Bench Rest Rules

I have copied and pasted the applicable part of the Williamsport rules below. I also checked the the NBRSA rules and for long range there is no stock width maximum.

[h=3]EQUIPMENT RULES UNIQUE TO HEAVY GUN CLASS COMPETITION:[/h] 48.0 In the Heavy Gun class there are no restrictions concerning the rifle's weight.
49.0 In the Heavy Gun class there are no restrictions concerning the type of sights permitted.
50.0 There are no restrictions as to the width of the rifle stock forearm. This includes those areas that actually contact the front sandbag rest.
51.0 There are no restrictions as to the width of the rifle's buttstock.
52.0 Shoots shall be fired with sand bag front rests which may be supported on a pedestal which may not co-act with the sand bag to restrain recoil or form a return to battery guiding means.
52.1 A single sandbag rear rest must be used to support the rifle's buttstock. This sandbag must only support the buttstock between the rear of the pistol grip and the toe of the buttstock.
52.2 This sandbag must be a minimum of 1 ½ inches wide and 3 inches long.
52.3 This sandbag may be used alone, or may be supported on a fixed pedestal or a mechanically adjusted pedestal.
53.0 Attachments to the rifle's barrel are permitted.
54.0 There should be no device present that stops rearward and/or upward movement of the rifle.
54.1 In the Heavy Gun class muzzle brakes are permitted, provided there is no rearward discharge of gasses.
[h=3]EQUIPMENT RULES UNIQUE TO LIGHT GUN CLASS COMPETITION:[/h] 55.0 Weight of the rifle as fired shall not exceed 17 pounds. Immediately after firing the record string, every competitor must go directly to the weighing station to have your gun checked by a range official.
56.0 There are no restrictions to the width of the stock.
57.0 Attachments to the stock are permitted.
58.0 Muzzle brakes are allowed to reduce recoil, provided there is no rearward discharge of gasses.
60.0 There are no barrel restrictions.
61.0 Matches will be fired using a single sand bag front rest. This may be supported on a pedestal which may not react with the sandbag to stop recoil or form a return to battery guiding means.
61.1 Mechanically adjustable rear rests are not permitted; only a single or a stacked pair of sandbags, the bottom one commonly called a "donut", is permitted. Use of a sheet of rubberized shelf liner material is also allowed. No abrasive or adhesive material is permitted.
 
Now the way I read that is "bipods are permitted" re Williamsport rules...... what say you Boyd?

al
 
Dragman. Approach your Board of Directors and start a "BI-POD Match".
At one of the clubs I belong to, a fellow did this. Started a "Varmint Match". He has health problems, so he can't run the matches. But, some of members have picked up the slack. It's a popular shoot.
3rd Sunday at 1300. No flags, 2 classes, and unknown yardage. It's a good time.
 
Al,
If a properly designed sand bag is under the "forend" I would say so, but of course my interpretation is of no importance. On the other hand, It might be an interesting discussion if all of the requirements were met. This could be one of those things that causes rules to become more detailed...or not.
 
Dragman, you are right the guys from Ridgeway are all right. I have met and shot with a few of them and I have a few friends who go to the VBR shoots also. The May shoot had about 126 guns being shot at that match if I am not mistaken. One of the big things about a match of that size is safety( even if is just 2 buddies plinking) it tends to work better if everybody is doing the same thing, not each going their own way. that is most likely why they are not jumping on the bipod idea, you may shoot from the bench but what about they guy who decides that prone would be better next month, and so on.
 
You can shoot them they just put them in the "ulimited class" which isn't eligible for the prizes. I bought me another rest bag setup again and will just conform to the rules. no sense in having to be the "odd man out" even though I really like shooting off my bipod.
 
Boyd,
I believe this is the part they are referring too that you missed in what you posted and why the bipod is deemed not applicable to the 17lbs class:

EQUIPMENT RULES APPLICABLE TO BOTH HEAVY & LIGHT GUN COMPETITION:

43.0 A sandbag is a bag with a cover that can be easily flexed by the fingers, the contents of which shall be a finely divided, granular, non metallic substance, such as sand, gravel, or grain, each without additive, and packed loosely enough so that the bag with contents can be easily deformed by pressure of the fingers.

44.0 All sandbags on front pedestals must be a minimum of 1-1/2 inches wide by 4 inches long.

44.1 Neither the front nor rear rest may be attached to the rifle, or to each other; both shall be independent of each other.

45.0 Any gunstock or accessories thereon must maintain a minimum of 1/2 inch from the top of any retainer or container holding the sandbag on which the stock or part thereof rests.

45.1 This sandbag upon which the stock or part thereof rests is permitted to wrap upward around the sides of the rifle, for no more than 1/2 inch, maximum.

45.2 Rules 45.0 and 45.1 need not apply to any sandbag not supported by a retainer and that permits movement without restraint.

46.0 All new rest changes must be shown to and accepted by the Rules Committee and the Board of Directors.

47.0 Rifles having a magazine shall be loaded and fired single shot only. No auto loading rifles are permitted.
 
I posted the Williamsport rules. Are those that you posted from that source? I thought that the club in question was using those rules.
 
What I posted is right off Williamsport site right above the ones you listed. it is the applicable rules for both light and heavy gun then they list the rules you posted.
 
Both rule sets copied above say that there should (can) be nothing that hinders recoil. I may not understand what a bipod is but believe that if attached to the forend they hinder recoil. I also can't imagine not allowing a regular old bipod for any reason. "Regular old bipod" being the key phrase there. A good sand bag rest does much more than a "regular old bipod".

As Boyd mentioned - doesn't matter in the slightest what I think....
 
I just decided to let it go. There are so many area's of the rules that are under whomever is running the match's interpretations the only thing I can be sure of is that none of them are in black and white.
 
stool said:
maybe because the name of the game is "BENCHREST", not off the bench nor bipod competition.

have you asked if you can shoot that way ?

THEY have no need nor desire to change the rules they use...they work as intended.
if YOU want a rule change, then YOU need to do the WORK to get it changed.

i'm not sure you can see that.?
Click to expand...








Richard strikes again
 
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