that Ray. They are a very smooth action and I think that is why he had so many silver beer steins in his cabinet.

[Kurt]

HDH.
I watched your U-Tube. 90% + are gray beards and nobody standing behind them watching.

Happy New Year to you all.

Kurt

[BFD]

maybe we need a side match at the nationals. Something that cost a 6-pack to enter. I've heard about various side matches that used to happen at then Nationals before my time. Maybe something called the "Speedy Gunzalus" match? Maybe it was just a California thing.

[semtav]

We need to figure out what intrigues them, and hope to bring some into the fold

Probably a lone opinion, but I think a better age group to Target would be 40 to 50 yr olds.

[High Desert Hunter]

I'm not saying to target any specific age group, just saying that the means of gaining interest are going to have to change. I have a few young people who love the rifle, but 90% can't afford, or don't want to afford the price tag to get started. I let them shoot, but once we start talking about the behind the scenes stuff, 95% of them walk away, go buy some inexpensive .223 and 9mm, and get instant gratification. Wish I had the answer.

[semtav]

Yea, I worded that wrong. I do see some young people enjoying the sport, but most have way too many thing ahead of them for the next 20 yrs. College, work, raising kids etc. Same thing happens with aviation. People love to fly and want to get their pilot's license but life gets in the way. Some can ,do both and include family. Most just won't. But about 40 life starts changing. People are established in their businesses or jobs, Sports are over, kids are leaving and empty nester syndrome sets in. They start looking for other things to do. If history and guns peak their interest at all they might be prime for this sport.

[art ruggiero]

to improve interest you must create heros or stars ,that is what all spectator sports do. try interviews by gun and equipment manufacturers and top shooters art

[bpcr shooter]

I guess being "young" at 38, I just dont have the time with work, house, cabin, etc, let alone the vacation to take off to drive down to Nationals after going to "local" shoots, the Q, Frendship. For "ME" I would like to see nationals move around this great country, there are plenty of ranges we could shoot at and if the NRA would sponsor it, im sure the clubs would hold the shoot. My thoughts would be to expose others not in this great sport or others who dont/cant drive for 2,3 days just to "watch". It also makes it fun/ challenging for individuals who can make it every year, by shooting at different ranges. I dont know, maybe Im in the wrong and we need a huge place to hold these shoots and most clubs are too small???..........

[ChrisF]

There are things that could be done to help newcomers. But the rules would need slight changing. There are less costly rifles that have exposed hammers that are single shots but not of the correct time period. Allow them to compete. Eventually those shooters might upgrade. If not no biggie they would not have advantage over any other rifles there. There are enough shooters at some clubs to put together starter kits for new shooters to use. Just a thought to try to get young people involved. They are our future.

[jackrabbit]

The fact of the matter is that there is no status quo. As time progresses, everything is either growing or dying, improving or failing. If you think something is just staying the same every year, you are wrong. If it is the same as last year, the event is actually beginning to wither. We have expected the NRA nationals to be the same for the last 20 years, and now we are surprised it is near death? I am all for changing things up! Let's change the coarse of fire, the range it's held, the prizes, I don't care let's just do something different. None of this will happen until either the matches fail to the point that they are no longer held, or enough of the old balls re-unioners quit shooting or die off to let some change happen. Lots of thoughts and ideas are out there about attracting new shooters and just about all of them would help. Some of them actually have to be done in order for them to possibly work. Also, the only people who are ever going to be able to take weeks off in the middle of the summer to shoot the nationals are financially set retired folks. If you want 40 year olds, its going to have to be 1-3 day matches on the weekends. Undeniable FACT!

Del has some very good thoughts and good points I agree with. A few points I would like to make:
1) Silhouette can be very exciting to watch. The point is that people like to watch competition! If you want successful matches, you have to encourage competition. The failing trend over the years has been to socialize the matches with everyone getting a door prize and little emphasis on who won or making a big deal of it. The best point is last years iron sight shoot off between Brad and Dave. Wow! what a deal!! And....it received almost no attention.
2) As has been said above, to create entertainment that some one will want to watch or follow, we have to create heroes. And those heroes of course are our top shooters like Brian, Brad, Rick Mortitz, Jerry, and a bunch of others. I hear way too many comments like "they always win" or I could do that if I was rich like them, or he has his own range so it's easy for him to shoot well. Back to the socialism thing, it doesn't work. You want successful matches, you want entertainment? You concentrate on and promote the competition, reward the winners, and let everyone else wish they were the winners.
3) Who is going to do these videos and promotion? Lots of us could, but I want to shoot. I hate to rag on the NRA again, but they have a whole division specifically meant to do just this type of promotion. It's called NRA publications! They could do so much, but they don't and I don't see how we are going to make them. We are burdened with a sanctioning body that does not give a damn, and there apparently is little built into the system to change that.

Happy new year everyone!
Cody

[buffalocannon]

Jackrabbit, you are one of the few who post here who make any sense. I wish I lived closer to your matches up there so that I could attend them. I'll bet they are well run. Happy New Year.