New members uptake of BBS

[Segata]

It could be a case of avalible time and income, alot of mine actually went down the Airsoft route as its what was flooding the market when we were teenagers.
Many who were young in the heyday periods are now those towards the older end of things, their kids are grown and they are winding down so they are more able to revisit what they enjoy and have also the financial means to invest i their kit.
Doesn't mean the hobby will die with them though, there are definately younger people getting into them, you may however see forum usage drop as much of the sub 30 demographic do not bother with chat rooms or forums, some even barely use sites like facebook preferring newer things like Instagram.

[sebbo200]

With permissions ever more increasingly difficult to come by, stricter rulings on purchasing where you can use one etc may all be contributing factors to less people joining the sport

I suppose with so much good choice for not loads and loads of money people are less liable to tinker and thus hunt for information on performance upgrades for rifles, quite a few are good enough out the box, can sit in the corner of the airing cupboard like they went in dispatch pests and go back away

I found the forum when looking for advice on the net and been a member since

ATB seb

[angrybear]

Far more things to do with your free time now, many on line based, plus how many modern homes have a garden big enough to plink in ?
I think the whole of society has become unconsciously anti gun from toys up, and as I've said on other threads shooting clubs just don't advertise that they exist to encourage youngsters in.

[madcarlos]

At around age 15+ I could shoot a 1000 pellets Most days, Even cheap pellets are £10 + a tin these days , The days have gone where you could have a gun fight with your neighbours over the garden walls, Spent hours shooting through the bedroom window at objects floating down the river when in flood, Back in my early days as a kid most of us started with shotguns, Never no hassle walking around with them or shooting then down by the river etc, As us middle to old age die off I think air rifles will decline, The older guns will also start decreasing in value, Not many around this way who shoot regularly these days, Its not as restricted as most places but still nothing like it was back in the 70s/80s.

[Born Again]

As a kid I lived within walking distance of an abandoned quarry, much enjoyed by kids with air rifles and old motorbikes. My mum sewed me up a case from vinyl so I could carry my rifle up there.

It's a country park now, with a visitor centre and art installations. The kids hang around outside the off licence.

[madcarlos]

As a kid I lived within walking distance of an abandoned quarry, much enjoyed by kids with air rifles and old motorbikes. My mum sewed me up a case from vinyl so I could carry my rifle up there.

It's a country park now, with a visitor centre and art installations. The kids hang around outside the off licence.

We had a old pit baths opposite us, Around 100 yards long , upstairs and roof top. Played football, tennis ,cricket and a lot of shooting, Upstairs was in two rooms, Great for the sling when shooting marbles, The marbles would bounce back quicker on the way back once hit the wall, You had to dodge the marbles on the way back, Got knee capped once by a rebound.

[Manxi]

As a few members have mentioned about the past.Seems years ago it was easier to take up the sport, this day and age to many problems relating to forms of weapons (eg education) so this will I believe cause a depletion in airgunning
Cheers manxi

[MartynB]

A lot is about cost, when you consider price of say HW77 back in early 1980's and what it is now

[BigDuncs]

This might raise hackles but it's from my experience. When my lad was in his teens, he was interested in FT/HFT. We went to several clubs and the reception was poor in all but one of those clubs. I was tempted to say to them if this is the way you treat newcomers to the sport, you're not going to attract young people, but I honestly thought they wouldn't care. Lee Valley was the exception but it's a fairly long drive for me. We took up full bore target shooting instead.

While of course there are a huge number of competing interests for kids these days, compared to when I was a lad, most of the clubs that I went to need to do things differently if they want to attract new and young members.

[MartynB]

While of course there are a huge number of competing interests for kids these days

Motorbikes / cars and girls, in that order

[Segata]

In fairness I was in Cars before the Guns, Guns kinda replaced engines as you can fettle more easiley a Gun than an engine with a bust back.
Will hopefully get back to Cars alongside Guns, maybe fit a rack in the back or go the whole hog and get a shooting brake conversion done.

[nishijin]

Considering the toxic culture prevalent on many online forums, even a lurker will eventually stop logging in.

As far as actually putting rifles in hands and bums on seats, the cultural shift has moved with the money. Only a fine percentage can afford to drive 30 minutes to pay by the hour, to use a rifle once in a blue moon.

The less available the option, the less attractive the option becomes.

[Jas]

I'm still kicking about. Joined at 24 years old and was one of the younger members then, now I'm 48 - damn....

I think from memory there were not a lot of youngsters on here even back then

[derekm]

"While of course there are a huge number of competing interests for kids these days"

Motorbikes / cars and girls, in that order

More like Faceache, TikTok and video games; anything that requires minimal conscious thought

[derekm]

The younger generation generally don't seem to be interested in active and hands on hobbies and pastimes. It's more about social media, fashion, latest "tech" and general "bling". This forum is quite sensibly mainly assistance and technical (apart from MO and NAG of which I am no longer a part ). A quick look on Faceache shows tha contrast; buzzwords, likes, aimless photos and repeats of hearsay. Annoying having to sort the wheat from the chaff regarding technical queries, advice and discussion. A nuisance for those with experience of the subjects in question, but totally misleading for newcomers to any given field. It's a generational thing and not about to get better soon IMO.