Classification Update

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cslcAl
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Classification Update

Post by cslcAl »

Shooters, I had a very nice conversation with Dennis Willing today. He told me that this whole change is wrapped around the design of a new web site for the NRA. This site will have many competitor usable features. Online match registration, match reporting, match results, classification research, are just a few new features.

The biggest problem he is having with silhouette right now is that he has no idea how many shooters there actually are, and how many matches a given shooter shoots in a given year. He told me he need a more accurate accounting of the shooters to go forward with promoting the sport for the future. He firmly believes there are MORE silhouette shooters than they know of. We all know there are big problems with the jury card system.

The classification books will go away and be replaced with cards. He told me if your scores have been reported and verified you have moved up in class, you could print out your own card off the new web site. There has not been any fees established for this. They don't know yet what they might be. The $4.50 fee is what AXC HP pays right now, and some one at the NRA has to do the key punch work. With the new web site the club can enter the scores and a staff person is not needed. I kinda got the feeling the fees will be less than that, and he said there might be a reduced fee as an incentive to use the web site, as apposed to mailing scores in.

You will still move up as we do now, and there will be no downward movement if you don't shoot in class scores. The class names will most likely change as stated just to standardize all reporting.

He also told me this is not going to happen overnight, maybe not till 2017. It's all dependent on the launch of the new site. In the meantime there will be discussion with the committee, on the fine points. We will be notified as they have more concrete information, most likely via Shooting Sports USA.

I hope everyone can find the patience to give them more time to come up with a plan that is receptive to us all. I really think Dennis has the competitors best interests at heart.

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Re: Classification Update

Post by OldRanger »

Thanks for the update Al.
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Re: Classification Update

Post by Jason »

Thanks, Al. The reasoning is as I expected and is completely logical given that they are trying to provide more support to silhouette. The faster that they get there the better, as far as I'm concerned. I'm hoping to get matches at our range started back up within the next few months and will definitely look forward to being able to report match results online sometime soon.
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Re: Classification Update

Post by Bob259 »

Thanks Al!!!
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Re: Classification Update

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Unfortunately I did not see any mention of replacing Mr. Conner.
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Re: Classification Update

Post by kevinbear »

He's correct about one thing in that there are many of what I call "casual" silhouette shooters, these folks like shooting the smallbore targets available on the internet, they don't necessarily shoot them at the correct distances or from a standing offhand position either. I know of three clubs that have decent size groups of people that engage in this type of "silhouette".
As far as the NRA not knowing how many regular silhouette shooters there are in the country all they need to do is count the number of books they sell every year. I assume the unsold ones are sent back along with the backs of the front covers. Don't quite understand why that number is not known :?
BTW those casual shooters for the most part have no intentions of shooting by the rules NRA matches.
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Re: Classification Update

Post by Tlee »

The new issue of Shooting Sports USA is out and Dennis Willing had the following update/summary regarding the new changes in the silhouette program:

"Changes are in the offing for Silhouette.The current process of selling classification books to competitors will be retired, and Silhouette will join the same system as all other NRA competitive shooting disciplines. Instead of using the old classifications of Master, AAA, AA, A, B, we will soon be shifting to High Master, Master, Expert, Sharpshooter, and Marksman.This change was recommended by the Silhouette Committee and will be put into effect approximately when the new NRA website rolls out.This modification will allow the NRA to track events and match entries.The number of entries is critical, for it helps to determine how funding should be allocated. We're hopeful this update will be completed and ready for 2016."

See the entire issue online here: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nra/ssu ... ex.php#/43
Or download a PDF of it here: http://pages.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nra/s ... 201505.pdf

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Re: Classification Update

Post by Jerry G »

We still don't know the cost or the additional work for match directors. "This modification will allow the NRA to track events and match entries." I guess they don't know how many books are sold and they don't read the jury reports.
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Re: Classification Update

Post by Jason »

As a match director, I know that I have had competitors specifically not shoot "for record" because they didn't want to buy a $13 book and didn't think they'd win the match prizes anyway. We do offer the opportunity for any shooter to shoot "just for practice" in the event that their rifle doesn't meet NRA requirements or if they want to shoot partially/fully supported just to have a chance to shoot at the targets. In almost every case, though, their rifles and ammo were perfectly legal according to the NRA rules. It was only buying the book that kept them from being in the NRA records. They do actually know how many books are sold, but those don't necessarily represent the number of shooters at silhouette matches. I've also heard more than one shooter say that it's stupid that they have to buy a book for their score to count when they're only going to use less than half of one or two pages in it.

Also as a match director, the sooner that we can get rid of the books the better. It would be a lot easier for me to not have to fill out all the scores in all those books when we're trying to get everything calculated and cleaned up at the end of a match. I can enter scores on the NRA website later, when I don't have 10+ things that need to be done at the same time so people can get on their way. I can't imagine what a headache the books are for big matches like the Conard Cup or Southern Nationals. They're a royal pain for me, even with less than 20 shooters at a match.

Both of these issues are well known by the NRA. They seem to be fixing them, as well as fixing other things that have plagued match directors like online reporting for matches instead of mail-in cards, shooters sandbagging by having two books, and others.

I just don't understand why there is so much angst about the NRA finally paying attention to silhouette. I swear that some of the people who write on here would complain about getting $20 bills instead of $100 bills if someone just walked up and gave them $1000.
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Re: Classification Update

Post by BrentD »

To be honest, everything in that essay sounded good to me.
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Re: Classification Update

Post by xpilot »

It will all ride on the costs. If shooters won't buy a book for $13. .....how will an additional per match fee go over ?
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Re: Classification Update

Post by Jason »

We'll know when we know what the fee is. Until then, let's hold off on declaring that the sky is falling because the NRA is actually trying to fix the problems that the match directors, those who put in hours of work for every match, and some of the very same people who are complaining now have been complaining about.
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Re: Classification Update

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Jason wrote:............... I swear that some of the people who write on here would complain about getting $20 bills instead of $100 bills if someone just walked up and gave them $1000.
=)) =)) =)) =)) =)) =)) =)) :D You are so right Jason
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Re: Classification Update

Post by PhxShooter »

Jason,

Please send me the $1,000 in $20's, $10's, $5's or even $1's and then feel free to post whether or not I complain. :-bd
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Re: Classification Update

Post by DavidABQ »

Jason wrote:We'll know when we know what the fee is. Until then, let's hold off on declaring that the sky is falling




that is very sensible but not as much fun as when people are massing with their torches and pitchforks! \m/
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