OK Dirty Dan

I think this is a big one right here. Revamp the homepage of SASS, and have callouts to the new shooter front and center. That homepage is the number one place where we need to both catch the interest of the new shooter, and give them all the information they'd need in order to feel comfortable and motivated to show up for their first match. With the mess the homepage is now, I think many would-be shooters could be easily confused. As sad as it may sound, we have well less than one minute to get the hooks into that first-time website visitor, and I don't think the current homepage does that we

I think this would be a good compromise. Basically something in the rulebook stating that you do not HAVE to have the sanctioned gear to come out and participate at local matches. People would find this out if they come out, but as others have noted in this thread, getting them out the first time is the real trick.

I didn't take yours--or others--responses like that at all! We all have different viewpoints and it's those varying experiences that make a community strong. On this, I just happen to appear to be in the minority.

So many keep responding with some variation of "I've never seen an established shooter not offer guns." And you're right--I've never seen a time when at least one shooter on a posse didn't offer a newbie the use of their guns and ammo to try the sport out. That's great and I love that about our community. But I still feel from anecdotal evidence of talking to individuals that I or others have brought out to give it a try, that there are those new shooters--I was one of them--who simply are not comfortable with consistently asking others to loan them their gear. And at the same time

Perhaps I'm new enough to SASS that I just haven't become bored yet, but around here I wouldn't say there's a lack of movement or different scenarios. Heck, Steel Challenge is by definition the same eight stages and from what I can tell it's doing alright. I can't blame anyone for being disappointed that the things they love are no longer in style. And of course you're not wrong that the heydays of western cinema are gone. But I don't think that has to be the death of our game, and if there are people dedicated to advancing it, growing it can be done.

Again, the problem in my view is twofold: Because it isn't codified, anyone who might look up the rules before coming out is not going to know that it's an option to start out with guns outside of what is listed in the Shooter's Handbook. People like to attend different clubs. If any rule or allowance is local-only, it becomes highly difficult to keep track of what's allowed where. If that's someone's view already, where's the harm in allowing actual .22s? We're going to start making decisions in our game based on what outside parties think?

With Indian Territory SASS we're making a particular effort to update our Facebook pages and website often. It's definitely paying dividends in views, and we've seen new shooters come out as a result. Hopefully that will continue. As others have mentioned, SASS putting more resources into marketing would help. But I've mentioned my solution to one of the primary challenges facing an interested 20-something already: reduce the monetary cost of entry by allowing 22LR guns--which tend to be well less expensive than centerfire--to be used in official competition. Not merel

I get where you're coming from, but I completely disagree. The fact that fewer westerns are being made is exactly why we need to focus on outreach to younger shooters, because they don't have that external trigger to bring their interest to SASS. That may be fighting an uphill battle, but I think the alternative of just ceding them to other shooting sports would be a poor choice.

Everything I've read on this thread is a valid point, for or against any rule changes. I appreciate the discussion. To me what it all boils down to is this: Every single individual is different. Some are price sensitive, some are time sensitive. Some may be adverse to recoil or the perceived difference to the volume/pressure at their ear. And probably dozens of other differences that I can't even think of. Because of this, anything which can extend participation to all those different people should be considered and probably has been--I'm sure these types of things were discussed b

The family thing is big too--of the shooters I regularly shoot with in my area that I'm sure are younger than I am, there's only one that I know of who is the "first generation" of SASS shooter in their household. No organization can expect to truly grow if that growth only comes from the offspring of its current members.

Generally speaking I agree with you. But I'll use myself as an example (and risk ridicule on this forum): I'm 38 and grew up with G.I. Joe and Rambo. I've seen two western movies/shows in my life, both after joining SASS (Tombstone and Lonesome Dove). The costuming part to me was not of interest, even when I joined (although it is now). I simply enjoyed the type of guns used in SASS far more than any other discipline.

And for you, that worked. That's awesome; more people could do with that type of discipline and patience. I knew for years I wanted to get into this, but from knowing my personality regarding the level of equipment which would maximize my enjoyment, and doing my research, I knew how expensive it was going to be. So I saved up and waited until I could buy all that equipment at once and jump in with both feet. But many won't do what you or I did, or their best plans get put aside when something comes up to either cause that saved money to disappear or another hobby becomes of interest that doesn

Everyone has their own experiences. Just in the year I've been doing this I've been told by a handful of prospective shooters that the cost for all the equipment was more than they had or wanted to spend. Of course, wanted to is a key term. But again, if the cost of entry were lower that may well convince some to give it a real try more than just a match or two. Is it going to convince everyone? No. Will it cause all those who buy those guns to continue indefinitely? No. But maybe it does bring out those who are more price sensitive and turns them into regular shooters. To me, the

We're certainly trying it now and will be doing so for an amount of time. We will absolutely see how it goes. But I'm also not proposing that this change alone would cause a flood of new individuals; it would simply be one change made amongst a number of others (increased marketing, other rule changes, etc.) intended to increase participation. But you and I both know that drawing any conclusions on any change or experiment right now is going to be impossible. There are just too many variables at play with one of them being unprecedented within the timeframe that SASS has existed.

@Captain Bill Burt you're correct, there is a cost associated with every change and those cannot always be predicted. And it would be a shame for any change to drive established shooters away from the sport. I agree that there are cheaper ways into the sport as it stands than a pair of Vaqueros and an 1873 rifle (I'm leaving out the shotgun here because guns such as Stoeger are affordable and a good option regardless what level of competition we're discussing). But a basic Henry 22 rifle and two Ruger Wranglers can come in under $850 brand new. Even today if one is patient. And tho