Yes. It is mandatory. 30/40-Challenge rules have always been to drop your two lowest scoring target pairs.
30/40 Masters rules have always been 20 targets - all count.
Maximum score has always been 200 - as we always use just 20 targets to count towards score - whether Challenge or Masters.
If the group wants to consider another Challenge card/leaderboard where all 24 targets count (max score being 240), I’m open to suggestions. However, I’d say we start any new categories at the beginning of next year - 2026.
-Ed
Here are the original rules Ed:
Here are the scoring rules: If the hole touches the next higher ring, score to the higher ring. Use a pellet, skirt down, if the hole is ragged.
To score a 10, you just need to touch the gray ring surrounding the black dot.
To score an X, you just need to touch the black dot in the center. (This is different than the instructions on the bottom of the target, due to us shooting at 30-yards)
.177 shooters are allowed to use a .22 pellet or a .224 scoring plug to score their targets, to compensate for the smaller diameter of a .177 pellet.
Once you shoot all 24 bulls, you get to eliminate your lowest two
sets (mulligans) see the target above how I slashed out my two lowest pairs.
Score the remaining 20 targets for a Max score of 200. Also add your X's if you have any.
So a perfect score would be 200 20X. Please post up your scores and what rifle you are shooting. Have fun!!
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It’s vague to me. No word of ‘mandatory’ being mentioned. He said we “can’ eliminate two pairs, not that it’s required. Not sure Tom Carlson was mandating using the two pair mulligan option. I think we all did it to help our scoring. As an example, why penalize someone who shoots a 240 30Y challenge card because he did not want to eliminate two pairs. Tom did not envision so many folks would be scoring so high.
In any case, I think we should vote on a rules change for next year as more shooters are scoring 200‘s
and very high 195+ scores regularly.
Look closely and you’ll see starling feathers in the corner of his mouth.
