Since I told chunter that anyone wanting to change things ought to put his ideas out on the berm and let folks see if they can shoot holes in them, I guess that I ought to take my own medicine!
IMO, the attachments rule in hunter needs clarification.
As Al from PA pointed out, even match directors don't know how far to take it.
Greg has told me repeatedly that the intention of the rule was to prohibit stabilizers, external weights, gyroscopes, Vulcan anti-gravity devices and so forth. Unfortunately, it can be taken to mean much more if you get too literal in interpretation.
When we question a cheekpad I think we're going onto soft ground. (As Al said, he likes his, many others do also and the guys up in Alaska tell me -- the WUSSIES! -- that they 'need' something between their tender cheeks and that cold plastic in the winter time...as if they understood winter!)
Same for grip mods. Here in TX, in the summer, it's nice to have a rough grip surface to keep your sweaty hands from sliding off the rifle!
Right now, we could have -- if the rule is overly strictly interpreted by the MD -- two dimensionally (and otherwise) identical rifles on the line and one will be perfectly accepted (because it was built that way from inception) while the other (modified with a cheekpad or something on the grip) is questioned. That IMO doesn't make sense. (It FAILS the common sense test! BIG TIME!)
I'm thinking that something like this should be appended to 3.1.1 (c):
"Attachments" means any external weight, stabilizer or other device that is not normally found on a hunting rifle stock. Material added to the grip, comb or cheekpiece shall not be deemed an "attachment" and prohibited unless that addition causes the rifle to fail the "hunting style stock" requirement of this rule.
Comments will be gracefully (well, only if they're positive and agree completely with my thinking! :-D ) received.
In this corner, the little fat guy with no hair...
Everyone else please chime in!
