The death of trap in BC
- Thread starter bdft
- Start date
We are a small club, and insurance hasn't been an issue. We have a policy for members using the facility, as well as one for volunteers doing maintenance.
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Why wouldn't your club pass the cost on to the shooters? NSA insurance for shooters was at $15/year but I know it's going up this year... it's only a box of shells these days. Our club also has executive and directors insurance but I can't remember the details.
Just came across this posting, its old I know. There are two ranges in the SO. Penticton and Oliver. The Penticton trap range overlooks the Lake.
3 Million dollar view. On most Sundays there are about 15 regulars that show up. About 8 are long retired. We need more young people to come or this will die. There is great interest on open house events but no follow up with new members. i think its the cost. 2 boxes of shells is 34.00.
A bottle of wine or 5 boxes of cereal. I am ignoring the other costs. Shooting, unlike hockey is not what most people think of as a sport or recreation. Oooo, big bad gun.
If the costs of targets and shells was not a deterrent, the recent costs of hotels, restaurant meals and gas would be the death knell of traveling to shoots.
It certainly isn't cheaper to be hauling a big trailer to avoid hotel costs.
There is simply a smaller pool of people who can afford the current price of participation.
It certainly isn't cheaper to be hauling a big trailer to avoid hotel costs.
There is simply a smaller pool of people who can afford the current price of participation.
You hit the nail on the head here, I skipped the Canadians in Vancouver last summer once I added up the total cost, 4 nights hotel @ $300 = $1200. 1,000 targets @ .55 each = $550, 4 flats ammo @ $120 = $480, 3,000 km in the truck fuel cost $500 plus another $350 or so for food brought the total to around $2700 for 1,000 targets so $2.70 per target
and I will be skipping the Canadians again this summer as it is in Hamilton.Is say cost is the big thing, the members I shoot with at my club are mostly retired and have good pensions or a little bit younger with I'm assuming good jobs and can afford higher end guns like Blazers and Beretta D11 i don't ask or care to ask about others financial situation. But we do get it in a few younger shooter but usually not on a weekly basis.
Ammo prices have gone up a lot, reloading is a bit of a pain and unless you have time and resources, it's not cost effective. And targets have jumped in price too.
It all sucks for any clay sport, not just trap and that's too bad because we need new shooters.
Ammo prices have gone up a lot, reloading is a bit of a pain and unless you have time and resources, it's not cost effective. And targets have jumped in price too.
It all sucks for any clay sport, not just trap and that's too bad because we need new shooters.
JohnnyCarlsson
Member
I’ve been to several trap/skeet/sporting clays clubs as a non-member. My experience has been that often I’ve been given the cold shoulder. If you’re not shooting the most expensive over/under and not wearing fancy gear, they don’t approach you and treat you like a second class citizen. Show up with a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 and they just stare. It’s been a turn off for me.
Same in Ontario, and I agree, cost is a huge factor. My range is a 120km roundtrip, so gas alone probably costs $15-20. Add the cost per round and shells, it get's expensive. Sometimes I invite some friends to join, and they have a great time, but also mention the cost (they always offer to cover their own shells)
Do they have a reason for that rule? Is it to keep "tacticool" guys away, we have guys come out with shorts barrel shotguns and yes they hit nothing much but as long as there safe and follow the rules its there money for range fees and ammo go ahead.
JohnnyCarlsson
Member
Yep, I agree. I’m in the same boat. And some of the best shooters I’ve ever met use 870’s and 500’s, etc.
My current range, of which I am skeet chair, and my previous range had no issues with the gun a person shows up with, unless the gun was not safe to operate. Our only concern is safety, and no disruptions, and we have had a few people that were asked to leave, either because they committed serious safety infractions, or because they refused to follow basic safety rules like safety glasses. If a person showed up with a shotgun that had functioning issues, that caused safety concerns, or that wouldn't reliably fire, they were usually offered a shotgun to use
I am 33 and cost is the reason I stopped. I really enjoy shooting clays but it is just not affordable. I will say that in general the old timers have stopped treating the young like ####. That does help but the cost is too high like everything else.
So I'm a total suit, and spent a lot of the last decade of my career shmoozing with executives and directors. I'd host a lot of events on company dime. I've done golf pro sessions where we'd bring in a professional coach to help these guys at a driving range. I'd do distillery tours, tap room pub crawls, sporting events (Jets and Blue Bombers), axe throwing, ski trips, cigar and whisky tastings, private art gallery tours, fancy dinners, movie premieres, all kinds of stuff. A bunch of those things were really successful.
But literally none of them were as popular to get folks out as a chance to try trap and skeet (aside from packing a theatre for a Marvel premiere). A normal event I would try for 15-25 invitees and a few co-workers to entertain with a cap of 30 people max. The first time I tried this it was 80. I had to turn people away. It cost a lot, but we made up for it by drawing in so many new customers we paid it off tenfold. It was a great time.
Of course, the bill for everyone was pricey, I brought in catering for afterwards and offered two adult beverages to each attendee during which I had a local comedian perform - it was easily the best event of the year, totally worthwhile. The executive team was furious, "you shot guns?!?" Yeah, guns. By the end of that quarter they were asking if I was going to plan another and if I knew other clubs we could use for similar events near other cities.
It is a very unique experience for non-shooters, or even shooters of different disciplines. When you remove cost and licensing requirements as a barrier for entry to try it out, you can generate a huge amount of interest. The reason these were so successful was that my corporate AMEX took care of the cost and we took care of transport, and logistics, fed and entertained the guests who were supervised and required no licensing, and drove them back to their cars in the city. But at least a few of the folks that came out sent me an email the following Monday, not about the thing we were selling but about getting into the sport themselves.
TL;DR, it's cost. Corporate sponsorship can help, but not a lot of companies are on board.
But literally none of them were as popular to get folks out as a chance to try trap and skeet (aside from packing a theatre for a Marvel premiere). A normal event I would try for 15-25 invitees and a few co-workers to entertain with a cap of 30 people max. The first time I tried this it was 80. I had to turn people away. It cost a lot, but we made up for it by drawing in so many new customers we paid it off tenfold. It was a great time.
Of course, the bill for everyone was pricey, I brought in catering for afterwards and offered two adult beverages to each attendee during which I had a local comedian perform - it was easily the best event of the year, totally worthwhile. The executive team was furious, "you shot guns?!?" Yeah, guns. By the end of that quarter they were asking if I was going to plan another and if I knew other clubs we could use for similar events near other cities.
It is a very unique experience for non-shooters, or even shooters of different disciplines. When you remove cost and licensing requirements as a barrier for entry to try it out, you can generate a huge amount of interest. The reason these were so successful was that my corporate AMEX took care of the cost and we took care of transport, and logistics, fed and entertained the guests who were supervised and required no licensing, and drove them back to their cars in the city. But at least a few of the folks that came out sent me an email the following Monday, not about the thing we were selling but about getting into the sport themselves.
TL;DR, it's cost. Corporate sponsorship can help, but not a lot of companies are on board.
JohnnyCarlsson
Member
Sounds like a good club. Thanks for sharing.
When I first showed up at the club in the 80s, I didn't even bring a shotgun. A member handed me an 1100skeet to try, and I shot a couple of rounds with it. Then another member handed me a Citori skeet, and I shot a couple of rounds with it, and ordered a Citori of my own. Back then, it cost around $1400, and I shot that gun for several years, and earned all of my patches with it. Over 30 some years, I used a Citori of one type or other, until 6 years ago when I purchased a K-20 three barrel set. From the start, nobody cared which gun I shot, there were 870s, 1100s, Berettas, Browning, and a variety of other shotguns, including one K-32 four barrel set. Some people wore vests, some belt type shellholders, and even a carpenters apron with pockets. We all just shot and enjoyed ourselves.
JohnnyCarlsson
Member
That’s fantastic and the way it should always be.
