Its true there are sandbaggers and most of us who have been shooting awhile with the same group of people know who they are. There are allways going to be "cheeters" in life, we see them everyday in our workplace, in government, and in sports. I've come to realize this and dont give a shit about those people anymore. When I go to the local matches I dont go to beat the guy's who consistantly post 37's 38's and 39's, I go to compete against MYSELF. I'm a master in both hunter and standard class in smallbore and yes it is nice to pull one out of your ass and beat those guys occasionally. My personal best, greatest moment in smallbore was last year when I won the 60 shot match on saturday at our state champs and had to shot off with Dennis Martinen for the 100 shot total combine on sunday. I've never felt so proud of myself to be able to stand on the firing line next to one of the greatest competitors in metallic silhouette for the win(Dennis beat me after the 3rd sudden death turkey). No prize or trophy can compare to the feeling of Dennis coming over to you and shaking your hand and telling you how PROUD he is of you and far you've come in the sport. So muzzlebrake just ignore the cheaters and sandbaggers and focus on yourself and your own accomplishments, it make's this sport much more fun and enjoyable and keeps you coming back

Well said Shakes. You pretty much nailed it.

I have to agree with Jerry. To me it's the personal best that I try for. It's always nice if you're fortunate enough to win your class or a match, but shooting at or above your best is a thrill

If you want to see some real sandbaggers, try trap. At any shoot beyond the club level the winner in the lowest class (D) will shoot a near-perfect score, somethng like 97or98/100.
To make an analogy, it would be like needing a 36/40 or better to win in B class.

I have heard about trap and how it is just like you say. I think our system works much better than theirs, but none is foolproof when people want to sandbag. It is rare that a shooter does his or her best at a big match like a state championship, regional or national level match. It does happen, especially in the lower classes where top class coaching by some of the better shooters/spotters in the sport can help bring out the best in new or younger shooters, but the subject of this thread is not referring to those exceptions.