Stacking

[rtr]

I'm very much unclear on when stacking is legal or not.

Seems pretty obvious to me if a stage description specifically forbids it then one can't do it.

Here are my 2 recent experiences with it.

Stage has 3 targets, shooter starts with hands on a prop car, draw and shoot 2 on each target through one window of car, mandatory reload, shoot 2 on each target through second window. Local GM, RO, Section coordinator shot it by putting 4 on each target, reloading then shooting 2 as fast as possible in the direction of each target, so I did the same, no penalties were applied.

Another stage, 3 paper targets arranged same distance downrange, popper in between each (so 2 poppers) little but further downrange than paper. Shooter starts facing uprange, stage descrip says turn and draw engage paper with 2 each, engage popper, mandatory reload, 2 each on paper SH only. I asked the RO if I could stack on the first string and shoot the 2 each SH only as fast as I could in the general direction of each target, he said I couldn't.

So what's the ruling on each of these? I know the stage description is probably important, each description did NOT mention stacking (as I remember it) but said "engage t1-t3 with 2 rounds each, mandatory reload, reengage with 2 rounds each (obviously the one added SH only and the 2 poppers)"

[warpspeed]

I'm going to assume this is Comstock.

You can fire as many shots per target unless the stage description forbids stacking or it says " 2 shots only then reload and 2 shots only". The key is the "only" part. Without the "only", teh RO can't say a thing.

[TriggerT]

What Warspeed said, or if it is speciffically mentioned as a "No-No" in the walk through. Otherwise our club motto is "You never said I couldn't"

[Loves2Shoot]

You can't stack virginia count and weakhand or stong hand are about only the only time stacking would make sense.

I don't stack on general principle, it just sit well with me, but that's just me.

[stevepitt]

I was the RO in the second scenario....

In retrospect, I believe I either wasn't clear in my explanation to Chris, or I actually told him wrong. (BTW, he accepted what I said without argument, was a good sport and shot it "right"!)

I agree with the above posts, in Comstock, stacking is ok, as long as you "re-engage" the targets after the reload, and the course description doesn't forbid it.

What I was trying to tell Chris was that with the wide spread of the targets, as an RO, I can easily tell if he "re-engages" the targets or not...

In other words, if he fires 6 shots (2 ea. of 3 targets) and the gun muzzle doesn't move left or right, then he didn't engage 2 of the targets... SO... in order for the shooter to stack, then "re-engage" in the general direction as fast as he can, it's actually SLOWER than shooting the stage without stacking....

I didn't mean to say he couldn't do what he proposed in the original note, just that he needed to make sure he actually re-engages after the reload (in other words, sling shots in the general direction of the targets).

Sorry Chris... hope this explanation makes more sense.

Steve Pitt

[rtr]

Thanks for clarifying Steve. Given that my brain didn't awake till around stage 4 you probably explained it correctly and I just didn't hear it right.

I dropped my mag on the reload and I had a mike so my run sucked anyways.

[Tom Freeman]

As Warpspeed stated, the stage is comstock and the description did ***not*** say, "Engage T1-3 with **only** 2 rounds, perform a mandatory reload and reengage T1-3 with 2 rounds each strong hand only."

As far as the RO calling penalties for not reengaging, well he is supposed to be watching the gun and the shooter not where the shots are going. Hence my mike grumbling on stage 6 when I put a round through the hard cover plastic barrel and the RO said he saw it hit the barrel. No harm really, I was stupid enough to pick up the backpack. I deserved to be flogged that stage anyway.

[mactiger]

Guys, in a Comstock course of fire, you can't specify any "onlys" in the course description. It's Comstock--you are allowed to fire as many as you wish.

In Virginia count stages, you must specify how many rounds may be fired at each target and when. So, if you say: "Fire only two rounds at T1-T3, make a required reload, and fire only two rounds at T1-T3, make a required reload and fire only two rounds at T1-T3", and someone fires 6 at T1, reloads, fires 6 at T2, reloads, fires 6 at T3, even though each target won't have any extra hits showing, and he's fired the required number of rounds and no more, he's "stacked" 4 shots on each target, which should earn procedural penalties for stacking.

Troy

[BDH]

US9.4.5.3 Stacked shots (i.e. shooting more than the required rounds on a target, but shooting at fewer targets than specified in any string) will incur one procedural penalty per target not engaged in any string. This penalty will not be applied if the written stage briefing specifically authorizes stacked shots.

In other words, the only time you can 'stack' shots in a Virginia count stage (Troy already covered Comstock), is if the stage briefing 'specifically' authorizes it....