Introducing Bullseye to Tallahassee

Good morning all.  I seems I am the only bullseye shooter in Tallahassee Florida... or at least the only one who will admit to it.  I shoot at an indoor range that has an 8 lane 25 yard line but no turning targets.   My thought is to start a "fun" league" and see  what the level of interest is, and the range is willing to support the effort.  So, if there are any words of advice from those who have done this before, please let me know.

Best
Doc Kokol

Prizes prizes prizes....amazing what folks come out for when a goodie is on the table. We ran one with sbstituted targes but on the nmc course. A squirrel silouette, two paper bowling pins, etc.

Once folks get used to that, add normal targets. Most people don't even know that they are shooting BE

Doc, in Tampa they have been running a number of weekly indoor matches with non turning targets that have a good turnout.  One indoor range is running a weekly approved league match that has between 7-12 shooters at every match. Another league 500 match across town has about 5-10 shooters weekly. These two matches have brought in new shooters and exposed them bullseye.  Also, the range posted information for the match on their website and within the range.  Hope this helps.

Turning Targets aren't a vital component of minimum viable product, in my new-to-the-sport experience. I started shooting Bullseye earlier this year, and never even knew the term Bullseye until I later joined this forum. I can guess what a turning target is, but could also be completely wrong. Regardless, I'm a man who lives for hobbies (and my wife) and Bullseye has become my prominent obsession.

What got me hooked was the history. This spring I went out shooting for the first time with a work buddy and he planted the seeds. He was doing this one-handed shooting stuff and when he was shooting his 38 he mentioned the competition he shoots and how that was the police caliber for the shoot. I got to shoot his 45 with an Ultradot and heard about that being service caliber, and then his pops' FWB AW93 and how, with that being civilian caliber, in this sportsman-like competition all three of those parties compete and encourage each other to develop the marksmanship craft. I perceived there was this kind of hidden brotherhood of shooting that mere range warrior enthusiasts like me knew nothing about that went back into the greater years of our country.

I never got the name of the sport. My work buddy never suggested I join. But over the next several months each time I shopped another pistol (an illness) I thought about whether it could be suitable for shooting in that mysterious competition. I stopped looking for 45s with 15 round capacity and instead ones with long sight radius and reputations as target pistols. At the range I started shooting my combat pistols almost exclusively one-handed and switched my focus from rapid up-close to timed fire-type shooting.

Eventually I was stuck between a couple models of 1911s reputed for accuracy and broke down & asked my work buddy what this secret shooting sport was and, should I aspire to compete, which gun to get. He invited me to a practice shoot with his (ours, now!) team, try the sport and some different guns before spending any money.

Well ... I loved it. It was a completely different speed than the 3 gun crowd I had tried to be a part of. Instead of would-be commandos puffing their chests out these were men I could instantly recognize as my seniors and as full of hidden knowledge and history about this sport. I ended up standing in a parking lot until 10:40pm hearing about the good old days in the 70s and I was in love. The more I heard about the origin of the sport and the deep history the more intent I was to be a part of it.

Less than a week later I bought a Pardini GT45-II. A month later I bought a Clark Custom Ruger. Both from club members. Ever since I brought that Pardini home I've been training in the basement in my mock range almost every night.

I think peppering the local ranges with mysterious posters along the lines of "Theodore Roosevelt Wants You ... To be a skilled and able marksman" or the Behind every Blade of Grass would plant a powerful seed, and a couple months later modify them to include information about an upcoming shooting clinic & competition.

I've introduced a couple potential competitors to the sport. Part of the issue I've run into is the equipment (their guns, not turning targets). Sig Sauer 1911s and glocks have a hard time getting near the black. Good to let them use the right equipment before getting turned off I think.

Doc,
I started an indoor BE program (22 only) last year at our local club in Howell, MI that has an eight lane 50' range. Prior to that there was only three of us that shot BE regularly at the local matches at other clubs. I put out a show of interest, hoping I would get one full line. Lo and behold, the interest was so high that we had to run four lines each week!. Mostly new folks that were interested in learning and enhancing their pistol shooting skills. Last year I ran an informal program, shooting a 900 point match each week, for 16 weeks, not super stringent on the rules but with focus on folks having fun and just getting familiar with their equipment etc.
In conjunction with the weekly matches, we ran a 2 hour workshop, alternate weeks on Sunday evenings, where we mainly discussed fundamentals, techniques etc. to help folks progress quickly and keep interest up. Bringing in cookies and cupcakes I think also helped a bit...... Attendance pretty much stayed constant at the 20+ level throughout the program, which was encouraging just as much as it was surprising. Folks must have enjoyed it as most of them are back this year with new folks as well.
This year we are still running four lines and attendance is still at the same levels, but a 600 point match (two NMC's back to back)in the interest of time management. We are also running it as a NRA Approved league so that at the end of the session, the aggregate score will be sent to the NRA and all new shooters can get a classification card. Some of the shooters are now starting to shoot matches outside of the league as well. We are also in the process right now to get turning targets fabricated and installed, as the program seems to be successful.
I did spread the word to the other clubs that have BE shooters and we do get folks that come in to shoot with us weekly from those clubs.
In the summer, we switch to shooting an outdoor short course (900) on turning targets on a weekly basis as well. Informal this year, probably approved this coming year. We run 22 and Centerfire alternate weeks when shooting outdoors.
I have been using the PSM website for all score tracking etc. and that has worked very well thus far. Support from Richard (site admin) has been outstanding.
Let me know if you need more....glad to help and see the sport grow.
Tony

Thank you all.  I appreciate the advice.  Have a happy and healthy new year!
Doc