League Rules

A. Team Captains are responsible for:

  • Promoting safety and good sportsmanship.
  • Conduct of individual team members while shooting.
  • Assure that team members are in attendance during regularly scheduled shoot nights.
  • Verify the opposing team’s score sheet.
  • Assure that the score sheets are brought into the club at the end of the each night’s shooting.

B. Teams

A legal team will be composed of no more than 5 or 6 shooters as required based on the number of participants. Pre-shot rounds (bank scores) count as part of the team. Team member selection will be determined by a method approved by the league members.

C. Absentee Scores (Shooter has not banked for the week)

An absentee score will be assigned to the shooter if they have no banked (see paragraph F). It is preferred that shooters maintain a banked score so as not to penalize themselves or their team. An absentee score is computed as follows: The individual’s aggregate weekly average minus 2.5 birds.

D. Substitutions

There will be no substitutes. Monday and Tuesday afternoon is reserved for league shooting, however, practice for league members will be allowed starting at approximately 4:15 p.m. and ending at approximately 5:15 p.m. League shooting begins at 5:30 p.m.

E. Forfeitures

There are no forfeitures.

F. Bank Scores

In the event of personal business, travel, vacation, etc., a league member may shoot ahead for the following week(s). There are two types of banks. The first type of bank is referred to as a “dedicated bank” because it is shot to cover a known absence. The second type of bank is referred to as a “floating bank” because it floats unused until you are absent for whatever reason for example, sickness, family emergency, work emergency, inclement weather etc. Any league member who banks more than 2 nights in either discipline will not be eligible for individual awards. Exceptions to this rule will only be made by discretion of the league officers.

If the league member knows that they will be absent more than one week, they may bank as many dedicated bank rounds as necessary to cover their absences. One floating bank (2 rounds) will be allowed for emergencies and unexpected sudden notices that do not allow enough time for a league member to bank ahead. Banks may only be used within the respective game (trap or skeet) for which the league member shot the bank score in. A bank score shot in trap may not be used in skeet and vice versa. A shooter may have a floating bank score for both trap and skeet. Individuals requiring special circumstances may make a request to the league secretary for consideration.

When shooting a bank score, the individual must declare the bank score prior to shooting the rounds. The club manager will provide a score sheet to the shooter on which the puller will record the bank scores. Unless shooting a floating bank, the league member must indicate and declare which league day the bank score is to be used for. A “dedicated bank” should be marked with the date it is to be used on and the shooters name. A “floating bank” should be marked with the word “Floating” and the shooters name.

If you have banked a score for any league night in anticipation of being absent and then you show up for the league night’s shooting, your bank score will not be used and you will be expected to shoot with your team members. Bank scores will be accepted from any regulation field and need not be witnessed by a league member. All bank scores must be shot at the Fort Worth Trap & Skeet Club. No scores shot at any other gun club may be used for league scoring purposes.

“Floating bank” scores must be paid for at the time you bank ($11.50 for two rounds). “Dedicated bank” scores do not require any additional payment as these are substituted for your weekly score for the date indicated which have already been paid for in your league fee.

G. Handicaps

Individual handicaps will be established after 2 rounds of both trap and skeet for any new shooter. The method for computing the handicap is as follows: The baseline number from which the actual number of targets broken out of a round of 25 is 24. The average number of targets hit for two rounds (on a per round basis) is subtracted from 24 and then multiplied by 70% to arrive at a shooter’s handicap.

  • For example, a shooter breaks 40 targets out of a two round total of 50 targets (two rounds of 25 targets). Their handicap is calculated as follows: 24 – 20 (average of the two rounds) targets broken times 70% or 4 x .7 = a 2.8 bird handicap. This 2.8 bird handicap is added to their raw score for each round. The maximum score with handicap is 24.

 

Handicaps are calculated weekly and are based on the average per round score of the total number of targets shot (per discipline) in that league. Handicaps are carried over from league to league, but not from year to year. For shooters with averages less than 10 and 80% handicap will be applied.

H. Shotguns

Semi-automatic, pump or double barrel 12 gauge (or smaller) guns may be used during the scheduled league shoots. Shooters may not use any gauge gun larger than the gauge that they use on the first night of shooting to establish their handicaps. Any league member may use a smaller gauge gun after establishing their handicap, but additional handicap will not be allowed for using a smaller gauge gun.

I. Ammunition

The largest load permissible shall not exceed a 3 1/4 dram equivalent with no more than a 1 1/8-ounce load of 7½ shot. Hand loads may be used. Any shells with larger powder loads and heavier shot loads are strictly prohibited by the Fort Worth Trap & Skeet Club.

J. Defective Ammunition

A maximum of three (3) reload misfires shall be allowed per round and all succeeding ammo malfunctions will be scored as a “lost target.”

Defective Ammunition is defined as:

  • Failure to fire provided firing pin indentation is clearly noticeable.
  • Odd sounding shells or weaker than normal reports.
  • Brass pulling off hull between shots on doubles:
  • Separation of brass from casing when gun is fired (usually accompanied by a whistling sound as the plastic sleeve leaves the barrel.

A target shall be repeated for each allowable instance of defective ammunition.

K. Gun Malfunction

A gun malfunction is defined as failure of gun to operate or function through no fault of the shooter. The shooter must not be considered at fault if he/she has complied with the manufacturer’s operating instructions for loading the gun, and the gun does not fire.

L. Shooting Procedure

In general, the rules of the league shall conform to the NSSA and ATA rules. Specifically, the following rules shall apply.

  • Guns will not be loaded until the shooter is in position on the shooting station.
  • The gun action shall be open at all times, unless the shooter is physically on the shooting station. Doubles guns may be closed when in the gun racks.
  • A maximum of two shells can be loaded on stations 1-7. Only one shell may be loaded on station 8 high. It is permissible to load two shells at station 8 low house only if the shooter is straight. Only one shell may be loaded when shooting trap.
  • Shooters must assume a shooting position with the shotgun mounted to the shoulder area prior to discharge of the shotgun. Shooters may call for the target with a dismounted gun, for example, low gun or international style shooting, however, prior to firing, the shotgun must be in position as stated above. Hip shooting, over-the-head, behind-the back, or any other “trick” shooting style is not allowed during league shooting events. Individuals requiring special circumstances due to injury or medical condition may make a request to the league president or secretary for consideration. This consideration will require discussion with the club president to ensure safety of all shooters.
  • Shooters will not retrieve empty hulls at station 7 unless it has been determined that another squad is not shooting on the field adjacent to station 7. No one should retrieve spent hulls from station 7 low house until the machine has been cleared and turned off. Serious injury can result from being struck by a target emerging from the low house while collecting spent hulls at station 7. Coordination with the puller is essential before retrieving hulls.
  • A team member who arrives after the first shooter of his squad has commenced shooting on station 2 will not be allowed to shoot in that round. The team member may join his team for the second round and then may shoot his first round after the opposing team has completed their last round. In the event the opposing team has less than five members shooting on their last round and both team captains agree, then the makeup round may be shot in concurrence with the opposing team’s last round.
  • The first team to shoot on the regular scheduled shooting date will normally be the first team who is listed on the score sheet. If the first team listed is not ready to shoot by 5:30 p.m., then the opposing team may shoot first. If both teams are held up for absent team members, the team captains may flip a coin to determine who shoots first.
  • Broken targets that emerged from the traps should not be shot at, and are called by the puller as “No Bird.” No score will be counted for shooting a broken target. A gun malfunction is a failure of the shotgun to fire through no fault of the shooter.
  • A maximum of three (3) gun malfunctions will be allowed per shooter and all succeeding gun malfunctions on the same gun will be scored as a “lost target”. Any shooter, whose shotgun accidentally discharges twice within one round, will be required to change guns in order to continue shooting.
  • The puller and the score keeper must both be on the field and present at all stations while the opposing team is shooting. The puller is responsible for calling lost birds when the shooter misses a target.

M. Prizes (Trophy Committee)

Team Awards – Amount of places to be determined by the amount of teams and decided by the trophy committee. A minimum of two places.

Individual Awards -These awards may be given for men, women, and children and maybe combined for the High Overall category as well. Any league member who banks more than 2 nights in either discipline will not be eligible for individual awards. Exceptions to this rule will only be made by discretion of the league officers.

NOTE: All decisions are at the discretion of the trophy committee.

N. Shootoffs

When a tie exists after the final week of shooting for the league championship or for individual awards, a shoot-off will be held to determine the championship. Only one individual trophy category can be won per person. All ties in skeet will be broken by shooting doubles at stations 2,3,4,5 & 6, total score, fair pair in the air rules. All ties in trap will be broken by shooting two shots from each station at the 25-yard line, total score. All ties for HOA and League Championship will consist of total scores from both skeet and trap shootoffs.

O. League Fees

League fees shall be negotiated between the league and the Fort Worth Trap & Skeet Club. Fees shall be discussed and league members notified of current league fees during the league organizational meeting held in March each year.

P. Inclement Weather

The league president and Club manager will decide if the league should not shoot due to inclement weather. This decision will be made as early as possible but no later than by the start of the scheduled day’s shooting, (i.e. 5:30 p.m.). The league will still meet as usual and wait for the final decision. If a decision can be made sooner, all shooters will be notified by e-mail if possible. Club management will also be notified as well, so that any call-ins by league shooters can be notified of the league president’s decision. If the decision is made NOT to shoot, it is the league member’s responsibility to make up, by banking, the targets for that week due to weather cancellation. Shooters will be allowed to bank until the second Saturday after the rain out date. This allows approximately 10 to 11 days to make up scores. If the decision is made to go ahead and shoot and a member is absent, a blind score will be used unless they have a bank available.

Q. Protest

Any member of the Trap & Skeet League can file a protest if he or she feels that the rules have been violated or are unfair, or if a safety hazard or damaging of the club property has been observed. The protest will be handled by the team captain through the league officers, who will be ultimately responsible for resolving the protest.

For general safety rules, please see our Safety Rules and Regulations.