Hi everyone. As I write this, the weather words are cool and windy. It makes for very economical shooting. You either don't shoot, or if you do and miss, the target comes back and lands at your feet and you can shoot it again!
I have some milestones to mention. Duane Thomann has shot 25,0000 singles. Mike Hathaway has shot 50,000 singles. Mike Dennis has shot 75,000 doubles. These are all good men and good shots, and I am happy for all of them.
I have deliberately not mentioned products in my column. I do not think it is my job as a Delegate to promote for profit things related to shooting. Sometimes, however, you bump into something so good you just have to talk about it. I bought a Butler this past winter. I had problems getting the gun to work properly. I spent a couple of months dealing with Darrell Farr and Jason Lee of Butler Arms trying to correct the problem. I ended up sending several parts of the gun to them to be checked and talked to them several times on the phone. Through the whole process they both remained pleasant and patient with me until we identified and resolved the problem. They also never charged me a dime for any of this. All they said was they wanted me to be happy with the gun! Please don't misunderstand me, I am not saying you need to run out and buy a Butler. If you have been considering one, however, know that you will be dealing with customer service second to none.
Looking at shoot reports so far, we are not shooting as many targets as we have in the past. This is perfectly understandable based upon all the forces working against us. I'm going to make a few suggestions that might help us all get through these difficult times. I would encourage clubs to throw more Big 50 targets. It halves costs which I think shooters will appreciate. Have shooters score and load machines in return for reduced target fees. I've seen this work at shoots and I think it is worth a try. Finally, make shooters feel appreciated when they show up at a club. I was at a small club a few years ago where the owner walked down the entire line thanking everyone for coming, asking if they needed anything and wishing them good luck. Little things mean a lot, and I know this really impressed me and made me want to go back.
One last thing, the Illinois Board of Directors were blindsided by a late price increase in targets. This forced them to increase target fees at the State Shoot to $37.00 a hundred. They regret doing this but they were backed into a corner and had to do this to stay even.
I'll see you on the firing line.
Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate