NRA Action Pistol popularity in your area.

[Chris1911]

My input may not matter much since I live in "Action Pistol Heaven" here in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of VA, but here goes! The sport seems to be pretty much static at present around here. 5 Years ago, we were within 4 hours of 5 monthly AP matches. Now, 2 of those have dropped out for various reasons...... legislation, lack of participation, job changes for the MDs, etc. Now there are 3 monthly shoots within that time/distance.

At our monthly shoots, we average 12-25 shooters/guns. We usually send 3-7 shooters to the Cup every year, and are lucky enough to have a current World Senior Champion (Andy Krantz) and a former Bianchi Cup Champion (Kevin Angstadt) as members here! They both have plans to go to NZ for the 2016 World Shoot.

We were the first location in the US to have a rail mover, thanks to the ingenuity/talent in the club and some design help from NZ. We run the largest Regional & State Championship matches East of the Mississippi River every year in Sept with a limit of 65 guns due to time constraints caused by the Moving Target Event. We fill up every time and have competitors from California to Canada, so we must be doing something right!

There are fewer than 125 members here, but we're really picky about who can belong. Every member is a hard worker (obviously) so we can accomplish our goals of having a really good facility, even though we're constrained for space.....less than 15 acres. We're proof that "if you build it, they will come."

Granted, AP is an accuracy game, but it seems that NRAHQ is headed towards a more "tactical" viewpoint lately with some of the proposed CoFs I've soon come from there. Without the Moving Target events, there are still many matches that can be run, so don't let that dissuade you from trying AP at your range.

Alan~^~

Alan,

Thanks for that interesting background about your club. I would really like to visit there one day and also the Louisiana club the does the Craw-fish Cup. Any chance one or both clubs will host a worlds one year?

Cheers Chris.

[RippinSVT]

IF we can get the World Shooting & Recreation Complex finances sorted out, which is the biggest facility you never heard of, I'd like to start up AP out there because I'm local to it, despite being a member at Green Valley 2.5hrs away. WSRC is literally thousands of acres, and while they have small pistol berms for local 3-gun, USPSA, Cowboy/SASS, and IDPA matches (which aren't that popular due to lack of marketing)...they cater 95% of their efforts to shotgun stuff with like 2 MILES of trap lines. They hold the Grand American and Highshool Nationals there. Anyway, if they can get financial footing, my old coworker is the city manager in Sparta where this place is, and I've spoken to him at length about putting in AP target systems and holding some matches there, as well as a 1000yd range for LR-BR and F-Class. Then future of that place is unsure, but there would be no better place to start an AP match series. There is also an indoor range going up nearby and I spoken to the owner about running some matches and leagues for him. I'm 35min east of St. Louis, by the way.

[JimmyB]

Well we are getting a trickle of growth at our club, new shooters shooting Production mostly with XDM;s. Hopefully this trickle will encourage even more to join in.

Bianchi Cup is not a factor to new shooters.

Again I think you are exactly right accept for the last sentence. A lot of effort and money was directed at Production to grow the numbers, providing a gate way. It's much easier to swing the costs in Production and it's almost like the XDM was designed for Action Pistol. The Bianchi Cup is such a larger than life match, that I think it's a strong factor for anyone interested in Action Pistol.

Toothguy, the difference is location. Imagine if the Bianchi Cup was held in England and one pound cost you $US1.50. An XDM here is about $1400 (double your cost?) and it takes about a year of shooting before you are allowed to compete with a holster in a club match. Trust me, new shooters here are just looking for a space to blast and good company to help them. Don't get me wrong I am not trying to bleat, poor us and I love coming to Bianchi every year. I live for it in fact. I am just adding perspective. Not that it actually matters I guess. Cheers.

If the Bianchi were held in England, you'd have more to worry about than the exchange rate!!

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[Alan550]

My input may not matter much since I live in "Action Pistol Heaven" here in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of VA, but here goes! The sport seems to be pretty much static at present around here. 5 Years ago, we were within 4 hours of 5 monthly AP matches. Now, 2 of those have dropped out for various reasons...... legislation, lack of participation, job changes for the MDs, etc. Now there are 3 monthly shoots within that time/distance.

At our monthly shoots, we average 12-25 shooters/guns. We usually send 3-7 shooters to the Cup every year, and are lucky enough to have a current World Senior Champion (Andy Krantz) and a former Bianchi Cup Champion (Kevin Angstadt) as members here! They both have plans to go to NZ for the 2016 World Shoot.

We were the first location in the US to have a rail mover, thanks to the ingenuity/talent in the club and some design help from NZ. We run the largest Regional & State Championship matches East of the Mississippi River every year in Sept with a limit of 65 guns due to time constraints caused by the Moving Target Event. We fill up every time and have competitors from California to Canada, so we must be doing something right!

There are fewer than 125 members here, but we're really picky about who can belong. Every member is a hard worker (obviously) so we can accomplish our goals of having a really good facility, even though we're constrained for space.....less than 15 acres. We're proof that "if you build it, they will come."

Granted, AP is an accuracy game, but it seems that NRAHQ is headed towards a more "tactical" viewpoint lately with some of the proposed CoFs I've soon come from there. Without the Moving Target events, there are still many matches that can be run, so don't let that dissuade you from trying AP at your range.

Alan~^~

Alan,

Thanks for that interesting background about your club. I would really like to visit there one day and also the Louisiana club the does the Craw-fish Cup. Any chance one or both clubs will host a worlds one year?

Cheers Chris.

Our club has committed to apply for hosting the next US World Shoot.....................

if a Billy Goat wins the Kentucky Derby first!

[Chris1911]

Go Billy Goat go.

[gm iprod]

Alan,

To ensure that you know how to run one you need to pop down here (for research purposes only mind) to try out the local Golden Elixir of Coromandel, I understand a special brew is underway for November next.

Just trying to help out.

[Alan550]

Alan,

To ensure that you know how to run one you need to pop down here (for research purposes only mind) to try out the local Golden Elixir of Coromandel, I understand a special brew is underway for November next.

Just trying to help out.

If I were exposed to a week of that Golden Elixir for the week of the World Shoot, I wouldn't be able to find the airport, much less the plane I would need to board in order to get home! I've experienced some that got "imported" for some of us lucky ones here in the States, and it's really mind-boggling stuff!

P.S. Coatsey is a genius but a cruel man!!

Edited February 16, 2016 by Alan550

[BaggerJoe]

First match of the year for me tomorrow in Lake Charles, La! About an hour and a half drive for me. Weather is supposed to be partly cloudy, low in the morning is 59 with a high of 77. Can't wait!

[Nimitz]

I am not aware of a match within 200 miles of me.

Ditto.

Double ditto

[Chuck Anderson]

I ran the AP match in Sherwood, OR (less than 200 miles from Mr. Kelley, I think) for awhile. Right up until I got hosed by the NRA and specifically Damien at the Cup one year. Long story but I wasn't about to give them another drop of sweat running a match for them. The most we ever had was about 8 people. Some weekends it was 3-4.

[pcgunner]

I am not aware of a match within 200 miles of me.

Ditto.

Double ditto

Triple ditto

In fact, I've yet to find a real gun club or shooting club in my area at all - would love to try some matches - was on a waiting list in California several years ago but moved before my number came up

[JSC]

Pcgunner, Tallahassee has an action pistol match the 4th Sat of the month. My brother and I shoot it very month and they usually have about 10 shooters. We drive over from Pensacola if you are near there.