Kelly, Please contact me for your first Alaskan Silhouette Shooter's Trailer Park Championship (ASS TP Championship).
I am sure you don't realize how you come across in your sales pitch. You constantly seem condescending and biased toward who you want in the game! It's not like there aren't plenty of people in the world with money enough to buy guns, even expensive ones. It couldn't be more clear that you have a sign saying: "We don't want no super-acheivers with their high dollar rigs". Compared to many hobbies, this is a bargain, even if you buy a $1000-$2000 gun every year or two, and keep trading up using your old stuff toward the newer. It is not as though you are REQUIRED to buy a new gun every year! Members have complete freedom of choice to upgrade or not. I've never seen it be a real problem for the vast majority of dedicated shooters, silhouette of otherwise.
It's like you are the Preacher of Poverty, wanting to take away the temptation to up-grade or excel.
Compared to the costs of ammo, club entries and of travel to several champinships a year, the cost a reliable accurate gun that won't be spending a lot of time in the gunsafe starts to look pretty reasonable. I just don't think you take these costs into consideration, since you don't have this type of involvement. That's fine, just don't try to build a sport around your scaled-down expectations.
Even if someone makes a good living, they have to take quite a bit of time off to get good at this or any other sport.
Now, if you are talking about a young family man who has to make the choice between baby food and .22 ammo, that's a problem, and only time will help with that.
My buddy Scott Mann comes to mind. He has a terrific wife and two small boys. He's no millionaire. Yet he still finds ways to work a little overtime or do some side work to afford going to two or three matches a month and hit the big championships. His wife is supportive and he has a fire in him and finds a way around obstacles that would stop less motivated people.
You might as well put in your rules that the spouses must support the shooter. Motivated shooters will find a way to participate.
The sport has a wide range of people from all walks of life and income levels. That's one of the things I enjoy. I can rub elbows with millionaires that are completely down to earth, or humbler people just getting by and trying to enjoy a little relaxation. The incredible lack of pretense is what I love about almost all silhouette shooters.
But if you appeal to strictly the lowest common denominator, that's what you'll get, unless some rabble rousers like Steve or I get involved. I don't think anyone will cotton to the idea of being being stigmatized as not having enough money or skill to allow moving up to better equipment.
(Maybe the 4 classes should be: Middle, Lower Middle, Low and Food Stamp)
Once again I'll admit to being shameless in my aspirations: I want to hit the smallest possible target, at the furthest possible distance, against the greatest competition, each and every time I pull the trigger. Nothing else will satisfy me. If your Ruger GP100 will do this, I'm on board. So far, I must say I have found it completely lacking in the long range accuracy department. (I seldom realize my aspirations, that's why I strive for them! But I keep pluggin along without too much sour grapes.)
Regarding shoot-offs: As Steve said, that is where the game begins for the top shooters. Everything else is a prelude to the excitement of hitting extremely difficult targets under public scrutiny. The matches I attend NEVER have two winners! The shoot-off is always conducted until one clear winner emerges, whether that takes 5 shots or 50.
Not everyone will become an "elite" marksman. But that doesn't mean they don't try to improve themselves or appreciate the skills and efforts of the top shooters. I enjoy meeting the Top Dogs when I get the chance.
The more you pontificate your views, the more it seems that you have a real ax to grind with "elite" shooters and have been isolated from real competition and the excitement of buying new guns. Jim