This system is based on the final scores as they are posted when the shoot has been completed and gives every contestant an equal chance to win, no matter what his shooting ability. Before the shoot starts, the management should determine how many classes there will be and how many prizes in each class. If this is too difficult to forecast with any degree of accuracy, the program might state that “there will be one class for every ten entries” or “one class for every fifteen entries,” and that there will be “three winners in each class,” etc.

When all the shooting has been completed, the scores are listed in numerical order from the highest to the lowest. They are then divided into as many groups as there are classes. For example, if there were 30 entries and 5 classes, there would be 6 scores in each class. The highest score in each class would then be the winner.

Since there will often be odd numbers of entries and tie scores on the dividing line between the classes, the following rules have been established:

1. Where a short class is necessary, due to odd entry list, the short class or classes shall head the list.
2. Where the line of division falls in a number of tie scores, the contestants are assigned to the class in which the majority of the scores appear.
3. Where an equal number of tie scores appear on either side of the line, contestants shall be assigned to the head of the lower class.
4. Where the original division is changed, due to tie scores, this change shall apply only to the classes directly affected and the original division shall continue in the other classes.

To cite an example, we will take a shoot containing a 100-target program in which there are 5 Lewis classes and 33 contestants. Since the short classes are placed first, there would be 6 shooters in Classes 1 and 2 and 7 shooters in Classes 3, 4, and 5. The final scores are arranged from highest to lowest and the lines drawn in between the classes.