| • | The SAFE AREA is on the range (typically at one end of each covered firing-line) ... this is the ONLY
place your gun may be un-cased or un-holstered ... this is where you take your gun out of its case and put it in your holster at the start of the match and where you take your gun out of your holster and
re-case it after the match |
| • | NO ammo is allowed into the SAFE AREA ... if you bring any ammo into the SAFE AREA, you will be DQ'd |
| • | As you handle your gun in the SAFE AREA, it should always be pointed straight ahead (90 degrees from downrange) ... pointing your gun in an unsafe direction within the SAFE AREA will result in DQ |
| • | Upon arriving to a match, sign-up, collect one scoresheet per stage and copy your shooter no.
and name onto each ... see if you can help set up stages ... this is an
all-volunteer effort ... you may load your mags anywhere, at any time
... EXCEPT in the SAFE AREA |
| • | When you sign-up, the color-coded sheet will indicate which range you should head to ASAP ... when any range has 4+ people ... and
an RO ... they should start shooting ... and may go to the next once they've had 12+ people in their squad shoot that course ... someone will collect the appropriate scoresheet for each course |
| • | Before firing begins on each stage, a course description and shooting order will be read ... if you are new, make sure you are towards the bottom of the pile |
| • | If you are new, plan to move very slowly ... your goal is to NOT get DQ'd ... a new shooter, regardless of prior
shooting experience, who does NOT move slowly, is perceived as disrespectful to everyone else's safety ... you will impress NO ONE by moving quickly ... you will impress everyone by moving very slowly and shooting accurately |
| • | As the match progresses, the next three shooters' names will be announced ... when your turn is approaching, make sure you have sufficient mags loaded and
on your belt ... when the shooter, prior to you, is finished, wait by the start position for the RO ... and remind the RO you are new ... remember, your #1 goal is to not be DQ'd ... after several matches, everything you do to avoid being DQ'd will become reflex, and you'll have more fun |
| • | The RO should call the range "HOT!" and then instruct you to "make ready" ... it's VERY IMPORTANT, regardless of which way you must face to begin the stage, that you MUST face downrange while loading ... at this point, load a full mag into your gun, and cycle the slide to chamber a round ... if your gun has a manual safety or decocker, you must engage either ... then re-holster your gun (or place it as the course-description has instructed) ... at this point, if you have any questions, now is the time to ask them ... but it's best to get them answered well before it's your turn to shoot |
| • | After you've loaded and made ready, the RO will ask "are you ready?" ... just nod ... no response is considered affirmative ... the RO will then say "stand by", which means the next sound you hear should be the start signal of the timer ... upon the start signal,
you may draw your gun (or otherwise retrieve it) and begin firing as
the course-description has instructed ... upon the start signal, you
will experience an extreme rush of adrenaline which will impair your cognative skills severely ... this is why it's so important to go very slow |
| • | When you have finished shooting at all the targets, simply stop, make sure your muzzle is pointed downrange and your finger is outside the trigger-guard ... the RO will then ask "if you are finished, unload and show clear" ... at which point, eject your mag and pull, and hold, your slide back so the RO may see into the chamber to ensure that your gun is, indeed, empty ... keep holding the slide back until the RO says "if clear" ... at which point you may release the slide ... the RO will then say "hammer down" ... at which point, you MUST, while pointing downrange, pull the trigger (this proves, beyond any doubt, that the gun is indeed, empty) ... the RO will then say "holster" ... at which point, you must re-holster your gun ... the RO will then announce "range is clear!" at which, the RO and the score-keeper will tally your score and the pasters will re-paste the targets for the next shooter |
| • | If an RO stops you, FREEZE, then make sure your muzzle is pointed downrange and that your finger is outside the trigger-guard ... then do NOTHING else ... wait for instructions from the RO |
| • | An RO may stop you for something other than being DQ'd ... like if the timer malfunctioned and you need to start over ... do NOT panic if you are stopped ... people sometimes get DQ'd AFTER they are stopped ... if you are DQ'd, do NOT take it personally |
| • | If you are DQ'd, and your gun is loaded, the RO will instruct you to "unload and show clear" ... after that, you must proceed immediately to the SAFE AREA and re-case your gun ... you may watch, but not participate, in the
rest of the match ... unless otherwise instructed, you are welcome to come shoot the next match |
| • | The 180 refers to an imaginary line, both vertically, as well as horizontally, between the targets and everyone else ... if your muzzle crosses, or
approaches, the 180, you will be DQ'd |
| • | If you take more than one step, with your finger inside the trigger-guard, and you are not firing at targets, or if your finger's inside the trigger-guard, whether you're moving or not, while loading/reloading/unloading, drawing/holstering, or attempting to resolve a malfunction, you will be DQ'd |
| • | Keeping your finger outside the trigger-guard is particularly important while you are drawing and re-holstering
as, at that point, you are very close to pointing the gun at your own body ... it's a good idea to practice, at home, drawing and re-holstering while keeping your finger outside the trigger-guard ...
the first two rules of gun safety are "never point the muzzle in an unsafe direction" and "keep your finger outside the trigger-guard until you are ready to fire" ... if both of these rules are broken at the same time, someone could be injured, maimed, or killed |
| • | You will be DQ'd for an AD (accidental discharge) which is when your gun fires while drawing or otherwise retrieving it, or while holstering, placing it somewhere, loading, reloading, unloading, transferring it between hands, attempting to resolve a malfunction, or while moving but not engaging targets ... regardless, if you fire your gun at the ground within 10ft of yourself (where no target was engaged), or over any berm, you will be DQ'd |
| • | Holstering a cocked revolver, or any other cocked pistol, equipped with a safety or decocker, where said safety or decocker has not been applied, will result in DQ ... and regardless of whether the gun is loaded or not, if during the course of fire, loading, reloading, or unloading, your hands are relieved of your gun, you will be DQ'd |
| • | You will be DQ'd if you sweep any part of your body (except for any part below your belt while drawing from a holster, or re-holstering provided you clearly have no finger inside the trigger-guard while sweeping) |