I avoid going to the range on Saturday because that is when they have their matches and I have to obey all of their range commands and stuff just to shoot some cast bullets at my target. There was a half dozen shooters there, having their monthly 100 yard match. This consist of 40 rounds, 10 standing, 10 prone and 20 either sitting or kneeling. Everyone of the shooter sported custom leather shooting jackets (some in red, white and blue), shooting pants or jump suits with padded knees and rump, hats with a three foot bill and blinders, special boots they wore only on the line, high dollar Kowa scopes, and the ultimate in heavy barrel, sights on stilts, double throwdown match AR15s. I thought I was at Camp Perry. Do any of these guys go to Camp Perry? Nope..this is just the gear for a monthly club match. They were so discouraged because they could not get other club members to join their match.

There I was shooting blowing cast bullets and WC872 downrange out of a Winchester 95 (Browning clone) in 30-40.

Do any of you guys have gun clubs that have fun shoots that is a shooting contest and not a spending contest?

I have my own range at my house, I would throw them types off the property. LOL.one thing I dont like is hoopla. Even as a musician on stage, I cant stand it.theres nothing like just being real and to the point with no more help than whats required to accomplish the goal.

At my club range the informal match became an equipment race also. Too bad. I started a 22 rimfire match where you "shoot what you bring" and have two classes. If it has a heavy barrel, you're in with the "match gun" class, sporter weight barrels go into the "plinker" class. We shoot the Hunter Class bench rest targets, the 100 yd target @ 50 yds and the 200yd target at 100 yds. As a handicap for the kids, they can shoot the 200 yd target @ 50 yds.(2x's) All shooting is done from the bench and any kind of rest is allowed as is any scope. It's very informal and everybody seems to like it, we had 4 kids (w/Dads) and it was a great way to get them started at a "real shooting match". The only prizes are the bragging rights until the next match. I charged $3 per shooter ( to cover the cost of targets, etc. ) and no one complained!
We had a ball!

Bulletman, I'm ready (in the need for) for some low down delta blues. Can you provide some? Throw in some genuine "chillin'" boogie, and I'd be in hog heaven. Yes, indeed, I'm ready. ... felix

One of the local clubs throws the occasional military high power match for stock military rifles no later than WWII. I know one guy sometimes shoots a Vetterli and even odder stuff may show up. Yhey seem to have a good time at it.

LOL, Felix, check my page, not sure if the song "Soul of sonny" is up, but its my best shot at Delta blues and I wrote the song , its about sonny boy williamson,..Hey ! , "Bullets and Blues" all ya need.lmao

Chargar--

Look no further than Buckshot A. Whitworth's weekly Burrito Match for pure unadultered and uncomplicated enjoyment.

Rules for rifles are few and far between--iron sights, no slings, standing offhand, and cast boolits. Usually 10 rounds at 50 yards, once in a while it's 5 at 50 and 5 at 100. One guy is something of an equipment enthusiast, but Buckshot whups him pretty consistently with old raggedy surplus rifles, so he kinda stays low and keeps dark most of the time. Once in a while, they'll do a benchrest gig with scoped rifles at 100 yards.

For the hell of it (like last week), handguns get the nod. 10 rounds at 25 yards, no hand rifles, cast bullets from regular bottom-feeders and wheelguns.

Cast boolits are the great equalizer, I think. The equipment freaks sorta get left when you have to tailor loads more consistently than you balance on square-toed shoes or snap in with a sling. I've never been a target kind of shooter--much more a hunter, and most of my range work is skewed toward rifle/handgun prep for hunting or service and practice for those venues. I mean no slight toward the target folks, but it's just not something I've ever warmed up to.

Charger,
Afew years ago our club had monthly high power matches like you describe. I started out by shooting my M1. After a few years I switched to my O3-A3, then started shooting cast in the O3-A3
just to hace some fun. The last two years I competed, I Switched to a Krag 1899 carbine,loading 5 and 5 instead of 2 and 6 like they want in the M1. I used a 311284 with 28gr of BLc2. We only shot 100 yds too so it was super easy to stomp the heck out of most of the guys using M1 or even AR's. There was a lot of giggles and laughs when they saw what I was carrying up to the line, but when the scores were posted, things quieted down. I guess I'm just ornry enough to be different about my shooting. ...Geo

Chargar, pard;

The equipment race syndrome has ruined a fair number of disciplines, and not just in shooting.

Shooting sure has its share, though. Rifle metallic silhouette came into the Southwest from Mexico, and was greatly enjoyed by folks who used their regular hunting rifles. It didn't take long for those who were more interested in WINNING than SHOOTING to discourage all the grass-roots people who just wanted some fun with regular hunting rifles.

Same applies to IPSC, the so-called "practical" pistoleers. Same also for PPC, the police-oriented revolver game which ended up being shot with 4-pound .38s using creampuff wadcutters. Same for for a number of others....

Handgun steel silhouette remains fairly popular because the organization learned from the failings of the silhouette rifle shooters. They installed and ENFORCED their "production-class" rules, which means that we don't need a $1500 single-purpose gun to compete.

We have a lot of fun at our Nevada Shoots because pretty near anything goes, and no one gets their knickers in a twist over anything....'cept maybe being late for lunch??? Pure fun, just like it's supposed to be.

My wife and I were once ardent Bullseye pistol competitors, but in that sport the guns can be fairly reasonable in cost, and also have SOME limited pretensions to being "real" handguns. Still have the target pistols, and they are truly "plinkers supreme".

Anyway, it's sad to see how a certain element in the shooting ranks is forever looking for a way to beat the rules, to get an advantage, to WIN. Even Cowboy Action is afflicted. Low-velocity .32 and .38 loads don't do much to relect the Old West, and one now needs at LEAST two handguns, a rifle and a shotgun to really get into the sport. On top of that, special and expensive duds are part of the package. Not obligatory, mind you, but our regular jeans, boots and sweaty old hats are "frowned upon" in many quarters in this sport.

People will be people, I suppose. I think I greatly prefer "our" type.

Regards from BruceB (aka Bren Mk1)

Dammit...."don't do much to REFLECT the Old West"....I thought I had the danged post proof-read.

BB

One sport I love to watch is the IROC, where all the top drivers compete with the exact same cars, it brings it all down to the driver and his team, not the machines. I dont mind folks getting carried away with the duds and gizmos, I just dont want no part of it. I'm sure they are all happy campers. I been checking out all the shooting stuff here, and there is alot, we have Fort Benning, tons of world class shooting all types, have a black powder club a mile away, Calloway gardens skeet ,trap, cowboy shooting, everything is around here,And every one has a ton of rules, as needed I guess. But I like my range the best. I have one rule, GO SHOOT !.

We have a very active action pistol circuit in northern Maine. There's a match somewhere within a few hours every weekend from April through october. Rules are decided by who ever sets up the match at which ever club is hosting it that weekend. Some are like steel plate matches, some are more IDPA style or set up like IPSC. the classes are Stock Auto, Stock revolver, Unlimited auto, unlimited revolver and "snubby", (anything you want as long as the barrel is 3" or less). No afiliation with any national type orgs anywhere, (except the NRA). It's pretty much "run what ya brung" and there's a fair amount of lending holsters, mags, ammo, pistolas ect so that anyone can compete. The RO will remind you if you miss part of a stage, (unless you're on your way to beating HIS time). Kids, wives and dogs are welcome and ages range from 14 to 80. The times for any given stage may run from 35 seconds for the winner to up over a few minutes. No prizes but the winner gets his $5 entry fee back. When you get two guys trading the lead back and forth they'll often shoot the course five or six times till one of them is out of ammo. The way life should be. BD

Chargar, I shoot High Power, have NO ambitions to go to Perry, and enjoy the sport. I don't even mind the equipment race thing, because I shoot against myself. I now shoot a Rock Island 03 with cast boolits. Last month I turned in a 715 with some X's and the rest of the shooters finally realized I am serious about what I am doing. My coat is canvas, sling is second hand, and glove was purchased new when the other wore out a few years ago. In hot wx I shoot in shorts and t-shirt, other than the shooting jacket. Yes, I have mat, it too, was purchased new when the old one wore out. My scope, years old now, was second hand from a gun show. For those fellers what what to participate in the equipment race, have at it - it's YOUR sport.

Now, for something friendly and fun, and so the kids can participate, too. How about military bolt action? We had one yesterday. Five bucks, fifty record rounds from the bench, and all the comoraderie, bsing, and fun a feller could possibly ask for. The equipment? 'AS ISSUED' military bolt guns. Take a look at the rules:

http://home.valornet.com/corkyconnell/index.htm

Scroll down the page and you'll find rules for rifle and pistol. Next month is the Oklahoma State Shoot Off, 6 or 7 clubs to participate. Group and aggregate winners get a U.S. Dollar each and braggin' rights for a year. Winning club gets braggin' rights for a year. No equipment race. Everyone has fun. No sanctioning body other than ourselves. I suspect many if not most of the competitors are NRA members and probably Oklahoma State Rifle Association, too.

I quit shooting IPSC and IDPA for exactly the reason someone mentioned - hoopla. So many shooters with 'holier than though' attitudes. It was me that didn't fit in, so I just found something else I like to do. btw, BR-50 is another fun thing to do, but it can get pricey - high dollar scopes, rests, and really high dollar 22 match ammo. I haven't shot cowboy in maybe two years or more for some of the same reasons. The last several times I shot, I cleaned all my targets but didn't win anything (who cares?) because my times were slow. BUT, I had fun, and I hit all my targets. Next week will be my first ever Single Shot match. Looking forward to it, and there's lots of great people to visit with. Again, a little pricey to get into, but good people. sundog

Chargar, I forgot to mention.... When we have a military bolt match we generally have benches not used. We have 35 benches and generally between 8 to 20 shooters. Casual shooters who show up are allowed to shoot as long as they obey the range commands which are 10 minute strings with target changes between. There's never been a problem accomodating anyone. Win-win for everyone. We've even picked up a few new shooters for the match this way. sundog

Yeah, I hafta' go with Sundog on this one because it shows personal/inner confidence on what the game SHOULD be. However, Bruce's point is most commonplace and is the rule. Unfortunate for most folks entering the arena of competitive shooting, because they want to blame the equipment when a showing is not up to what they think THEY should do. I think the BR game is the most fair of them all because in reality all the guns are the same except for a few personal nuances. You plunk down your 3500 bucks and the result is that 99/100 times the gun will shoot in the low 1's all day long using the load provided. No one to blame now, except the brain for not picking up that wind flag. ... felix

Our club had a handgun shoot today. I used my concealed carry gun, and others used comped 45acp and 6in revolvers. It cost five bucks to shoot, and the winner (comped 45acp) won a brick of 22s. Everybody had fun.