NRA Cowboy PC Silouette Question

[Gaffer]

Why do the rules indicate that you have to load 5 rounds of PC Cowboy ammo into the lever rifle instead of single load. Is this the only way they use to prevent spire point bullet use and the safety factor thereof?

[Jim Watson]

I don't think it is a safety factor, there ain't many spire pointed cast bullets out there; I think it is a matter of loading the rifles as designed instead of wussing out like a SASS shooter single loading a '97 pump.

[cdrt]

I looked at the NRA Rule book for silhouette shooting and could not find a rule that says five rounds must be loaded at once. All I could find, was that the rounds must be loaded via the tubular magazine and that you shoot 5 rounds in two minutes. It did not say all had to be loaded at one time.

Am I missing something or are you dealing with someone's intrepretation of a rule that does not exisit?

BTW, I've never shot this event....just passing along what I found in the Rule Book.

[Gaffer]

I have shot NRA Silhouette since 1983. The cowboy rifle has only been a part of it for about 10 years and was included to give the cowboy shooters something to do on their off weekends. I have enquired of the NRA Silhouette Dept. but the department head is in Raton at national matches there and I have to wait until he returns for a definitive answer.

It doesn't make any sense to me to have to single load thru the magazine and lever it up into the chamber when you can load directly into the chamber and just close the rifle. The thru the mag puts twice the mechanical movement on the gun and just wears it out faster. My Winchester 92 was build 100 years ago in 1907, in 25-20, and I am trying to make it last a while longer.

I'll post what the NRA answer is but I am not at all confident as they tend to be very bureaucratic and opinionated.

[Smokin Gator]

How in the heck is starting a stage with an empty shotgun and single loading it on the clock , wussing out? Like all other shooting sports SASS is a game. Shooters find the fastest way for them. I use a double barrel myself and must also confess that I am not an expert on wussing out. OK, we get it. You don't like SASS. Sheesh.