Shoot Rules

What are your clubs rules for off hand competition?

Any metallic sights allowed or open sight only?

Are shaders allowed?

Can you support your left arm against your body or must it hang free in the breeze?

It appears that each club has its own definition of "traditional" or "primitive" and "off hand shooting".

I am finding wide variations in allowable specs for rifles as I move between clubs with some clubs almost requiring rebuild of a rifle to meet their specs!

Unless you meet their exact standards you can pay your money and shoot but not place or win.

I can always carry around a stripped down poorboy with the crudest imaginable sights and a single trigger and pit my aging eyes against the 20 year olds, but I am tired of being required to shoot at about half of my potential because some yahoo doesn't like peep sights!

I am wondering how many variations we will find from club to club.

 

[Runner]

Most rendezvous around here are open sights, no shaders, peeps, chewstraps, slings, and no assist devices inside your glasses. All shots are standing offhand unless otherwise set up like a thru the log shot prone. Club matches vary a lot from paper punching to woods walk type courses. Most are plate targets in different setups every meeting. More and more the groups around here are moving to flintlock only because of the recent changes in the muzzleloading world. I go to one meat shoot where an old fashioned 30 yard bench match happens once a year. They use shaders and focusers in their glasses there. None of the shoots I go to would allow a peep.

 

[MikeChapin]

Most shoots/rendezvous around here only allow open iron sights with no shaders. The arm can be supported by the body. This was changed when the NMLRA started allowing it in the mid eighties.

Some clubs get a little heavy on the traditional and will not allow underhammers but any side lock, even mule ears, are fine.

I don't worry about what a particular club rules are. They are putting on the shoot and should be able to call what they want. If it gets too agregious I'll opt out and not shoot. Only had this happen once in 30 years.

 

[2172]

Our club requires open sights, but allows shaders and those stick-on-your-eyeglasses iris'...all shots are offhand, and the position of elbows is the shooter's choice...I'd like to see peep sights allowed at least for shooters past 70, but no dice so far...Hank

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I now go with this sight, designed to mount down the barrel. For the thread counter police, use a jeweler's saw with thin blade and cut a fine slit in the top. Viola, open sight with all the advantages of an aperture sight.
[url] http://trackofthewolf.com/cat...subId=167&styleId=768&partNum=RS-CA-PEEP[/url]

 

RULES? what are they? Nah, my local club shoots are very informal. Traditional rifles only, open sights. The last shoot I competed in had just two events--an overthelog shoot at a traditional "V" notch target [no rules in particular, you could shoot with the log as a rest, prone, sitting or offhand as long as you were behind the log--of course the 'rest' shooters would have the advantage]--and an offhand shoot at crow targets [no particular rules except you had to be behind a line]. Most of the guys probably never have seen shaders and nearly all of us have old eyes! Most of our shoots are 'variety' shoots at strange targets like suspended clay pigeons or match heads protruding from posts--hard to get too precise about 'rules'--except safety ones.

 

[faw3]

Ive been wondering about that one since someone put it up some months ago , you get it? if so how did it work? Ive got old old eyes to much sun,to much sand and water every place I lived. Fred :hatsoff:

 

[CrackStock]

"What are your clubs rules for off hand competition?"

Patched Round Ball only. I do not care if you bring an in-line with platict stock or fiber sights. (We never lost to those anyway)

"Any metallic sights allowed or open sight only?"

Any metallic sights.

"Are shaders allowed?"

Yes. (They work quite well too)

"Can you support your left arm against your body or must it hang free in the breeze?"

Yes, but we will laugh at you mecilessly if you toast your fingers by curling them up near you r pan which happens in this position.

I also find that I score better with my arm away from my chest as my heartbeats move my sights slightly when I support to my chest.

"It appears that each club has its own definition of "traditional" or "primitive" and "off hand shooting"."

The NMLRA regs actually provide good quidance for their shoots. You might look at their booklet.

"I am finding wide variations in allowable specs for rifles as I move between clubs with some clubs almost requiring rebuild of a rifle to meet their specs!"

We decided not to have battles, but rather to enjoy shooting. We focus on having fun and giving respect to the more primitive guys, but not mandating the primitive any further. Oddly, the true beleivers seem to wind up at the top anyway. They give what it takes to get there.

"Unless you meet their exact standards you can pay your money and shoot but not place or win."

Seems unneighborly to me. We try to avoid that attitude.

"I can always carry around a stripped down poorboy with the crudest imaginable sights and a single trigger and pit my aging eyes against the 20 year olds, but I am tired of being required to shoot at about half of my potential because some yahoo doesn't like peep sights!"

Again, we understand this idea and would welcome your peep sights and double trigger. Anyone who has not figured out that we need to make accommodations for older eyes, is pretty short sighted. This sport is mostly made up of older guys who have the money, time and interest in these guns. Why not make a reasonable accommodation for their visual needs?

I like a more relaxed atmosphere. Shooters are generally a collection of warm friends and they should approach rule making with that view firmly in focus.

CS

 

[rabbit03]

In my humble opinion I would let everyone shoot what they want. When we are all competing off hand as everyone knows we are all equal. I have laughed at some of the folks who have spent tons of money on equipment, sights included, when I have whoped them good with my old club.

I also think too that the heritage should be preserved in some matches so that they continue to reflect the roots of where we have come. And what better way than to have an offhand shoot (which I think is the real chmpionsip match) that is all original equipment.

rabbit03

 

I agree. One thing that is an advantage for me is that I have plinked offhand with open sighted rifles all of my life [since I was about 6 or 7, 55 yrs ago]. Many of the younger folks in my club were raised shooting scoped rifles from a rest. Offhand shooting takes experience--it is more an art than anything else--knowing when to let off the trigger in the waivering sight picture. In the offhand crow target shoot I alluded to above, I placed all three of my shots into the 'heart' area (9&10 'rings') whereas not one other shooter hit it more than once. Not trying to brag, just make a point. I was shooting a percussion longrifle I made myself with primitive iron sights. My eyes are not so good anymore, so I don't compete often. But I keep them in shape popping squirrels with an old open sighted Stevens Favorite.