Pony Sharpshooters (Patreon)

Study sketches related to an upcoming Equestria dreamscape posting.  Shooting and firearms are not as prevalent as they've been in human  history, but ponies still have them and just like humans if you have two  ponies they will start arguing saying which is 'the best shot'. Out of these claims and boasts arose casual gatherings, informal challenges, and organized shooting competitions.

     And just like in the human world once formal events began there soon arose rules surrounding the nature of the competition, different  categories of competition, equipment permitted in those categories, and the distances, times, number of rounds fired, and the type of targets  used. Even details as small as the type garments wore in during these  competitions have been outlined in the rules.

    An example of such rules, regulations, and traditions. All the shooters at the long  range event I watched were required to wear a daisy, usually attached to  the broad brim hats that shaded their eyes. The reason is that the daisy is part of the lore for this type of shooting. The legend is that  there was a bet that one particular pony could not shoot a specific petal off of a distant flower without disturbing the rest of it. Supposedly the pony succeeded and a tradition was born. In fact this style competition is often called a Daisy Shoot.

    Shown here  are two styles of shooting event. One is a long range, slow, deliberate  fire event that is done from a sitting position at a Daisy Shoot. The rifles are heavy, single shot, custom made pieces of equipment designed  for the pony shooting them. Unlike many organizations in our world mares  and stallions compete side by side in these events. Until recently  these rifles have been muzzle-loading devices, but there are a few  forward-looking ponies are start to look to breech-loading, cartridge  rifles as the future of this type shooting. As one would expect the rules are being reviewed, with some saying that cartridge rifles should  be placed in their own category just as rifle with telescopic sights  shoot in their own group. Others say they should left in the current category.

    Shooting with these rifles is a very slow, deliberate affair. The rifles are blackpowder and bores are cleaned and  inspected after every shot. With the muzzle-loading rifles the powder  charges are carefully weighed and the bullets are cast from molds made  specifically for the individual rifles. Once the powder charge is poured  into the barrel and carefully tamped down; then the bullet is precisely  seated in the barrel and gently forced down the bore. To protect the  crowns of the rifling a false muzzle is affixed to the end of the barrel  then removed once loading is accomplished. Then the rifle has a  percussion cap fitted and the rifle is cocked and made ready to fire. The whole loading process can take several minutes. The rifles used a  two-stage trigger almost like a double set trigger. Sliding the bar  rearward took up most of spring tension. Then a slight pressure upward  trips the sear.

    The new breech-loading and breech-loading  cartridge rifles forego the some of the steps of the muzzle-loaders but  have their own rituals in preparation for fire, and their owners have  developed very exact procedures to achieve consistent, accurate, and  reliable groups.

    The rifles are balanced on folding sticks  act as a very long bipods; very similar to the shooting sticks that buffalo hunters often used in the 19th century. Regulations state that  sticks can support the rifle, but may not be affixed to the rifle by any  physical means. 

    Of note. The shooter in the top right is shooting a new breech-loading rifle, but of particular interest are the sliding weights located on the stock and at the end of the barrel. These  not only adjust balance of the weapon, but in the case of the barrel  weights they are used to tune the barrel harmonics of the rifle. You  will also note that this shooter is resting his left hoof on the top of  the barrel. This was a very deliberate part of his shooting style, and  he even had a specially made leather shoe that he'd slip on while  shooting. This shooter felt the leather also effected the barrel  harmonics ever so slightly and gave him tighter groups.

    The  second style I observed was a bit more fast paced and had more connection to the type of shooting that Equestria's military would do in a time of conflict. This particular class of competition was called  Trottingham Carbine. Apparently where the class originated. It involved  the shooter traveling, often galloping, over a course of several miles/kilometers with targets positioned at different points along the way. Kind of like pony biathlon. The ranges of the targets varied and at  some locations the pony had to reload and engage multiple targets. The  shooter was scored both for how long it took them to complete the  overall course, and for how much time the spent engaging the targets and  how many shots it took. It was interesting that at the match I observed  mares generally dominated it.

    The Trottingham Carbine is currently a muzzleloading rifle of .36 caliber, roughly 9mm, and uses a specific inline percussion ignition system. Just as the shooting sticks  were a signature part of the long range competition, the sling attached to the carbine was critical piece of equipment with each shooter have  their preferred way of using it. The long range shooters used slings as  well, but the carbine shooters used them to carry the firearm as they moved quickly from one shooting location to the next, and as a crucial shooting aid. The pony had to be able secure the carbine to their body  so interfered as little as possible while moving, but once reaching  their firing location/stage be able to quickly access the weapon and load it. For safety reasons the carbines were not allowed to be loaded while traveling between stages. Then when all targets had been engaged, the pony would sling the carbine and then gallop to the next location on the course of fire.