Bench rest shooters don't necessarily buy a dozen barrels at a time....pretty rare. But silhouette shooters have multiple rifles and just as high tech as any high power competition. If you think that you'll get competition for the pure sport....sort of like the everybody wins kid soccer....it won't happen...never has never will. I assure you that more interest means more sponsors/donors and more sponsors/donors more interest. You can't run a National like the competitors are bumpkins and expect to have increased attendance. I say moving SB to clubs other than where the HP is held is a good start and getting new attendees to a national albeit a SB.....And yes manufacturers always get hit up for giveaways...done a bunch hitting up myself. But if you don't solicit the giveaways you don't get them.....see the awards for HP Silhouette Nationals

By the way my Club is an excellent facility and centrally located. We were going to bid for the SB nationals years ago. Two things ended that 1) the NRA wanted to keep SB and HP together and 2) of the entire entry fee the host Club would get only $2 per gun......

So...................... for 3 days of SB the host club would get less than $400. Who pays the target setters and score keepers?

Score keepers - 40 shooting points / 3 per shooter = 14
Target setters - 40 points / 2 per point = 20

Total payroll min would be 34 people X 3 days. That ain't $400.

Jerry, I think the NRA paid the scorekeepers and target setters, not the host club. Also the NRA did all of the organizational stuff like registration etc.

The NRA pays $20 a day for workers. The Club uses its facility, target stands, targets etc. $2 per gun is weak..... does anyone know how many attended the SB nationals year by year since 2008?

Snake, this is not definitive on the number of shooters each year, but here are the number of equipment surveys that were returned since 2005:
2005 - 102: 2006 - 161: 2007 - 109: 2008 - 141: 2009 - 103: 2010 - 117: 2011 - 106: 2012 - 65: 2013 - 123: 2014 - 90:

Let's all keep working together to make this sport stronger!!

I note that generally SB nationals have about 20% more attendees than HP....I'd bet that if SB moved around ...to other clubs closer to a bunch of SB folks attendance would increase ;)

abraverman wrote:Snake, this is not definitive on the number of shooters each year, but here are the number of equipment surveys that were returned since 2005:
2005 - 102: 2006 - 161: 2007 - 109: 2008 - 141: 2009 - 103: 2010 - 117: 2011 - 106: 2012 - 65: 2013 - 123: 2014 - 90:

Let's all keep working together to make this sport stronger!!

And usually with the attendance, when it's at Ridgway, higher then when it's at Raton.

abraverman wrote:Snake, this is not definitive on the number of shooters each year, but here are the number of equipment surveys that were returned since 2005:
2005 - 102: 2006 - 161: 2007 - 109: 2008 - 141: 2009 - 103: 2010 - 117: 2011 - 106: 2012 - 65: 2013 - 123: 2014 - 90:

Let's all keep working together to make this sport stronger!!

can someone associate a location by year? some years had more participants (ie 2006) and is there a correlation to location?

There is no good correlation of numbers to locale. For example in 1990 there were 268 in Ridgeway....and in 2011 Ridgeway had 129. Raton had the lowest numbers 96 in 2012. In 1992 Louisville Nebraska had 206. Even without the correlation just changing the venue brings the Nationals closer to some folk and encourages new blood

I do believe that having the SB at a lot of different places does expose many more people to a national competition whis mas to be good for the sport.

Both Raton and Ridgeway are damn hard to get to from anywhere and each place has the same people show up every year.

If you try to fly to Raton, you either land at Denver or Alberque (sp) and then drive 200 miles to get there. The only person on this blog that can spell that name is Dave and I'm not too sure about him.

I'm feeling your pain Chad, but it's not just silhouette that's dwindling. Being 3hours from the closest monthly HP match, and 1 hour from a monthly SB where each is attended by 6-10 regular shooters, I picked up a M1 to shoot local military/garand/600prone matches (figured I'd get trigger time to work out that flinch Chad).
Most of the military matches have 6-8, on good day 10+ shooters...same, same. As I drive to the firing line I pass the IDPA action pistol range where 30-40 vehicles are parked and about 40min a relay to get through a station. Go figure. I tried it, enjoyed it, lot of fun, but I'm a rifleman. I enjoy the discipline, the challenge, the training necessary to remain mediocre. Unfortunately the tides have changed, marksmanship skills demanding years to acquire are shunned in favor of holograph sights and 20rd mags. I've offered use of equipment and ammo to shooters if they'd like to drive up to Coolidge with me for a HP match....no takers. "tried SB, too hard"