As of tonight, here's how the numbers are shaking out:


BPCR-S - 80
BPCR - 56

SB - 74

HP - 35

LA - 153

There a still time to sign up. Hope to see you there.

Thanks Jeanne,
I hope we see a bunch more signing up at the last minute.

PeEll and Missoula Iron Man both had larger turnouts. I sure hope more sign up and come.

I agree SB and HP numbers are down. I hope it picks up. Lever action has more signed up right now than attended last year, so it is growing. BPCR will be about where it was last year.

While competitions are down across the board except for the so called 'tactical' games, my concern is with SB and HP silhouette. You will notice that HP has a lack of juniors and new competitors. Its a tough game but the introduction to the game is usually after participating in smallbore. Smallbore is easiest to start in. I believe that introducing competitors to national competition likewise starts with SB. When the SB nationals were linked to HP all sorts of regional SB champs young and old were literally left out of national competition. I suspect moving the SB nationals to clubs around the country again will bring national competition 'home' and encourage national type competition. Secondly, the Hunting rifle division would benefit by returning the definition back to a off the shelf rifle and even limiting the scope power to say no more than 12x....you know just like a real hunting rig.

I'd bet that if one examined the entries in the SB nationals they would show that most competitors are 'regional'...i.e. Colorado, New Mexico, Texas etc
Just a few thoughts.....

Several NRA publication articles have stated that when all the competitors in the silhouette disciplines are added up, the number of silhouette shooters still total more than any other type of NRA competition.

A lack of money and a lack of vacation time are the major factors that prevent most people from travelling to multi-day events a great distance from their homes.

If a person has a strong desire to shoot and shoot well, that person will find a way to make it to the matches.

I agree with atomicbrh, I would love to do all three disciplines at the nationals this year, but even taking 4 days off for the SB was hard to do.

Also, please don't start with the off the shelf rifle in this thread, that has been hashed over many times. If you change them now, you will lose a bunch of competitors.

I am guilty of being a regional shooter who attends nationals at The Whittington Center.

I am sorry for living only 3 hrs. away.

I am bringing a new competitor to Nationals this year to help.

Snake wrote: ↑Thu Jun 21, 2018 5:44 am I'd bet that if one examined the entries in the SB nationals they would show that most competitors are 'regional'...i.e. Colorado, New Mexico, Texas etc
Just a few thoughts.....

11 Colorado
13 New Mexico
1 Montana
3 Missouri
1 Oklahoma
5 Texas
2 Mississippi
4 Arizona
1 Wyoming
1 Montana
4 Washington
1 Pennsylvania
1 North Carolina
1 Alabama
1 Kansas
1 Tennessee

2 Canada
1 New Zealand

This is from a report from two weeks ago. There have been some sign up since, but I didn't dig through them to find their locale.

A lot of people are intimidated to attend the Nationals. There is not a better place to learn from the best. Nobody looks down on a newbie, as a matter of fact, they are willing to help. Ask me how I know this from the last 19 years........

Snake wrote: ↑Thu Jun 21, 2018 5:44 am Secondly, the Hunting rifle division would benefit by returning the definition back to a off the shelf rifle and even limiting the scope power to say no more than 12x....you know just like a real hunting rig.

I totally agree and would love to see that happen.

jimkidwell wrote: ↑Thu Jun 21, 2018 2:38 pm Ask me how I know this from the last 19 years........

I am curious, so how do you know this?

If sb hunter rifle goes back to off the shelf then it is only fair that lever action goes back to off the shelf. Really original blade and slot factory sights. Six pound, no trigger job triggers. No peep sights. No fiber optic sights. Would you like to go back to that?

DavidABQ wrote: ↑Thu Jun 21, 2018 3:01 pm

jimkidwell wrote: ↑Thu Jun 21, 2018 2:38 pm Ask me how I know this from the last 19 years........

I am curious, so how do you know this?

The first year there, I knew no one. I hadn't shot in a competition like this before. To start off I managed to shoot a hole in the roof at the BPCR chicken line and made an ass out of myself at the Mid Range Prone match. Everyone had a laugh and yet everyone was understanding and gave me all kinds of advice. They are now some of my best friends. We still laugh about it. Come and shoot with us and take some pressure off of me.

Thanks Jim for the encouraging words, they bring a smile to my face.
Dennis