TargetTalk

I would like to start by thanking everyone that was involved in putting together and running the smallbore nationals, you all did a great job. I would like to recognize Miriam, Whitney and John from the St. Joseph Valley rifle club who put in a lot of hours and hard work before, during and of course after the matches, all donated I will add. I know I appreciate it.

After arriving home, I sat down and read the program, the reason I will get to later. The first two pages were a welcome letter from Dennis Willing, and a plea to "Help Make Competitive Shooting Sports Last For Generations". Willing's welcome letter asked for and welcomed suggestions, and we all know the future of our sport relies on involving youth.

My suggestions:
I would like to see the shooting schedule changed to 2 days of metallic sights, the Dewar Randle Team day, then 2 days of any sights, like Perry. There were some really long days this year.

Better wind flags

Move the awards banquet back to the last day of competition. I hope that there was a good turnout, I hated to miss it.

Spent brass. I would like to see more emphasis put on saving it and possibly using proceeds from it to help fund a worthy cause.

The most important suggestion would be to make every effort to give our young shooters an opportunity to attend. With the loss of Camp Perry, gone is the low cost housing etc, hence the loss of most of the junior teams. I would like to see the NRA make a commitment to financially assisting junior shooters/programs that want to attend the Nationals. Also, make it transparent.

I appreciate and congratulate all of the great scores shot, the Robert's team is going to be really strong and as always the good friends.

I read the program as a result of trying to pick up my $2 award. I won't bore anyone with the conversation that resulted, but was told that it was all explained in the program. Personally, I like the "if it's not broke, don't try and fix it".

I miss all of the young shooters, and honestly believe that there is character building element to this sport, a lot of really great kids involved. My wife and I plan on donating the entry cost for the Nationals to a junior in Illinois and make it an annual prize.

Allow unclassified shooters to attend. Squad them on the second relay. Put masters/experts/SS's on relay 1.

Use the CMP's mobile electronic range.

Move it back to Camp Perry, or if unable or unwilling to, move it to Cardinal Shooting Center. Those places have better on-site facilities for food, vendors and housing.

Schedule all national championships serially. If someone wants to attend smallbore, pistol and highpower... the scheduled championships should allow it.

Adding a break day in-between irons and any plus not holding the dinner the night of the last match for me is a negative; don't want to waste a day or two sitting around.

Mark

rbs--lots of good suggestions.
I definitely agree on the wind flags. Not only are most of them too heavy, but they are inconsistent. There were a few that were one strip, and some of those were ripped. That can explain why you would only see a few flags moving while the rest were still (and the windmills were spinning hard).
I also think we should go back to some sort of team day in between irons and scope. I didn't get back to my hotel until about 9 or 10 a few of those nights with team matches after a 1600.
I'll leave the brass comment and assume that the local club will take care of the leftover brass in front of the firing line later for their own benefit. However, they need brooms. Squeegees don't work on asphalt.
I'm ambiguous on the date of the banquet. I don't know if you were there for the 3-P, but it was a bit of a cluster, and that was with only one relay to deal with beforehand.

bdutton--I disagree on the unclassified competitors. The NRA rules allow for people to use an assigned classification from another event if they don't have one in that event. If someone doesn't have any classification (to include a temporary classification) in any of the 9 events listed in the rulebook, then that means they haven't shot a single NRA match (to include HP) in their life. I don't think the target frames can take that. If the concern is with kids that only shoot USAS, 4H, CMP, etc, then I agree that the program should allow for use of classifications from another governing body.

Now my 2 cents
With the commitment of at least another 4 years at Bristol, they need to do some work to improve the firing line. I spent all of prone shooting on a point with a big pit where my elbow normally would be. My point mate threw an extra layer of padding under the mat to try to make up for the uneven surface. My conventional position point also seemed to slope to the back of the line a lot more than my metric point.

Find some more vendors. There is plenty of room in the trees to set up some more portable shops.

Work with the food vendors on the prices. $7 for a sandwich, chips, salad, and soda is a little steep. It would be nice if they opened a little earlier and stayed open a little later.

Research the 'official hotel' before listing it in the program (and then changing it too late to update the program or the website). The Quality Inn was not very quality.

No more Kruger targets.

Full sized backers for position.

A deadline for entries. I can't believe that nearly a dozen people showed up on 3P practice day to sign up, forcing a last minute resqadding of everyone. At the very least, they should have just taken volunteers to fill the 2nd relay.

For a 6400 match with multiple team events, 5 days should be allocated to run the match. Ideally, day 3 being reserved for all team competitions. The captain of the Dewar team has the option to select any day to shoot that match after the qualified candidates are identified. The roadblock for day 3 is the day 5 awards ceremony requirement.

Awards Ceremony: It should be on Day 5 not day 6. The challenge to this is for the scoring and stat office team to finish their work, provide an ample challenge period, and still have time to prepare for the ceremony. It's the same group of dedicated folks and the time constraint is extremely difficult to overcome with the quantity of resources available.

Solutions: More staff. (Wont happen). More efficient staff (I think they do a great job now) Make day 5 team day, but no matches are fired after the conclusion of day 1-4. Four day 6400 matches are fired multiple times at multiple ranges and I have yet to hear from any of those competitors say it needs to be 5 days long with a break in between. Simply shoot a 1600 each day and be done with no additional firing. On day 5, shoot the team matches. Dewar (40 Shots) Randle (40 Shots) Mentor (40 Shots) Teams (80 Shots). The scoring and statistics load is reduced even though there are 200 record shots to score. The Dewar captain and adjutant will have time to score the targets, but maybe not shoot on a team. The 9:00 AM challenge period for the previous day can be preserved as well as score and post the team results with enough time remaining to still attend a banquet. Still a long day, but then its only 1 long day instead of several.

Firing line improvements: Bring equipment to deal with an uneven firing point. Pretend you are at Perry, not an indoor range. Wa-Ke-De is a small club, less than 70 members. Don't expect to see any improvements that require an infusion of capital. Although some new backer boards are desperately needed.

Targets: 1 brand. Fix the software glitch that predicts the number of targets required. Or simply do it in your head. No more left over Krugers. We realize NRA has an abundance of them left over from 2012. They still are too fragile and only getting worse with age.

Vendors: It's not economically feasible for Champions Choice, Champion Shooters, or any of the historical vendors at CP to set up shop in Bristol. This is the result of the shrunken attendance. Maybe they would come to the Cardinal Center. The infrastructure is there and designed for them. The attendance numbers and potential sales will bring them. Be grateful for Eley and Dan Killough.

Awards Ceremony: I personally think our awards ceremony has lost its prestige. While I enjoy dinner, it doesn't compel me to attend. Showing appreciation for my fellow competitors is what compels me to attend. We can find a space to host a dignified awards ceremony that more resembles what we once had. Some of us visited the RV Hall of Fame Museum just off CR17 and the toll road. This is also home to the Northern Indiana Event Center http://www.northernindianaeventcenter.com. They have all the space we would need, and if we wanted a catered dinner they can handle that too. It's not as cozy as the dining room we were in this time, and that is my point! We could display the trophies in a prominent space, it's all on one level, and could be laid out to host a proper awards ceremony.

As Tori will be the match director next year, all of these suggestions will be for naught unless she knows about them. This won't be her first rodeo as a Match Director. I strongly recommend we begin these discussions with her now.
Victoria Croft - NRA Office - 703-267-1473
Victoria Croft – Email – vcroft@nrahq.org
Victoria Croft - NRA Mobile - 703-463-1385

A 1600 with team or dewar match shot the same day is too much. Again, NRA your competitors are CUSTOMERS! Treat them well. Or they won't come back. If a 1600 is to remain, we need 5 days. Day 3 for teams is best layout.

After the 7+ 400-40x in 50y match, it is a waste of good ammo. If 4 days is NRA goal, go back to a 1200 and have a team match at end of day. Still prefer 5 days in either format. Getting back to the hotel at 9 or later on most evenings was not enjoyable.

I did like the move to old match format with 100 last, well done there.
Scores do a great job, we need a "preliminary" match result posted online for all matches.
Awards banquet can be sped up by only calling people up 1 time and announce all the different finishes. Would take some work to sort, but could be done. Individual match winners should at least be recognized, don't need to be brought up front but winning a match at nationals should be a big deal.

There are differences on the range for wind, each shooter should move at least 20 points each day, and squad previous year highest finishers on target 50 and out, you don't need to squad when u register, it just makes mistakes later. Top shooters should be near each other.

If the match is same format as this year, I probably will not attend. I will go to firecracker or 6400 inn PA instead.

Morgen Dietrich

" Simply shoot a 1600 each day and be done with no additional firing. On day 5, shoot the team matches"

Great suggestion Mike; gives folks the option on day 5 and helps the stats folks.

In order to improve the national smallbore matches, I would recommend the following (not prioritized in importance).

1. Use the format of 2 days of iron sights followed by 2 days of any sight. The 5th day would be for metallic and any sight teams, mentor match, etc. The Dewar Team and Randal Team captains would have the option to shoot on days 3, 4 or 5.

2. Eliminate the dinner from the awards ceremony as it only makes the start later than necessary. With the reduced cost, lower the entry fees or run a shooters’ social instead on the late afternoon on the discipline’s practice day - and at a location right in Elkhart to reduce distance back to the shooter’s lodging.

3. Always use NEW targets for the national matches and not left overs. IF there are any left over targets at the end of the matches, offer them for sale or specifically mark the side with a red permanent marker with the intent that they would only be used at the nationals in the future for PRACTICE day.

4. Do not use Kruger targets.

5. Competitors’ meetings for each event - metric prone, conventional prone, conventional position and metric position should be mandatory. The national matches are one of the few annual instances where you have the best cross-sectional representation of shooters. If you are an NRA staff member or smallbore committee member, your attendance is MANDATORY.

6. Squadding should be done the day before the national matches start and on a random basis. Shooters should not be able to show up at the last minute and take advantage of being squadded on the further ends of the range which are more protected vs the center of the range. IF not, then have the shooters move 20 points per day in order to give a better representation of conditions across the range. This is not difficult. If you cannot read your squadding ticket and make the change each day, you should not be shooting a rifle.

7. Have someone with a smartphone that also knows how to use it actually look at the weather fronts and provide input to the head line officer. We don’t need a fatality due to an electrical storm. This year’s metallic sight team match was not fired under SAFE conditions. Say what you want about the Ohio National Guard, but they know when the clear the range. (Clue: metallic barrels, metallic stocks, metallic roofs and uprights do not blend well with shooting in an electrical storm.)

8. Have the additional registration forms required on line so you can fill them out in advance of arriving at the match. This prevents unauthorized access to competitor’s social security numbers, etc. and almost all of the competitors can be cleared to receive their awards before ever setting foot on the range.

9. Conduct the national matches on a range that can also accommodate a JR clinic in parallel. This is a great feeder for the overall matches and provides a reason for jr clubs to bring more than just their top 4 shooters - if any at all. Juniors are the future of all shooting sports - time to put up or shut up and start investing in them.

10. Promote discounts for jr rifle clubs / teams that bring 5 or more shooters. This would exclude “pick up teams”.

11. Allow any rifle classification to be used for entry to the matches - high-power, etc is fine.

12. Nationals MUST be on a range that can have all masters on one relay. Splitting the masters and experts is unacceptable.

13. Run nationals at a facility that can support having suppliers/vendors for our sport to set up shop. If Bristol cannot do this, then they should be eliminated or they should rent out a convention hall sectioned off for each supplier. (Due to the timing running against Camp Perry - ever having suppliers present other than Eley and Lapua is pretty much a pipe dream unless dates are changed.)

14. Restart conducting a nightly clinic or supplier discussion for the shooters. These events are where shooters of all ages and disciplines can learn more and have direct interaction/exposure to top tier athletes and suppliers.

15. Start talking to the suppliers / vendors of smallbore and other associated equipment that we use at the national matches in order to improve awards / prizes and also to keep them better informed of our sport. This list is easy to expand to barrel makers, stock makers, Anschutz, Walther, Feinwerkbau, Eley, Lapua, shooting jackes/pants, gloves, rifle scopes, spotting scopes, accessories (i.e. buttplates, scope stands, offhand stands, etc.). THE NRA NEEDS TO LEVERAGE THIS LIST FOR BETTER AWARDS - ESPECIALLY FOR JR SHOOTERS!

16. Require a mandatory survey of basic equipment to be used at the nationals as a requirement to support Item 15 above. NO SURVEY - NO ENTRY.

17. COMMUNICATE AND QUIT WITH THE OUTRIGHT LIES.

18. Read #17 again.

19. Conduct a post-nationals survey online and have a 3rd party monitor and publish the results.

20. Talk to more than just the area hotels about shooter discounts - include restaurants, coffee shops, etc. WE ARE A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE AND WE ARE FORCED TO SPEND MONEY WHEN WE TRAVEL TO MATCHES. SHOOTERS WILL SUPPORT BUSINESSES/ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT US! (NOTE: NRA - there is a lesson here! Think about it…..wait for it……)

21. Actually have someone physically visit the hotels listed beforehand. No GUP (gun under pillow) hotel should make the list.

22. The Lones Wigger (i.e. “Iron Man”) award should only be open to civilian and non-supported shooters. Sorry, but a major factor in qualification for this match is investing the finances and time to do so. This is a major commitment for the vast majority of civilian/retired/junior shooters. The AMU is paid to be there to shoot - sorry - so they should be excluded. (Flame me if you want..i will sleep very well tonight thank you.)

23. Increase all JR awards across the board for JR, IJ and SJ along with all jr classification levels with 5 or more shooters.

24. Reread items #17 and 18 above.

25. Don’t take a survey if you are going to outright ignore shooter input. If you don’t like it - please resign your position and find other employment and/or leave the smallbore committee work to the adults.

I may have editorialized a little, but these are my recommendations.

Regards,
ken