Marketing NRA AP

[LtCop]

Let me start off by saying I'm new at this sport. 2011 was my first year to shoot it, even though I only live 90 miles from Columbia and have thought about doing this for years.

It seems to me that media coverage needs to be better addressed. ESPN used to cover the Bianchi Cup and from some of the old clips I've seen did a good job of it too. I don't know why they pulled out, but getting them back onboard to cover the event would be a good thing. Yes, I know Shooting USA does a segment each year (only one?) and Michael Bane was there for Shooting Gallery (although I haven't seen his segment air yet, maybe I missed it). As it has been mentioned, coverage in magazines is pretty limited too. This will probably get me in hot water for saying it, but when the coverage is of the same people all the time maybe that gets old, maybe that intimidates potential new shooters from getting in? Having said that let me say I have the greatest respect for the class winners and think they should recieve their kudos, they have earned it, I'm not saying not to cover their accomplishment. Why not show some new shooters out there shooting and having fun, interview them and find out why they got interested and let them tell how much fun they are having shooting the sport. Focus on the new and young shooters that are out there too. I remember watching Shooting USA in 2010, they did coverage of the Bianchi Cup and had a short interview with a man from Va. (he was a professor if I recall correctly) he was new to the sport and said that shooting AP was better than any round of golf he had ever played. Things like that are positive and show that a "regular Joe" can get out there and give this sport a try. That was the push I needed to get involved and shoot AP at 49 years old. The NRA's coverage of AP is very limited in their magazines, that I would think could be an easy fix if they wanted to address the issue themselves.

As others have said, this is a tough and challenging shooting sport, not to mention expensive. Look at how much you spend on a match. Ammo alone has become an issue. The prolonged war overseas raised the cost of ammo over the last 10 years, thats just a fact. When you factor in practice prior to the match, the cost of travel (gas prices are projected to soar this spring), lodging, food, equipment (ie ammo, gun, holster, belt), etc..... All this can deter many would be shooters from this sport. I can travel 90 miles and be in either Columbia or Kansas City to shoot, relatively close, but still fuel costs add up when you only get 15 miles per gallon. Lets face it, the economy is in the tank right now and that in itself is going to keep many potential new shooters away, thats just a fact.

As a way to cut ammo costs I just purchased a Kimber .22 conversion for my 1911. It cost me $250 and I'll still have to pick up a few more mags to make a match, but it's cheaper than banging away 200 rounds of centerfire ammo every time I go out. I plan on shooting in the Metalic class (or according to Jeromy would it still be Production?) with it some this year. Maybe not at a major match, but at least I'll get out and keep on shooting. My 12 year old son is going to shoot some matches with it too. Why can't the NRA make a smallbore AP event at the Bianchi Cup? Steel challenge has a lot of shooters in their .22 classes.

From what I've heard last years Cup brought in an impressive number of shooters. We need to realize that we are all ambassadors of the sport and try and bring in new members when we can. If you know of someone that might be interested take them to a weekend club match and let them get their feet wet. They may never do it on their own. My first trip to Columbia to shoot a weekend match was a bit nerve wracking not knowing what to do when I got there, let alone the shooting aspect. I've tried to get a couple of guys to go with me, they are to intimidated by the event. The short time limits can be daunting for some. I think I've got one convinced to give it a try though. It is what it is, AP is a challenging sport for a reason.

Edited January 18, 2012 by LtCop

[Chuck Anderson]

Interesting take on the media coverage. I actually consider Bianchi to have some of the best media coverage of any of the pistol sports. Shooting USA, Shooting Gallery, Friends of NRA (showing Jesse shooting) and Doug Koenig's Championship Season. I think I spent more time watching Bianchi coverage this year than any other single event. Any ideas how we get a major network to cover?

[Toolguy]

I think one of the main barriers to participation is that a lot of shooters don't know about the match and/or don't know that they could be IN the match, as opposed to just watching it on TV after it's over. Some people I've talked to that did know about it thought it was still invitation only, just for the big name players. We have good coverage after the fact.

What we need now is lots of advertising far in advance (like now) so people are aware that they can shoot in it, schedule vacation time, save up some money, get some gear together and practice a little. It's not that easy to get details if you're looking, much less if you are unaware. Also, at the end of each show about it (Bianchi Cup) the NRA should have a few seconds saying something like "Would YOU like to shoot in this next year? Here's how..." That would get people interested while they are charged up about it after watching the show.

Edited January 18, 2012 by Toolguy

[Spangler]

They have Metallic Rimfire National records listed...

[LtCop]

Good point Warren. After watching the Shooting USA show air (in Dec. of 2010 I believe) I started looking into what I had to do to shoot the Cup. I had no clue. It took a lot of internet searching on my part to track down everything. Between the NRA's website and AP rulebook, this forum and even some youtube video's I was able to put it all together. It took a long time to figure some things about AP out, but I eventually got there. Even the little things like shooters have to be a member of the NRA, I didn't know that prior to my searches. Finding a range dedicated to AP shooting was my next challenge. I obviously knew about Green Valley, but had no idea about Pioneer Gun Club until locating it on the web. A dedicated AP website would have been a very nice tool to have had at my fingertips to answer some questions and help me get started. It could have the Ap rules, places to shoot with contact information, items needed to compete, etc., just something to think about. Doesn't the IDPA and USPSA have dedicated websites?

I started off last years endeavor going in as cheaply as I could. I borrowed a 9mm gun to use in Metalic division and gathered sponsors for the rest of the items/ammo I needed. I can honestly say that I had under a hundred dollars of my own money wrapped up in shooting last years Cup. This is something new shooters should consider.

After the Cup I decided to go all in since I was hooked and the amount of money I have put into the sport since then shows it. I have gathered sponsorship for the 2012 shooting season and have more this year than last, it can be done.

I have yet to be able to catch a single episode of Doug Koenigs Championship Season, I am never able to catch it on, or the direct tv listing shows that will be the next show, then something else comes on instead. I haven't seen the Friends of the NRA show in a while either, again timing I guess.

Unfortunately "guns" and the shooting sports seem to be a hard sell for major networks. Look at how little coverage shooting sports during the Olypmics receive for instance. So selling the idea may be a tough sell, I don't know. Lenny McGill was the host of the old episodes of the ESPN coverage. He also produced Doug's DVD Shooting Clean My Way. He might be a good place to start as a contact for a network? I guess we are very fortunate to have Versus and the Outdoor Channel. Even so, most of their shows are hunting or fishing shows. I'm not knocking that, I love to watch those too.

[Toolguy]

A dedicated AP website would help tremendously by having all the information in one place. This forum is the closest thing we have to that but still takes a lot of searching to find everything.

[Griz]

It's in this thread for a couple reasons, one because if the NRA does have a Production Rimfire and one of their MD's doesn't know about it, they've probably done a poor job of marketing that class. Second, it might be a very good way to get people involved. A very cheap, available, .22 gun, cheap ammo, low ready start.

Metallic Rimfire is where most Rimfire shooters will be with common guns like Buckmarks, Rugers and Model 41s. The only competitive gun I can think of that would fit the Production rules is a S&W 617. Every other common .22 that I can think of that fits the rules is a toy.

The only constructive thing I can say about growing Action Pistol on the local level is to run your match the way that works for you. If you really have a bunch of people from other sports with guns that don't quite fit NRA rules, don't turn them away. If they get serious enough to think about going to a State, Regional or National Championship, *then* they can worry about if their revolver has a hammer block or if their trigger pull is heavy enough. If someone doesn't have a holster or isn't confident drawing from it, let them start from low ready. Etc etc.

If you want to run your match "legit" but don't like some of the rules, just take your cue from the way the Bianchi Cup is run and issue a Match Director's Bulletin documenting the rules you are changing for your match.

[Toolguy]

Maybe Midway USA could do some advertising about the Cup and encourage people to shoot on a local level. It would boost their business and the Bianchi Cup. They could tack something on to ads they already have, possibly for the same budget. After all, it IS the Midway USA Bianchi Cup and they are pretty good at MARKETING. The word just isn't going out ahead of time so people can get ready for it.

On another note - I agree with Griz about shooting locally. Just get going with what's at hand and those who want to get serious can tweak their equipment as needed.

Edited January 18, 2012 by Toolguy

[Action Pistolero]

I guess I'm just an oddball.

I couldn't find a USPSA match but found a club, that I didn't know existed, an hour away because of a match listing in American Rifleman. I found an article in American Handgunner that featured a bunch of Nyle Leathams photos at Bianchi. I showed up at the match with an Open gun that would have been competitive in USPA in the early '90's. Been hooked ever since.

It can easily be done with what is out there now. I believe that NRA has advertised Bianchi in Front Sight. We had Open Modified (USPSA guns) for a few years but it went away because of no participation. There was Rimfire at Bianchi for women and juniors but there again, no participation.

Somewhere I have seen a leather holster for a Ruger. I believe it was the Sportsman's Guide. The best way is with a 1911 conversion. No holster problem there.

Chuck,

When and where are your matches in OR?

[Chuck Anderson]

Tri County Gun Club in Sherwood Oregon, second Sunday of the Month at 9am

[Nik Habicht]

I'll say right now that Action Pistol is hard......

....and that's a good thing!

I'll also say this -- I learned more about shooting and shot calling in one year of Action Pistol (probably only 5-7 matches for me) than I did in three years of shooting 2-3 USPSA matches per month....

That year of AP was directly responsible for my B card in Production, and the steel quote that appears in my signature....

[mpolans]

There are several things that can be done to help NRA Action Pistol grow.

1. Continue posting updates in the most read action-shooting related forum on the planet. When one of the top complaints of competitors and would-be competitors is a lack of information about NRA Action Pistol and the Bianchi Cup, deciding to quit posting is a step backward. That said, I'd suggest that updates about a single topic be add as responses to a single thread, rather than new threads each time.

2. NRA should establish a separate domain website for all Action Pistol information that is more clearly laid out. I'd suggest obtaining a domain such as "actionpistol.com" or "bianchicup.com." Finding information on action pistol on NRA's website can be tedious and frustrating. I suggest looking to USPSA's website (www.uspsa.org) as an example for functionalities that would be useful, including, seeing video of a match, looking up classifications, looking up the results of local, regional, and national matches, and an online rulebook.

3. Think outside The Cup. Action pistol's long-term viability should not be tied to a single match held once a year. The Bianchi Cup is booming, thanks to the efforts of Tom Hughes and crew and to generous sponsors who have once again made it one of the prize-rich matches in competitive pistol shooting. However, I worry that without a large base of local competitors attending local matches, the Bianchi Cup (and for now, action pistol) would be in danger of falling into obscurity if the prize-tables ever shrank. Without the large prize tables, I don't think nearly as many people would bother with the expense of building custom guns dedicated to one event and pay all the expenses associated with attending. For examples of similar national matches that have gone through such difficulties, see the Steel Challenge and The Masters (granted, each had their own specific other difficulties). The Steel Challenge, which was basically on life-support, has made a remarkable comeback since being picked up by USPSA. The Masters has never really recovered to the point of its golden years. To help improve Action Pistol's long-term prospects, NRA (and clubs) have to promote more local matches. For years, NRA and even the few local matches in existence have heavily emphasized the four events shot in the Bianchi Cup, to the point that many have mistakenly thought it was very expensive to host an action pistol match because they lacked a costly plate rack or a mover. In order to get more local clubs to consider hosting matches, emphasize some of the other events that do not require them. In order to maximize participation, I would suggest that local shooting clubs work around the schedules of existing matches (IDPA, USPSA, GSSF, Bullseye, etc) and work with spreading the word at those other local matches. For example, at Fredericksburg's USPSA match, during the range briefing, the match director also makes announcements of various events and matches going on.

4. Seek to attract shooters from existing competitive shooting disciplines by interpreting/amending the rules. Existing competitive shooters have already shown a willingness to spend the time and money required to compete. If you can convince them that they can use their existing firearms to get a little more trigger time in another discipline, they will be more likely to crossover and try that new discipline too. As USPSA and IDPA come the closest to Action Pistol shooting in terms of competition style, cost, and equipment requirements, it only makes sense to court them. This can be done by interpreting or changing rules that currently exclude firearms used by USPSA and IDPA competitors and making them more friendly to them. Specifically, I'm thinking of deactivated grip safeties, 2lb trigger pull minimum, and production rules that vary greatly from USPSA Production and IDPA SSP. Saying you want to be different just for the sake being different is counterproductive when a lot could be gained by avoiding the pitfalls experienced by other very successful shooting disciplines with Production-like divisions over the last 20 years or so. At this point, I'm sure many will bring up Open Modified. I think the only problem with Open Modified, other than the grip safety/trigger pull problem, is that it has never been promoted as well as it should be to the people who would shoot it. Great idea, but none of the USPSA shooters I've shot with have ever heard of Open Modified. Which brings us to the next bit...

5. Attract shooters and existing USPSA and IDPA competitors by promoting Action Pistol matches in publications other than just NRA publications. An ad in USPSA's Front Sight for the Bianchi Cup *and* local matches would be great...an article written explaining NRA Action Pistol shooting including a description of Open Modified and the other classes would be even better. Having something similar in other more traditional gun magazines such as Guns and American Handgunner would be great too. Perhaps NRA Competitions could buy a half page ad to advertise local matches occurring every month and submit an article to those publications. I know some magazines already have coverage of the Bianchi Cup, but coverage beyond The Cup is needed. An article explaining the existence of local matches, Open Modified and Production would be helpful.

Now, to respond to some of the some comments made in the previous thread:

1. All, the deleted post was simply a double post, nothing else...typing on an iPhone isn't always the easiest thing in the world.

2. kimmbeckwith, I never asked NRAActionPistol to stop posting, just that they follow the posting guidelines of the forum. It's not even a task that requires any effort. I was hoping that the mods would be able to consolidate the existing threads as they have done for other topics in the forum.

3. Action Pistolero, it's true I have not shot as many action pistol matches as I would have wanted over the years. Between deployments and other time requirements in service to my country, some hobbies have had to fall by the wayside, and in my case, shooting (other than with an M4 or M249 :-) ) has been one for me. Having recently gotten married and expecting a kid, I will have even more requirements on my time (and wallet). That said, I enjoy action pistol shooting and hope to compete when I can. I'm sorry to hear that I managed to "tick off everyone that was there" at whichever match you are referring to, whether it was the Regional Match or Keystone Cup in Chambersburg a few years ago. For what it's worth, I've never had anything but respect for you, Allgoodhits, and everyone else I met and shot with at those matches.

4. For those that question my support of NRA and the Action Pistol shooting discipline, I have been an NRA Life Member since I was about 11 years old. I shot my first Action Pistol Match at about the same age. My father and I helped organize what was probably the first NRA Action Pistol club outside of the U.S. and held the first sanctioned match outside of the U.S. (IIRC, Rhein-Main, Germany). We were part of the group that helped organize and run the first European Bianchi Cup, 20 years ago. In the more recent past, my father and I worked to get a local match geared toward new shooters set up in Annapolis, MD. I enjoy Action Pistol and think the NRA has done very well in reinvigorating the Bianchi Cup in many ways (though not in all ways) and would not bother posting my concerns and suggestions if I did not care about the shooting discipline. I'm sorry if people think I exhibit a bad attitude, but I do not believe in being an unconditional cheerleader when I think things could be improved.

[kimmbeckwith]

The only thing I can say is we used to have an avenue to be informed about action pistol, now we do not. I don't think we will get tbose post back. So we shot ourselves in the foot because some complaned about a silly thread problem. That is the just of it. We just need to learn from our mistakes and move on. I did plead to get them to reconsider, but they said they have enough to do already and this was a courtsy for us. So exactly what all the post have in common is getting the word out, so now we have one less venue

[Spangler]

Well said Kim,

I also reached out and received a similar response...and I have to agree with their feelings...

While I am also very driven and believe there is ALWAYS room for improvment in pretty much every aspect of our lives; I've found the old addage "Praise in public, criticize in private" to be VERY prudent when trying to accomplish those imporvments.

thanks

[Rotwang]

A few years ago the NRA tried to hold informational meetings during the Bullseye phase at Camp Perry. They had some small prizes to give away and were hoping to tell people about shooting action pistol.

I think they did it for four years. I'm not sure that anyone except me ever showed up.

[Chuck Anderson]

Just sent this to our Club for next months newsletter.

NRA Action Pistol is now at Tri-County Gun Club.

Action Pistol is an exciting and accuracy intensive sport run by the NRA. Many people have heard of the Bianchi Cup. Well the Cup is the National Championship for Action Pistol. Here at Tri-County we shoot three of the four stages from the Cup. The stages are the Practical Event, Barricade Event and the Falling Plates event. You’ll need about 150 rounds of ammo to complete the three events, a few magazines, your gun and a serviceable holster. There are no reloads required or allowed on the clock. The targets and plates will be shot from various distances from 10 yards to 50 yards in fairly tight time constraints. If you want to learn how to shoot fast and accurately, this is a great sport to try out. I learned a lot about trigger control and sight alignment the first year.

There are divisions for most handguns, centerfire and rimfire, iron sights, optics, stock guns whatever. If you have it, bring it and we’ll figure out what division you fit into.

If you want to shoot rimfire and don’t have a holster, or a gun that doesn’t meet any specific division, we’ll let you shoot, we just won’t submit the scores to the NRA.

The complete rule book can be found on the NRA’s website but if you have any questions please just call or email me, it’s easier than trying to navigate the NRA website. We shoot Action Pistol on the second Sunday of the month, February 12, March 11, etc, starting at 9AM. We meet in Bay 10 on the Action Range and you will need to be Action Range certified in order to shoot with us.

For more information contact AP Match Director, Chuck Anderson, 503-453-3781 or chuck@andersontactical.com

Limited space for the newsletter so it's a bit brief.

[Allgoodhits]

Just sent this to our Club for next months newsletter.

NRA Action Pistol is now at Tri-County Gun Club.

Action Pistol is an exciting and accuracy intensive sport run by the NRA. Many people have heard of the Bianchi Cup. Well the Cup is the National Championship for Action Pistol. Here at Tri-County we shoot three of the four stages from the Cup. The stages are the Practical Event, Barricade Event and the Falling Plates event. You’ll need about 150 rounds of ammo to complete the three events, a few magazines, your gun and a serviceable holster. There are no reloads required or allowed on the clock. The targets and plates will be shot from various distances from 10 yards to 50 yards in fairly tight time constraints. If you want to learn how to shoot fast and accurately, this is a great sport to try out. I learned a lot about trigger control and sight alignment the first year.

There are divisions for most handguns, centerfire and rimfire, iron sights, optics, stock guns whatever. If you have it, bring it and we’ll figure out what division you fit into.

If you want to shoot rimfire and don’t have a holster, or a gun that doesn’t meet any specific division, we’ll let you shoot, we just won’t submit the scores to the NRA.

The complete rule book can be found on the NRA’s website but if you have any questions please just call or email me, it’s easier than trying to navigate the NRA website. We shoot Action Pistol on the second Sunday of the month, February 12, March 11, etc, starting at 9AM. We meet in Bay 10 on the Action Range and you will need to be Action Range certified in order to shoot with us.

For more information contact AP Match Director, Chuck Anderson, 503-453-3781 or chuck@andersontactical.com

Limited space for the newsletter so it's a bit brief.

Excellent! Thanks for stepping up with the walk to back up the talk.

MJ

[Action Pistolero]

Chuck,

Looks good. As an outsider looking in, what does Action Range certified mean?

If a shooter has to be certified before they can shoot the match then how can an outsider shoot? It would seem to me that you are limiting your prospective shooters to only those certified which I'm assuming is not very many.

Is there a way that a new shooter can show up and shoot as long as they are under your direct supervision?

I have some work to do in Lincoln City next month. If I were to bring my gun along, you are telling me that I can't shoot.

[Action Pistolero]

After looking at the club website, it looks like according to range rule 9. C. a guest may shoot on the range as long as they under the supervision of someone that is certified. Makes a newcomer shooting a little more difficult but doable. You really need to add that to your newsletter.

[Chuck Anderson]

Chuck,

Looks good. As an outsider looking in, what does Action Range certified mean?

If a shooter has to be certified before they can shoot the match then how can an outsider shoot? It would seem to me that you are limiting your prospective shooters to only those certified which I'm assuming is not very many.

Is there a way that a new shooter can show up and shoot as long as they are under your direct supervision?

I have some work to do in Lincoln City next month. If I were to bring my gun along, you are telling me that I can't shoot.

The release is going out in a club only newsletter so I expect that the only people seeing it (other than posting it here as a marketing example) would be club members and familiar with club rules. We have several options for non members to shoot. Having a history shooting an action sport is enough. We have USPSA/IDPA etc on the same range and have outside folks all the time.

If you do plan to come send me an email though so I can get you the gate code.

[chevyoneton]

I don’t have any specific suggestions nor do I feel I am qualified to do so. I just shot my first NRA Action Pistol course this past Saturday and came in dead, waaaay back, last. No real surprise about my poor performance although I would not call the course difficult or hard. VERY challenging, which is GOOD, but also very fair. The mover, which I was most worried about, was actually my best stage! And dang if shooting it is about as much fun as you can have with a gun and your pants on (or off). This month there were a grand total of 11 shooters. The Match Director was beside himself with joy at the turn out. Seems they usually get 6, maybe 8 people at the MOST. Heck, we broke into TWO squads!

To put it in perspective, there was a Cowboy match running at the same time a few bays over and they had 30-40 people shooting. A USPSA match here has 35-45 shooters every month. 6-10 people from here drive one, two hours or more to a couple of USPSA matches every month. My point is, as many people from here drive two hours to go to a USPSA match as come to the LOCAL NRA Action Pistol match! Every last person I saw at the NRA Action match shoots USPSA every month too. A few also shoot Steel Challenge although it is fairly new (3-4 months) here and has yet to stabilize as to a following.

Although I scored very poorly at my first Action Pistol match, I HAD A BLAST! I easily enjoyed it as much as shooting USPSA and more so than Steel Challenge. I read a quote lately, maybe here on Enos, that a lot of guys would rather not know than go to matches and prove how poorly they shoot. On the Practical, Barricades, and Plates I shot at or a little worse than I thought I should. But on the Mover I shot FAR BETTER than I imagined having NEVER before shot at a moving target with pistol! I am going to back off my statement about not having any suggestions. One, get younger shooters involved. I don’t know how to do this but of course it is the best way to sustain anything. Out of the 11 shooters this month 7 of them were over 50 years old, some WAY over! Youngest was 30, compare that to a USPSA or Steel Challenge match. I did notice though that we had a younger average then the Cowboy shooters although they did had WAY more woman! Second, take or at least invite a friend. After only one match I already have three guys lined up to come with me sometime based on my glowing review of the festivities. It is really hard for people to go in cold to something they have never been to. A guy I knew from USPSA said he was going to Action Pistol this month so I offered HIM a ride so I would not have to show up alone! Once there dang if it was not the same core group of people that shoot USPSA and I was right at home! I’ll be back, and I’ll try and bring some with me next time.

[Chuck Anderson]

I don’t have any specific suggestions nor do I feel I am qualified to do so. I just shot my first NRA Action Pistol course this past Saturday and came in dead, waaaay back, last. No real surprise about my poor performance although I would not call the course difficult or hard. VERY challenging, which is GOOD, but also very fair. The mover, which I was most worried about, was actually my best stage! And dang if shooting it is about as much fun as you can have with a gun and your pants on (or off). This month there were a grand total of 11 shooters. The Match Director was beside himself with joy at the turn out. Seems they usually get 6, maybe 8 people at the MOST. Heck, we broke into TWO squads!

To put it in perspective, there was a Cowboy match running at the same time a few bays over and they had 30-40 people shooting. A USPSA match here has 35-45 shooters every month. 6-10 people from here drive one, two hours or more to a couple of USPSA matches every month. My point is, as many people from here drive two hours to go to a USPSA match as come to the LOCAL NRA Action Pistol match! Every last person I saw at the NRA Action match shoots USPSA every month too. A few also shoot Steel Challenge although it is fairly new (3-4 months) here and has yet to stabilize as to a following.

Although I scored very poorly at my first Action Pistol match, I HAD A BLAST! I easily enjoyed it as much as shooting USPSA and more so than Steel Challenge. I read a quote lately, maybe here on Enos, that a lot of guys would rather not know than go to matches and prove how poorly they shoot. On the Practical, Barricades, and Plates I shot at or a little worse than I thought I should. But on the Mover I shot FAR BETTER than I imagined having NEVER before shot at a moving target with pistol! I am going to back off my statement about not having any suggestions. One, get younger shooters involved. I don’t know how to do this but of course it is the best way to sustain anything. Out of the 11 shooters this month 7 of them were over 50 years old, some WAY over! Youngest was 30, compare that to a USPSA or Steel Challenge match. I did notice though that we had a younger average then the Cowboy shooters although they did had WAY more woman! Second, take or at least invite a friend. After only one match I already have three guys lined up to come with me sometime based on my glowing review of the festivities. It is really hard for people to go in cold to something they have never been to. A guy I knew from USPSA said he was going to Action Pistol this month so I offered HIM a ride so I would not have to show up alone! Once there dang if it was not the same core group of people that shoot USPSA and I was right at home! I’ll be back, and I’ll try and bring some with me next time.

Great perspective. Here's what I want to know though. What got you to come out? What made you want to come with your USPSA buddy?

[Action Pistolero]

I'm interested in seeing your response to Chuck's questions.

Where is the range?

The Mover is always the easiest event for newcomers because you can see the amount of time that you to shoot the shots. As long as someone gives you an idea of the leads you're good to go.

[chevyoneton]

What made me want to come? I just like shooting and will use any excuse to do so. I had seen the Bianchi Cup on “Shooting USA” on the Outdoor’s channel so had a clue as to how the stages went. I am not a member of the local club (too far and too much $$$) but the $15 entry fee (same as USPSA) is cheap for a chance to shoot this kind of thing with the targets and all the equipment provided. Coming with my USPSA buddy (who is a member of the club) was just me getting over my anxiety of showing up at something new. Membership is not required to participate in the competitions but I felt strange showing up for something new anyway. I am going to go next month if at all possible even if I have to go alone. And I may have to as the fellow I went with this time has accepted a job out of state! It is at the Tallahassee Rifle and Pistol Club (TRPC) in Woodville (South of Tallahassee) Florida. Pretty good bunch of folks down there and I have enjoyed shooting USPSA with them this past year and look forward to shooting NRA Action, USPSA, and maybe a little Steel Challenge this year!

[Griz]

I had seen the Bianchi Cup on “Shooting USA” on the Outdoor’s channel so had a clue as to how the stages went.

This is something that we can do to market AP to our local club's memberships.

FWIW, I put YouTube videos of each course of fire on our club's website in the hopes that club members would see how the courses of fire are shot and feel a little more comfortable coming out to play for their first time. We have a lot of new members showing up at our AP matches. I don't know if the website info is partly responsible for that, but I'm sure it didn't hurt.

http://www.bedfordrrc.org/matches/nra-action-pistol

This might be something that everyone here could push for at their local clubs to increase participation.