“A double fire occurs on the first bird of a report pair in sporting clays. The target is broken. Is the first target considered a ‘no bird’ and nothing established, or is it established as dead because it was attempted?”
The double fire is considered a gun malfunction. The pair is over, and nothing is established. See Rule L-1-a on page 34 of the NSCA Rule Book:
1. Gun Malfunctions
a. Gun malfunctions include the situations where (a) the gun will not fire either barrel (the shooter must keep the gun pointed downrange and present it to the field judge who must verify that the condition persists as an inoperable gun. If the gun subsequently fires, it will be deemed a shooter malfunction.); (b) the gun had a true simultaneous discharge (gun doubles); (c) the gun fan fires (second barrel discharges without shooter action); and (d) a semi-automatic shotgun fails to eject the shot shell from the first shot and a second shot is required.
b. In the case of a gun malfunction, the shooter must remain in place, the gun pointed safely down range and must not open the gun or tamper with trigger, safety or barrel selector, until the Field Judge has determined the cause and made his/her ruling.
c. In the case of an inoperable gun, the shooter has the option to use another gun, if one is available, or he/she may drop out of competition until the gun is repaired. The shooter must, however, finish the event during the allotted scheduled shooting time.
Glynne Moseley
NSCA Assistant Director
