Lost motivation...

[gunsnjeeps]

Long time Service Rifle shooter, some Long Range, Bull's Eye, and tried getting into 3 Gun. I also run the monthly club High Power Rifle 100 yard match. Since the end of Quarantine last summer I haven't been as motivated to shoot matches.

I tried adding 3 Gun for a change of pace a few years ago, but their isn't anything local.

I've been kicking around a Long Range weekend class a few hours away but other than that I'm out of ideas.

Other than giving up the Club Program, which will be the end of it if no one steps up, any other ideas for motivation?

To demonstrate the loss of motivation, I have a brand new in the box Autotrickler V3 that I bought last summer and haven't even opened.

 

[Kamerad]

Dig out a 22, reacquire a joy for the simple stuff. Or find the biggest baddest blaster you have, or a buddies, and just have a blast.

That’s what comes to mind.

Hopefully something will spark the passion again!

 

[BullGear]

Shoot while ya can. Age quickly approaches and snatches your ability one day. Sucker creeps up on ya and before ya know it, it's got you in it's grips.

Between my eyesight (diabetes) and End Stage Kidney Disease (muscle shakes), my shooting could be best described as challenging.

Hopefully, that thrill comes back to ya and it will last a lifetime. I do believe you may have the makings of a good shooter.....

j/k

 

[roostercogburn98]

I forgot where my gun room was. Truthfully it didn’t bother me that I forgot for a long time, recently started spending time back in there again. Took the shotty out dove hunting and that stirred up some motivation.

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

Do something else that you like for a while. fishing, hunting, jogging (wait, No One Likes Jogging) building/carpentry, go on a trip, anything that you really enjoy. After a while shooting will come right back. It is truly called burnout and the only real cure is eliminating (in our case, temporarily)the cause of the burnout. Heck, even try a different type of shooting. Handgun Silhouette is a great distraction. (watching the targets fall which is the fun part)

Do anything that you enjoy. Shooting will come back.

 

[acudaowner]

do it cause micky loves you , cause dressing in a tutu and dancing on your toes is well complicated , professional pole dancing was already taken , sitting at home and forcing your self to watch 5 more minutes of someone telling you to get vaccinated could be dangerous to someone's health . You can only take so many bubble baths in a 2 hr span before you look like a prune , driving in circles out front of your house looks weird and not something one should put on a job resume as what you did last summer . Even if you don't shoot you still could go to a few matches and cheer someone else on & maybe pick up cool tricks go to another type of youth league sporting events and cheer them on maybe youth shooting even if you can't find inspiration enough to move you maybe you could help someone else get motivated . Good luck with what ever you decide to do hope you are able to get back out there and keep shooting if you want to . P.s . if you do any of that other crap especially pole dancing post video's lol a good laugh is always good for the soul .

 

[sleeplz]

Sell your v3 and find other hobbies. Life’s too short to force hobbies on yourself. Find something else you intrinsically enjoy and let the club matches die.

 

[BullGear]

What about 4D chess???

 

[gunsnjeeps]

Thank you for the suggestions. Some good ideas here. Except running, I haven't ran since I got my retired ID card almost 16 years ago.

I don't plan on giving up all shooting or hand loading but I might have to consider just being a shooter again.

And probably not 4D chess, competitive Chinese checkers maybe.

 

[GrumpyOleFart]

A change is as good as a rest.
I didn't shoot for ages after leaving the services.
Then I took up bowhunting.
Once I came to Australia, and dumped the millstone(wife), the urge came back.
Loving it!
Hope you get your mojo back.

 

[GTOJOSH]

Just go to the gun store once a month and buy a new gun. Once your safe is full send everything to me and start over.
Once you're unarmed it'll come back quick to you. Whatever toys you miss most, are the first to reaquire.

 

[LR1845]

@gunsnjeeps im in the same rut here....with all the shit going on this year ive just slowly lost interest...with covid then the fires ill bet over half our matches have been canceled...the county closes our range if the air quality goes above 150.

also i see you say you run matches? from what ive seen at our club over the last 9-10yrs is the MDs seem to burn out pretty quick ive seen at least 8 MDs quit running matches and if i sat a thought about it i bet theres a few more.
take a break for running matches and or RO'ing and if it dont come back move on.

 

[DocRDS]

Shake it up a bit. Lots of good suggestions--there was a post somewhere on here about .22s and things to do so rather than sit and shoot a group, I printed out some KYL targets, etc...

Just something different.

Go the other way. Build a big ass magnum.

Sometimes shooting can be an effort, you gotta lug your gear, its 110 degrees (AND SEPTEMBER DAMMIT TEXAS). I'm just better after shooting. Rather than a match, just go plink.

 

[Familydude]

Was the same for me for a bit. Got tired of lugging all the gear around, cleaning, maintenance, etc. Sounds as if there’s a lot of responsibility attached to shooting for you. Maybe relieve yourself of some of that and just do the parts you still enjoy.

I started bringing my youngest son. As a new shooter, it gave me enjoyment to watch how much he enjoyed it. Plus, he carried most of the gear. Ammo isn’t free

 

[kthomas]

I can relate.

I've lost some enthusiasm for it as well. Used to shoot some national level PRS matches, and a bunch of local club matches. It's been a couple of years since I've shot a match. There's been a few factors that have contributed to that.

When I lived in Houston TX, there was a really great group of guys to shoot with, a really good range that was within an hours drive, and very well coordinated local club matches. Now that I'm in Tucson AZ, there's no real good ranges close to me to really practice PRS type shooting. I'm also not aware of any publicly accessible land nearby that's suitable for the type of shooting I want to accomplish - too many offroaders/atv's, hikers, bikers, etc. Public land is crowded around here from what I've found. The closest club matches are ~2.5 hours a way, which is a long (and horrible) drive on I-10 for a half day of shooting. Air travel is completely unappealing to me right now, so little appetite for national matches. I've also grown pretty tired of all the contrived props in matches - every match has more or less the same props and same stages, there's generally little creativity being employed in making matches, and there's not much strategy involved from stage to stage, match to match. PRS has turned into bag/tripod benchrest.

Personally, I wish there was more strategy involved in PRS style shooting events. All events seem to more or less incorporate the same stages and same props. The strategy is pretty much the same for all stages - employing either a bag and/or tripod, to reduce any challenge the stage was intended to provide. It really has turned into a form of benchrest competition as Frank alludes to - use a prop to make your rifle as stable as possible, and pull the trigger. I will say that I did really enjoy the few field matches that I shot - those at least were a bit more creative and strategic then typical square range matches.

I'm trying to find my fire for precision rifle shooting again. Not sure how or if I will really get involved in the match scene again, but I definitely want to put my rifles to more use. Currently I've really picked up the game of golf - I love the skillset and strategy involved in that sport, it's been a refreshing reprieve from precision rifles, you really have to use your mind to get around a golf course and to shoot lower scores.

I really want to get into hunting. Perhaps that will spark my desire to shoot precision rifles more often. I also have a suppressor that's in ATF jail, I know I will be pretty excited to shoot with that.

 

[ForgeValley]

Some hobbies have come and gone for me over a lifetime, and there are a few that have stuck, like shooting.

I try not to get too wound around the axle about it, and that keeps it fun.

For instance, the other day I had every intention of doing some load workup, had everything organized and ready to go. When I got to the range I decided what I really wanted to do was bang some steel, so I went to the 1000 yard range and had a great time.

I try not to make it a job. The quickest way to ruin a hobby for me is to approach it like it is a job to do.

Oh and I can definitely recommend the training. When I get bored I go take a class and that usually gets me motivated again.

 

[brianf]

if you are in a competition you will find passion by trying to get 1st not just shooting well.

expectation create passion, the willingness to put in the effort again and again is what fuels the fire

showing up and thinking 2nd is good enough because of a bad wind call, will never get you focused again

possibly try benchrest or f-class

you need competition that leaves no stone unturned...knowing that will get you trying harder ...knowing if you dont youll loose

 

[orkan]

@gunsnjeeps Look within.

Shooters have a tendency to measure their enjoyment and their fulfillment based on the social and competitive aspects of the sport. These very forums are indicative of this, as people are seeking the approval and acceptance of others every day. If the nature of your relationship with precision rifles is based on this type of social structure, then that hollow veil is easily pierced and can become tiresome and unsatisfying fairly quickly.

So too can the competitive aspects. If you attend competitions to establish yourself in the hierarchy, and you win enough, you will invariably grow tired of the winning. Anything can get repetitive... even winning. However, if you are there to proof yourself and compete with yourself ONLY, then you can expect it to be more fulfilling. Though this brings with it its own challenges.

There is more to shooting than competition. Shooting a precision rifle can lead you to a knowledge of yourself that I believe you can only find through shooting a precision rifle. To disappear yourself so completely behind the rifle that you can feel the impact before you've fired the round. That is a feeling you only get to have when you've devoted such time and effort to the discipline as to have it become entirely a part of you. As much a part of you as your heart. You can't buy that. You can't have friends affirm it or strangers on the internet provide it. It can only be earned. The perfect, honest, shot. Every time.

You follow your heart. You buy what you need to buy. You invent what you need to invent. You spend the time you need to spend. Eventually you can find calm confidence that only purity of purpose will provide. You get behind the rifle and you acquire the target through the scope... and you pull your mind out of the linear observation of time until the firing event is over.

No, I don't know how I will ever tire of this. The pursuit of getting that bullet to land exactly where I want consumes my waking thoughts and many of my dreams. Sharing that experience is the passion of my life.

You might be built to follow a different path. Find what speaks to your soul, and do it. Don't let anything stop you. Don't consult the internet. You're the only one with the answer.

 

[Fig]

You, my friend, sound like you have dearth of hookers and blow. Do you need a squirrel fundraiser to remedy your poor moral?

 

[308pirate]

Shooting a precision rifle can lead you to a knowledge of yourself that I believe you can only find through shooting a precision rifle. To disappear yourself so completely behind the rifle that you can feel the impact before you've fired the round. That is a feeling you only get to have when you've devoted such time and effort to the discipline as to have it become entirely a part of you.

I'm finding that zen in practical pistol competition (USPSA).

There are rare moments in which I unload and show clear and I can hardly remember shooting anything. I even have to go back and look to see if I did shoot at some targets.

Those times are when everything comes together so seamlessly that all my conscious brain is aware of is seeing a red dot appear on target and bounce twice and then move on to the next target. Everything else, trigger manipulation, footwork, reloads, transitions, etc happen in the subconscious mind.

It doesn't happen often enough yet, but when it does it's like a drug that makes me want it more.

As a bonus, I've found myself surrounded by a group of like minded men and women and we enjoy both competing against one another as well as supporting each other. Iron sharpens iron.

@gunsnjeeps you might want to look into USPSA. The gear and ammo demands are waaaay lighter than 3 gun. It also has a mature and stable ruleset and organizational structure behind it, which matters to me and a lot of others.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

I started shooting skeet in high school. Not competition, just shot for fun. Then, in my 30s, I joined a local club and soon entered a NSSA-sanctioned shoot. Hooked. Swallowed the hook. Went through three shotguns in the next 6 years before buying a Kolar skeet gun. Over the next five years, I shot maybe 10-12k or more shells annually. I got to AAA (top) classification in all four guns (12,20, 28, .410 bore).

Then, in 2002, the competitive fire just went out. I mean stone cold OUT. Over the next 10-12 years, I shot once in awhile. I even shot registered shoots once or twice. But mainly I was just done.

Then, I retired. I asked a buddy of mine who had done everything from competitive trap and skeet to 3-gun to cowboy action for suggestions for a different discipline to try. I ended up shooting a few steel challenge handgun matches and enjoyed that. I tried USPSA and IDPA and didn't care for it all that much. There was a 500 meter rifle range at the club which ran these handgun matches. I bought a used DMR-variant AR...

... and the hook was set again. That was 4 years and 7 rifles ago. I'm too old and slow to be anywhere near the leaderboards in big PRS matches, but I enjoy the competitions. I also attend matches which are friendlier to seniors, and nag range owners and MDs to run more "geezer matches" - I swear there's a huge untapped market there...

... But to my point, finally. Try a different discipline.

My Kolar gun is still in the safe. I haven't shot it since the rifle bug bit... but it's still there, and my son will have to deal with it when I'm dead because I won't ever sell it. Who knows. I may get the urge to shoot skeet again...

 

[6.5SH]

I started shooting skeet in high school. Not competition, just shot for fun. Then, in my 30s, I joined a local club and soon entered a NSSA-sanctioned shoot. Hooked. Swallowed the hook. Went through three shotguns in the next 6 years before buying a Kolar skeet gun. Over the next five years, I shot maybe 10-12k or more shells annually. I got to AAA (top) classification in all four guns (12,20, 28, .410 bore).

Then, in 2002, the competitive fire just went out. I mean stone cold OUT. Over the next 10-12 years, I shot once in awhile. I even shot registered shoots once or twice. But mainly I was just done.

Then, I retired. I asked a buddy of mine who had done everything from competitive trap and skeet to 3-gun to cowboy action for suggestions for a different discipline to try. I ended up shooting a few steel challenge handgun matches and enjoyed that. I tried USPSA and IDPA and didn't care for it all that much. There was a 500 meter rifle range at the club which ran these handgun matches. I bought a used DMR-variant AR...

... and the hook was set again. That was 4 years and 7 rifles ago. I'm too old and slow to be anywhere near the leaderboards in big PRS matches, but I enjoy the competitions. I also attend matches which are friendlier to seniors, and nag range owners and MDs to run more "geezer matches" - I swear there's a huge untapped market there...

... But to my point, finally. Try a different discipline.

My Kolar gun is still in the safe. I haven't shot it since the rifle bug bit... but it's still there, and my son will have to deal with it when I'm dead because I won't ever sell it. Who knows. I may get the urge to shoot skeet again...

"Geezer matches", that is literally how F-class was born.

I do think that is one thing the NRL22 does right with their "OG" class, not everyone can get up and down quickly.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

"Geezer matches", that is literally how F-class was born.

I do think that is one thing the NRL22 does right with their "OG" class, not everyone can get up and down quickly.

Shooting paper is, for me, boring. While I didn't get all that into USPSA or IDPA (patching targets - ugh), there is a club about an hour from me which runs USPSA-like matches with knock-down steel targets. That's more interesting.

My idea of an interesting geezer match, echoed by other oldsters, is a regular PRS-style target set and COF except they're shot from a bench or prone (shooter's choice) or other prop where the shooter has an easily-assumed solid rest and doesn't have to move much.

I shot a couple of NRL22 matches two or three years ago. Kinda contrived... let's see, roll a set of dice to determine what targets to shoot at or what order or somesuch... do a chicken dance before getting on the rifle... seriously? And every NRL22 COF I've read had kneeling or offhand stages. I can't shoot from unsupported kneel and a 15+ pound rifle isn't made for offhand. Maybe things have changed...?

Anyway. For the OP, maybe a different discipline will stir interest again.

 

[Supersubes]

I know jack about VA, but you need to get off an organized range and shoot somewhere else. Ranges are soul sucking. Get out and whack some coyotes. Upland game maybe. Get out in the wilderness. Catch some fish. If you set the guns down, they'll be there when you get back.

 

[BillOH]

My idea of an interesting geezer match, echoed by other oldsters, is a regular PRS-style target set and COF except they're shot from a bench or prone (shooter's choice) or other prop where the shooter has an easily-assumed solid rest and doesn't have to move much.

I also attend matches which are friendlier to seniors, and nag range owners and MDs to run more "geezer matches" - I swear there's a huge untapped market there...

I'm a geezer now. I shot USPSA and IDPA for years, but now I'm mostly shooting long range rimfire. There are several local to me matches where we shoot small steel targets from 25 yards out to 350 yards plus from a bench. My closest 22 PRS matches are 1.5 hours away but I'd like to go to one to see how they handle OG. I can only shoot from a bench now.

 

[The4GunGuy]

Hey GunsNJeeps, some good advice here, but it's all been centered around the shooting sport. My question is more around your true well being. Is this the only thing you've lost motivation for, or is it a general feeling beyond shooting? I agree that MD's get burned out very quickly because you can never please everyone and it grinds on you. BUT, if this goes beyond shooting, then you might want to seek help beyond this forum. With this pandemic and everything else going on in this World, it's easy to lose motivation for anything and everything. If it's just the shooting sport you're not motivated on, then I'd say step away for a while, or, just go have some fun practicing. Trust me, when I have to reload 200 - 300 rounds, it's not my favorite thing either. And when I'm loading all my stuff into the truck to get to the range or a match, it feels like it felt when I played golf and was so tired of the process of getting ready to play...Load clubs, unload clubs, load onto cart, put on shoes, go practice 30 minutes before the game, waiting on others, etc... It was the PROCESS of getting ready and thinking I should play the same every game that really drove me away from golf, not the game itself. I was down to a 7 handicap. But guess what? Every time I played I expected to shoot a 79 or lower...I didn't and it really made me mad...I was mad, at a game I should have been enjoying! The day I stopped keeping score was the best day of my golfing life! I literally don't care how I play golf now and I enjoy the game more than ever, even though I only play about three time a year after I found the shooting sport (started in 3-Gun and now I don't even shoot that, just PRS and 22LR matches).

Sometimes I feel the same about shooting. Getting ready for a PRS match, reloading, updating my loads and then the DOPE, making sure the Kestrel is calibrated properly, etc... I also started thinking that I could keep up with these young guys winning the matches. I can't. I'm not young anymore and so now, like golf, I just ENJOY the sport. If I shoot well (for me), I'm happy. If I shoot poorly, I'm happy. I'm not going to be a regional or national champion and I know that, so I just enjoy the sport now. So, in the end 1) Is this feeling just around shooting?; 2) Is it really still a passion for you (motivation and passion are different)? 3) What can you do over the next three months to use to step away and see whether you really want to come back to shooting?

Sorry for the rant here, and hope you find your passion again, because the motivation will follow that passion.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

My problem isn't motivation, it's being healthy enough. I can't really manage temps much above 85, and I have breathing issues from the cold (Cold Exacerbated COPD). But screw that, where there's a will, there's a way.

Here's an Idea, go on a Reindeer hunt.

Reindeer Wrapping Paper at 50-100yd and a 22.

Greg

 

[gunsnjeeps]

Lot of good things to reflect on here. I still enjoy trigger time. I've noticed some other things I've let slide I used to enjoy, too. The Jeeps side of things has been neglected recently.

The reindeer hunt reminded me of going on safari. Get a box of animal crackers and the .22. Itching my answer may be in the extremes, .22 LR and the .300 WM I have but haven't shot. Maybe. A "safari" with a Nagant "Hunting Carbine" I haven't shot.

On the Match Director side, I'm going to train an assistant so I don't have match reporting waiting for me when I get back from travel. Working on simplifying things and accepting more help.

 

[BullGear]

Find a bowling pin league and break out the handguns for a great time. Always tends to get my juices flowing again.