annual member
Bob

I'm a proud member of Assra and will be till the day I die, if things get tough I may have to sell something that belongs to my wife to pay my dues, I'll do whatever it takes.     leadball

Many ASSRA members, (including some of the better shooters and "gunsmiths") rarely, if ever, post here. Most ASSRA members who are also forum members will likely not feel it necessary to respond to this thread. I am curious as to what motivates the question?

Annual Member. Regards, FITZ

I think that may have been posted. but just in case, the last I talked with the guy in charge of membership it is was more or less 1900-- 2000.  It fluctuates up and down as old members drop out or die off and new ones join.   
As with most of the fishing, shooting, and other outdoor sports the numbers are dropping as the older generation of sportsmen leave the scene and kids are more oriented to indoor sedentary game.  I imagine that the tightening economy is having an effect as well.

Boats, I think your last sentence says it all.  I don't want to re-start the recent nastiness we had over exactly this issue, so I won't belabor the specifics that apply to ASSRA.  I stayed out of that fight because I'm one of the members who lives remotely, doesn't get to share in the range, and can't get there to vote, but still keep my membership to support the organization.

None of these organizations is going to grow until they give up their small piece of turf and decide to support the overall spectrum of single shot shooting, at the expense of favoring their own special interest.  As long as the real function of the organization, (as evidenced by their actions) is to support the activities of a few members in limited locations, there will not be widespread support from the overall single shot fraternity for the organization.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially for the chosen few that live in the right locations.  But, it limits the overall scope of the organization, as there are a limited number of members that are not located in the right place who will join and not share in the benefit.

There may be an overall strength to this type of arrangement, as it at least keeps up a strong shooting fraternity in a spot or two in the country.

The real strength of numbers as you say are in the BPCR shooters.  And, they have families and younger shooters with them also.  The reason for that is the inclusiveness and willingness to help that goes on.  I can't believe how many shooters I see each match using borrowed rifles and someone else's ammo.  And, seeing them come back a year later with their own.  It's also a participatory sport to some extent, with a spotter to assist, and in many of the gong matches, all the spotters on the squad helping out the beginning shooters.  I can walk to the line before any match, without sight settings or a spotter, and have two or three people helping immediately.  Sometimes at the expense of getting their own sight settings.  That's the kind of participation that makes makes people join and come back.

dave

Member. While I do not shoot in competition since a rimfire-centerfire benchrest schedule seems to take 3 out of 4 weeks a month, I figure it's a tradition worthy of support and i own-shoot several single shots recreationally.

boats wrote on Sep 9^th, 2008 at 7:14am:


Did you guy ever consider that a great number of singleshot enthusiasts NEVER shoot competitively, or no longer shoot competitively? 
I have a number of friends who are head over heels in love with singleshot rifles (myself included!) but shoot casually, or not at all! I always thought that some in the organization seemed to revolve around the shooting aspect, and really overlooked those who shoot casually or just collect.
If ASSRA, or any singleshot rifle oriented organization is to grow and prosper, they need to recognise that not eveyone can, or does compete in any form. Some of us just love these fine old singles!
It is the American Singleshot Rifle Assn., not the American Singleshot Shooting Assn. Just my 2 cents worth.-Vall
PS-Some of us even hunt with old offhand rifles!
Union Hill Ballard .38-55, 5x4 Mule Deer, Oct. 2006.
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