Opinions, please.

[J.B. Books]

John, Mal often shoots a Purdey hammer pigeon gun with very tight chokes. On the skeet field he consistently breaks 24 and 25's. He prefers full choke for both skeet and sporting clays. That day was the first time he used that gun and he broke a 95x100 if I remember correctly. I was runner up with an 83 I think. All targets were within the range of a skeet choke, if anyone had a handicap it was Mal. He is a gifted shooter and nice guy to share a beer and pizza with after the shoot.

I am a firm believer it is hard to handicap a good shooter. Back in the 90's when hand fed traps were still prevalent in ATA trap shooting, the old Winchester traps were set in the 2 hole for soft angles. The ATA made a rule one year for 3 hole targets with the idea it would help even the competition. Singles and Handicap, nothing changed, the leader board was still filled with same usual names with the same great scores.

To digress a bit. Back in the 70's there was a Can-Am sponsored moto cross racer named Jimmy Ellis. I was at a motocross track in Maine and he was there. They put Jimmy 100 yards behind the starting line of the 250cc Pro class, facing backwards with a dead engine. He still managed to catch the field and win the race.

It's hard to beat God given talent whether it's in shotgun sports or racing.

[C.O.B.]

John are you referring to the rule in the challenge that dissalowes sub guage tubes?

I'm not in favor of allowing tube sets to reduce guage for the reasons mentiond previously. A 5.5 lb 28 handels differently than a 8lb 12 and so it should.

I believe the guns should be original as they left the factory. NO modifications. I see guns at the challenge that are Parker or Smith in frame only. The barrels are new, forcing cones lengthened to reduce recoil, ported barrels etc. These are supposed to be vintage shoots with vintage guns not vintage frames with modern upgrades.

I think the PGCA/LCS challenge has some other challenges as well but thats a different topic.

[Bill Murphy]

Rich, tubes are allowed at the Challenge, for composite barrelled guns only. It's not much of an advantage in that event, since it's a "heads up" competition. Small gauge competitions are a different situation altogether. I won the .410 event at the first Southern Side by Side with a tubed 20 gauge Damascus Parker when it was legal. The rules were wisely changed and it kept me from doing it again. I agree that tubed guns in small gauge events are an unfair advantage and violate the spirit of the event. So far, "Truit Specials" are legal, but probably still violate the spirit of the event.

[John Truitt]

Murphy,

What does "Truitt Specials" mean.

I think you are way out of line.

check your PMs we should talk!!!!

[John Truitt]

COB,

I was not thinking of the Challenge Event.

I was thinking of the subgauge events on the sporting courses at these events.

My original post/ question was brought up after multiple conversations with some folks who want to start up/ grow a shoot. They were interested in allowing tube sets so to include more shooters. I raised the question to get a feeling on how our group felt about this.