NRA Configuration Rules

[glen ring]

Paul G..There are plenty of good guns to be had at gunbroker and other auction sites. The Winchester Canadians can commonly be found for around 500 bucks and shoot great. Jeanne talked me into getting an XLR like hers and with the addition of a happy trigger and good sights it shoots better than I do. Marlin 39 s are common and I think a Henry 22 or 22 magnum would be accurate. Some folks shoot a 22 in smallbore AND pistol cartridge or a 357 in both Pistol Cartridge and big bore. There are a lot of guns available and a lot of options. I like gadgets and add ons as much as the next tinkerer but it all comes down to the shooter.I thought I needed all the gadgets and doodads until I saw Lon Pennington shoot a VERY old 22 one year and beat a LOT of folks with it. I agree about the arms race, but w/o a peep and fiber optic sights I'd be shooting scope guns only.

[BrentD]

Al, I believe I recall you mentioning that when I started a thread about allowing the .30 Remington in CLA. Probably one of the most obscure cartridges there is in a lever gun. Yet for some reason they decided to allow it. My personal belief is that a committee member or a good buddy of a committee member had one they wanted to shoot. There cannot possibly be enough owners of these rifles to mount a push for a rule change. Seems to me that what needs to change are the committee members. For the most part, they seem to be mired down in the "we've always done it like that" mentality. As most of us have come to realize, just because we have always done it a certain way, doesn't mean it is the best way or the right way. How do we go about getting some fresh thinking on the silhouette rules committee? Maybe it's time.

Greg

Greg, I think you are right on the money about the committee issue. I don't want to beat up on the NRA, they get enough grief as it is and besides it is like harpooning a blimp (hard to miss and every thrust is fatal), but they need to revamp everything about the committees. The committee members should be voted in by the shooters. No organization, including the good ol' USofA herself, is run by committees that are appointed by nonparticipants, so this is just to be expected and it should be insisted upon by the shooters. And then the names, and contacts for each and every committee member and their length of term on the committee should be published in every match description and flyer. That way, we know who they are and who we can talk to.

I don't think there is much chance of shooters getting organized enough to force this to happen and it won't happen any other way, so I am not optimistic that things will change. But I sure wish we could get a responsive representation of the shooters to govern the shooting sports. Why the NRA insists on doing it the way they do, I do not understand. The current system hurts the NRA's reputation and does nothing to encourage participation in the sports.

Brent

[BrentD]

Here is an example of where the no new barrel rule really falls down.

This is an 1895 Marlin that is much worse for wear than it looks. Nothing is right about this rifle.

See the holes through the receiver ring. The one on the side passes all the way through.



There was another on top that was much
larger.
The inside of the action was badly buggered and the barrel was from who knows what - probably a 336.


Today, the receiver arrived from the case colorer and it looks a bit better than in this photo. I have new wood all fitted and finished for the rifle, and I'll spend tonight polishing screws to be fire blued. Then the barrel will be polished and I'll rust blue it in two weeks. So, one day soon, it will look like a new gun. But it will never be a legal gun and that's a shame. But there was no way I would ever, in a million years, find another 1895 original barrel for a vintage rifle like this. Not gonna happen.

[Jason]

Not that I expect that anyone would actually disqualify a rifle due to it at a match, or even know for that matter, but as the rules are currently written you can't replace the original barrel with another from the same model even if you can find one, can you? I haven't read the rules in a few years, but the last time I looked at it I thought it had to be the original barrel on the rifle to be legal for CLA silhouette.

[cslcAl]

Jason, here is the rule. Barrels must be original or may be relined. Original barrels re-bored
to a larger caliber are allowed.
"Original" as in the one that came on the gun, not as in an original replacement. Personally, I wouldn't rebarrel a lever gun to shoot this game if allowed. I'd consider relining one if the gun was special to me.

Al Foust

[BrentD]

That's interesting. So, if you had a rifle with "ballard" rifling on a microgroove serial number it would be illegal? Even if installed by the factory? I didn't read it that way, but that really eliminates a lot of guns.

[cslcAl]

Brent, I am sure you're refering to a gun that was configured in the Marlin custom shop? I know there are some of these floating around in our sport. It would take more than a casual glance to detect most of these, so they are out there. I'm not going to lose any sleep worrying about it.

Al Foust

[BrentD]

Not any specific gun. But I, and the folks I have talked to previously always have said any original barrel on any original Marlin, etc. I didn't realize it was the factory first gun. That only makes this rule harder to understand and more restrictive.

Certainly, I won't lose sleep over any of this. I'm just trying to understand it. I have my rifles and they are legal by any definition, but I'm luckier than I realized.

[Grizz61]

Over the past few years I have seen several "Re_Barreled" gun being shot on the line. Some at Nationals some at other matches, and to my knowledge no-one has said a thing about it to anyone.

Personally I do not care to much, I have and will continue to line guns, not barrel them. The being said 10 years ago I had a brand new Marlin that had a barrel issues, I sent back to Marlin and they swapped the barrel. Does that now make that gun illegal? If so how would anyone know?

[cslcAl]

Grizz, Exactly, how could anyone detect that gun was rebarreled? Unless you tell someone (oops) Just Kidding!!!
Like I said we discussed this last night, and I went to bed and slept like a baby.
Time for a new topic.

Al Foust

[GregG]

Over the past few years I have seen several "Re_Barreled" gun being shot on the line. Some at Nationals some at other matches, and to my knowledge no-one has said a thing about it to anyone.

Personally I do not care to much, I have and will continue to line guns, not barrel them. The being said 10 years ago I had a brand new Marlin that had a barrel issues, I sent back to Marlin and they swapped the barrel. Does that now make that gun illegal? If so how would anyone know?

Here is the rule:
b. Barrels must be original or may be relined. Original barrels re-bored
to a larger caliber are allowed. Any safe trigger is allowed. Stocks
must be of original configuration. Recoil pads, replacement buttplates,
and removable cheek pieces are allowed.

Since the barrel is an original including the roll marking from the manufacturer the rifle would be legal. Anyone replacing with an aftermarket barrel would not by the letter of the rules. But if someone where to purchase a roll stamper such as the manufactures use it would be very hard to protest the barrel.

[OldRanger]

Wait, now I'm confused. So if I took the barrel off my 1957 marlin and put it on a 2014 marlin would that be ok? It is an original marlin, just not the original barrel for that specific gun.

Not that this will be an issue for me I hope, I was just wondering how the rule was generally interpreted.

[Bob259]

But if someone where to purchase a roll stamper such as the manufactures use it would be very hard to protest the barrel.

Actually there has been a lot of side discussions on this and rumors that this is already happening.

[GregG]

But if someone where to purchase a roll stamper such as the manufactures use it would be very hard to protest the barrel.

Actually there has been a lot of side discussions on this and rumors that this is already happening.

Yeah, I am familiar with the rumours and am not willing to take this bet.

[cslcAl]

We can debate this forever, but I interpit "original barrel" as the one that came on the gun. If it was other wise it would read "an original barrel".
To find the real answer we need to ask Hughy Wilson. I don't have contact info for him. If someone does please ask him to settle this.

Al Foust