At the 2002 ISSA
National Championships many of the Traditional Class
competitors expressed a wish to review the Traditional
Class rules as they now stand. Here are the rules
as currently used for both Regional and National competitions-
1. Any single shot rifle, foreign or domestic, manufactured
prior to 1917. Reproductions of pre-1917 patents are
allowed. Examples of traditional actions include,
but are not limited to, the Ballard, Remington, Sharps,
Stevens, Bullard, Maynard, Sharps-Borchardt, Remington-Hepburn,
Winchester, Farrow, and Wesson. Action types that
do not meet the pre-1917 requirement include, but
are not limited to, the Ruger, Peregrine, Miller,
Falling Block Works, Hall, and Thompsen/Center. Rifles
must be pre-approved by the Shooters Jury to qualify
for Traditional class. Rifles that do not meet the
Traditional Class requirements will be eligible for
competition in Unlimited Class.
2. Technology cutoff of circa 1917 as regards patents,
sights, cartridges, loading techniques, and general
configuration of the Schuetzen rifle. No modern block-style
or wide-bottom forearms. Old-style muzzle rest “feet”
are allowed, but must be attached to the barrel. No
modern Olympic-style sights, diopters, adjustable
buttplates, plastic sight inserts, or “Bloop
tubes”. No machine rests. (For clarification
a machine rest is any one-piece rest that supports
the rifle at two points and allows the rifle to be
mechanically adjusted, incrementally, front and back,
for windage and elevation.)
3. Bullets must be plain base; cast or swaged lead
bullets of grease groove or paper patch type. No metal
gas checks or metal wads allowed. Ammunition may be
checked randomly by the Shooter’s Jury
4. Any pre-1917 externally adjusted telescopic sight
or faithful reproductions thereof. Lyman, Unertl,
Fecker, and Litchert scopes are specifically allowed.
Click adjustment allowed only on those iron sights
having this feature prior to 1917, or faithful reproductions
of those sights. (An example of a click-adjustable
iron sight available prior to 1917 is the Lyman 103,
marketed in 1915)
5. Slings, straps, or clothing that is specifically
designed and/or worn to support or aid the shooter
will not be allowed. This includes tight jackets,
vests, or multiple layers of clothing not worn for
weather conditions. Competitors may not place the
buttstock under any vest, coat, or item of clothing.
6. The Traditional Class competitor is not restricted
to the use of one rifle for offhand and benchrest
portions of sanctioned or registered ISSA competitions,
nor is he restricted as to weight of rifles used in
competition.
7. A three-man Shooters Jury will be appointed by
the Schuetzenmeister from the competitor ranks to
decide upon questionable equipment or practices and
certify rifles for the Traditional Class. It is the
responsibility of the Shooters Jury to enforce and
interpret the Traditional Class rules and to make
common-sense evaluations of equipment that is not
obviously of a traditional nature. With concurrence
of the Schuetzenmeister, all decisions of the Shooters
Jury are final. Competitors will be expected to provide
documentation on controversial equipment or methods.
8. The success of the Traditional Class depends upon
the shooters themselves. Radical, fringe interpretations
of the rules will not be productive towards preserving
our Schuetzen heritage. Traditionally minded shooters
have a common sense grasp of what was typical and/or
appropriate for the pre-1917 competitor. Competition
in this class is to encourage modern day riflemen
to match or exceed the records set by first generation
Schuetzen competitors. To this end, the Shooters Jury
will be expected to provide discretion and guidance
during the match concerning questionable equipment
or practices.
These are the Traditional Class rules
as they currently stand. It is not the intention of
the Traditional Class to exclude or in any way restrict
participation in the Schuetzen discipline. Rather,
the Traditional Class is seen as a way to bring competitors
interested in the history and tradition of the Schuetzenfest
together for competition. The main goal of the Traditional
Class is to attempt to equal or exceed those records
established by first-generation Schuetzen riflemen
using the same technique and equipment. By the virtue
of having these two distinct classes the ISSA can
encourage participation from both modern and traditional
Schuetzen riflemen.
Since the inception of Traditional Class
there have been many questions regarding what modern
equipment is allowed. Currently there are no restrictions
placed upon any equipment other than the rifles, sights,
cartridges, and loading techniques. The interpretation
of Traditional Class is largely one of ascetics. The
goal of Traditional Class is to preserve the history
and style of the first-generation Schuetzen rifle
while at the same time encouraging best possible performance
given the restrictions of the pre-1917 rule. Potential
competitors in Traditional Class will soon realize
that for every perceived need in equipment that there
is a traditional way to fulfill that need. In this
way, old-time methods and techniques are preserved
and passed on.
If you are wondering whether your rifle
is legal for Traditional Class or not, ask these questions-
Was the rifle available and/or patented prior to 1917?
Are the sights original or faithful reproductions
of models available prior to 1917? Most competitor
questions concerning allowable equipment can be answered
by a common-sense application of the pre-1917 rule.
Rifles will be inspected and passed
by a three-man Shooters Jury in 2003 for participation
in Traditional Class much in the same way that rifles
are inspected for Black Powder Silhouette competition.
New competitors to Schuetzenfest should rest assured
that if their equipment does not pass for Traditional
Class that they will simply shoot in Unlimited Class.
No potential competitor will be turned away from Schuetzenfest
based on equipment.
