rules for trade gun
- Thread starter rawhide
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Other than being a smoothbore and flintlock, I believe the rules are what the individual match organizers say they are. I have heard (haven't read yet) that NMLRA rules allow rear sights now. I'm not happy with that. 
BTW, I have seen an original Manton smoothie in .40 cal. and a nice, recent made, trade gun in .50 cal. IMHO, there should be no size restriction.
BTW, I have seen an original Manton smoothie in .40 cal. and a nice, recent made, trade gun in .50 cal. IMHO, there should be no size restriction.
Generally, up here in the PNW its smoothbore, flintlock and no rear sight. Never seen any caliber restrictions.
As far as load goes, you need to check with the organizers but in most cases you can load anything you think will work for that particular target.
As far as load goes, you need to check with the organizers but in most cases you can load anything you think will work for that particular target.
As Rifleman1776 already said, it's whatever the individual match organizers decide.
Many will go with NMLRA rules just to save themselves the trouble of writing their own rules tho. :wink:
This is from the most recent that I am aware of NMLRA rule book.
A PDF copy of the NMLRA rules can be seen here: http://www.nmlra.org/pdfs/RangeRuleBook5-10.pdf
Many will go with NMLRA rules just to save themselves the trouble of writing their own rules tho. :wink:
This is from the most recent that I am aware of NMLRA rule book.
A PDF copy of the NMLRA rules can be seen here: http://www.nmlra.org/pdfs/RangeRuleBook5-10.pdf
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Good. Glad to hear no rear sight rule is still with us. We all know that rear sights on all kinds of original smoothies did exist. But they were the exception and not the norm. For our use and enjoyment, we do not need confusion at competitions.
"For our use and enjoyment, we do not need confusion at competitions."
Seems to me the way to reduce "confusion" is to let people shoot what they have.
If somebody gets their knickers in a twist because one guy has a rear sight the answer is "you're free to add one yourself if you wish". What could be simpler?
Seems to me the way to reduce "confusion" is to let people shoot what they have.
If somebody gets their knickers in a twist because one guy has a rear sight the answer is "you're free to add one yourself if you wish". What could be simpler?
CoyoteJoe said:
There are matches for everybody and the gun(s) they bring with 'em. Just get your gun inspected, if necessary, and enter the match(es) you are equipped for. Or get the equipment for the matches you want to enter. :thumbsup:
I'm pretty sure twisted knickers are allowed but not required, or even suggested, in any matches.
NMLRA Rules:
Primitive Range Rules:
:haha:
Richard Allen
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Coyote Joe, the simplest thing would be for the person wanting to use a trade gun equipped with a rear sight to simply knock his/her rear sight out and conform to the rules like the rest of us. That person could replace the sight after the match.
I have had a belly-full of the majority being expected to change rules to satisfy the minority.
Richard
I have had a belly-full of the majority being expected to change rules to satisfy the minority.
Richard
The "No rear sight above the plane of the barrel" could probably be circumvented. I figure people will put a white stripe or some kind of mark on top of the barrel and reference it for a rear sight while looking down the barrel.
Richard/Ga. said:
Agree completely. We are trying to maintain the spirit of the era the guns represent. Current day practice (actually for many years now) has been the "no rear sight" rule and most smoothies are built that way for that reason.
The current rules now bring up a question for me. What about smoothbored military weapons? I currenty use a NSW Officers Fusil as my trade gun which was not intended as a hunting firearm though I'm sure they were. Up till know no one has said anything, could they?
On the other subject brought up about rear sights, let anyone who wants to use a rear site on their trade gun compete with the rifles should they so desire and compete at a disadvantage instead of changing existing rules or the character of the current event.
Bruce
On the other subject brought up about rear sights, let anyone who wants to use a rear site on their trade gun compete with the rifles should they so desire and compete at a disadvantage instead of changing existing rules or the character of the current event.
Bruce
CoyoteJoe said:
CJ, it has been shown, there is still room for a sighted smoothie at many shoots. This will be my last comment on this issue.
To follow your (IMHO) non-logic, we should then allow percussion in flint-only matches; men in ladies-only; peeps in open sight-only; and on and on. Sporting events exist only because of a prescribed set of rules. e.g. football is not basketball.
Please, relax and enjoy our unusual avocation within the rules.
Obviously at a national match there are enough competitors to have a category for everything.
I am thinking in terms of small events where you maybe have 8 or 10 smoothbore shooters total. One guy has a side by side 12 gauge, another has a percussion single, another has a .56 Renegade, another has a smoothrifle and the rest have trade guns. They either all shoot together or they each shoot alone.
At the small events I attend it is only in the last few years that we began to see a smoothbore event at all. It is encouraging to see a few people bring smoothbores and it would be asinine to tell potential shooters "no, you can't use a 12 gauge", "no you can use a sighted gun".
It looks to me like a lot of you "rulebook" people got your knickers in a twist at the mere suggestion that maybe we really don't need so many stinkin rules.
My idea of a "level playing field" is shoot what you got and don't whine about what someone else has.
I am thinking in terms of small events where you maybe have 8 or 10 smoothbore shooters total. One guy has a side by side 12 gauge, another has a percussion single, another has a .56 Renegade, another has a smoothrifle and the rest have trade guns. They either all shoot together or they each shoot alone.
At the small events I attend it is only in the last few years that we began to see a smoothbore event at all. It is encouraging to see a few people bring smoothbores and it would be asinine to tell potential shooters "no, you can't use a 12 gauge", "no you can use a sighted gun".
It looks to me like a lot of you "rulebook" people got your knickers in a twist at the mere suggestion that maybe we really don't need so many stinkin rules.
My idea of a "level playing field" is shoot what you got and don't whine about what someone else has.
paulvallandigham
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My local BP club is a NMLRA Charter club, so we advertise that we use NMLRA rules. BUT, at the request of flintlock shooters, years ago, we combined both Percussion and Rifle matches, so that we would have better and more prizes. The flintlock shooters did not feel they were handicapped by their firearms, and were quite willing to compete with the percussion shooters.
We simply make a note on the score sheet when someone shot the match using a flintlock.( It bothers the Caplock shooters a lot to be beaten by a flintlock!) If at the end of a 2-day rendezvous, we have enough scores shot with flintlocks, we set them aside in a "flintlock" category, and award prizes to them separately.
I only mention this is because CJ makes a great point for people to consider: Smaller venues tend to adopt their own "rules" out of necessity.
As Jim said, check with the Match Director at smaller events to find out what is allowed, and what isn't. If a match won't allow a rear sight in a smoothbore match, then remove the rear sight, as suggested for that match.
Ask about stripes on the barrel, etc. to see if they are also allowed. No sense going to a club match, and finding out that while you CAN't use a rear sight, all the other shooters have some form of "cheater" rear sights on their guns- from tape, chalk, paint, and even raised Tang screws so that the screw slot can be used as a rear sight. :shocked2: :idunno: :surrender: :hatsoff:
We simply make a note on the score sheet when someone shot the match using a flintlock.( It bothers the Caplock shooters a lot to be beaten by a flintlock!) If at the end of a 2-day rendezvous, we have enough scores shot with flintlocks, we set them aside in a "flintlock" category, and award prizes to them separately.
I only mention this is because CJ makes a great point for people to consider: Smaller venues tend to adopt their own "rules" out of necessity.
As Jim said, check with the Match Director at smaller events to find out what is allowed, and what isn't. If a match won't allow a rear sight in a smoothbore match, then remove the rear sight, as suggested for that match.
Ask about stripes on the barrel, etc. to see if they are also allowed. No sense going to a club match, and finding out that while you CAN't use a rear sight, all the other shooters have some form of "cheater" rear sights on their guns- from tape, chalk, paint, and even raised Tang screws so that the screw slot can be used as a rear sight. :shocked2: :idunno: :surrender: :hatsoff:
:idunno: I guess I'm "rulebook people" but my knickers are not twisted at all.
The thing is, every shoot, from the smallest to the largest, has someone who puts on that event. That person or group decides what the rules are because it is their shoot. Everybody else just shoots in whatever group their equipment fits according to those rules.
There has to be rules if more than one person is competing. It's a rule. :wink:
If you only have one gun, and it is a sighted smoothbore, and they don't allow it in the smoothbore competition at that event, then shoot it in the rifle division.
If you don't like the rules at one event, go to a different event. There are lots of 'em with different rules.
If you can't find any events that you like, organize one with rules you do like. It's unlikely you'd have to go that far tho.
The thing is, every shoot, from the smallest to the largest, has someone who puts on that event. That person or group decides what the rules are because it is their shoot. Everybody else just shoots in whatever group their equipment fits according to those rules.
There has to be rules if more than one person is competing. It's a rule. :wink:
If you only have one gun, and it is a sighted smoothbore, and they don't allow it in the smoothbore competition at that event, then shoot it in the rifle division.
If you don't like the rules at one event, go to a different event. There are lots of 'em with different rules.
If you can't find any events that you like, organize one with rules you do like. It's unlikely you'd have to go that far tho.
Steve Tobler
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tg said:
Oh, that's why ?
:grin:
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