Another rule question: Rule 3.1.1, hunter centerfire

[MCG]

What would I do without this forum?!?

OK, rule 3.1.1 says a centerfire hunter rifle must be "a hunting style rifl, chambered in a factory cartridge, and having a maximum weight of 9 pounds, including sights and if applicable, an empty magazine or clip. With the exception of single shot rifles, all other types must be repeating rifles, which shall be fired by loading all cartridges from the magazine or clip into th chamber.  The intent of this rule is to describe a common hunting rifle."

The rule does not define "single shot rifle."  Logically, a Ruger #3 is a single shot rifle, but why not a bolt action?  I ask because I have spoken with a couple of the custom rifle makers that machine their own actions.  They have told me they could easily make a single shot bolt action rifle.  No magazine, no magazine cutaway.  Sounds cleaner and stronger than putting a single shot follower in a remington 700, which i've seen.  Ignoring weight issues, would such a rifle, a single shot bolt action without magazine cutout, qualify for hunter class?  One of the custom rifle builders I spoke with believes it does; the other didn't have an opinion.

I emailed the NRA rules committee with the same question, but so far no response.  

thanks in advance

[nomad]

Bolt action centerfire hunter guns have to have a magazine.  The capacity isn't specified and you don't have to load to capacity anyway...but a magazine has to be there. (Rimfires can be single-shots.)

The rule is poorly worded. (WHAT a shock -- a poorly worded rule in silhouette!) lol
Whoever dreamed up that 'if it ain't a repeater, it's gotta be a single shot' must have gone to the Yogi Berra school of rule writing. ("When you come to a fork in the road, take it!") I've seen VERY few multiple-barrel rifles on the line at matches and, other than 'repeaters' or 'single-shots', I can't think of any other form of rifle...

You'll drive yourself crazy trying to understand the game by just reading the book. (Among other things, the factory cartridge rule is right now in revision AFAIK.)
Come to a match and 90% of the confusion will be resolved. ALL silhouette shooters live with the other 50% (math error intended) on a daily basis! lol

BTW, if you're going to -- seriously -- talk to gunsmiths about sil rifles, it's not very sensible to talk with those who don't compete in the game. Call Mark Pharr in Round Rock, Texas or Marvin Pearson in Chehalis, Washington. They -- and a VERY few others -- are the top of the heap in silhouette gunbuilders right now. They both shoot silhouette and they can help you with what you need. (I'm assuming that you're thinking of actually ordering something built and you understand that 'smiths building competitive equipment are busy enough that they don't have a lot of time to answer unlimited casual questions...)

[Tony Tello]

MCG, in the past rule 3.1.1 had wording that defined single shot hunting rifle as one that had to have a two-piece stock and they took the wording out a few years back.  

You could in fact right now build one “single shot rifle” on a factory single action bolt action  (XP, 40X) or custom bolt action (Kodiak, Shilen, Nesika Bay, etc) and would be technically legal for you to use but not for long.  

So far nobody that I know has been brave enough to show up to a big match with a single shot built on a bolt action.  And maybe that is a smart thing because it would open a can of worms that we can do without.

At the last HP Silhouette Nationals meeting what you are proposing was discussed at length and Greg Connor was supposed to put the wording back on the rules (something to the effect that single shot hunting rifles had to have a two piece stock), to prevent somebody from building a single shot bolt-action Hunting rifle.

My advice to you would be not to spend your money on a single shot bolt action until you talk to Greg Connor and find out if it is ok to do so.  
Instead of Emailing the rules committee you should Email or call Greg Connor, both his Email address and phone number are in the NRA Web Site. http://www.nrahq.org/compete/directory.asp

[nomad]

Tony,

I've discussed this poor wording several times with GC and he has told me that, in spite of the wording, they gotta have a magazine...

IMO, if we're going to approve single shot smallbores just so the Remington 40XR can sneak by -- and if we're allowing one-shot-at-a-time through the magazine in HP (which is BS) -- we might as well allow single shot centerfires.

Ernie