Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

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GrahamW
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Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#1 Postby GrahamW » Thu Mar 30, 2017 12:11 am

I think there's a lot of confusion as to what is "legal" and acceptable in regards to wet weather covers for F Class, so I'm going to post here the relevant SSR rules and my interpretation of them along with my wet weather setup.

Hopefully we can get some sort of definitive answer as to what IS accepted and what isn't.

Firstly, the current (relevant) rules.....

SSRs 10th March 2017 wrote:CHAPTER 3
TARGET RIFLE (TR)
RIFLES, AMMUNITION and ACCESSORIES
TR Accessories :
3.2 Aids and Accessories Permitted
3.2.1 A waterproof mat may be placed over the fore end and breech mechanism to prevent the entry of water.
3.2.2 Competitors may use a ground sheet or coat provided they are laid flat on the ground and do not form an artificial rest or prop for elbows. Scope supporting stand legs must not be placed under the ground sheet or mat in any place.
3.2.12 Sun or Rain Shelter
Shelter from the Sun or Rain may be provided on the mound at the discretion of the Organising body. The shelter may not have sides or be organised in such a way that the shooter is protected from the effects of the wind. The use of shelter for protection from extreme conditions of heat and the sun is highly recommended.

3.3 Aids or Advantages Not Permitted
3.3.1 Except as provided in Rules 3.2.1 and 3.2.12 deliberate screening of a competitor or his rifle or both from the sun or weather when taking part in a competition is not permitted.

CHAPTER 20
F CLASS TARGET SHOOTING [FC]
NOTE:- Where these rules for both F Open and F Standard do not specifically cover a particular subject that may arise then the Rules as pertaining to TR shall apply.

20.4 Range Equipment
Range equipment such as shooting mats, jackets, spotting scopes as per TR rules.


20.9 Standard Rifle
(mmmm nothing relevant)



So, for FS & FO basically nothing relating to wet weather and therefore must go to TR rules which really don't have any properly defined rule other than
"3.2.1 A waterproof mat may be placed over the fore end and breech mechanism to prevent the entry of water".

My opinion is that FS and FO should be defined the same as FTR.
I also believe the TR rules should be more clearly defined.

SSRs 10th March 2017 wrote:F/TR DISCIPLINE
NOTE:- Where these rules for F/TR do not specifically cover a particular subject that may arise then the Rules as pertaining to TR shall apply.

20.46 Screening. A barrel mirage band is permitted and black or coloured adhesive tape may be applied to the top surface of the barrel.
A flexible or rigid cover may be used to prevent dust or rain from getting into the action. More general cover may be provided by a piece of transparent material not exceeding 1 metre square over the scope and action which:-
20.46.1 Does not interfere with the RO’s visibility over whether the bolt is open or not,
20.46.2 Is attached to the rifle in such a way as to ensure that the material cannot be blown away by wind or muzzle blast, and
20.46.3 Does not interfere with the shooter’s partner or his equipment.
20.46.4 Personal shooting ‘tents’ are not permitted.


As an F Standard shooter with the lack of any properly defined rule I have taken the 3.2.1 (TR) rule and read it as, "I can use any waterproof material to cover the fore end & breech to prevent entry of water".
There is no definition or distinction between attaching it to the rifle or ground or any size restriction. So, in the spirit of the rules intention, "to not provide any unfair advantage over any other competitor", I created my solution to include the FTR defined rules of 20.46/1/2/3/4 (Screening), which I considered appropriate as I shoot off a Bi-pod.

(NOTE: 20.46.4 - I believe "Personal" to mean a "Person" and therefore my setup does not contravene this rule.)

Below I'll post some pics to "hopefully" show you what I consider to be a legal & acceptable setup for F Class.

This is a light weight (8G), clear plastic sheet using 4.6mm fibreglass rod and cheap plastic drawer handles cut & drilled for connectors/corners.

cover2.png


It's attached to the bi-pod by simply slipping the fibreglass rods into mounting points fixed to the bi-pod.

cover_front1.png


Removed from the bi-pod the overall dimensions are about 940mm x 500mm (clear plastic coverage).

cover_detached.png


Removing the 3 cross-member braces allows rolling up to a small 1 metre length package.

cover_rolled.png



Now, I should point out a couple of specific requirements I had when coming up with my best wet weather solution.

Firstly, I use a bi-pod with a linear guide rail/bearing system which allows the rifle to recoil freely from the bi-pod.
Here's a video from a few years back (2012) when I first made the bi-pod ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiBmkDjXvjE

There have been several changes since that first test but the principles remain the same.
For years in wet weather I put up with a simple plastic cover draped over the scope & action that dragged back with the recoil and had a huge affect on my wet performance. I needed a cover that didn't interfere with the rifle recoil and eventually came to the above concept, which after initial testing seems to perform as intended.

BUT, from testing last Saturday I found the biggest hurdle was going to be having it accepted as "Legal" under the SSRs.

So the purpose of this (somewhat long) post is to get some opinions and thoughts (and maybe an official response from the powers that be) on the legality of this wet weather solution.

Thank You,
Graham
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Malcolm Hill
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#2 Postby Malcolm Hill » Thu Mar 30, 2017 5:47 am

Hi Graham. The set up looks pretty good and should keep the rain out. Because it is attached to the bipod it would have to be included in the weight of your rifle and bipod. Also be careful of rule 20.10.1.2 b "the feet of the bipod must be free to slide freely in any direction." Regards Malcolm.

mike H
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#3 Postby mike H » Thu Mar 30, 2017 7:01 am

I will stick to FTR,personally my opinion is that that your bipod arrangement is dubious.

GrahamW
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#4 Postby GrahamW » Thu Mar 30, 2017 7:49 am

Malcolm Hill wrote:Hi Graham. The set up looks pretty good and should keep the rain out. Because it is attached to the bipod it would have to be included in the weight of your rifle and bipod. Also be careful of rule 20.10.1.2 b "the feet of the bipod must be free to slide freely in any direction." Regards Malcolm.


Thanks Malcolm,
Yes the total weight with cover included still comes in under the 10 kg limit. The feet of the bipod are free to move in any direction. They're actually now a curved "roller" which makes height adjustment a lot smoother, the whole purpose of the bipod is that it doesn't bounce around, so while the feet can move freely in any direction they generally only do so when you want them to.

feet.png


Cheers,
Graham
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johnk
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#5 Postby johnk » Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:17 am

A device with a similar bow frame attached to a bipod was considered & deemed by the NRAA board in the first quarter of 2016, declared to be illegal & was so reported on this forum.

GrahamW
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#6 Postby GrahamW » Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:27 am

mike H wrote:I will stick to FTR,personally my opinion is that that your bipod arrangement is dubious.


Hi Mike,

Thanks for your input, that is the purpose of this post but could you be more specific please.
Exactly what do you find "dubious", the bipod itself or the rain cover (or both)?

If you're referring to the bipod, I've been using it since 2012 and have shot several Queens and many OPMs without any comment or complaint from meeting officials. In the first 12 months or so of using it there were the occasional "naysayers" and opinions that it wasn't within the rules but when asked for details on why, no-one has been able to give me an example of any rule that it contravenes.
Also, there are several other shooters using a similar bipod setup.

If you're referring to the rain cover, that's why I posted, I feel the rules as they are currently create a "grey area" in their interpretation so I appreciate any opinions on how everyone interprets the rules.

Regards,
Graham

johnk
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#7 Postby johnk » Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:29 am

It's towards the end of this thread: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6112&hilit=wet+weather

GrahamW
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#8 Postby GrahamW » Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:35 am

johnk wrote:It's towards the end of this thread: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6112&hilit=wet+weather


Thanks John, I did search but somehow missed that thread, will have a read through it.

Cheers, 8-)

johnk
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#9 Postby johnk » Thu Mar 30, 2017 9:18 am

Took me a while to find because the post started long before your question arose, and I knew about it & could look for the spoor in my emails to NRAA.

Malcolm Hill
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#10 Postby Malcolm Hill » Thu Mar 30, 2017 9:44 am

Hi Graham. With the bipod feet being able to move freely in any direction it could be deemed that with your cover on movement to the rear could be limited by the string across (under) your sandbag. The cover is attached to the bipod and could also be said to be attached to the sandbag, connecting the front and rear rests which is also a no no . Regards Malcolm.

jasmay
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#11 Postby jasmay » Thu Mar 30, 2017 10:20 am

Sounds to me the best and safest thing you could do to both not hold the chance of being DQ'd and be quick and easy to setup is a simple sheet of clear plastic with weights stitched in on 2 sides to keep it from blowing away, and personal wet weather clothing.

John.K. what would you best device look like, and don't say a cold beer on the veranda while the weather passes [-X

GrahamW
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#12 Postby GrahamW » Thu Mar 30, 2017 10:51 am

OK, after reading through the thread pointed out by JohnK HERE, I have scrapped this idea and will simply go back to draping a sheet of clear plastic over my scope & action.

Thank you all for your input.

8-)

mike H
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#13 Postby mike H » Thu Mar 30, 2017 1:36 pm

Graham,
I was referring mainly to the bipod,there may be no rule to forbid such an arrangement,but if a bipod is attached to the forend of the rifle,I would think it should recoil with the rifle.I do have a narrower view of what is cricket regarding rules than many others,however if the rules people have approved it,keep on using it.
Mike.

johnk
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#14 Postby johnk » Thu Mar 30, 2017 1:40 pm

I believe that any flexible material that unsupported under 1 metre square with the proviso that it doesn't impede sighting the action for safety purposes & perhaps can be constrained from interfering with other shooters.

I think that that covers NRAA & ICFRA rules, but I will ready myself for broadsides.

GrahamW
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Re: Current Legal Wet Weather Accessories

#15 Postby GrahamW » Thu Mar 30, 2017 2:06 pm

johnk wrote:I believe that any flexible material that unsupported under 1 metre square with the proviso that it doesn't impede sighting the action for safety purposes & perhaps can be constrained from interfering with other shooters.

I think that that covers NRAA & ICFRA rules, but I will ready myself for broadsides.



Well, hopefully this setup will pass muster.... [-o<

img_2.png


img_3.png


img_8.png


Note in the 3rd pic the cover has 2 Velcro tabs attached to the bipod to prevent it blowing away.

I think if this isn't acceptable I'll simply stay home on wet days.

:?
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