What have I done for you lately? AKA Responding to a sponsorship question.

A few posts back I asked if anyone had a specific question about sponsorship in the shooting sports world, or at least my experiences with it. I got a comment asking "Funny, I was just thinking about this topic. I figure once we have all our gear, I think we only really need two things from our sponsor... help with entry fees & ammo. Would like to hear how your sponsors have helped you. Thanks."

For this shooter, it seems the first priority is gear. The physical equipment one would use in competition, based on his saying "once we have gear". These are pretty durable items and often a once a season expense. The reader then says he/she thinks their next greatest need is ammo and entry fees. If you shoot, practice or compete often then this is at least a weekly expense so let's run through some numbers.

Ammunition. I make my own 9mm for 13 cents a round using high end components. You can make it for 9 cents if you're thrifty. When I was receiving bullets for free I could make 9mm rounds for about 5-6 cents a piece. If you're buying ammo off the shelf you'll be happy to pay 20 cents a round and it won't nearly be the quality of what one can make for themselves. A match is about 150 rounds and you'll easily shoot 300 rounds a week in practice, so let's say you are not doing much and shoot 500 rounds a week for 2 thousand a month. (I often shoot one thousand a week and rarely less than 500). Make it yourself and pay $260 a month for ammo or buy it and pay at a minimum $400 if not $500 most likely. (Atlanta Arms, Automatic Accuracy, Freedom Munitions, LAX and so on)

Match Fees. I live in California so I'm sure they are higher but a local match here is $25 to enter. Shoot 4 a month and that's $100.

So your costs to be an active competitive shooter run about $350 to $600 a month for match fees and all your ammo. Month after month, year after year. This doesn't count travel, food, training, range fees, all the high costs of going to major matches out of state and so on. It is very easy to spend $20,000 in a year if you have to fly out of state once a month to shoot a match and do all of the local stuff as well.

Ok, so his/her real question was how have my sponsors helped me? Well first, every single one of them has made me sign a Non Disclosure Agreement stating I would not reveal the exact nature of our deal. But what I can do is talk to you about generalities and what I've seen and went through myself.

One, find a sponsor who will pay you cash if you can. That is extremely hard to do as the level of accountability is pretty high. They want a sure return on their investment. If you can find a way to do this, then do it! I do have cash payments each month but to earn them I have to do very specific things in regards to media, photos, reporting and so on. It can be done but it seems to be rare. Where I've seen people be surprisingly successful in this is finding a benefactor. Essentially a person who cares enough about you and/or the sport to help pay your match fees. These are often the friends you make at the range, in your squad or wherever you are frequently at and have an honest and true friendship with someone. The number one rule I've heard from people I've approached over and over again is no one cares if you're the best shooter in the state if you're a jerk.

Ammo. Many ammo or bullet companies have contingency programs. This is the best place to get help with ammo in my opinion. You have to look hard and do some good Google work but they are out there. I participated in one from The Blue Bullets that was an excellent program that even gave you credit for local match wins. If you're a local hot shot it was easy to get about $100 worth of free bullets a month. But you have to win! The next best thing I've found for people who want help with ammo is to befriend one of the shooters who has primary sponsorship from an ammo or bullet company. Buy some of the product at retail. Shoot it. Talk with their sponsored shooter about it and your experiences. Build this relationship, help sell their product, represent it in a good light. When you do these things I've been asked if I want to by product from them at a greatly reduced price, or given a special discount code, or given 500 rounds to sample.

Currently I get free brass and that is the extent of my ammo support. But that is by choice and I haven't approached anyone about this matter. I do have access to ammo at half price should I choose to, but I prefer to make my own as right now I am choosing to shoot a jacketed bullet over a coated one.

Not exactly the answer to your question, but yes I get some cash from some sponsors that pays match fees or a hotel or whatever. And as far as ammo I just get all the free brass I can handle. (Though I have had other offers I did not accept.

Personal relationships will go farther than anything else in the beginning. Who you know and how well you know them will open more doors than winning. Winning is awesome and that opens doors as well, for sure. But to start the people you're around and who know about you will be your best bet. Now if you want strategies on how to maximize these relationships that is a different post! hahahaha.