Do any of the competition shooting organizations have a winnings purse, where the top shooters earn money? I don't mean to sound shallow but it would be nice to be able to pay for my practice ammo and possible pistol upgrades.
IDPA has rules for it and yeah you can win stuff but I don't remember specifically what the rules are. If I remember right it cannot be money but I could be wrong. I shoot rimfire and bigbore silhouette and no you don't win anything per match. At the end of the season they give out plaques for the overall top shooters. But I wouldn't expect to make much money competition shooting unless you could get picked up as a factory shooter for someone. You better be DAMN good too. Even at the little local IDPA matches some of those guys are fast and accurate and they are local guys who would get spanked by the big guys.
If you can beat Jerry Miculek at the IRC you can choose to take the cash or walk the prize table.. Steel challenge has cash prizes for fastest times shot as well as side matches where you can win guns and all kinds of other stuff. At the IRC last year, out of 200 ish shooters, about 70 of us won guns.. I picked up a S&W 657 for a 24th Limited division finish.. and I was shooting a 6-shooter In the years since I've been putting in my time I've won brass, bullets, a few guns, powder, and various other prizes. If you practice like I do, you never really break even, but you don't do too bad either. in 2007 I fired about 15,000 rounds most of it in my 610.. This year I'll probably fire at least that much, half in my 627, the other half in my 610.. and maybe a few k here and there with a 22, and one or two other calibers.. you never really break even unless you are a sponsored shooter.
I have done some 3 gun matches with cash payouts. When you win a payout at best it covers the entry fee, ammo for the match and lunch afterwards. The matches I do 3 gun at are about a 150 mile round trip and with gas prices... Needless to say unless you are good enough to get sponsorship with a company you most likely never win enough to off set the cost much. When I do win anything it normaly goes for dinner after or gets set aside for the next match. I have had winnings from a match that was less than the entry fee. Compete for fun and self improvement, if you are more focused on the other competitors than shooting the match you will most likely have the course kick your but with a simple mistake. Making it a paying job instead of sport or hobby will take the fun out of it. If you are a good shooter and can teach people maybe getting creditenals as a firearms instructer will maybe make a little money at shooting.
I was gonna ask the same question to find a better way to supplement my expenses related to shooting. I always thought those guys made tons of money doing that, oh well. I mow grass for neighbors and friends to pay for ammo and new "toys". Took me a while to save up for my new AR.
The way those guys make money is they are paid by SW Springfield Para and more, Rob Leathom, Jerry cant spell his last name, Doug koenig just to name a few
The top dogs make a fair piece of change doing training. They can bring in $500 and more per shooter for classes of 10-12 shooters. They also do DOD and LE training, it all adds up. Still---it's a long hard pull to reach that level, and the ones that make a living at it are a pretty short list. If you are a really good customer of the local gun shop (and you SHOULD be), see if you can work out a deal with them for a little support. I've known a few that got ammo etc. in return for wearing a "Joes Gun Shop" shirt to the matches.
Yep Todd Jarrett just had one at our range $500 a head 10 guys 2 days then they shot our local match, it is something to watch the difference in a Master with a Open gun and a Grand Master with a Limited gun
Organized trap shooting generally has cash payouts. Also, most "practice" meets end up with a "pot" and some informal contests . . . I've seen the pots run $20 and several of them run during a practice.
Good question. There's a local match near me this coming Memorial Day. Here's the link for particulars: http://www.tcsa.info/Highpower/MDM-Program.pdf
If you decide to shoot NRA highpower you might win enough to get your entry fees back. "Many financially comfortable people who go target shooting learn to live paycheck to paycheck. . ."
