I’ve been shooting NRA Rifle Silhouette for approximately 3 years now. Having difficulty understanding why leather high over the ankle boots are legal? Seems like they fit the artificial support definition. If they are then why on earth are leather vest not allowed in cowboy??
I’ve seen several people wearing boots. If in fact there isn’t an issue with boots I will be purchasing a pair!
How about some in the know guidance on the subject.
Thanks

Think of it like this. The most popular foot wear for hunting any size game, fur or fowl is a lace up leather boot that is higher than the ankle. Same for working on farms, ranches and construction sites. It would be difficult to ban a person's boot that they wear every day on the job. Some people shoot silhouette better in flat shoes with no ankle or arch support. Others shoot better with a heel, arch support and ankle support.
The shoe that should be banned is the one that is purpose built for shooting in the standing position, that has to be stored on a fixture to keep it flat and is not practical enough to walk out to reset targets.

I wear steel toe boots all week long. When I shoot I wear sandals because they are super comfortable. Look goofy as hell but my feet are happy and on a real hot day they aren't swimming in a hot leather shoe.

I see the leather vest exclusions with lever action matches mostly as tradition because they aren't stipulated in the rules as a violation last I looked. Rules state heavy leather vests are permitted provided there's room to insert a 4" thin walled PVC pipe so there goes any torso support. The butt pad that attenuates recoil is found on non-leather vests. So that shouldn't be an issue. I guess the major difference that matters to most competitors is the weight of the vest and tradition. If the host bans leather vests then the rule should be respected. If you shoot poorly with a leather vest at a registered match I doubt there will be a dispute. We'll just hear about it later that a competitor wore a leather vest.

Thanks for the detailed responses. Boots obviously are acceptable by your comments. What ever provides the most comfort and stability shall be used. I haven’t tried full ankle high or higher boots. After reading your thoughts on the subject believe I’ll give them a try.
To date my best scores have been shot with a pair of Vans skate board shoes. They are low impact flat bottom shoes.
In regard to vest, anyone that shoots with a custom full leather vest knows how beneficial they can be. The shoulder pocket that develops once broke in creates a point of stability and repeatability in butt stock position. Since starting the Lever categories I’ve tried several different styles and brands of shotgun vest.
The one I selected as my favorite is just a light weight Browning which lets that butt stock sink into my shoulder pocket. Honestly believe it works as well as a custom leather. However it doesn’t cushion the recoil of BB guns like leather.
I’ve learned a bit from your comments and they are very much appreciated.

You drop a 55 pound ram on your toe, you'll wear boots from then on. Three guesses how I know that.

Regular boots won't protect you from that either. I have dropped things on my feet many times. I'm very aware when I'm wearing my sandals. Heck I've drop SB chickens on them and cried a little.