We have received some questions recently about how to score hits that have partially or completely passed through hardcover (walls and barrels). So let’s talk about how to score those hits or determine when it is a reshoot.
For this post, let’s consider a target that is visible past a wall edge like in this picture. If the stage designers wanted to reduce the chance of wall hits and be nice to the ROs, they would have added some hardcover or a overlapping no shoot on the left side of the target to encourage competitors to stay away from the wall edge. But instead they decided to give the ROs some practice on scoring hits that have also damaged the wall. Also for mesh walls, it is helpful to add a piece of opaque material on the wall edge to help ROs see edge hits and early shots that pass through the mesh. For all stages where there are spots of high wall hit incidence, ROs should make sure all wall hits are repaired or at least painted between shooters so they know if the hit came from that shooter and not one before.
The first thing is to determine if the hit on the prop is a full-diameter or partial diameter hit. If it’s a full-diameter hit, then the hit from the bullet on the target will not count for score. If it is a partial diameter hit, then it will. And yes, I have used overlays on wall edges that have partially exploded from the hit to help me determine if the hit was full-diameter or not. Also sighting through the hole to the target can sometimes help determine which full-diameter hit came through the wall.
Next, we come to the target. If it’s a partial diameter, then you score the best two hits or whatever the WSB requires. If there is a hole from a full-diameter hit that has passed through the wall, then you need to determine which hit it was and not score that hole. Sometimes, it is easy to tell which hole it was from sighting through the hole in the wall. Other times, you need to use that along with other visual cues to determine which hit it was.
What can you look for? If a shot has gone through enough wall, the bullet usually starts tumbling and makes an enlarged hole or the bullet becomes misshapen and leaves a weird hole. Those are easy to identify, but what about bullets that continue on unscathed? Look at the angle of the hole – sometimes the bullet will change the trajectory a bit after passing through a wall edge. Or look at the grease ring color – the ‘grease mark’ is actually a burn mark on the cardboard from the bullet passing through it. Usually passing through the wall edge first, slows the bullet down a bit and reduces or even eliminates the grease ring on the hole from the bullet that passed through the wall.
But what if I can’t determine which hit on the target came through the wall? If the methods described above don’t help you to identify which hit came from the bullet that made a full-diameter pass through the wall, then it’s a reshoot. But ROs should always try to properly score the target first. Usually the target can be scored. It is rare that it cannot be scored. But remember to always try to minimize the opportunity for wall hits, especially for major matches, because the stage staff will appreciate it!