202 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[March 28, 1889. 



AMERICAN SHOOTING ASSOCIATION RULES. 



FOR LIVE BIRD SHOOTING. 

 Single Birds. 



Rule 1. Referee— Sec. 1. A referee shall be appointed, whose 

 decision shall be final in all tournament or sweepstake shooting. 



Sec. 2. — In individual matches a referee, scorer and pullers may 

 be agreed upon and named by the contestants. 



Role 2. Appeals.— Sec. 1. In all matches other than tourna- 

 ment or sweepstake, appeals from the referee's decision will be 

 decided by the Association's Court of Appeals. 



Sec. 2. Any contestant making an appeal shall notify the 

 referee of his intention immediately, and shall hand such appeal 

 to the referee in writing within twenty-four hours and shall send 

 a copy of the same to the Association's office in New York city 

 within ten days. The referee shall forward his copy also with a 

 statement of the time of its receipt, together with any e xplana- 

 tion he may care to make within ten days. 



RuleS. Special Dutkn of Referee.— The referee shall see that 

 the traps are properly set at the beginning of a match and are 

 kept in order to the finish and that they are kept properly filled. 

 He shall at any time select one cartridge from a shooter's at the 

 score, when challenged by a contestant, and publicly test the 

 same for proper loading; if found improperly loaded the shooter 

 shall suffer penalty as provided for in Rule 14. 



Rule 4. Balk— It any contestant is balked or interfered with, 

 or there is other similar reason why it should be done, the referee 

 raa\ allow another bird. 



Rule 5. Shooter at the Score— In all contests the shooter must be 

 at the score within three minutes after his name is called to 

 shoot, or he forfeits his rights in the match. 



Rule 6. Scorer - .— A scorer shall be appointed by the manage- 

 ment, whose score shall be the official one. All scoring shall be 

 done with ink or indelible pencil. The scoring of a lost bird shall 

 be indicated by an "0." and of a dead bird by a "1." 



Rule 7. Announcing the Score.— At the close of each shooter's 

 score the result shall he announced; if claimed to be wrong, the 

 error, if any, shall be corrected before another shooter goes to the 

 score. 



Rule 8. Distances.— All distances mentioned in these rules must 

 be accurate measurement. 



Rule 9.— Arrangement of Traps.— All matches shall be shot from 

 5 ground traps, placed 5yds. apart, in the segment of a circle; the 

 radius of the circle shall be 30yds. from the shooter's score. The 

 traps shall be numbered from No. J on the left to No. 5 on the 

 right, consecutively. 



Nate.— A ground trap is one that lies flat with the surface of the 

 ground when open, and gives the bird its natural flight in 

 starting. 



Rule 10. Boundani.— The boundary shall be a semi-circle, the 

 radius of which is £0yds. from the shooters score; the ends of the 

 semi-circle shall terminate at the dead line, the rear boundary, 

 which shall run at right angles to a line, drawn from the shooter's 

 score to trap No. 3. (See cut.) 



by any other person than the shooter at the score, the referee 

 shall decide whether it shall be scored or another bird allowed. 



Rule 27. Endangering Person or Property.— If any bird shall fly 

 so that to shoot at it would endanger an y person or property, it 

 shall not be shot at, and the referee shall allow another bird. 



Rule 28. Tifg.-Sec. 1. All ties shall be shot off at the original 

 distance, and as soon after the match as practicable, at the fol- 

 lowing number of birds: In matches of 10 birds or less, 3 birds. 

 In matches of 11 to 25 birds inclusive, at 5 birds. In matches of 

 26 to 50 birds inclusive, at 10 birds. In matches of 51 to 100 birds 

 inclusive, at 25 birds. The shooting shall continue until each tie 

 is decided, provided that the shooting shall cease at sunset, unless 

 the contestants otherwise agree. 



Sec. 2. Ties if not shot off at the close of any day will be con- 

 tinued the next morning at a specified hour. Any contestant not 

 present when called to the score after the hour named, or within 

 three minutes thereafter, shall forfeit his rights in the match. 



Rule 29. Challenges.— See. 1. No one but a contestant or his 

 representative can challenge, and the challenge must be made 

 before the next shooter goes to the score. 



Sec. 2. In tie shooting no one shall be considered a contestant 

 except those in their respective ties. 



Rule 30. Forbidden Shooting— No shooting will be permitted 

 within the lnelosure other than at the score, and in case there is 

 no incio*ure no shooting within 200yds. of the score, except by 

 those at the score. 



Rule 31. Mutilating Birds.— If it ispioved to the referee that 

 any contestant has wilfully mutilated a bird or is a party thereto, 

 the referee shall r'eclare all his rights in the match forfeited. 



Rule 32. Class Shooting.— All shooting shall be class shooting, 

 unless otherwise stated. 



Rule 33. Conduct. — No person, whose conduct is ungentlemanly 

 upon the grounds, or who shall persistently violate any rule 

 after his attention has been called to the fact, shall he permitted 

 to participate in a contest; and the referee shall so decide. The 

 management giving a tournament under the rules of the Ameri- 

 can Shooting Association may suspend the offender and report 

 the suspension to the Association for final action; and the Asso- 

 ciation shall have the power to suspend the offender for such 

 period of time as the gravity of the offense may warrant, and 

 during the period of such suspension the individual suspended 

 shall not be allowed to participate in any contest held under the 

 rules of this Association. 



Rules for Double Bird Shooting. 



Rule 1, Rules for single bird shooting shall govern double bird 

 contests when not conflicting with the following: 



Rule 2. Double Birds.— The double rises shall be from two traps 

 of any kind, 10yds. apart, pulled simultaneously; 26vds. shall be 

 the rise for 10-bore guns, and 24yds. for 12-bore and smaller gauges. 

 If the weight of any 12-bore gun, except a magazine or repeating 

 gun, shall exceed 81 bs., the rise shall be the same as for 10-bores. 

 Magazine or repeating guns may weigh 81bs. and 2oz. without pen- 

 alty; if over that weight the rise shall be the same as for 10-bores. 



Rule 3. Both birds should be on the wing when shot at. Should 



Shooters score. 



Rule 11. Tlic Rise.— The rise shall be 30yds. for 10-bore guns, 

 and 28yds. for 12-bore and smaller gauges; use of both barrels al- 

 lowed. If the weight, of any 12-bore gun, except a magazine or 

 repeating gun, exceeds 81bs. the rise shall be the same as for 10- 

 bores. Magazine or repeating guns may weigh 81bs. 2oz. without 

 penalty; if over that weight the rise shall be the same as for 10- 

 bores. 



Rule 12. Pulling the Traps— Sec. 1. The puller shall be placed 

 at least 6ft. behind the shooter, and a trap-pulling indicator must 

 be used to designate which trap shall be pulled. The traps shall 

 be pulled evenly and fairly for each contestant, and instantly 

 after the shooter calls "pull." All traps must be full before the 

 shooter calls "pull." 



Sec. 2. Should the puller not pull in accordance with the indi- 

 cator he shall be removed and another puller substituted. 



Sec. 3. If more than one bird is liberated the shooter may call 

 "no bird," but if he shoots the result must be scored. 



Rule 13. Caliber of Gun — No gun of larger caliber than 10-bore 

 shall be used. 



Rule 14. Loads.— Charge of powder unlimited. Charge of shot 

 134oz. American Shooting Association shot measure, struck off. 

 Any shooter using a larger quantity^ of shot shall forfeit his 

 entrance money and rights in the match. 



Note.— If in the opinion of the management, with the unani- 

 mous consent of the contestants, the shooter has not willfully 

 vitiated this rule, his entrance money shall be returned to him. 



Rule 15. Loading Qnns.So gun shall be loaded except at the 

 score. Cartridges must be removed from the gun before leaving 

 the score. 



Rule 16. Position of Can.— The shooter may hold his gun in any 

 position, except against the shoulder, until he calls "pull." If the 

 position of the gun is challenged, and sustained, the result of the 

 shot, if a dead bird, shall be declared "no bird;" if a miss, "lost 

 bird." 



Rule 17. Failing to Load.— If the shooter fail to load his gun, 

 another bird shall be allowed from an unknown trap. 



Rule 18. Gun not Cocked.— If a gun is not cocked, or the safety 

 not properly adjusted, and the bird escapes, it shall be scored a 

 "lost bird." 



Rule 19. Miss-fire with the First. Barrel.— It the shooter's gnu 

 miss fire with the first barrel, and he uses the second barrel and 

 misses, the bird must be scored "lost bird;" but if killed with the 

 second barrel, on the wing, it shall be scored "dead bird." 



Rule 20. Miss-fire With the Second Barrel.— If a miss-fire occur 

 with the second barrel, the shooter shall have another bird, using 

 a full charge of powder only, in the first barrel. He must, how- 

 ever, nut the gun to his shoulder and discharge the blank cart- 

 ridge in the direction of the bird, and the bird must be on the 

 wing when the first barrel is discharged. 



Rule 21. Birds Killed on the Ground.— Sec. 1. A bird killed 011 

 the ground with the first barrel is "no bird," but it may be killed 

 on the ground with the second barrel, if the first is fired while it 

 is on the wing. 



Sec. 2. If a bird is shot at on the ground with the first barrel, 

 and the shooter fails to kill with the second barrel, it is a "lost 

 bird;" if killed, "no bird." 



Rule 22. Birds Refusing to Fly.— When a bird refuses to fly. 

 such artificial means as have been provided by the management, 

 may be used to start it, by direction of the referee. A bird bit 

 with a missile shall be declared "no bird." The shooter may de- 

 clare a bird refusing to fly, when the trap is pulled, "no bird." 



Rule 23. Leaving the Score.— A shooter having fired his first 

 barrel and left the score, cannot return to fire his second barrel. 



Rule 24. Gathering Birds.— Sec. 1. If challenged, a bird to be 

 scored must be gathered in bounds, by a dog or shooter, or, the 

 shooter may appoint a person for that purpose. Three minutes 

 time will be allowed to gather, but no extraneous means shall be 

 used, and no other person shall be allowed to assist in gathering. 



Sec 2. If any gatherer cannot locate the bird, he may appeal to 

 the referee to locate it for him. 



Sec. 3. All birds challenged must show shot marks to be scored 

 "dead bird." 



Rule 25. Out of Bounds— A bird once out of bounds must be 

 scored a "lost bird." 

 Rule 36. Birds Shot at by Another Person — If a bird be shot at 



only one bird fly, the shooter shall have another pair of birds if 

 he does not shoot, or, if he does shoot, and kill the bird on the 

 wing, but if he shoots and misses, the bird shall be scored as lost, 

 and in such event he shall shoot at another pair of birds, with a 

 full charge of powder only in one barrel. The referee shall load 

 the gun, not allowing the shooter to know which barrel contains 

 the full charge, and which contains the powder charge only. 



Rule 4. If the shooter's gun miss-fire with the first barrel, he 

 will be entitled to another pair of birds if he does not shoot his 

 second barrel; but if he tires the second barrel the result must be 

 scored, and the shooter shall shoot at another pair of birds, with 

 a full charge of powder only in one barrel, as provided for in Rule 3. 



Rule 5. If th»^ shooter's gun miss-fire with the second barrel, the 

 result of the first barrel must be scored, and the shooter shall 

 shoot at another pair of birds, with a full charge of powder only 

 in one barrel, as provided in Rule 3. 



Rule 6. If a shooter fires both barrels at one bird, it shall be 

 scored a "lost bird." 



Rule 7. If both birds are killed with one barrel, it shall be de- 

 clared "no birds," and the shooter shall shoot at another pair of 

 birds. 



Rule 8. Ties.— AH ties must be decided in shooting off, as fol- 

 lows: In matches of 5 pairs or less, at 2 pairs. In matches of 6 to 

 10 pairs inclusive, at 3 pairs. In matches of 11 to 20 pairs inclu- 

 sive, at 6 pairs. In matches of 21 to 50 pairs inclusive, at 10 pairs. 



FOR INANIMATE TARGET SHOOTING. 



Rule 1. Judges and Referee.— Sec. 1. Two judges and a referee 

 or a referee alone, shall be selected to judge. 



Sec. 2. If the judges cannot agree, the referee shall decide; and 

 his decision shall be final in all tournament and sweepstake shoot- 

 ing. 



Sec. 3. In individual matches a referee, scorer and puller may 

 be agreed upon and named by the contestants. 



Rule 2. Appeals.— Sec. 1. In all matches other than tournament 

 or sweepstake, appeals from the referee's decision will be decided 

 by the Association's Court of Appeals. 



Sec. 2. Any contestant making an appeal shall notify the ref- 

 eree of his intention immediately, and shall hand such appeal to 

 the referee in writing within twenty-four hours, and shall send a 

 copy of the same to the Association's office in New York city 

 within ten days. The referee shall forward his copy also, with a 

 statement of the time of its receipt, together with any explana- 

 tion he may care to make, within ten days. 



Rule 3. Special Duties of Referee.— The referee shall see that the 

 traps are properly set at the beginning of a match, and are kept 

 in order to the finish. He shall endeavor to make the targets con- 

 form to the flight and direction indicated in Rule 13. He shall 

 test any trap upon application of a shooter at anytime, by throw- 

 ing a trial bird therefrom. He shall select one cartridge from a 

 shooter's at the score, when challenged by a contestant, and shall 

 publicly test the same for proper loading; if found improperly 

 loaded the shooter shall suffer penalty as provided for in Rule 17. 



Rule 4. Balk.— If any contestant is balked or interfered with, 

 or thpre is other similar reason why it should be done, the 

 referee may allow another bird. 



Rule 5. Shooter at the Score.— In all contests the shooter must 

 be at the score within three minutes after his name is called to 

 shoot, or he forfeits his rights to the match. 



Rule 6. Scorer.— A scorer shall be appointed by the manage- 

 ment, whose score shall be the official one. All scoring shall be 

 done with ink or indelible pencil. The scoring of a lost bird 

 shall be indicated by an "0," and of a dead bird by a "1." 



Rule 7. Keeping the Score.— Sec. 1. The call for a broken bird 

 shall be "dead bird," and the call for a missed bird shall be "lost 

 bird." 



Sec. 2. When two judges and a referee are serving, one of the 

 judges shall announce the result of each shot distinctly, and it 

 shall be called back bv the scorer. If the second judge disagree 

 with t he decision of the judge calling, he shall announce it at 

 once, before another bird is thrown, and the referee shall decide 

 it. In the event of another bird heing thrown before the referee's 

 decision, the bird so thrown shall be "no bird." 



Rule 8. Broken Birds.— A bird to be scored "dead bird" must 

 have a perceptible piece broken from it while in the air; a "dusted" 



bird is not a broken bird. No bird shall be retrieved for shot 

 marks. If a bird be broken by the trap the shooter may claim 

 another bird; but if he shoots the result must be scored. 



Rule 9. Announcing the Score.— At the close of each shooter's 

 score the result shall be announced; if claimed to be wrong, the 

 error, if any, shall be corrected before another shooter goes to the 

 score. 



Rule 10. Screens.— Either pits or screens, or both, may be used, 

 but the screens must not be higher than is actually necessary to 

 fully protect the trapper. 



Rule 11. Distances— All distances mentioned in these rules must 

 be accurate measurement. 



Rule 12. Arrangement of Traps.— All matches shall be shot from 

 three or five traps, set level, 5yds. apart, in the segment of a 

 circle or in a straight line. When in a segment of a circle the 

 radius of the circle shall be 18yds. In all cases the shooter's score 

 shall not be less from each trap than the rises provided for in 

 Rule 15. The traps shall be numbered from number 1 on the left, 

 to number 3 or 5 on the right, consecutively, according to the 

 number used, as shown in cut. 



\ 201 Yds. / 



\ 



JOlYdsA 



I 

 I 

 I 



\ 



A 



£hooter$ score. 



Scale %in. to yard. 



Note— To get angle of birds thrown from traps Nos. 2 and 4, measure back 

 Gyds. from trap No. 3 on line to shooter's score to point marked A. A line 

 from this point drawn across traps 2 and 4 will give proper direction of 

 flight. The birds from traps 1 and 5 should cross line or flight of straight-i 

 away bird at a distance beyond trap No. 8 of not less than lOvds. nor mote 1 

 than 20yds. 



Rule 13. Adjusting Traps.— Sec. 1. Air traps must throw the 

 birds a distance not less than 40yds. nor more than 60yds.; and each 

 trap must be tested fot this standard distance before the shooting 

 begins. If any trap be found too weak to throw the required dis- 

 tance, a new trap or spring, that will, must be substituted. 



Sec. 2. The lever or projecting arm of the trap shall be so ad- 

 justed that the elevation of the bird in its flight, at a distance of 

 10yds. from the trap, shall not be more than 12ft. nor less than 

 6ft., and the angles of flight shall be as follows: 



If 3 traps are used (see cut), No. 1 trap shall be set to throw a left I 



I 



/ 



/ 



Shooter's score 



Scale %in. to yard. 



Note.— To get angle of birds thrown from traps 1 and 3, measure back 6yds 

 on line from trap No. 2 toward shooter's score to point marked A. A line 

 drawn from this point across traps 1 and 3 will give proper direction of 



quartering bird. No. 2 trap shall be set to throw a straightaway 

 bird. No. 3 trap shall be set to throw a right quartering bird. 



If 5 traps are used (see cut), No. 1 trap shall be set to throw a 

 right quartering bird. No. 2 trap shall be set to throw a left quar- 

 tering bird. No. 3 trap shall be set to throw a straightaway bird. 

 No. 4 trap shall be set to throw a right quartering bird. No. 5 

 rap shall be set to throw a left quartering bird. Traps Nos. 1 



