I'm on the fence with this one. I purchased a set of gauge mates at the Parker Silent Auction two years ago, but have yet to use them to this day. The only time I thought about using them was at Backwoods during the Fall Southern. I wanted to shoot the small bore course because the folks I was shooting with were going out to do so. I had 20ga inserts for my 16ga gun, but was told that I couldn't compete with the gun in this configuration. For me, it was about shooting with my friends that afternoon, not about trying to win the 20ga event. I can understand arguments from both sides. As you said John, there are people who have spent a lifetime collecting guns and spending the money to acquire a diverse collection. Not all of us will be able to compete in the .410 Hammer Gun competition, because we just don't have that gun in our collection. The purist in me agrees that competitions should be shot with guns in the original configuration. On the other hand, as someone who is relatively new to collecting vintage doubles, and someone who hasn't had the opportunity (or the funds
) to acquire guns of every caliber (yet), it keeps someone like me from competing in more events, which means less competition and less revenue for the event sponsors. There are not may people our age who are interested in keeping up this tradition of shooting vintage doubles, and I'd hate to see any limitations on competitions for this reason. If there is an unfair advantage to shooting a gun with gauge mates versus the original configuration, then that is another story.
Mike