Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Competitive Shooting NRA High Power, Is It Dying?

The "Nationals" have consistently lost entrants. In 2000 there were 995 competitors in across-the-course and 516 in mid-range. In 2017 there were only 168 and 114 respectively.

There were only 33 entrants in the match rifle category in 2018 and ZERO junior shooters.

Why is this? Many thought it was a mistake to pull out of Camp Perry after 106 years but the decline started a long time before that. Still, the CMP, which stayed at Camp Perry, had 1000 shooters in the President's Match this year.

What's going on?

I just got back from Camp Perry. it was GREAT!

moving NRA to Indiana was a mistake. If they don't move Across the Course (aka XTC 200/300/600 yd standing/sitting/prone, slow/rapid) back to Perry, NRA XTC will die.

they should move NRA XTC back to Camp Perry and keep NRA midrange and long rangeprone and F-class at Camp Atterbury.

CMP should find a way to accomodate that, perhaps by droppng the CMP "Cup" matches that precede the actual National Trophy Matches and putting NRA there and keeping all the wood-gun "fun" shoots after the National Trophy Matches, or later in the summer.

I also think the two groups should reconcile their rule books. Service rifle shooters should stand before rapids unless there is a medical exception. CMP should drop their "classification" system, they already had a perfectly good classification system (Distinguished & Non-Distinguished) and let the NRA rank, track and award by class (marksman/sharpshooter/expert/master/high master). NRA should drop their "distinguished" program, CMP does that.

just my biased opinion.

Poole

The NRA has been changing the rules to make ATC more geriatric friendly, e. g. rapid starting in position and scopes. This takes away the advantages of youth and thereby discourages new shooters leading to falling numbers.

You make a lot of sense. I never understood why they got rid of standing before the rapids. They claimed it was a safety issue, but in shooting matches since 1961, I never heard of an incident. Besides, they kept the time (60 seconds for sitting rapid) the same.

When I first started shooting, you got only 50 seconds for a semi, 60 seconds for a bolt rifle, and that included getting into position from standing.

Another geriatric compromise is F class for mid and long range.

Bill Poole,

I agree with what you wrote, I just do not see the NRA going back to Perry.

I shot the XTC championship at Atterbury and Perry in 2017 and 2018.

In 2017 I drove 14 hours to Atterbury, shot the Rumbold, the championship, drove four hours to Perry, shot the OHP, P-100, NTI, and drove 18 hours home.

This year this was a two week gap and it required two trips. I drove to and from Atterbury and flew to and from Perry.

The Atterbury matches were well run, there is some room for improvement. Atterbury housing, facilities, and range are all great.

I posted this on a dedicated high power forum today. Seems simple but there are a few things the NRA could do to boost their numbers. And BTW there were 123 total shooter for the XTC championship. The Marine Corp did not send their team. There were 184 shooters in 2017.

Well run matches
Scheduling XTC to better coincide with CMP (like in 2017)
Advertise the matches every month in the American Rifleman and Hunter.
Support and promote a Vendor Row
Somehow get more Junior shooters to the matches
Promote Atterbury as the premium shooting range and facility it is through advertising.
Run a promotion to bring new shooters, bring a new to Atterbury shooter (or Jr. Shooter) and get $100.00 of your entry fee


We do not need a 1000 shooters to be successful, but it would be nice to see an increase over this year.

I think that Atterbury will become better attended as time goes on.

But it still a pie that can only be sliced. The only way to increase the size of the pie is for clubs to have programs specifically directed toward new shooters and juniors.

I think the lack of participation has to do with two things. First, ranges with long range targets are getting harder to come by, and if they exist are typically members only. Second, action shooting sports, such as 3-gun, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Sniper Challenge, Run and Gun, USPSA, etc. are more appealing to the younger generations.

That's how I see it.

Club I used to shoot with has major issues getting on post at Benning. Seems they no longer want taxpayers on any of "their" ranges.

I think the decline started when the military pulled back support for highpower rifle competition type shooting. The Army had a whole structure that supported service rifle competition. Now it's pretty much the domain of the AMU only (more for glory and recruiting than for training for battlefield effectiveness). The USMC was the last bastion of riflemen, and they have adapted their course of fire to match the needs of their combat mission. They still run the Competition in Arms Program (CIAP), but Marines shoot a combat style instead.

On the civilian front, I see the younger generation enamored with the run and gun type disciplines. Those that do shoot rifles for accuracy, are picking F-class, or PRS. Easier to pick up and do decently than learning the highpower position (more instant gratification.).

Actually when one thinks some about it, the XC really doesn't apply to much other than XC shooters so to speak. Run and gun is more realisitic in life so to speak. And if we want to get on our bellies and shoot longer ranges, most do whats normally done, scoped, bipods and bolt or really good AR platforms.

Wife and I will always love CMP/NRA matches because we shot them for so many years. Even were half azzed proficient when we quit.

But times change and we all should be keeping up with them.

Or we'd sill be shooting muzzle loaders....

I never "run-n-gun" deer. I always shoot them from standing, sitting & sometimes prone.

So the action matches I"ve been when you take a rest, you don't take a rest while shooting deer as quickly and as often as you can? I know I sure do.

I do, but mostly I'm in a simple stand & shoot them from sitting.

Plus, I don't need any practice shooting from a hasty rest.

In Highpower we shoot Standing, Sitting and Prone. In the field I (mostly) shoot Rock, Tree, or Pack. Occasionally I'll shoot an unsupported standing, or swing thru a running animal depending on the type of hunting I'm doing.