IHMSA or NRA metallic silhouette? Within the former organization, there was a LOT of politicking behind the scenes with alleged kickbacks and sweetheart deals to the organization's founders to get some guns allowed, and others disallowed. Much rewriting of rules when the "wrong" guns began to win matches, even going so far as to include date of manufacture. Rules were sometimes revised and enforced in direct contravention to the organization's own rules about rule changes.
IHMSA. I only competed in three or four matches. After the first match, when I saw those "Factory" Buck Rogers guns coming out on top, I decided, well, I'm not going to win any trophies with my 6" Smith, so I decided to just compete against myself for my personal best. Finally I got generally PO'ed at the whole thing.
It did provide an amusing anecdote, though. In my first match, I somehow dumped one into the dirt and it ricocheted into the turkey and it rocked back and forth and twirled around a little for what seemed like forever, like the bad guy dying scene in a cheap Western movie, then sloooowly tipped over and fell.
It seemed like it took ten seconds, but of course it was only a few. I looked at the coach/scorer and asked, "Does that count?"
"It surrendered when you fired that warning shot, so yes," and he marked it down as a hit.
Terry
