Rules and Regulations

Thunder Alley – Indoor Rock’N Thunder Match
Safety Briefing – Rules

COURSE OF FIRE

Competitor faces NRA “D1” paper targets at distances of 3, 10, 15 and 25 yards, with firing timed as follows:

SCORING TARGET

THERE IS NO PENALTY FOR MISSES OR UNFIRED SHOTS.

There are Four divisions.

1) Stock– Factory stock guns… Internal trigger work, grip sleeves, grip stippling is acceptable (Minimum Caliber for Stock Class is .380 Auto).

2) Adult Small Bore division. This division is for .22 Caliber and ALL Calibers with a bullet diameter Smaller than .380 Auto – all rules apply as other divisions.

3) Unlimited/Open– Guns with optics, compensators, major custom work etc… (factory ported guns not included here)

4) Single Stack/Subcompact/Revolver– Any 1911, subcompact CCW gun or revolver.

–– SAFETY —

• “COLD RANGE”. FIREARMS MUST BE UNLOADED AT ALL TIMES.
• IF YOU HAVE A LOADED FIREARM, LEAVE IT ALONE NOW — SEE ME AFTER THE BRIEFING.
• “UNINTENTIONAL DISCHARGE GROUNDS FOR DISQUALIFICATION AND EXPULSION FROM THE RANGES.
• OBEY THE 4 BASIC SAFETY RULES:
• HANDLE ALL FIREARMS AS IF THEY WERE LOADED;
• ALWAYS KEEP THE FIREARM POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION;
• KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNLESS SAFELY FIRING; AND
• BE CERTAIN OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT IS BEHIND IT.
• EYE AND EAR PROTECTION ARE MANDATORY, FOR ALL SHOOTERS, RANGE OFFICERS, AND SPECTATORS.
• WATCH EACH OTHER ON THIS POINT.
• DO NOT HANDLE FIREARMS EXCEPT:
• IN A DESIGNATED ”SAFETY ZONE”;
• (PARKING LOT IS NOT A SAFETY ZONE); OR
• ON THE FIRING LINE, UNDER THE DIRECT SUPERVISION OF A RANGE OFFICER

–– SAFETY ZONES —

• POINT OUT SAFETY ZONES
• USE SAFETY ZONES FOR ALL GUN HANDLING
• DO NOT HANDLE AMMUNITION WHILE IN A SAFETY ZONE.
• LOAD OR UNLOAD MAGAZINES ANYWHERE EXCEPT THE SAFETY ZONES.

–– “SAFE DIRECTION” —

• THE “180 DEGREE PLANE” is DIRECTLY TO YOUR RIGHT AND LEFT. YOUR FIREARM SHOULD NEVER BREAK THAT 180 DEGREE PLANE.
• 180 VIOLATIONS INCUR DISQUALIFICATION AND EXPULSION PENALTIES.
• “SAFE DIRECTION” ABOUT 45 DEGREES EITHER SIDE OF TARGETS, OUT AWAY FROM YOUR BODY, AND BELOW TOP OF BACKSTOP.
• IF RO THINKS YOU ARE ABOUT TO VIOLATE 180, WILL YELL “MUZZLE DOWNRANGE”, “DOWNRANGE”, “WATCH YOUR MUZZLE”, ETC.

–– THE “DON’TS” —

• DO NOT “PLAY” WITH THE FIREARM.
• DO NOT PUT ANY FIREARM IN YOUR BELT, OR IN A POCKET.
• DO NOT HOLSTER A LOADED FIREARM.
• THE ONLY TIME COMPETITOR WILL HAVE A LOADED FIREARM, IT WILL BE; IN HANDS, AND WILL HAVE BEEN LOADED AT THE DIRECTION OF RANGE OFFICER.
• THERE ARE NO “SPEED RELOADS”.
• COMPETITOR WILL BE ABLE TO LOAD ENOUGH ROUNDS TO COMPLETE EACH STRING FIRE PROVIDED COMPETITOR DOES NOT MISS TOO MUCH.

–– HOLSTERS AND ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF FIREARMS TRANSPORT ABOUT THE RANGE —

• COME TO THE FIRING LINE WITH FIREARM UNLOADED IN MAGAZINE WELL AND CHAMBER; SLIDE LOCKED TO THE REAR, EITHER HOLSTERED OR IN ANOTHER “SAFE CARRY” MODE.
• OTHER “SAFE CARRY” MODES ARE:

1. UNLOADED, SLIDE DOWN, AND IN A CLOSED “GUN CASE OR RANGE BAG”.
2. UNLOADED, IN A CLOSED “GUN RUG”; SLIDE LOCKED OPEN IF “GUN RUG”
3. LARGE ENOUGH, SLIDE DOWN, STRIKER DOWN IF NOT LARGE ENOUGH.
4. UNLOADED, SLIDE OPEN, IN A CLOSED “GUN BAG”.
5. SHOULDER HOLSTERS NOT ALLOWED.

–– FAMILIARIZATION —

• PROPER SIGHT ALIGNMENT.
• PROPER TRIGGER CONTROL.
• COMMON ERROR; FOCUSING ON TARGETS RATHER THAN FRONT SIGHT.
• PAY ATTENTION TO TRIGGER RESET BETWEEN SHOTS.

–– MATCH ADMINISTRATION —

• PUT NAME ON ALL SCORE SHEETS BEFORE GIVING THEM TO RANGE OFFICER AT THE STAGE.
• RANGE OFFICERS CALL SHOOTERS TO THE LINE IN THE ORDER THAT THEY RECEIVE SCORESHEETS.
• IF SCORESHEET COMES TO THE TOP AND COMPETITOR IS NOT PRESENT, SCORESHEET WILL BE MOVED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STACK.

–– MAGAZINES AND LOADED ROUND CAPACITY LIMITATIONS —

• GET THROUGH MATCH WITHOUT RELOADING MAGAZINES , IF POSSIBLE
• IF SUFFICIENT MAGAZINES NOT AVAILABLE, TELL RANGE OFFICER AT BEGINNING. THEN, EITHER;
• RANGE OFFICER WILL PAUSE WHILE YOU RELOAD MAGAZINE(S), OR
• IF AVAILABLE, A FRIEND OF THE COMPETITOR OR AN ASSISTANT RANGE OFFICER CAN RELOAD MAGAZINE(S) WHILE COMPETITOR SHOOTS OTHER MAGAZINES.
• MAY LOAD WITH A MAXIMUM OF 5 ROUNDS IN THE FIREARM. All Divisions load only 5 at a time.
• WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU HAVE A MALFUNCTION? ANY ROUNDS NOT FIRED AT THE TARGET DURING THE TIMED STRING OF FIRE ARE COUNTED AS MISSES. YOU CANNOT MAKE UP SHOTS ON FUTURE STRINGS OF FIRE! YOU MAY NOT RELOAD IN THE MIDDLE OF A STRING OF FIRE.

–– WHILE ON THE FIRING LINE —

• AGAIN, “COLD” RANGE.
• HANDLE FIREARM, AND LOAD FIREARM, ONLY AT DIRECTION OF, AND
  UNDER SUPERVISION OF, RANGE OFFICER.
• YOU WILL BE CALLED TO THE LINE.
• BRING EVERYTHING YOU WILL NEED.
• RANGE OFFICER WILL ASK;
  “DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE COURSE OF FIRE? DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS“
• NEXT; RANGE OFFICER WILL SAY;
  “IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS (OR NO FURTHER QUESTIONS) LOAD AND MAKE READY“
• COMPETITOR MAY;
• DRAW THE FIREARM; AND
• TAKE A QUICK “SIGHT PICTURE; AND
• LOAD WITH 5 ROUNDS; AND
• ASSUME THE “START” POSITION.
• “START” POSITION IS “LOW READY”; MUZZLE DOWN ABOUT 45 DEGREES TOWARDS GROUND, FINGER OUTSIDE TRIGGER GUARD.
• NEXT; RANGE OFFICER WILL ASK;
  “ARE YOU READY?”
• IF NOT READY, COMPETITOR SHOULD LOUDLY SAY “NOT READY”.
• IF READY, COMPETITOR SHOULD EITHER SAY “YES” OR NOD HEAD.
• WHEN RANGE OFFICER BELIEVES COMPETITOR IS READY, RANGE OFFICER WILL SAY:
  “STAND BY”
• TWO TO FIVE SECONDS AFTER “STANDBY”, START SIGNAL WILL BE GIVEN; USUALLY BY AIR HORN;
• WHEN COMPETITOR IS APPARENTLY FINISHED, RANGE OFFICER WILL SAY:
  “IF YOU ARE FINISHED, UNLOAD AND SHOW CLEAR”
• WHILE AT ALL TIMES KEEPING THE FIREARM POINTED IN A SAFE, DOWNRANGE DIRECTION;
• REMOVE THE MAGAZINE FROM THE FIREARM; AND
• CLEAR THE CHAMBER BY CYCLING THE SLIDE MANUALLY; AND
• (DRY FIRE) PULL THE TRIGGER TO DOUBLY ENSURE THAT THE CHAMBER IS EMPTY; AND
• LOCK THE SLIDE OPEN (UNLESS THE FIREARM IS TO BE INSERTED IN A “RANGE BAG” OR “GUN RUG” THAT REQUIRES THE SLIDE TO BE FORWARD, STRIKER DOWN ON AN EMPTY CHAMBER) ; AND
• HOLSTER THE FIREARM (OR OTHERWISE SECURE THE FIREARM BY PLACING IT IN A “RANGE BAG”, “GUN RUG” OR “GUN BAG”, AS THE CASE MAY BE).
• COMPETITOR MUST ALWAYS SECURE FIREARM BEFORE BENDING OVER TO PICK ANYTHING (MAGAZINES, EJECTED LIVE ROUNDS, ETC.) UP.
• IF COMPETITOR HAS FINISHED THE ENTIRE MATCH, COMPETITOR MAY PROCEED TO A SAFETY ZONE TO TRANSFER THE UNLOADED FIREARM INTO A SAFE TRANSPORTATION MODE FOR TRANSPORT AWAY FROM THE RANGE IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.

–– SCORING —

• ONCE ALL FIREARMS ARE SECURE, SHOOTER MAY ACCOMPANY RANGE OFFICER AND OBSERVE WHILE RANGE OFFICER SCORES THE TARGETS AND RECORDS THE SCORES. DO NOT MOVE FORWARD OF THE FIRING LINE UNTIL THE RANGE OFFICER CALLS THE RANGE “CLEAR”
• COMPETITOR’S RESPONSIBILITY TO ACCOMPANY THE RANGE OFFICER WHILE TARGETS ARE SCORED. RANGE OFFICER IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CONFIRMING THE COMPETITOR’S SCORE.
• IF COMPETITOR AGREES WITH SCORING OF TARGETS AND THAT TIMES AND SCORES HAVE BEEN RECORDED CORRECTLY ON SCORESHEET,.
• RANGE MASTER’S DETERMINATION AS TO THE SCORING OF THE DISPUTED TARGET(S) WILL BE FINAL.