The end of an Era?

[Woody]

The ranges at Atterbury face South with no earthen backstop. Misses are almost impossible to locate. Even a short round is hard to find because the ground is covered with grass and usually moist. Currently the military does allow civilian competition on post. High Power and Black Powder are shot there with fair regularity. The NMLRA hosts several long range matches a year there. Camping on post and plenty of hotels close by.

Woody

[Don McDowell]

28 target range filled to say 4 relays will allow for over 100 shooters

Might handle that many highpower shooters, but the bptr rules allow 63 minutes per relay on creedmoor and 53 for midranges. That would mean 4 relays would take about 6 hours just to get off of one yard line. 12 hours of daylight would maybe allow for all three yardages in one day

[Clarence]

Don,

At the SE Regional, two shooters shot in 53 minutes, and most were finished well ahead of the time limit.

Clarence

[Don McDowell]

Clarence, yes 53 minutes is the time allotted for MIDRANGE matches, 4 sighters and 10 shots for record. Finishing with 10 minutes left is not unusual, especially at 2 and 300.

But Creedmoor the time allotment is 63 minutes unlimited sighters and 10 for record. The wind gets to going goofy and it's not unheard of for a shooter to take 9 shots just to find the paper... And get the last record shot off just in front of the cease fire..(never mind the 3 seconds of bullet flight from muzzle to target and the 20 seconds or so for the target to go down and come back up, already there's 23 seconds per shot , not counting fouling control, time to think out sight adjustment etc)
See this is part of the point I believe some of us have been trying to get across. If you have not shot the nationals you surely need to do so. It's a grand experience in the first place, and a great place to learn a lot about all manner of things that makes this sport tic..

[Old-Win]

I think what Arnie meant was four shooters per target. We start shooting at 8:00 A.M. and are finished at about 2:45 P.M. 20 shooters or a 100 will make no difference. It would be the same as if you were in Raton.

[Don McDowell]

That's still 2 relays per target. 2 1/2 hrs minimum for each yard line, if everybody is johnnyjump up and doesn't use or need any prep time. When shooters are shooting on a National championship level, they're not necessarily grippin and rippin, they take their time and try and shoot the conditions that are more favorable. Seldom is the entire line done any length of time before the cease fire is called. That mood and atmosphere at the Nationals is a good bit more serious than at the local matches.
Yes the target rifle matches are long days, that's a good part of the challenge.

[Kurt]

Here is a look down range at Lodi at midday.
Nice contrast for the targets. Nice soft sand and grass to lay on. You don't have to kill your sticks with a mallet getting them set. Weather is moderate. Excellent match directors!! and good place to eat in town. The best Wally Fish Fry in the country with washing it down with good Wisconsin beer if that is your drink.
What more do you need to have a good match?
I have not found the sun to be a problem at the end of a match. 3 man or 4 man squads. You do save time with pit changes using a 4 man squad.
Kurt

[desert deuce]

I well remember Mothers Day May 12th, at the Long Range Regional at Lodi through the invitation of Mark Schuenke and Cliff Gregg. What great competitors and enterprising match directors. Folks within a 500 mile radius of Lodi should not ever miss a target match those boys put on. It was great fun.

However, how many shooters on this board live within 500 miles of Lodi do not attend?

Having shot Long Range & Target at many ranges they all have their own character. The way the long range matches I have shot in are set up the set up for Lodi would be like this:

First, the far target to the left is a hospital target, nobody is assigned to shoot on it.
Second, the next target frame to the right is not posted, the frame stays down with no target.
Third, target frame 3 has a target.
Fourth, alternating blank frame, target frame to the end of the squadded shooters then another hospital target.
Fifth, a range with say 28 target frames would have frame 1 & 27 occupied with a hospital target.
Sixth, frame 3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17,19,21,23,25, could have targets.
Seventh, four competitors to 12 targets is a maximum of 48 competitors and the Competitions Division is requiring a minimum of 50 to hold a National Championship.

I ask again, how many shooters on this board live within 500 miles of Lodi and DO NOT ATTEND the matches there? If you live within 500 miles of Lodi and don't reliably shoot that match why should anyone presume you would attend a National Championship there?

[desert deuce]

Woody, my dear and valued friend.........do you know the dates for the Silhouette matches at Raton in 2015?

That is something you might want to look in to, and, any other matches there you might want to attend.

Oh, by the way.......how many National Records did you set at the BPTR Nationals? On second thought, go ahead and go to the silhouette match......

[SSShooter]

It's become painfully obvious over the last few years competitive shooting has become a red headed stepchild for the NRA. It's not just BP shooters but most all of the other shooting sports are getting the same treatment and competitor numbers are declining. I know in our sport the NRA made a decision in 2009 to de-fund the U.S. Creedmoor team. A number of us made the team in the tryout only for the NRA to turn around immediately and say "sorry, we'll give a discount on the 2010 entry fee". Frank Monikowski flew from Rhode Island just to shoot in the tryout, made the team, and the NRA pulled the plug.
I think for the NRA the constant fear mongering for the threat against the Second Amendment has been such a cash cow for them the bean counters in the NRA are de-emphsising competitive shooting. I feel it is important to remain a NRA member but will remain only as a "generic" member as long as they keep trying to cut our collective competitive throats.
Keith Lay

Exactly. The primary thing lapierre and his henchmen care about is continuing to line their pockets. Last I read, lapierre takes home about $1.5mm per year of our 'donated' money in his total compensation - am sure the others at the top are not far behind. That's the problem when we elect board-members who are entertainers, etc. They see nothing wrong with the way things are run as they do not and never have competed and $1.5mm means nothing to them. As stated............. competiton & competitors really don't count for much in today's NRA.

[desert deuce]

And the solution to SSShooters dilemma is vote only for active, current competitive shooters for the NRA Board.
Problem solved.

[Don McDowell]

But can someone please explain to me, what in the samhell LaPierre's salary has to do with only 16 shooters showing up for the Eastern Regional Midrange match, and only 6 showing up at the Reade Pa. longrange match

[Woody]

When was the last time you read an NRA sponsered article in your local paper or the NRA rag for that matter featuring competitive shooting? The one mag devoted to competition is a digital only option that probably has the readership comparable to the match participation.

There is a lot more that could be done at the national level.

I keep pushing our game at the local level, by inviting people to come play and providing them with the rifle, ammo, and guidance. I also support our local, regional, and national level matches by donating items for awards and prizes. What are you doing?

Woody

[art ruggiero]

woody; where is friendship located in ind.? art

[Woody]

Friendship is a little burg located in Southeastern Indiana. West of Cincinatti, Ohio, East of Louisville Kentucky, North of the Ohio River and South of US 50.

Woody