What’s happening to LRH?

[brush_buster]

I'm so glad we have a forum that offers a wealth of knowledge on a variety of topics. I'm pretty sure if this forum only offered long range hunting topics it would suffer in participation.

There are always people who want to complain about something. It's the nature of today's society.

 

[Prairie]

I've been on a few forums and it has really been quite refreshing interacting on this one because it's a welcoming environment. Not like a "safe space" to protect fragile egos or anything like that, but in general, there seems to be a preponderance of fairly reasonable guys here. Sure, once in a while things get goofy and I learned early on what flies and what doesn't. I think what you're seeing here is a "diversity" of new shooters or folks that are just interested in Long Range Shooting (which is kind of a relative term). Many of them (like me) left other more pretentious forums because the interaction was not productive and/or they got jilted. I think that many here romanticize about shooting 1,000 yards but probably never will. So what? if they are getting something positive out of it and it helps inform their "Long Range" objective, what's not to like?
I agree with others that the site has probably "evolved" more than anything else.

Also not to be a Puritan, but I think some of the rules around potty-mouth and the posting of inappropriate material are good too. In a way, it sets the forum apart and makes good sense. The more people that feel welcome on a shooting forum, the better. It reflects well on our sport and bodes well for the prospect that we'll be able to keep enjoying it.

I think you hit the "nail" SQUARLY on the head! Well said!

 

[browndcm]

I doubt I will comfort you here, but forums evolve. Maybe what was once a certain age group of like minded people at some point needs to take on new members, and liking the outcome may become tougher. It is still a premier hunting site though.
I was in a conversation with the owner of Snipers Hide yrs ago, he made the statement that you cannot buy your way into what he called his game. I begged to differ, capable gun smiths are all over this country building accurate rifles. The tools available to learn are at your fingertips today. Whether at the reloading bench, apps for dopes, and the optics today.
What may have taken you years to learn or accomplish, people are doing the same in a fraction of the time and can be vocal about it, lol
With growth comes diversity, fact of life.

Very true

 

[milo-2]

Why do so many people follow professional sports?
It's just simple numbers. Guys who can actually, reliably, pull off the long distance shots are relatively few and far between. Fewer than those who attempt and fail. The people who are real long range marksmen are the fighter pilots and astronauts of the shooting world. Most of us will never be all that, and yet we are attracted to what they have to say, because that is the gold standard for what we do, and we can all dream. So we come here and look in amazement at what it is possible for humans to do. And by association, we steal a little glory. And, being human, we put in our two cents. When you consider what it takes to put a bullet in the right spot at great distances, it's just incredible. And so, the forum ends up like the rest of the world, a few exceptional people floating in a sea of the average.

Your post makes good sense, but is it not up to each of us to push ourselves to become these guys? I'm not saying take pot shots at game too far away, but practice till you can, tune that load and the rifle.
I am more of a steel shooter than hunter, but today I bang steel with 6 dashers that 6 yrs ago I needed a 7 saum to reach that far.
It's great to honor the old guard, and miss them, but halfway through the first game of the world series last, it dawned on me that either Cole or Scherzer would have struck The Babe out 5 times. And if The Babe had been on the mound, it would mimic batting practice. As much as I'd like to pat myself on the back, there is someone younger, newer to the game that can do anything I can with a lot less effort.

 

[ndking1126]

I agree with some of the posters that part of it is probably they we've learned enough that it doesnt make sense to keep having the same conversation over and over. I spent many years being active on thefiringline and one day had the same realization - I was getting bored because I knew enough that everything was being repeated. Thats when I started spending more time here. All along sometimes I would come over here but overall I didn't know enough to understand the terms being used. I had to up my game before coming here. I agree the conversations have changed, but I'm still glad that new people are being educated on LR marksmanship and hunting.

 

[Shadowwalker]

I have been in the benchrest accuracy business for 50 years both competing and making winning guns. The problem with all forums is there is so much junk issues on items not pertaining to the forums actual mission or subject matter that the really good shooters, technicians and smiths etc want nothing to do with it. I wrote on accuracy for 8 years for 3 publications and spent more time arguing with shooters who knew nothing on the subject at hand calling me at two in the morning ...that I just quit.
You will never see the best info on any forum. You will see self made experts testing loads in the wind off a rickety bench at insane distances. It is the nature of the beast. WINNERS WIN BECAUSE THEY KNOW SOMETHING YOU DO NOT...do your homework and seek out the experts.
This forum does have some really good members offering up the best knowledge they possess. Beware of those that find the need to be an expert on everything out there and post every day. As Ed Shilen remarked to me one day at the shop, "The uninformed are always the most positive"

 

[Bravo 4]

I'm so glad we have a forum that offers a wealth of knowledge on a variety of topics. I'm pretty sure if this forum only offered long range hunting topics it would suffer in participation.

There are always people who want to complain about something. It's the nature of today's society.

I can agree with you on pretty much your entire post, and maybe I am just griping. Maybe I just miss reading from the pioneers on here. I still learn from this site, but maybe just not as much and that's what I miss.

 

[ofbandg]

I have had many rifles that don't shoot to their potential and this place gives me ideas on how to fix them. The ranges I shoot at are getting shorter not longer because I can't hold a rifle as steady as I used to, but I still visit this forum because it helps me hit a bullseye at 500 yards and that makes me confident when shooting animals at 300. What makes it truly special is that it's civilized and I don't have to read off-topic foul-mouthed rants on race, politics, religion, or favourite sporting teams to get at the information I need. That this site can produce valuable knowledge and helpful exchanges 365 days a year for over ten years is a testament to Len and his hard-nosed management. No open site with this many participants will ever be anywhere near perfect but, to me, this is as good a it gets.

 

[sturner]

First, I want to say that this is one of the best forums in the internet. It truly is a wealth of knowledge concerning all things long range shooting/hunting. I've been on here for quite awhile (~10 years) but recently I've noticed quite the change in the thread content and topics. Seems like the focus has been shifting more and more away from long range hunting/shooting to just simple general hunting and gun stuff...nothing really wrong with that but it seems to be driving the focus away from the prerogative of the site, and what drew me (and I'm sure others) here to begin with. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I want this site to remain the authority on long range hunting and continue to be the treasure trove that it is. Currently, however, I feel like we're really diluting the resource. Rant over.

When I was young 300 yards was a long shot (1979) shot and killed a white tail buck with a 222 at 280 yards. Now I kill white tails at 600 yards with a 22-250 well that's not long range any more
I shoot steel at a 1000 with a 22-250 and that seems like a long distance to me but other think that's no far with that being said the longer you shoot at distances the shorter they seem and new people coming into this need to develop their skills and be encouraged and not get ahead of their self so they can make long distance kill shots and not wounding shots

 

[Bravo 4]

Now this is the crap I'm talking about. Just read this on a thread about a guy talking about his son killing an elk with a 6.5 cal. Another posted about his rifle and limitations.

 

[del2les]

I have been in the benchrest accuracy business for 50 years both competing and making winning guns. The problem with all forums is there is so much junk issues on items not pertaining to the forums actual mission or subject matter that the really good shooters, technicians and smiths etc want nothing to do with it. I wrote on accuracy for 8 years for 3 publications and spent more time arguing with shooters who knew nothing on the subject at hand calling me at two in the morning ...that I just quit.
You will never see the best info on any forum. You will see self made experts testing loads in the wind off a rickety bench at insane distances. It is the nature of the beast. WINNERS WIN BECAUSE THEY KNOW SOMETHING YOU DO NOT...do your homework and seek out the experts.
This forum does have some really good members offering up the best knowledge they possess. Beware of those that find the need to be an expert on everything out there and post every day. As Ed Shilen remarked to me one day at the shop, "The uninformed are always the most positive"

Reminds me of an old quote:
"Wise men know nothing, intelligent men question all, and a fool knows everything."-Unknown

 

[catamountsierra]

I don't remember how long I have been here, but this is the only forum I actually post on. I readily admit to not having nearly the experience that many others have and still feel like I am just starting out. So far, my longest shot on big game has been under 225 yards, and I would probably limit myself to no more than 400 on game at this point, but I have the goal of being able to reliably take shots to 1000+, even if I never actually shoot game at that range. As someone else mentioned, being able to take those longer shots adds one more tool in the hunters toolkit.

I've noticed some of the changes, and I expect that a significant part of that is people who are in the same position that I was in when I started. The core of what brought me to join this forum, instead of just reading it when Google provided links to it, has not really changed. This is a place with a huge range of knowledge across a large range of subjects (hunting, shooting, reloading, etc.) with experts who were willing to answer my own questions, or let me bounce ideas off of them, without talking down to me or being patronizing. This is a place where people generally respect eachother and support their arguments when they disagree. Also, while I was recovering after being in a car accident, and stuck at home unable to do much besides read forums and wish for better equipment, people on this site encouraged me, checked in on me, and generally cared about my recovery.

If I see a thread where I have some experience to offer, I try to pass on what I have learned, but I try to stick with what I actually know or have experience with. I think most people on this forum have a similar attitude, and there are a number of people on this site that I have a lot of respect for. All of us are at different parts of our learning, and we do seem to be having a lot of growth in membership, but this place is actually a community where we learn from eachother.

 

[del2les]

Now this is the crap I'm talking about. Just read this on a thread about a guy talking about his son killing an elk with a 6.5 cal. Another posted about his rifle and limitations.

Why come to a LRH site and then complain about LRH? Isn't that like joining a drag racing site and then questioning the need to drive faster then 55 mph?

 

[jasonco]

@Chase723 You are not in the minority on this!I mentioned this a couple weeks ago also, somewhere here. I came here already knowing about marksmanship skills and a high degree of reload development. Just wanted more knowledge for shooting game way out there and this was the place to be, at the time! Now it's like "Shooting 101 for the new shooter"?!