Safety: Retiring from the mound

[PeteFox]

RULE: 2.1.5 Retiring From the Mound
(a) Before retiring from the mound each competitor must go through the
unloading motions with the muzzle pointing towards the target and
then remove the bolt from the rifle.
(b) As the competitor retires from the mound he shall present the breech
of the rifle to the scorer and check scorer where applicable so that he or they can verify that the chamber of the rifle is empty by visible inspection using any appropriate method. The onus is upon the shooter to enable this to be carried out.

One thing that really annoys me is having someone insist on looking up the breech of my rifle after finishing a shoot, I’ve normally got an armful of stuff which makes it difficult to do. Or it means an extra trip back to get gear holding up another shooter waiting to get setup.
I like to use a chamber flag, but some scorers don’t like it and insist on looking up the barrel. I can’t find anything in the rules either against chamber flags or enforcing looking up the barrel. Is this a throwback or are chamber flags an “appropriate method” with other clubs?
Pete

[ihmsakiwi]

Our local club does both. Visual inspection after shooting and must have chamber flag in the action whilst carrying rifle to & from the mound.

[PeteFox]

[Malcolm Hill]

Pete. Update just being circulated by NRAA concerning this . Keep your eye out for member update number 49. Regards Malcolm.

[bruce moulds]

god only knows how much money ssaa made selling chamber flags when they introduced them.
this could be a way for nraa to start financing itself .
bruce.

[scott/r]

[Peter Hulett]

[sungazer]

The use of chamber flags should make removing the bolt un necessary. To remove the bolt in some gun even just a 303 you have to remove the sights first. This is getting a bit onourus. Certainly the SSAA ranges Chamber flags are allowed. Think all the guns the bolts cannot be removed. pump, lever, ect some of the bull pup designs.

to make more restrictions even in the name of Safety is not needed or good for the sport if real Safety is not being improved upon. Hunter class?

[Peter Hulett]

[PeteFox]

[Barry Davies]

Bolt out is the safest way and fixes that problem. It's a bit like that stupid rule about no rifles on the mound while someone is forward, yet it's ok to sit one on the ground behind and point it in any direction -not much thought went into that one.
Barry

[DannyS]

Is it really so hard to present your rifle to the scorer so that they can check the action is clear? Maybe just change the way you do things to facilitate this rather than change the system.

[sungazer]

Or if you want to be seen doing the right thing rather than improving safety just go with the chamber flag.

The SSAA last year had 190,000 members this year it is close to 200,000. They do not require the removal of bolts as they know there are many, many guns that this is not possible. They rely solely on chamber flags.

The NRAA have recognized its declining membership and just accepted and published rules for a hunter class. A great move to be more inclusive and gives a clear indication to clubs that rifles other than single shot target rifles can be used. Now a rule that will effectively restrict the type of rifle that can be used. With more and more rifles designs that make removal of the bolt either a full dismantle or a 10 min field strip. This applies to even some current target rifle designs such as some tube guns.

Why is it that the NRAA that has RO that have been selected from their club as suitable people then are trained and tested. To become a RO wants to remove the discretion of the Safety method to be used? The NRAA members are already recognized as having a higher degree of safety used on thier ranges, hence the reduced danger zones accepted by the Police .

[Tim L]

[lonerider43]

if you can get the bolt in on the mound,you can get the bloody thing back out.
no matter how much fiddling it is.