Rev. 9/13

######### SHOTGUN RULES

- 1. Shotguns: Safety and courtesy are first. Shotguns may be no larger than 12 gauge and should be (but are not required to be) capable of shooting two (2) shells without reloading, since all ties will be settled by shooting doubles.
- 2. Ammunition: 12 and 20 gauge shot shells in low brass will be furnished and will be 2-3/4” trap or field load not exceeding 1-1/8 oz. shot. Shooters using guns other than 12 or 20 gauge must furnish their own shot shells, which must be comparable to those furnished by the tournament. They must be delivered to the Range Officer before the relay begins by the team coach and approved by the Range Officer.
- 3. Each participant will fire one (1) shot in turn from each of the five (5) stations from a ground or electric trap until four (4) shots have been fired from each station. Participants should only shoot at whole birds. On command contestants will move to the next station and repeat the procedure for a total of 20 rounds with each break counting 10 points with a possible score of 200. Participants will load only one (1) shell at a time. All other participants will leave the actions open until it is their time to shoot. Once in the ready position, the participant may mount the shotgun in any safe manner prior to calling for the target. The only time the firearm can be mounted is during the participant’s assigned turn. Targets will be delayed 0-5 seconds. Any violation will be counted as a loss. An assigned 2’ x 2’ area or pad and the participant (shooter) must keep their front foot or a portion of their front foot across the line forward, during the engagement of the target (see trap field layout for example). The scorer will be responsible for the shooter position on or within the 2’ x 2’ area. The first violation detected by the scorer will result in a warning and the second will result in a “loss” for that shot.
- 4. On the shotgun field there will be a post located 15 feet directly in front of the thrower. Competitors on stations #1 and #2 must keep their muzzles to the left of the post. Competitors on stations #4 and # 5 will keep their muzzles to the right of the post. Competitors on station # 3 must have their muzzle pointed straight down range due to location of the station. Competitors are responsible for their own muzzle control. Muzzles should always be pointed in a safe direction. Those in violation may be disqualified.
- 5. In order for a target to be scored as a hit, a participant must break a whole bird and a piece must break off.
- 6. The scorer will call out “loss” for a miss. If the participant disagrees, he or she must protest immediately for further consideration between the scorer, observer and machine operator. Rule violations and procedure violations can be referred to the Arbitration Committee for settlement. However, legality of the target and whether or not the target was broken is the decision of the scorer. If a target breaks when it is thrown, the participant will get another. A participant must shoot at a whole target.
- 7. Participants will be required to shoot each target thrown or it will be marked as a “loss”. In the event of a malfunction of a firearm, the shooter will get another target. If the malfunction continues, the shooter will be directed to shoot another firearm.
- 8. If a participant shoots out of order, it will be scored as a loss. The appropriate participant will shoot again.
- 9. If a participant repeatedly takes an excessive amount of time before calling for a target, the targets will be thrown on the command of the Range Officer.

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