At Conclave 2016, Tutelo Lodge 161 will host the first ever SR-7A Top Shot competition. The competition will take place Saturday afternoon and will involve a dedicated team of six (four youth and two adults). One of the adults must be over 21 years of age. Youth must be registered in a Venturing Crew.
The following shooting disciplines will be used:
- Rifle
- Shotgun
- Archery
- Pistol
- Mystery Round (possibly blow guns, blackpowder, or knife and hawk throwing)
Firearms
The models of firearms used in the competition are listed below so that team members can practice and orient themselves prior to competing at Conclave. The Blue Ridge Mountains Council will provide ALL of the firearms for the competition. NO personal firearms will be allowed on the Blue Ridge Scout Reservation property.
- Ruger .22 cal rifles
- Remington 1100 12 gauge shotguns
- Matthews Genesis bows
- Ruger P95 9mm pistols
Training
There are no prerequisites for the rifle, shotgun, archery, and mystery rounds. However, it is recommended that participants have the Rifle, Shotgun, and Archery Merit Badges (or equivalent).
For the pistol round, there are two mandatory requirements:
- ALL youth participants MUST be registered in a Venturing Crew. Proof of youth registration will be required to participate.
- ALL youth and Adults must take the NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course prior to their arrival at Conclave. This course is offered across the State of Virginia, and there will be at least two sessions offered at the Blue Ridge Scout Reservation prior to Conclave. Note: This course may also be offered at Conclave on Saturday morning during the training period, but Top Shot competitors must complete this course prior to the Conclave weekend.
Competition Details
During each round, composite scores will be recorded and a team score will be awarded. There will be awards for individual achievement, but only the team score will count towards the Top Shot competition.
The Blue Ridge Mountains Council will provide the supervision for each shooting station. All instructors, range officers, and judges will be certified by both the NRA and the Boy Scouts of America.
- Shotgun Competition: The shotgun competition will consist of two components: a standard trap and range, and a “Five Stand” competition. We will use the traditional range from camp equipped with a Promatic trap. For the competition it will be a simple “away” presentation and each participant will be allowed 10 rounds to familiarize themselves with the firearm. One point will be awarded for each broken clay with a possible team score of 60. All participants will first shoot the traditional shotgun competition prior to the Five Stand. Camp Powhatan’s Five Stand course is quite challenging. Five different Promatic traps provide a wide variety of presentations. Five Stand is a fast-paced and fun way to shoot sporting clays. Each shooter will have 25 rounds with a possible team score of 150. One point will be awarded for each broken clay target.
- Rifle Competition: Each participant will shoot a standard match grade target with 10 targets on the page and a sighting target in the center (official NRA Standard 50ft small bore rifle target with 11 bullseyes). A maximum of 5 rounds will be allotted for sighting in the rifle. Scoring for this portion of the competition will be 100 points possible on the target and a team score will compiled from the total score of all 6 targets.
- Pistol Competition: The pistol competition will be held in the IDPA format. Participants will be given a brief orientation on the range and a scenario will be delivered on site. This will be a timed competition and team members will move between 3-4 different shooting positions each with a different target presentation. A total of 10 rounds will be fired by each participant. A score will be given based on time and precision. While the IDPA uses holsters during their competition the BSA does not allow this. We will use a modified version of the IDPA where the first course of fire will have the gun on a table; the competition will start when the participant is given the GO command and the first round is chambered.
Lodge Teams
If you are interested in joining your lodge’s Top Shot Team, contact your lodge chief or lodge adviser.
