1. Members should arrive promptly on a range day in order to sign on, assist in range preparation and receive the safety brief. Late arrivals must report to the RCO on arrival and in extreme cases may not be permitted to fire.
2. All members must be prepared to assist in the butts when necessary.
3. On Range Days all members must comply with orders given by the RCO or any official acting under orders of the RCO.
4. No member may move himself or his equipment forward onto the firing point until authorised to do so by the RCO.
5. All firearms must remain bagged until on the firing point and the RCO has given permission to un-bag. If no bag is available, members using a bolt-action rifle must carry it with the bolt removed from the rifle.
All other firearms must be carried in a manner such that they are shown to be as clearly unloaded as is possible for that type of firearm. A breech flag must be used.
6. If any person on the range considers that there is a potential or actual breach of safety which urgently requires all competitors to stop firing he or she will immediately give the order “Stop, Stop, Stop”. All competitors must immediately stop firing, take their finger off the trigger, keep their firearms pointing at the target and await further instructions. No-one may unload or move off the firing point. The person ordering the stop, if not the RCO, must immediately explain his action to the RCO so that the RCO may take effective control of the situation.
7. No round may be loaded into the firearm, nor may it be fired, until the RCO has given the order to load and carry on.
8. Members are responsible for ensuring that their firearms and their ammunition are safe to use. If requested, they must submit their firearms and ammunition for inspection and testing. No ammunition of a dangerous character may be used.
9. When closing or opening the bolt (or equivalent working part in other types of firearm) with a live round in the chamber the barrel should at all times be horizontal and pointing towards the target.
10. A loaded firearm must at all times point no further left or right than the limits of the assigned butt.
11. In club competitions, a member whose first shot misses the intended target may only continue if one of the following applies:
a. The shot was seen to strike the stop butt or the ground.
b. The competitor identifies and rectifies a fault or error (e.g. mis-set
sight) that would reasonably account for the miss.
c. There is reasonable evidence (e.g. an unexplained shot on the next target) that the competitor has crossfired.
d. There is reasonable evidence (e.g. based on the advice of other
Competitors, which advice shall not be considered to be in the nature of coaching) that the wind allowance applied was such as to account for the miss.
e. With the permission of the RCO.
12. A member who misses the target with four consecutive shots (including sighting shots) must stop firing until the others on the target have finished. He must then inform the RCO and may, only if the RCO is satisfied that it may be done safely, then complete his shoot but will not be allowed an extra sighting shot.
13. Neither aiming nor dry firing an unloaded firearm is allowed except when in the firing position on the firing point, and then only if it would be in all respects safe actually to fire and provided it causes no delay. The RCO must give permission before any such aiming or firing may take place.
14. Misfires. If a misfire occurs you should inform the RCO and wait at least 30 seconds with the rifle still in your shoulder pointing downrange at your target, in case of hang fire. Under instruction from the RCO, carefully place your rifle on the ground, ensuring that it still points towards your target and horizontal with the ground. Open the bolt carefully ensuring that your hand is not behind the bolt, and that no-one is standing behind or beside the rifle. Check that the cartridge comes out complete with the bullet. Do not put the round back in the rifle, keep it separate from your other live ammo and then hand it in for disposal.
15. A member who, whilst on the firing point, accidentally discharges his firearm will not be allowed another cartridge and the shot will be recorded as a miss. He may also be dealt with under Para 16.
16. A competitor acting in a dangerous manner will forthwith be forbidden to fire again until the circumstances have been investigated and decided on, or referred to higher authority, by the RCO.
17. No Firearm may be removed from the firing point until it has been cleared by the RCO, or person nominated by the RCO. For bolt action rifles the bolt must be removed. For straight pull rifles the magazine must be removed and a breech flag inserted.
18. If a firearm cannot be unloaded in the normal manner, the shooter is to leave it on the firing point pointing towards the target. The shooter is to inform the RCO immediately. The firearm is to remain pointing towards the target until the detail has finished and all shooters have cleared the firing point. The RCO is to arrange for a qualified person to make the firearm safe on the firing point.
19. Once cleared, members should swiftly remove all their equipment from the firing point in order not to delay the days shooting.
20. Convertible Sighting Shots. After a competitor has fired their second sighting shot, they may elect to count the second sighting shot, or both, in their score. They must declare this intention to their scorer before the next shot is fired. In the absence of such declaration, they shall be deemed not to have converted their sighting shots.