Watch yer topknot

[knobsmt]

Don what shoot did this happen ? the shoots at baker and ekalaka it is said at shooter meeting rifles on sticks when loading will have to watch that and be sure people do as told ..at the shoots everyone should be range officer and speak up when they see something wrong ..

[Don McDowell]

Mark, I'm not sure how this guy slipped thru the cracks at the shoot where this incident happened. There was a lot of shooters crammed into a fairly tight area, I would of thought someone would of picked up on it and made some corrective action.
It might be a good thing in your morning pep talk to keep folks reminded about the muzzle down range when chambering, and so on and so forth.

[knobsmt]

looks like might have to make signs to remind people muzzle pointed at the target and rifle on sticks when chambering a round and at the off hand target to use the off hand stands that are there that way you can keep all your toes ....

[Lumpy Grits]

Was there no RSO's walking the line, when this AD happened?
Surely this wasn't his first round fired that day--

Gary

[Don McDowell]

Giving consideration to using sticks with the 22 and levergun matches might not be a bad idea. There's a plenty of muzzle's flipping around in those matches as well..

[Freedom]

Sometimes I think people have been doing things wrong for so long it is hard to change them without shutting down the whole match and addressing/teaching the individual the "proper" way to do something.

I believe that the man that had the AD was bringing his rifle to full cock (instead of half-cock) after each shot and before opening his action to remove the empty shell. He then reloaded and closed his action while the rifle was across his lap. I was three shooters to his left and was shooting prone (thank God!)

We were all under a covered shooting line and as near as I could tell the round struck the dirt and was deflected (by a railroad tie) down the shooting line and over everyone's head...the guys at the far end later asked what had happened because they all heard the bullet go by

My new Shiloh rifle will forever carry the scars from his carelessness,...but at least I won't. My spotter was bleeding in 2 places, but very minor....later than night one of his teeth broke. He figures it was also caused from the flying rocks/lead/etc.

I should have shoved the rifle up his ass and kicked him down the stairs..... But by this time it was just "spilled milk" ...the situation and loading practice needed addressed more than anything.

Many, if not ALL, the dangers associated with big crowds of shooters, would go away if we put a stop to the stool/seated shooting...Prone ONLY would make things a lot safer

I can't even count the times that I have seen sticks fall over, rifles falling from sticks on recoil cause they were too close to the muzzle, guys climbing over the line to retrieve fallen sticks. Sticks and stools that are WAY to tall.....and my all-time favorite, guys falling off of or tipping over there stools , while holding the cocked and loaded buffalo rifle!!

Prone would make this so much safer...and yeah I've heard the BS from guys that claim they can't shoot prone.....but if you can lay in your bed, you can sure as hell lay on a shooting mat.

[Don McDowell]

I don't know if I would subscribe to the all prone thing or not, but I do think that there needs to be some limits on stools, and crossticks need to meet certain criteria. The rule from the NRA book that says a rifle cannot be loaded until it is pointed toward the target (they described a loaded cartridge gun as one with a round in the chamber) needs to be strictly enforced. Folks running the friendly gong match, may have to start digging around for RSO's of some sort, that could include a fulltime score keeper/RSO. I am somewhat surprised that insurance regulations don't mandate RSO's at all firing points.
One thing at Alliance it is very hard to keep your sticks set in that soft sand ahead of the concrete. I have often thought they would be much better off to move the firing line ahead of the concrete and get everybody down on the ground level.

[Kurt]

"Prone would make this so much safer...and yeah I've heard the BS from guys that claim they can't shoot prone.....but if you can lay in your bed, you can sure as hell lay on a shooting mat."


I for one will say that I cant shoot prone for an entire match. If I did someone would have to pick me back up if the rifle barrel is to hot to climb up on. You evidently still have a good enough back to be able to shoot on your belly. If I had to shoot the match prone I would have to bow out and not shoot it. I can shoot a whole lot better prone than sitting but I just cant anymore.

Kurt

[Shadow 4]

Prone would make this so much safer...and yeah I've heard the BS from guys that claim they can't shoot prone.....but if you can lay in your bed, you can sure as hell lay on a shooting mat.

Freedom,

Here you go.

I can't shoot prone. Must be bullshit, huh? I lay on my bed just fine, on my side, & I can only lay on my back if my shoulders are at least slightly elevated, BUT I CAN"T LAY ON MY STOMACH!!!!!!!!!! Understand now? & sometimes, if I've been immobile to long, (laying down) I can't lay on my back either, I have to STANDUP!!! for the pain to somewhat subside & me to carry on with my day. In pain.

That's not a "CLAIM" that's a damn fact!

After shooting prone, the pain in my right ass cheek is unbearable. Why? Because of the degenerative & bulged disc in my lower back thats why. And I'm only 50!!!!!!!!!!!! For me to shoot prone the firing line would have to be sloped uphill AND I would have to be shooting, AT THE VERY least, level down the range, preferibly at a slight down angle.

3-4 years ago I was having a conversation on matches, shooting & our ageing contestants with a tall skinny gentleman. In that conversation the topic of support was discussed, he told me that we never want to disquailify someone because of a limitation, if they can't shoot from the ground let them shoot from a chair, was asked "do you rest your elbows on your knees"? I replied, "Yes, yes I do." He said then if someone is 70 years old & can't, & needs to place a pillow ontop of their leg to be able to rest their elbow on their leg why would you not allow them to, & continue to participitate, in a safe manner?

ALOT of the reason the sticks fall over is the SPIKES are to f'n short! Why are their spikes to short?

Maybe thats why at some places they let them POUND their crossed sticks into the ground with a hammer. Becasue it's safer & THEY KNOW IT!

The reason Don's not "subcribing" is because his Idaho potatoes, Wyoming T bone's & his rot gut Wyoming Whiskey is in the way, like alot of people

"Prone would make this so much safer...and yeah I've heard the BS from guys that claim they can't shoot prone.....but if you can lay in your bed, you can sure as hell lay on a shooting mat."


I for one will say that I cant shoot prone for an entire match. If I did someone would have to pick me back up if the rifle barrel is to hot to climb up on. You evidently still have a good enough back to be able to shoot on your belly. If I had to shoot the match prone I would have to bow out and not shoot it. I can shoot a whole lot better prone than sitting but I just cant anymore.

Kurt

How many more of these guys do we want to eliminate?
I for one, as a young guy, I'm getting tired of losing to all the old guys all the time, so lets just regulate them out of competition. Kinda like your government regulates you.

You cannot regulate everything to a perfect world so nothing goes wrong. Why? Because people are involved.

Oh, by the way, that tall, skinny gentleman that gave me such great advise, he happens to be the match director for the largest Black Powder Rifle "GONGBONGER" MATCH IN THE WORLD.

Hence the rule,

"the only time you are allowed to chamber a round is if the rifle is on the sticks & pointed down range, no exceptions"

The above is repeated at my matches Ad nauseam

Like stools, maybe we should take all cars away from everyone, they might drive drunk!

Get it, get it?

[bryany]

Some folks can't physically shoot prone, that's a fact. There is also no limit to the length of your cross stick pins in gong matches. Make them a foot long for places like Alliance or Casper where the ground is soft. Make another pair for Quigley or other ranges where the ground is firm.

The shooter still needs to control the firearm and never have a cartridge chambered until the rifle is on the sticks and pointed downrange. Every shooter and spotter on the line should be acting as range safety officers. You can suggest nicely that someone not do what they are about to do but if it becomes an immediate safety concern call a cease fire and remove them from the line without concern of hurt feelings. I'd rather make someone mad at me than let them shoot someone on the line. I can't imagine any match director not backup up such a process.