I guess we’ll have to just agree to disagree on this one. I’ve spoken with him a few times. He’s a nice guy, but I don’t know him well enough to say we are friends or to ask him how much he makes. Heck, I don’t ask my close friends that, but….
Your dates for the contract I mentioned are incorrect. He didn’t shoot his first USPSA Nationals until 1981 (finishing 10th) and his first Steel Challenge and Bianchi Cup in 1982. According to the biography on his own
website, he didn’t ”quit his day job” as a computer operator until 1987, when he started his firearms training business. He got a “major contract” with Springfield in 1989, which I believe wasn't the 10 year / $100K per year deal which came a few years later as mentioned in the American Handgunner article from 1996 discussed above. So the 10 year deal wouldn’t have ended in 1990, but sometime in the last 4 or 5 years. I don’t doubt it was increased after it ended, but with the economy as it is, etc, I have a hard time believing that it went up anywhere close to 10 fold.
I'm not going to post it here, but a thorough search on the internet (there is WAY too much information available on all of us out there, IMHO) reveals a lot of interesting info. I'll just say that though it looks to me like he does well, it is not consistent with a 7 figure or near 7 figure annual income, let alone that much from just his major sponsor.
There is a good thread about what professional shooters make on Brian Enos’ forum here:
http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=86703&hl=salary&st=0
One of my favorite things about most shooting sports, but USPSA in particular, is the ability to compete against and with the best in the world. It's not like that with many other sports. It's also cool to be able to take a training class with them so easily. Rob lists classes on his website for $150 and $260, respectively, in Arizona. Try to get a class at all with Federer, Tiger, Lebron, etc, let alone for this little money. Heck, try to get one for $1000!
