#29 Postby Quick » Tue Nov 12, 2019 8:10 am
Jas, I don't know if Bruce knows the reality....
Reality is that majority of new shooters want to shoot PRS style rifles and that's what they buy or build as its sexy, tactical, looks cool, whatever. If we don't cater to this, we will die as a sport/movement. I myself started this way as I got into the sport when I was 19yrs old. My first F-Class rifle was a tactical style Rem700, it would shoot 59s, but never the 60s.
The unfortunate fact is that what we do costs money. Like every other gear driven sport. Its still cheaper then racing cars, bikes, go karts, etc but it does cost. We do it because we love it and are addicted to shooting 60s as much as we can. Go price up a full Stolle or BAT build. that's our version of the sexy rifles and it costs a lot. I run a Stolle for F/TR, It shoots, but watch the horror when new shooters ask me how much it costs and then I tell them.
We can promote TR and F-Class all we want and its an international sport, fact is that it doesn't look exciting to outsiders, much unlike PRS style competition. Look how fast that has grown in the last few years here in Aus. They have already massively surpassed us in terms of sponsorship, and media coverage. If NRAA wants to grow our sport, we need to get PRS onto our ranges, and watch it grow.
Also look at SSAA, they have nearly 200000 members, we have maybe 6000. They are a very diversified body with many different shooting disciplines and quite a few of there comps are Olympic sanctioned competition. As awesome as the Comm Games are, they are NOT the Olympics and that gains more media coverage and government funding.
The reality is that unless we diversify our sport, we wont survive.
Maybe we need to goto SSAA and think about a merger. Its probably what is needed for the sport to survive and indeed thrive here in Australia. Look at the NRAA clubs that are also SSAA affiliated. The have grown a lot in recent times.
Shaun aka 'Quick'
Yanchep, Western Australia
308 Win F/TR & F-S
7mm F-Open Shooter.