Have you noticed a decline in participation?

[Cy Soto]

Here in Colorado I run a monthly .22LR Precision Rifle match and, while before the ammo shortage we were getting 25 to 30 participants every month, this past month we only had 5.

Many of us who live in stares where the cold weather puts a damper to the action pistol shooting sports haven't really had a chance to see the effects of the current ammunition and reloading components scarcity but, for those of you in the warmer states: Have you seen a decline in participation in the past few months?

[JimmyZip]

I have found that caliber to be the hardest to get here. I can make the others.

[juan]

I have found that caliber to be the hardest to get here. I can make the others.

same here I cant find .22

but I can still make my .40s

[juan]

I think our participation is going up,

hard to tell. this time of year we got our sectional and area 1 coming up,so we get alot more shooters from other clubs who dont normaly come.

[Babaganoosh]

I see about the same amount of people. However I think we will see a drop off in the next month or two if ammo and component shortages dont change.

[Cy Soto]

... I think we will see a drop off in the next month or two if ammo and component shortages dont change.

That's what I am afraid may end up happening here too (especially for IDPA matches).

In my neck of the woods many (if not most) of the folks who shoot USPSA reload their ammo and may had better prepared for the component shortage but, on the other side, a lot of the folks who shoot IDPA were used to purchasing the ammo needed for the weekend match a day or two in advance. With this no longer being a feasible option, those who didn't stash a good cache of ammo (mostly the newer participants) will be forced to take a break from shooting.

Edited March 10, 2013 by Cy Soto

[Jaxshooter]

Local match yesterday we had 60 shooters which is about normal.

[Chuck Anderson]

We had 72 at our monthly USPSA yesterday. 70-80 last couple months at the Steel Challenge match. Almost everyone shooting .22 at Steel. Seems about average.

[Steve RA]

Don't know about the last few months, in the last 10/15 years in the DFW area it has dropped off a lot, many clubs that used to shoot USPSA either don't anymore or have ceased to exist. I know there are still a # of clubs in N. Texas that still do.

I'm sure the ammo/component shortage, if it continues for very long, will result in less turnout nationwide.

[Sgtsvi]

I think the reason some of the clubs dropped off in the DFW area was due to range closures more than anything else. We lost Jacobs plain, Ladonia, and Red Zone in the last year but added Cresson. The DFW indoor range just burned down two weeks ago, so there goes Sunday night IDPA. I am always jeleous when I visit other cities that have outstanding shooting venues when I compare them to what we have available in DFW. The Cresson range is huge and has a match every weekend with high attendance.

[ericjhuber]

I did my first competitive match at the recent GSSF match in Orlando and thought for sure the turnout would be suppressed because of the ammo shortage, but the numbers were about the same as last year from the stats I saw.

That said, I am a competitive shooting rookie and I'm out of action until I can find some ammo. I did an "Intro to Action Shooting" course at my local club and had enough ammo hoarded for the Orlando GSSF match. I don't do reloading yet and it sounds like I'll be out of action for a couple more weeks until my next ammo shipment comes in.

I had the presence of mind to stock up on mags and the like before the craziness hit, but it never occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to get 9mm rounds. I'm slow like that.

[phm14]

'Bout normal @ my usual matches since the last fit of panic set in. Most Guys reload...I haven't shot a .22 match lately.

[Steve RA]

Yes, The DFW range just about totally disappeared. Dallas Gun Club used to have USPSA, had the 86 Nats there, now I understand they have a similiar club match but don't allow dot sights, TargetMaster used to have matches two nights a week, BulletTrap in Plano had a match back after they first opened. Used to be good match in Granbury, owners son built house in view of area used for range, so no more there. TDSA just dropped theirs end of year so Len told me last week.

[L3324temp]

I've shot three matches so far this year. The first had a larger than average turnout, the other two were our normal numbers.

[Matt1911]

In Oklahoma City, our USPSA matches have roughly the same attendance as usual, but our last 3 gun match went from the normal 40+ shooters, to only 18 due mostly to lack of .223

Edited March 26, 2013 by Matt1911

[BillChunn]

Our winter indoor USPSA matches are pre-registration and a limit on the number of shooters (40) due to time restraints. We have sold out every month. The club members will setup on Saturday and then shoot so the total number of competitors climbs to about 50-60.

BC

[NicVerAZ]

The hard core shooters keep on coming. Of course we all reload. Many decide to reduce the number of matches to save on components. I bypass live fire practice and that allows me to attend more matches.

Those we do not see anymore are those who shoot only once in a while and only shoot commercial loads.

I do not shoot bullseye these days, but their attendance has dwindled from what I saw due to the lack of .22

[blaster113]

Seems like our weekly club match participation has increased a little over the past year. Was told that last month's USPSA state match had its highest attendance ever

[Jim Norman]

Matches so far seem well attended here, however we have reduced the round counts just a bit. Down to around 145 from 165-170 for 7 stages including a classifier

[NicVerAZ]

Down to around 145 from 165-170 for 7 stages including a classifier

Round count is why I shoot more IDPA these days. A 4-stage club match requires less than 80 rounds. A 10-stage around 150.

IDPA attracts a lot of irregular shooters, these days their numbers are a bit scarcer.

Edited April 3, 2013 by NicVerAZ

[ranger]

Yes, The DFW range just about totally disappeared. Dallas Gun Club used to have USPSA, had the 86 Nats there, now I understand they have a similiar club match but don't allow dot sights, TargetMaster used to have matches two nights a week, BulletTrap in Plano had a match back after they first opened. Used to be good match in Granbury, owners son built house in view of area used for range, so no more there. TDSA just dropped theirs end of year so Len told me last week.

I moved to Dallas and started shooting USPSA right after the 86 Nationals. Since moved back to GA. Sorry to hear of the range closures. Back in the late 80s seemed like I could shoot PPC, Bianchi, USPSA, or Steel every Sat or Sun in the DFW area.

[Bwana Six-Gun]

Here is the Jackson. Ms area we seem to be holding our own with our monthly matches, ICORE, Outlaw Steel and USPSA, and we maxed out for the MS Classic in about three weeks.

Our monthly USPSA matches are running between 60 and 70. Of course, all but a very few reload. Don't know how long everyone's supplies will hold out.

[Nik Habicht]

Cy,

not that I've seen, but then again we run centerfire matches, and most of our competitors reload.....

If we were running a .22 league, I'd guess that the ammo availability situation would impact that more than it's seemed to impact the centerfire competitions....

[JAFO]

San Antonio has three clubs running matches on different ranges on different weekends, plus there's another club in Austin not too far away. Given the number of opportunities to shoot, our attendance isn't near what some of you guys are seeing. I think our record is ~45-50 shooters at one match. My club averaged about 38 shooters per match in the last four months of 2012. From February to April (we were rained out in January), we have averaged only 31 shooters. Most of the people who are still coming regularly are reloading. I think ammo availability is keeping some of the others from attending.

Edited April 8, 2013 by JAFO

[jdphotoguy]

As Bwana Six-Gun has pointed out, our local match has not noticed a decline in attendance, quite the contrary. As an example our match yesterday had 94 shooters, which is a record.