Why the difference in sandbag fill rules between short and long range?

B

Boyd Allen

Active member
I was reading a post on a bag fill thread on another site, and a fellow mentioned preferring crushed walnut shells in his front bag. I thought to myself that he must not be a short range benchrest shooter, and vaguely remembered something about more latitude being allowed in the long range rules. I was right. Under those rules, that fill is legal, which brings me to the point of this post. If it is OK for long range, why not for short range as well? Interestingly enough, the IBS short range rest rules do not address front bag fill at all, while at the other extreme,the use of heavy sand in the rear bag is exclusively restricted to zirconium silicate. I find this amusing because I am pretty sure that the black stuff that is commonly supplied by benchrest vendors is probably not zirconium silicate https://www.google.com/search?q=zir...O&biw=1120&bih=520&sei=UfV5UeCQC8WviAL22IHwBQ
, which technically renders all of the bags that are filled with it illegal for IBS short range use. Scandalous ;-) I suppose that the only logical defense of the current rule is continuity of records. Is there another? (No, this is not a life or death situation, merely curiosity.)
 
Since I haven't shot long range for quite a while, I was surprised at the discussion about the front bag rules in long range. Very restrictive. Most front rest bags used in short range are illegal. This makes no sense. Aside from a rule that states the gun must be raised straight up out of the front bag without restriction, what difference does it make if a bag has 1/2" or 1/4" of sand under it? Or, if the gun can be lifted, what difference does it make if the ears are 1/2" high, or 1" high? I've never seen a ref walk around and lift a gun out of the bag to check this. Same as the rear bag. If you choose to use plain sand or zircon, what about when you use one of those huge gator bags that weigh 3 times as much as a normal rear bag?
 
You have to remember a lot of the rules in long range are a carry over form Williamsport PA rules. Basically what they was doing in Williamsport, just got added in the rules when the IBS/NBRSA adopted long range Benchrest shooting. Now as far as NBRSA/IBS rules go, a lot of it is a gentlemen's honor agreement. I have never seen anyone made to pour out there bag to see what material is inside. On top of that there is a bunch of other rules that I have never seen checked, such as the bag must be deflected by a finger, then you get into stock rules that the centerline of the bore must intersect the bottom of the stock by x amount of angle, and so one. A lot of the rules are needlessly complicated, and it would take a expert in the area, to actually determine if the competitor was in compliance or not. But the sad thing is a lot of the rules that are in places don't amount to a beans worth of difference. Does a shooter have an advantage is he is 1/2 oz. over weight? Do they he have an advantage if the bottom of the stock is 1 degree over aloud limits? Do they have an advantage if the bag has zircon sand, or Cole slag? All these are questions to ask.
 
Rules don't have to make sense. The purpose for most rules is that they create an envelope to compete within - lines in the sand so to speak. In many cases, if the sensible approach was used, we couldn't begin to guess what we would be shooting against from weekend to weekend.

Nothing has an advantage over a hummer rifle.
 
Actually, the explanation about the Williamsport rules being adopted is close enough to answer the first question (makes sense to me), but in doing the research, and coming across the IBS / NBRSA differences in short range, I came up with another one. If the IBS does not have a front bag fill rule, and the NBRSA does, when did this difference happen? Was it always that way, or did the NBRSA board wake up one morning and decide that they needed one? Was it in the first rule book, or was it added, and if it was, when and why? Do any of the old gray heads remember?
 
First mention in the NBRSA meeting minutes is 1981. Before that they were called sandbags in the minutes - just no mention of the contents.
 
Wilbur,
Thanks for the research. Evidently the IBS has not had a similar "awakening". I wonder what drove the change.
 
Don't know but I'll take a guess. Somebody showed up at a match with something like concrete (titanium, cornmeal soaked in tiger's milk, etc..), covered in leather with a soft bottom....and....somebody didn't like it. Probably perceived it an advantage, didn't really know if it was, and didn't want to go to the trouble to find out, so he cooked up a proposed rule change in behalf of everyone that didn't have a concrete bag. The directors looked into the future and asked the question...What's next?...and wisely made it eternal sand for all.
 
My IBS rule book dated 2004, for point blank group and score stated the front bag must be of the same cover and fill as the rear bag which "shall be a bag........containing sand only."
Don't know why it was changed, but it would have been voted on by the majority of members in attendance at the Winter meeting.
Yes, I, and the whole firing line of every relay, was checked by the referees to see if the front bag "captured" the stock at (at least) one match at Bowmanstown 4 or 5 years ago. There had been warnings issued at several matches ( at various club venues) during the mandatory pre-match reading of the safety procedures that season.
 
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