|
ISSF
information – last
updated 01/03/10 This
website for NRC information and resources is provided by Pistol Australia
Inc.
as a service to its affiliated members (If you have an Australian category H target license and are
not affiliated to PA, why not? Don’t you value your
sport?) |
|
For
PA competitions, the ISSF
Rules are subject to the PA GTRs which in turn is
subject to the PA
Constitution |
o
The
ISSF has released ‘A Rule Interpretation Regarding Shooter’s Clothing’
(click
here>>) covering clothing standards expected at ISSF Sanctioned
competitions. I.e. this relates to,
and is effective immediately at, any ISSF World
Cups, the World Championships and Oceania
Championships. o
As
with several other ISSF clothing and eligibility rules, this will not be applied at PA
competitions: ·
Jeans
(blue or otherwise) are allowed (at a recent ‘local’ competition, I counted more
than 25% of the shooters in jeans) ·
The
ISSF limits on blinder and occluder sizes is not applied ·
None
of the sponsor marking limits are applied ·
The
exclusion of ‘Camo’ clothing was adopted
by PA as from the 2009 AGM ·
New(ish)
- an ISSF webpage re ISSF
Rules amendments & interpretation>> has been added to the ISSF
website. Currently (2 Jan 10) there
are no amendments/interpretations shown for pistol, but the webpage should be
checked regularly. Note that any
ISSF amendments/interpretations are not automatically applicable at PA
competitions: they require adoption by the NRC/PA to become
effective. ·
New(ish) – ISSF
News 6-2009>> is available in electronic format.
·
Paperwork from the ISSF Organisers Committee Meeting is available>>. When (if) you get to the bit about a
refire/completion for an allowable malfunction after a prior non-allowable
malfunction, do not try to interpret and apply the answer given – I have raised
this with the Pistol Committee Chair for further clarification.
·
Despite reporting that an amended rulebook is available,
2009/1 printing is still the version on the ISSF website.
·
New(ish) –
Amendment to PAGTR
4.4>> ·
New(ish) –
2010 ASADA Anti-Doping changes
–
affects ISSF and ISCD shooters at major competitions ·
New(ish) –
2010 World Cup, Sydney>>
·
Recent – Specifications
for timers for ISSF 25M>> ·
Recent – Air Pistol on
Stationary Targets
–
a guide for those clubs without 10M wind-back targets ·
Recent – Correction to RO Guide for W25M
Finals ·
Recent – Too many shots fired – 25M
·
Recent – Too many shots loaded – 25M ·
Recent – On ‘break and cease to function’>>
·
Recent – On repair or replace ·
From
the 2009 Nationals, Cessnock: o
Scoring Inner-10s
on-range>> o
Scoring Air Pistol Inner
10s>> o
Air Pistol Inner 10 Plug
Gauges>> o
Grip Curvature – 10M and 25M
pistols>> o
Shoot-offs for the last start
position in Finals>> ·
The RO Guides for PA range
officials>> - make sure your club is using the current
guides ·
What
has changed in the 2009 ISSF Rules: o
#1
the (very) short version from the ISSF a
1-page summary>> o
#2
a bit more detail specific to ISSF
pistol¯¯ o
#3
what some people are getting their knickers knotted
aboutââ o
For
the truly dedicated, Explanations to the ISSF Pistol Rules,
2009/1 ·
NRC
Bulletins –
for your Club notice board/s o
ISSF -
Substance on Bay Floor>> o
ISSF -
10m/50m Shoot-offs to go into Finals>> o
ISSF -
calling and recording inner-10s>> o
ISSF
shoot-offs>> general
information ·
Other
page contents (rule numbers
in these items might not have been updated) o
Re opening of Air Pistol actions in
Finals o
Air Pistol on Stationary
Targets o
Rapid Fire Pistol – Metres per second to Feet per
second o
Use by shooters of mobile phones
as a stopwatch o
When/where may a pistol be taken
out of its case? o
Change to wording in rule
8.2.5.1 o
Arm too high
for ISSF events (a reminder) ISSF rule that existed until 2009 (8.4.1.1.1 in the 2005 rules) that The shooter must use the same pistol in all
stages and series of an event unless it ceases to function’ is no longer in
the rules – i.e. a shooter MAY use a different pistol for
different Stages: e.g. a .38 revolver for the Precision Stage and a .32
semi-auto for the Rapid Fire Stage. To accommodate this change, PA GTR 4.4.3 The shooter must use the same pistol in all
series throughout the event, except as permitted in the Specific Technical
Rules for the event.
Note that this only applies to ISSF 25M 4.4.3 remains subject to: 4.4.3.1. Where the replacement of a pistol following a break or cease
to function is permitted in the Specific Technical Rules for an event, those
rules will apply. The 2010
Prohibited List was published on 1 October, and the information is now
available on the World Anti-Doping Agency
website. Until 1 January 2010, the 2009
Prohibited List remains in effect. In the last few weeks I have seen a number of situations where a
shooter has loaded five rounds for a refire to complete a malfunction series
(for the Standard Pistol and Rapid Fire Pistol events, the shooter loads and
fires five shots for the refire of the series; for all other 25M malfunction
refires the shooter completes
the series): ·
If the shooter fires too many shots, 8.6.6.1.1,
and
8.6.6.1.1.1 (and 8.6.6.1.1.3 for a sighting series) apply
and there is a two points penalty for each additional shot
fired ·
there
is no requirement for the Range Officer to inform the shooter of the number of
rounds to be loaded for the refire series ·
If
the shooter asks how many rounds to load, the Range Officer tells the
shooter. In
addition to the information on the ISSF pistol bits»: ·
Substances on the
firing point floor - rule 6.3.6.3.5
– a Bulletin for your club notice board (added 25 Feb 09) ·
NRC Bulletin re
calling and recording Inner-10s>> (added 16 Feb
09) ·
The
PA printing (GTRs and Pistol) is
available – order from
PA>> or your State Affiliate office (added 6 Feb
09) ·
PA Guides for Range
Officers>> have been updated for the 2009 ISSF
rules ·
After
some (many?) months of reading and re-reading the ISSF 2009/1 Rules, a
‘considered opinion’ on these rules is available as a PDF
file>> ·
It’s
a biggish file (626KB) – you can right click on the link above and ‘save
target’, or (if you have Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat) left click on the link
and the file will open ·
As
usual with these explanations to the ISSF rules, this is a personal project and
a personal interpretation by one Judge (but I usually get it right…). With the passage of time a few of these
interpretations might be changed by ISSF Juries at ISSF
Championships. The
‘Explanations’ are set in the context of an International competition – remember
that at PA competitions
the ISSF
Rules are subject to the PA GTRs which in
turn is subject to the PA
Constitution 8.6.4.2.3.1
(loading more than five rounds) does not automatically apply unless
the shooter has loaded more than five rounds at any given time –
e.g.: ·
a
shooter has AM, three shots fired then loads five rounds for the re-fire – the
shooter has not infringed 8.6.4.2.3.1 8.6.4.2.3.1
only applies if the shooter loads more than five rounds for a series –
e.g.: ·
loads
six (or more) rounds in the magazine or cylinder ·
loads
five shots in the magazine and one in the chamber, 8.6.4.2.3.1
does not apply if a shooter replaces a round – e.g.: ·
150-seconds
series of Standard Pistol; the shooter has a malfunction, ejects the faulty
round, loads the magazine with a replacement round and
continues, ·
A
5-minute Precision series; the shooter has a malfunction, ejects the faulty
round, loads the magazine with a replacement round and
continues. Following the withdrawal of India for the ISSF World Cup, the March
2009 World Cup has been granted to AUS.
Preliminary details: ·
SISC range, Sydney ·
Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun IOC events ·
20/28th March (this makes things bl##dy difficult for
those involved as competitors and/or volunteers for both the World Cup and the
Nationals, Belmont). Les Spurrier has sent out an e-mail to PA Judges re availability for
the World Cup and/or the PA Nationals, Belmont: ·
This is not only for Jury positions; far more important will be the
other positions of Line judges (Belmont), ROs (SISC), etc. ·
If you have not already, please let us know you
availability. A boo-boo (discovered at the NSWAPA ISSF Championships) was a mistake
in the W25M Finals Guide – a mistaken cut-and-paste had ‘Attention–3–2–1–Start’
instead of the correct ‘Attention’. The corrected v2 guide can be downloaded from www.nrc-pa.com/25W_F.pdf
Following an ‘interesting’ interpretation of this section of the
rules at a recent competition, it is time for a bit of clarification on the
application of rules 8.7.3.1 to 8.7.3.6. Firstly, the ‘interpretation’ that gave rise to this
clarification: ·
Standard Pistol ·
The shooter completed the 150 seconds Stage without
malfunctions ·
In the first series of 20 seconds Stage the shooter had an allowable
malfunction and failed to complete the reshoot due to a further
malfunction ·
The shooter had even more malfunctions, and
withdrew ·
The Jury decided that 8.7.4.3.1.6 applied and the shooter
could repair and continue in a later relay (so far so good…) ·
The Jury further decided to annul all shots fired after the 150
seconds Stage (the ‘interesting’ bit) 8.7.3.1 A shooter is allowed a maximum of 15 minutes to repair or
replace a pistol in order to resume the competition. ‘…resume the competition’
is really VERY straightforward – all
shots fired up to the point where the shooter removes the pistol to repair of
replace stand (including any zeros, misses); after the sighting series (8.7.3.6), the shooter continues from (or
completes, where there is a re-shoot remaining) the series where he removed the
pistol to repair of replace. The rule that existed until 2009 ‘8.4.1.1.1 (in the 2005 rules) The shooter must use the same pistol in all
stages and series of an event unless it ceases to function’ is no longer in
the rules – i.e. a shooter MAY use a different pistol for
different Stages: e.g. a .38 revolver for the Precision Stage and a .32
semi-auto for the Rapid Fire Stage. However: ‘8.7.3.4 he may continue to
fire with another pistol of the same type of mechanism (semiautomatic or
revolver) and of the same caliber’ is still part of the rules – if a shooter
has to replace a pistol
during a Stage, it must be
the same type and calibre. Congratulations to PA officials: Peter Anderson
Jury of Appeal Sharon Reynolds
25m, Chair Spencer Tweedie
Equipment Control, Chair Congratulations to David Chapman on a score of 579 in the Qualification
round …went smoothly (once scorers remembered they now have to be
called) See also calling and
recording inner-10s>> As the Rika scoring machines do not score inner-10s for Air Pistol,
we trialled a number of procedures (basically a/ gauging after the targets went through the Rika
and b/ gauging before the targets
went through the Rika) and settled on gauging before the targets went through
the Rika. I.e.: 1.
the targets come in to the Classification Office, 2.
are sorted and handed on the Rika operator 3.
Before putting a target into the Rika, the operator checks the
target a.
any shot which is clearly either an Inner-10, or clearly not an
Inner-10 is processed through the Rika: the value is called to the Register
Keeper (X, 10, 9, etc.) b.
shots that are close to being an Inner-10 are gauged using an
approved 18mm gauge
i.
the target is marked as gauged, the outcome of gauging indicated and
initialled by the scorers (if in dispute, a Judge resolves the value, as
usual)
ii.
If the shot gauges out,
the Rika operator calls a ‘10’ to
the Register Keeper/s
iii.
If the shot gauges in,
the Rika operator calls an ‘X’ to
the Register Keeper/s 4.
As usual, the Jury checks the scores and targets for the top 10
scores and any team members. Notes: ·
it is not recommended that the targets be inspected and gauged if
necessary for inner-10s before being passed to the Rika operator – it would be
all too easy for the operator to miss an ‘X’. ·
the current Rika machines cannot indicate an X and for Air Pistol the
X does not correspond to a decimal value.
The new Rika model is rumoured to have this capability, but there is no
news regarding an update for the current model – any person or group with a
current model can email Rika at mailto:office@rika1.com – good
luck! ·
When marking a target to indicate that it has been gauged, it is best
to not mark the target above the black aiming mark – it can confuse the
Rika. While I would not normally recommend that plug gauges be used if
targets are scored by a ring-scoring machine (Rika, SAM, Disag, etc.) the only
way we can get a realistic determination of shots close to the X-ring is by
using a plug gauge as per ISSF rule 6.3.2.8.4.2 – fortunately, Len Creek had
done a production run of 18mm gauges that the NRC approved using an ISSF
supplied control plate This was checked rather more rigorously than at previous competitions
and a number of shooters had to modify their pistol grip to comply (this is a
polite way of saying that their grips were not ‘legal’). It is worth noting that: ·
the wording of the particular rule (8.9.a) has not changed over the
years ·
a grip that is ‘legal’ for one shooter might (or might not) be
‘legal’ for another shooter …did not happen for any IOC event at this competition, so we have yet
to get experience in this. Subject to corrections and interpretations as per the PA
GTRs>> and information on this webpage, the 2009 rules came in to
effect 1st January 2009. For PA competitions, the three major changes are: ·
Minimum trigger weight for 25m Center Fire Pistol is
1000g ·
Tie-breaking by count-back now uses the number of inner-10s as the
first step in resolving ties ·
Ties for the last position to go to a Final are decided by a
shoot-off (previously a shoot-off only applied to Rapid Fire
Pistol) There are a goodly number of changes in the layout of the ISSF
Technical rules (sections 6+). In
particular, rules that apply to more than one discipline have been aggregated
into the General Technical Rules. For pistol events, rules that were repetitive
for other ISSF disciplines (particularly rifle) are now in the ISSF
GTRs. I am working my way through sections 6 (GTR) and 8 (pistol) and will
update this information progressively. 6.2.2.8 It is the shooter’s responsibility that any air or Co2 cylinder has
been certified as safe and is still within the validity
date. 6.3.6.3.5
It is prohibited to put any substance on the floor of the Firing
Point. It is prohibited to wipe the
firing point without permission. This rule is new – see belowââ.
6.3.8.4 …The use of a board as a firing line is not
permitted. 6.4.2.1 Clothing Regulations It is the responsibility of the competitor to appear on the ranges
dressed in a manner appropriate to a public event. This must be controlled by
the Jury. Clothing made of camouflage
material is prohibited. 6.11.4.1 If a shooter releases the
propelling charge during the preparation time he must be given a WARNING
for the first violation and a DEDUCTION of two (2) points from the
lowest value shot of the first competition series for the second and
subsequent violations. 6.14.1.1 All tied scores will be broken except for perfect scores. 6.14.2 Ties for the 300 m, 50 m, 10 m and 25 m events (if there is not a
Shoot-off) will be decided by the following Count Back Rules: 6.14.2.1 the highest number of inner tens; 6.14.2.2 the highest score of the last ten shot series working backward by 10
shot series in full ring scoring (not inner tens or decimals) until the tie is
broken; 6.14.2.3 the highest number of 10’s, 9’s, 8’s, etc.; 6.14.2.4 if any ties remain, the shooters must have the same ranking and must
be listed in Latin alphabetical order using the shooter’s family
name. 6.14.2.4.1 Shooters participating in the Shoot-off will be ranked according to
the score of the Shoot-off. Remaining ties on lower places will be decided by
the Count Back Rules starting with the scores of any Shoot-off(s). The NRC is preparing NRC Bulletins on Shoot-offs and Count-backs: these will
be available for download from this website before the end of the year. 6.14.6 For Olympic Events (with Finals) If there is a tie to be eligible for the Finals from the
Qualification Round, the tie will be broken by a Shoot-off and the rules for
individual ties will not apply for those shooters. E.g. Two shooters tied for 8th position for the Final for
Air Pistol 6.15.4.1.1 All results protests must be submitted within 10 minutes after the preliminary
scores are posted on the Main Scoreboard. The time when the scoring Protest Time
ends must be shown on the Main Scoreboard, immediately after the posting has
been completed. The location, to
which any score protest must be made, must be published on the official
program. 6.16.2.3 Two (2) points penalty from the first Final shot will be awarded if
the shooter has not reported to the Preparation Area in time. Note- this is for Finals Reporting Time 8.6.4.2.3.1 If a shooter loads his pistol with more than a total of five (5)
cartridges or he loads more than one (1) magazine on any command
“LOAD” he must be penalized by the deduction of two (2) points, for each additional cartridge, from his competition score
in that same series. 8.6.4.2.3.2 A shot or shots fired before the command “LOAD” must incur
disqualification. 8.7.4.2 If a Malfunction (allowable or
non-allowable) occurs in the sighting series it must not be registered as a malfunction. If
an Allowable Malfunction occurs
the shooter may complete the sighting series by shooting the unfired shots in the
specified time for the sighting series for that event; fired immediately. In
precision stages the unfired
shots may be fired immediately, in a maximum of two (2) minutes. If a Non-Allowable Malfunction
occurs in the sighting series no further sighting shots may be
fired In the 2005 rules there was no distinction as to the type of
malfunction in a sighting series (i.e. the shooter was allowed to complete after
an allowable or non-allowable malfunction and there was no need for the Range
Officer to examine the pistol). With the additional wording in the 2009 rules, the Range Officer must
inspect the pistol and decide if the malfunction was allowable or
non-allowable. 8.7.4.1.1 applies. 8.9 …Trigger Pull Center Fire Pistol >1000g A number of Centre Fire shooters will be trying to get down to the
1000g trigger weight – expect to see some interesting malfunctions as an outcome
when amateur pistolsmiths reduce the trigger weight on their centre fire
pistol/s: o With revolvers, it may take a while for some shooters to figure out
§ their malfunctions are due to light hammer energy. As range officials, all we have to worry
about is the malfunction procedures, and/or § how to keep their trigger pull above 1000g. o For semi-automatics, any ‘maxims’ (8.7.4.3.1.7) must be dealt with by ensuring that “The shooter must stop firing immediately and
must not continue to use such a pistol without the permission of a Range Officer
or a Jury Member” is followed. This does not mean that every range in Australia has to immediately
rip up any existing firing lines that use a ‘kick board’ as the firing line –
for most ranges, when (and if) your club gets around to it will
do. The complete tie-breaking rule is above## I.e. inner-10s need to be scored and recorded on the Registers
(scorecards) ·
use your existing scorecards as per Bulletin #6»
·
for 50m and 25m events, use your existing plug gauges (No! It’s not
the end of the world, as a few clubs have done so since 1st
January…) ·
for 10m: o for PA events the use of an inwards scoring gauge is authorised (yes
– I know that not many pistol shooters will have one of these,
yet) o Air Pistol outward scoring gauges for inner-10s are as scarce as
hens’ teeth, but they will be available o The current Rika scoring machines do not score Air Pistol Inner-10s –
I have inquired with Rika re an update without success (i.e. not even a
reply) 8.7.4.2 .. If a Non-Allowable Malfunction occurs
in the sighting series no
further sighting shots may be fired The Range Officer have to inspect the pistol and decide if the
malfunction is Allowable or non-Allowable Note – rule numbers below have not been updated from the
2005/3rd printing The applicable wording 8.14.6.1.5 is: That means: The breech of 50 m pistols MUST be open. It is
permitted to leave an empty case in the chamber between
shots. 10 m Air Pistols must be uncocked. The cartridge or pellet must be loaded into the chamber only after
the command “LOAD”. As opening the action of some Air Pistols and Air Rifles will block
the sight picture, this rule was changed to allow shooters to conduct aiming
exercises (dry firing is not allowed) between shots in a
Final. The ISSF Eligibility Rules have been revised and come into force as
from 1 Jan 2008 – these are available at amended ISSF Eligibility and Sponsorship
Rules Note that these rules are NOT applied at PA competitions (unless
specifically requested by shooters going to an international ISSF
Championship) Given that some clubs do not have a dedicated 10M range and/or
wind-back targets, I have had a request to add a guide covering Air Pistol on
ranges without returning targets. On first impressions, this appears to be a comparatively simple
division of the Air Pistol matches into 20-shot ‘stages’ (five shots per black
on ‘5-bull’ targets using the centre aiming mark for sighters) to allow for the
40-shot and 60-shot matches. The problem arises when considering the time to be allowed for each
20-shot stage. As with ‘Australian
Conditions’ for 50M Pistol, an allocation of a longer time period for the first
‘stage’ to allow shooters to settle is a natural
consideration. An examination of the ISSF event times indicates that the allocation
on wind-back (and EST) is based on 15 minutes settling/sighters time and 1½
minutes per competition shot. This
seems excessive for the first ‘stage’ of 45 minutes, and makes no provision for
sighters for subsequent stages of 30 minutes after changing
targets. To this end I propose a draft RO Guide to see how it accepted
using: ·
‘5-bull targets’: center aiming mark as the sighting target:
five shots per competition bull ·
‘6-bull targets’: top left aiming mark as the sighter: four shots per competition bull ·
Time allocations of: o 40/35 minutes (total
1:15) for the 40 shot events, and o 40/35/30 minutes (total 1:45) for the 60-shot
events. As usual, comments are welcomed (it’s a long time since I shot Air
Pistol on 5-bull targets) As most chronographs available at PA ranges work on fps, the
following quick converter may be useful
RAPID FIRE PISTOL – MPS to FPS mps fps mps fps mps fps 230 754 250 819.6 270 885.2 231 757.3 251 822.9 271 888.5 232 760.6 252 826.2 272 891.8 233 763.9 253 829.5 273 895 234 767.2 254 832.7 274 898.3 235 770.4 255 836 275 901.6 236 773.7 256 839.3 276 904.9 237 777 257 842.6 277 908.1 238 780.3 258 845.9 278 911.4 239 783.6 259 849.1 279 914.7 240 786.8 260 852.4 280 918 241 790.1 261 855.7 281 921.3 242 793.4 262 859 282 924.5 243 796.7 263 862.2 283 927.8 244 800 264 865.5 284 931.1 245 803.2 265 868.8 285 934.4 246 806.5 266 872.1 286 937.7 247 809.8 267 875.4 287 940.9 248 813.1 268 878.6 288 944.2 249 816.3 269 881.9 289 947.5
Note: these
will not come into effect for PA
until after the Nationals at Belmont
This is also in the 2009 Training Manual for Judges &
Range Officers - a handy reference for ISSF Pistol EC.
Amendment to PAGTR 4.4
2010 ASADA
Anti-Doping changes
Too many shots fired
– 25M
ISSF 2009 rule changes:
Explanations to
the ISSF Pistol Rules, 2009/1
Too many shots
loaded – 25M
2010 World Cup,
Sydney
Correction to RO
Guide for W25M Finals
On ‘break and cease
to function’ (6.12.1,
8.7.4.3.1.6)
On repair or replace
Jury Appointments to
CSF Championships, Delhi
From the 2009
Nationals, Cessnock
New RFP National Record
Scoring Inner-10s
on-range – paper targets
Scoring Air Pistol
Inner 10s
Air Pistol Inner 10 Plug Gauges
Grip Curvature – 10M and 25M pistols
Shoot-offs for the last start position in
Finals
2009 ISSF
Rules
Application
The Changes
All pistol compressed air cylinders, and CO2 cylinders
fall outside the Australian regulations for inspection of pressure vessels (i.e.
less that the minimum100 Mpa.L – this is volume x pressure) and at this time
nobody seems to know how to arrange an inspection or what it would cost for an
air pistol reservoir. This is one
of those things that will be resolved in the fullness of
time.
6.14.1 Individual
Ties
Some bits in more detail
6.3.6.3.5
It is prohibited to put any substance on the floor of the Firing
Point. It is prohibited to wipe the
firing point without permission.
This rule is new. Download
ISSF
Substance on Bay Floor>> and
add it to your club notice board
The intent is to stop shooters (or coaches) adding non-slip
substances on the floor of the firing point – no doubt some International Juries
will overextend their interpretation to include any substance (e.g. a mark to
indicate the shooter’s preferred position of the feet)
For PA competitions, the use of a mark or patch on the floor to indicate
the shooter’s preferred position of the feet will not be in breach of this rule
(but clean it up afterwards?!).
If any shooter finds the firing point floor surfaces too slippery, this
should be brought to the attention of the Technical Delegate and the organisers
and dealt with through official channels.
6.3.8.4 …The use of a board as a firing line is not
permitted.
6.14.2.1 the highest number of inner tens;
Re opening of Air
Pistol actions in Finals
Once again this has come up in a Final competition. Provided the shooter does not want to
put the pistol on the bench, there is no requirement to open the action of
an Air Pistol between shots in a Final.
The requirement to open the action of 50m pistols between shots
in a Final remains.
ISSF Eligibility Rules
Air Pistol on
Stationary Targets
Rapid Fire Pistol –
Metres per second to Feet per second
In short, NO!
8.4.1.4 The use of mobile telephones, walkie-talkies, pagers or similar
devices by competitors, coaches and team officials while within the competition
area is prohibited. All mobile telephones etc. must be switched
OFF.
A few points on this rule:
·
This is a specific blanket prohibition on the use of mobile phones
for any use by competitors, coaches and
team officials in the competition area
·
Spectators are covered by rule 6.3.6.6.1
·
The competition area is the range and the spectator area (I leave it
to those interested enough to find the rule number (there is
one))
·
There is no provision in 8.4.1.4 or 6.3.6.6.1 for ‘“airline mode’ –
simply, for competitors, coaches and team officials all mobile telephones etc.
must be switched OFF.
Right or wrong, our sport is subject to perceptions by the
general public. One of the spheres
over which we have control is our firearms handling procedures; in turn, one of
the areas that we need to address is the handling of uncased firearms other than
at the firing point.
With all the safety procedures that we go through while under the
direct control of a Range Officer, after the pistols have been ‘cleared to
remove’ how many shooters will turn around with the pistol to take it to the
rear of the range section to put the pistol back in its case?
Far better is to take the case to the pistol and put the pistol away
at the firing point.
Indeed, the 2005 ISSF rules require the pistol to be cased unless it
is at the firing point; for the Service Pistol and International 1920 events the
shooters will normally have their ‘case’ with them at the last
stage.
This is one of those comparatively simple things that are easily
implemented; simply maintain safe habits.
For 2006 there is additional wording to this rule (the additional wording is shown in bold and
underline):
“8.2.5.1 When the pistol
is out of its case, the pistol must always be pointed in a safe direction. When not actually firing, all pistols
must be unloaded and the action must be open. The action, breech or loading device
must not be closed until the pistol is pointing downrange in a safe direction
towards the target / butt stop area. In the range, when the pistol is not on
the firing point, it must always be in its case, unless otherwise authorized by
a Range Officer.”
This additional wording
does tighten up the rule, but not to
the point where it impedes normal safe procedures by shooters at the
line.
Application of 8.2.5.1:
Note that this rule applies to all handling of pistols, not only at
the firing line. It is in four
sections:
·
When the pistol is out of its case, the pistol must always be pointed
in a safe direction –
applies to all handling of pistols, both at the firing line and
anywhere else (e.g. Equipment Control, Armoury, Safe Handling
Areas),
·
When not actually firing, all pistols must be unloaded and the action
must be open – applies to all handling of pistols, both at the firing line
and anywhere else when the pistol is out of its case,
·
The action, breech or loading device must not be closed until the
pistol is pointing downrange in a safe direction towards the target / butt stop
area – applies to handling of pistols at the firing line including Preparation Time and
only after the appropriate commands by
the Range Officer, and
·
In the range, when the pistol is not on the firing point, it must
always be in its case, unless otherwise authorized by a Range Officer – means that shooters can not wander away from the firing
line with an uncased pistol.
Application of this additional wording:
·
Importantly, be reminded that the rules are NOT a weapon to be used by any
overly officious range staff!!!!
(Unfortunately) I can all too easily
envisage some pedantic sod taking this wording and INSISTING that shooters
unload and have the action open between shots in a precision series - that is not the intent of this changed
wording!
Any range official
trying to take the wording to extremes can expect to be ‘growled at’!
Any
shooter ignoring the common sense need to handle firearms in an obviously safe
manner likewise can expect to be ‘growled at’!
·
…it must always be in its case, unless otherwise authorized by a
Range Officer – has two aspects:
o The first being that the pistol is not to be uncased until the Range
Officer has given permission (i.e. the downrange area is clear of personnel,
etc.).
o The second aspect is allowing a shooter to take an uncased pistol
away from the firing line; this should be used with some caution! Permitting a shooter to walk away from
the firing line with an uncased pistol (after checking by the Range
Officer, and approval) has become an accepted practice in the 10m events to
allow shooters to change / recharge gas cylinders – but it is not a good
practice.
I cannot think of any good reason why a shooter would need to
remove an uncased pistol from the firing line for 25m or 50m.
·
8.2.5.1 needs to be read in the context of 8.2.5.6 (which applies to putting a
pistol down on the bench and taking the hand off the grip, not to resting the
pistol on the bench – provided it is in a safe direction!).
8.2.5.6 During the competition the
pistol may be put down only after the cartridge(s) and/or magazine are removed
and the action is open – applies in full to rimfire and centrefire pistols,
but still allows a shooter to place an Air Pistol on the bench provided the pistol is made safe by opening,
and keeping open, the cocking handle and/or loading
port.
.
·
The requirements of 8.6.1.2, 8.6.1.3, and 8.6.1.3.1 regarding
direction of loaded pistols still apply.
·
Equipment Control can paraphrase 8.2.5.1 to read as “…When the pistol
is out of its case, the pistol must always be pointed in a safe direction… The
action, breech or loading device must not be closed until the pistol is pointing
in a safe direction…”
At the last Australia Cup one of the obvious ‘faults’ exhibited by a
number of shooters was raising their shooting arm far too high (above the
backstop) when readying for a shot during the 10 m and 50 m events. While this is
not usually a problem for the shots in the 25m events, it can occur when the
shooters are positioning themselves after loading.
The relevant rule is 8.6.1.2 Before and during the series, including while chambering a cartridge,
or checking or cocking a pistol or revolver, the pistol must always be kept
pointing down range and within the target backstop area before returning to the
READY position for the next shot, or while awaiting the command
“UNLOAD”.
Before anybody whinges, it is not a new rule, it’s been there for
YEARS.
The amazing thing to consider in the circumstances at the Australia
Cup situation is that many (not all) of the shooters who were ‘at fault’ were
members of the HPP or PATS squads - these are shooters who are observed more
than any other group in Australia, yet somehow they are allowed to form the
habit of raising the pistol to a level where range officials are duty-bound to
act.
Irrespective of the achievement level of the shooter, the last thing
any shooter needs/wants is to be warned during a competition – for this
particular group of shooters, the effect of an official warning at a major
(international?) competition is something they do not need.
The only way they were raising the pistol too high is that this is
(was?) their ‘habit’ - it is extremely unlikely that these shooters suddenly
developed a new technique for the Australia Cup competition. In other words, these shooters have been
raising the pistol too high for some time without anyone telling them that they
could end up with a warning at a major competition.
In the particular case of the Australia Cup competition, I directed
the range staff to NOT interrupt the shooters concerned until the event was
over. This was a value judgement
based on:
·
the range conditions (a fully baffled safety range, and none of the
shooters was training the pistol to a point where there was a ricochet danger
from the overhead metalwork),
·
and the competition (an ASA selection match – i.e. the skill of the
shooters was the criteria, not their ability to cope with warnings during the
match)
The backstop height varies from range to range, e.g. the 50 m ranges
at Wagga Wagga (2003 Nationals) and that at Belmont (this year) have very
different backstop heights - how do shooters cope with the variation in backstop height between
individual ranges?
Simple enough, develop techniques that do not bring the pistol much
above the top of the targets! Some
years ago when discussing this matter with an elite-level coach, I mentioned
that stretching exercises that bring the arm above an acceptable direction (if
holding a pistol) were part and parcel of shooter procedures – the crux is in
the ‘…if holding a pistol…’. The
coach thought it through for a few seconds, and said words to the effect ‘if
they were holding an equivalent weight, there would be no problem!’ – ‘Ah!’ said
I.
A related problem is the off-arm exercises that many shooters
undertake. Again, these are a
normal part-and-parcel of a shooter’s procedures – holding the pistol in the
hand while doing so invariably leads to the pistol being pointed in unacceptable
directions.
8.2.2 The safety
of shooters, range personnel and spectators requires continued and careful
attention to the handling of pistols and caution in moving about the range...
…Self-discipline is necessary on the part of all. Where such self
discipline is lacking, it is the duty of range officials to enforce
discipline…
…and the duty of shooters and team officials to assist
in such enforcement.
8.2.5.1 …When the pistol is out of its
case, the pistol must always be pointed in a safe direction…
Note that ‘team officials’ here INCLUDES coaches (not only the team
manager).
Two important points:
1.
Range Officials at major competitions should not have to ‘correct’
non-compliance with basic safety rules – the shooters and their coaches should ensure that each shooter complies, and
2.
This is not an area that range officials should see as an opportunity
to ‘attack’ shooters…
Who – as fellow shooters
What – advise
Where –
preferably, at the club level
When – at a suitable time, unless there is a
serious safety problem - preferably after the shooting session (e.g. when
clearing the pistols for removal)
Why – the rules are there as a basic safety
requirement.
The testing of RFP ammunition is now in place for PA
competitions.
In accordance with the new 2005 Rules for 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol Men
(8.4.6), the Jury may take samples from the shooter’s ammunition for
checking.
The minimum bullet weight is 2.53 g = 39 gr; the minimum velocity
allowed is 250 m/sec.
For
the World Cups 2005, the Jury will take samples as follows, and
the Organising Committee must provide Testing Officers, to conduct tests
according to the following procedure. One to two shooters per relay in each 30
shot stage will be selected by the drawing of lots by the Jury.
Immediately after the command “UNLOAD”, after the last series has been
fired in a 30 shot stage, the Jury must arrange for 5 cartridges to be taken
from each of the selected shooter(s). These 5 cartridges must be put in an
envelope, and sealed in the presence of the shooter. Then the selected
shooter(s) must go with their pistol to the designated testing area.
One
cartridge will be taken apart and the bullet weighed. If this fails, a second
attempt will be made. If this fails the shooter must be disqualified.
The Minimum Velocity Test will be made using the shooter’s own pistol
from the competition with a calibrated velocity measurement device – to be
provided by the Organising Committee. The Testing Officer will fire one shot. If
the requirement of the Minimum Velocity of 250 m/sec is fulfilled the shooter
will have passed the test. If not, a second or a third attempt will be made. If
the third attempt fails, the shooter must be disqualified.
Unfired
cartridges must be returned to the shooter. Care must be taken with the unfired
case from which the bullet has been removed.
Given that few 50m ranges in Australia have target systems that
enable the 50m Pistol match to be conducted without the need to change targets
during the match, the following alternative’Australian Conditions’ are approved
for PA competitions:
·
Two targets per shooter; the top target is the competition target,
the lower target is the sighting target
·
Six (6) series, each of ten competition shots.
The first series is
ten competition shots in 30 minutes (including unlimited sighters before the
first competition shot)
The subsequent series are each of ten competition
shots in 18 minutes (including unlimited sighters before the first competition
shot in each series)
·
The competition targets are replaced and scored after each
series.
·
Each shooter may have the sighting target replaced
once.
·
Where pit marking, or automatic target changing, or EST is
available, as per the ISSF rules.
·
The figure below gives a pretty good indication of the
current (2004) requirements for blinders and occluders. Forget the rule numbers and the bit on
the bottom about Edition 2005 (First Draft), as the ISSF does not meet until
later this month to adopt (or otherwise) the rules for 2005.
Notes:
1. The NRC will NOT
be enforcing this requirement within Australia for State and PA
competitions
2. The requirement is for ISSF
ONLY.
HPP and
PATS shooters who wish to train for ISSF competitions and meet this requirement
may do so at their own risk.
3. The NRC does NOT
recommend that any shooter (other than HPP and PATS shooters who wish to train
for overseas ISSF competitions and meet this requirement) reduce the amount of
eye protection.
4. These requirements do not
preclude the use of a ‘full’ lens for the non-shooting eye; the occluder
requirement only relates to the width of the opaque or non-transparent
occluder.
For all ISSF events,
the NRC strongly recommends proper eye protection for all personnel forward of
the spectator barrier (many clubs require eye protection).
5. This definitely does
NOT meet the requirements for eye protection for International
1920 Match, Service Pistol, Black Powder or Metallic
Silhouette.