"Shooter's Choice" in WBAS

[Abe E.S. Corpus]

I have a copy of PaleWolf Brunelle's "Shooter's Choice" document in my SASS notebook; it explains a shooter's options when a shooter ejects a live round from the rifle in the middle of a shooting string that requires targets to be engaged in a particular sequence, such as a sweep.  The "Shooter's Choice Doctrine" also applies to cap-only ignition in a percussion revolver or a bad round in a cartridge revolver.

 

In very simple terms, the shooter can skip the target that he/she had engaged when the problem happened, taking the five second penalty for the unfired round.

 

Alternatively the shooter can re-engage that target, and choose to take the penalty for the unfired round without reloading, or "reload at the end of the string for the last target"; this last option would result in no penalty.

 

The broader question is whether "Shooters Choice" applies in Wild Bunch.  I would think it does.

 

The narrower question is whether the option to reload the pistol to make up for an ejected round (typically as the result of clearing a malfunction) applies only "at the end of the string" as written in PaleWolf's excellent document.

 

Consider a stage with a 20 pistol round count. The shooter is to sweep five pistol KDs from the starting position, then move to engage the remaining pistol targets.  Shooter drops P1 and P2, then has a malfunction and ejects a round.  Shooter re-engages and drops P3, and drops P4.  Pistol is at slide lock but assume shooter has a clean match going, is OCD and bothered by targets left standing.  Can he reload and engage P5 even though it is not at the end of the pistol string?  I would say so, and consider the "end of the string" language is due to the differences in how cowboy guns are reloaded versus a 1911.

 

Of course, our shooter will have to put the pistol at slide lock in order to move to the second shooting position.

 

Thoughts?

[Garrison Joe]

The broader question is whether "Shooters Choice" applies in Wild Bunch.  I would think it does.

 

Absolutely.  We discussed this a month ago.  Right here.  Same answer today.    ;)

 

Consider a stage with a 20 pistol round count. The shooter is to sweep five pistol KDs from the starting position, then move to engage the remaining pistol targets.  Shooter drops P1 and P2, then has a malfunction and ejects a round.  Shooter re-engages and drops P3, and drops P4.  Pistol is at slide lock but assume shooter has a clean match going, is OCD and bothered by targets left standing.  Can he reload and engage P5 even though it is not at the end of the pistol string?  I would say so, and consider the "end of the string" language is due to the differences in how cowboy guns are reloaded versus a 1911.

 

PWB's guide does not require the makeup round for the "ejected" round to be loaded or shot at any particular time.  There are options in that document.  For a different option in that document, where a target is skipped and never has a round fired at it, the guide states you can go back to it at the end of the handgun string and pick it up.  But possibly with a P for hitting targets out of order.

 

Specifically for your scenario above, Yes, the standard way most shooters will hit that 5th target is by loading a new mag and hitting the fifth target before going on to any more sets of pistol targets.  That will protect the "hit targets in the correct sequence" requirements that are usually in most stage descriptions.  Skipping over target five, shooting some other targets, and coming back to hit the skipped target at the end will get the shooter a P if there are target orders called out.

 

 

[Abe E.S. Corpus]

Thanks, GJ.  I ran a search before posting but did not see the prior discussion.

 

I omitted discussion of the options that would result in a Procedural but those are certainly possible outcomes.

[Lone Dog]

Thus the wisdom of always carrying a "Barney Fife" magazine. Most carry it as the rearmost so as not to draw it in normal stage conquering and be an impediment rather than an asset.

[Allie Mo]

Amen to the Barney Fife magazine!

 

Shortly after starting WBAS, I attended Krazy Kurt's (or is it Crazy Curt...) class at the SASS Convention. He seemed to really know his stuff and recommended the BF magazine, so I started carrying one. I have used it numerous times!

[August West]

I attended Krazy Kurt's (or is it Crazy Curt...) class at the SASS Convention.

 

It's Krazy Kurt in Kalifornia.  You know that.