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January 16th, 2014
Nearly all the folks who frequent this website are target shooters. Count yourself among millions — at least according to a study recently released by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) at SHOT Show 2014. The study states that 20 million Americans enjoy target shooting — with pistols, rifles, and/or shotguns. Our nation’s twenty million target shooters spend an estimated $10 billion dollars a year on target shooting — if you count gun and ammo costs, accessories, transportation, lodging, and range fees. As you might expect, the guns themselves constitute the single biggest expense category — 39% of the ten billion-dollar total. Another 17% of the total is spent on accessories, optic, hand-loading equipment, and reloading supplies. (If we were to poll AccurateShooter.com members, we bet the share of money spent on reloading tools and components would be even higher).
The demographics of target shooting may surprise you. 70% of target shooters are male, while 30% are female, and that distaff segment is growing. By the numbers, target shooting is more popular than many well-known outdoor pastimes, including soccer (14 million players) and skiing (8 million participants).
Does the government benefit from target shooting? Yes indeed. The NSSF estimates that target shooting generates roughly $3,500,000 in local, state, and federal tax revenues each year. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The total impact of target shooting on the American economy is $23 Billion per year according to the NSSF. That works out to $73 for every many woman and child in the USA.
September 8th, 2013
 Are target shooters a dying breed? Apparently not according to a new NSSF study. Remarkably, 20% of all target shooters began participating in the past five years. That’s great news. The next generation of target shooters is more diverse and more urban than ever before — and there are more females getting involved in target shooting — a lot more. 37% of new target shooters are female, a big number compared to older generations. The NSSF’s newly-commissioned study shows that, in years ahead, our shooting ranges will see more lady shooters and more participants who come from urban/suburban areas (as opposed to rural communities).
The NSSF report shows that one-fifth of target shooters in America first started participating in the shooting sports between 2008 and 2012. That means 20 percent of all target shooters began participating in the past five years. That’s promising news.
Here Are Some Key Findings:
- Younger: 66 percent of new shooters fall into the 18-to-34-year-old category compared to 31 percent in the same age category for established shooters.
- Female: 37 percent of new target shooters are female compared to 22 percent of established target shooters.
- Urban: 47 percent of new target shooters live in urban/suburban settings versus 34 percent of established target shooters.
Introducing New Shooters to the Sport — Tips from a Champion
In this video, Champion pistol shooter Doug Koenig offers advice on how to introduce newcomers to the shooting sports. With new shooters, Doug says you need to keep the experience safe and fun. Start with low-recoil firearms and use reactive targets to increase the “fun factor”.
Koenig’s Tips for Successful Range Sessions with New Shooters
1. Start off a new shooter with an airgun or a .22 LR. “You don’t want to start them out with the biggest, loudest firearm you have in your collection.”
2. Make sure the shooting is fun. “Use [reactive] targets — steel targets, knock-down targets, clay pigeons sitting on the bank — anything reactive, something they can see happen.” You want to keep people interested, keep them excited.
3. Remember the reason we go to the range — to have a good time. Don’t overload newcomers with stress. “Keep it fun, keep it safe, and keep everything in perspective.” Remember that [newcomers] “are the future of the shooting sports for all of us.”
March 10th, 2011
 Do you want to boost membership at your local shooting range? Then check this out. To help public and private shooting facilities jump-start their recruitment and retention efforts, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) will award up to $500,000 in grants this year to ranges around the country. This is the fourth year that the NSSF has distributed funding to qualifying ranges through its Range Partnership Grant Program.
“Having purchased firearms in record amounts in the last few years, people are excited about target shooting,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF senior VP. “We want ranges to tap into that enthusiasm and these grants will help shooting range managers test new strategies to attract customers.” Private shooting ranges must have a public-participation option to qualify. “The best way to increase participation is to enhance and promote shooting opportunities at the local level,” said Melissa Schilling, NSSF recruitment and retention manager. “We’re looking for unique proposals that motivate people of all ages to enjoy target shooting.”
CLICK HERE to learn more about NSSF’s Range Partnership Grant Program.
Deadline: Applications must be received by NSSF no later than 5:00 pm (EST) on April 19, 2011.
Who May Apply? Only project proposals submitted by and in the name of public shooting facilities, private facilities that offer the public shooting opportunities, or educational institutions with either public shooting facilities of their own or hunting and shooting sports curricula shall be eligible for funding under the Grant Program. Separate proposals must be submitted for each project to be funded. A group of ranges may band together and submit one proposal. IMPORTANT — This grant program is NOT intended for land purchases, for building or improving structures (such as club-houses), or for acquisition of range equipment and supplies.
How to Apply: Download the Grant Application Form (PDF) and submit according to guidelines.
July 20th, 2010
 Last year saw a significant 5.4% increase in the number of female hunters in the United States — that means 163,000 new ladies hunting with firearms and/or bows. In fact, in 2009 the rate of increase in hunting participation is higher for women than for men, according to new figures from the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA).
Data also show that women outpaced men among newcomers to target shooting. Female participation in rifle target shooting grew by 4.1%. That’s a big change in a single year. The number of women involved in Muzzle-loading activites showed a remarkable 134.6% annual increase.
The growth in new participation among women, perhaps counter-intuitive to traditionalists, is no surprise to Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). Steve explained, “Over the past several years [we have] encouraged existing hunters and shooters to introduce their spouses, daughters and other newcomers to shooting sports and outdoor lifestyles. I believe these efforts are paying off.”
Photo courtesy Próis hunting clothing for women.
April 2nd, 2009
 Lead by top UK shooter Vince Bottomley, a team of UK gun experts has launched Target Shooter, a new online “e-zine” dedicated to precision shooting. This is a great new offering — you should log on to TargetShooter.co.uk right now to check it out. Vince explains: “Our online magazine will cover target shooting in all its forms, including rimfire and centerfire benchrest, F-Class, classic military rifle, and tactical. We’ll deliver feature articles plus match reports and gear reviews.”
Target Shooter employs a publishing format called “Scribd” that delivers a print-magazine style format over the web. This is actually kind of cool, as you can zoom pages smaller and larger and download the entire “magazine” for off-line reading. A new edition of Target Shooter will be released every month.
Target Shooter Offers Great Content
The debut April 2009 edition, 109 pages long, is truly impressive. It contains many interesting articles including a 2009 IWA (Euro Shotshow) report from Vince Bottomley, a comparison test of budget scopes by Carl Boswell, a detailed F-TR Tubegun review by Laurie Holland and Vince B., and a fascinating discussion of Field-Target shooting by Tim Finley (covering all positions). And that’s not all — the magazine offers a two-month event calendar, plus match reports (check out Gwyn Roberts’ Gallery Shooting Tri-Nations tournament report).
Target Shooter also features many gear reviews and product evaluations. In the April edition, Carl Boswell provides a comprehensive review of the BullzeyePro optical boosters. If you are considering purchasing this product you should definitely read this review — it even includes through-the-lens photos, so you can see the magnification boost with your own eyes.
Overall, the new Target Shooter online magazine is a mighty impressive accomplishment. It is rich with content, the photography is excellent, and the level of technical expertise is high. We were very impressed by the diversity of disciplines covered — this magazine covers much more than conventional benchrest. Any gun enthusiast interested in precision shooting should log on to TargetShooter.co.uk. Not only is it one of the best sources of shooting information available, but it is currently 100% free. You can’t beat that.
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