Range Officer 101

jtischauser

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I thought I would share this as I am guilty of not using the proper commands while acting as an RO at matches.

8.3 Range Communication

The approved range commands and their sequence are as follows:



8.3.1 “Make Ready” â€" This command signifies the start of “the Course of

Fire”. Under the direct supervision of the Range Officer the competitor

must face down range, or in a safe direction as specified by the Range

Officer, fit eye and ear protection, and prepare the handgun in accordance

with the written stage briefing. The competitor must then assume

the required start position. At this point, the Range Officer will proceed.



8.3.1.1 Once the “Make Ready” command has been given, the competitor

must not move away from the start location prior to issuance

of the “Start Signal” without the prior approval, and under the

direct supervision, of the Range Officer.



8.3.2 “Are You Ready?” â€" The lack of any negative response from the competitor

indicates that he fully understands the requirements of the

course of fire and is ready to proceed. If the competitor is not ready at

the “Are You Ready?” command, he must state “Not Ready”. It is suggested

that when the competitor is ready he should assume the required

start position to indicate his readiness to the Range Officer.



8.3.3 “Standby” â€" This command should be followed by the start signal within

1 to 4 seconds.



8.3.4 “Start Signal” â€" The signal for the competitor to begin their attempt at

the course of fire. If a competitor fails to react to a start signal, for any

reason, the Range Officer will confirm that the competitor is ready to

attempt the course of fire, and will resume the range commands from

“Are You Ready?”.



8.3.4.1 In the event that a competitor begins his attempt at the course of

fire prematurely (“false start” prior to the issuance of the start

signal) the Range Officer will, as soon as possible, stop and

restart the competitor once the course of fire has been restored.



8.3.5 “Stop” â€" Any Range Officer assigned to a stage may issue this command

at any time during the course of fire. The competitor must immediately

cease firing, stop moving and wait for further instructions from

the Range Officer.



8.3.6 “If You Are Finished, Unload And Show Clear” â€" If the competitor has

finished shooting, he must lower his handgun and present it for inspection

by the Range Officer with the muzzle pointed down range, magazine

removed, slide locked or held open, and chamber empty.

Revolvers must be presented with the cylinder swung out and empty.



8.3.6.1 When conducting Standard Exercises, Range Officials may

issue other interim commands on completion of the first string,

in order to prepare the competitor for the second and subsequent

strings. (e.g. “Reload if required and holster”). This option may

also be applied when two or more courses of fire share a common

shooting bay or area.



8.3.7 “If Clear, Hammer Down, Holster” â€" After issuance of this command,

the competitor is prohibited from firing (see Rule 10.4.3). While continuing

to point the handgun safely downrange, the competitor must

perform a final safety check of the handgun as follows:



8.3.7.1 Self-loaders â€" release the slide and pull the trigger (without

touching the hammer or decocker, if any).



8.3.7.2 Revolvers â€" close the empty cylinder (without touching the

hammer, if any).

8.3.7.3 If the gun proves to be clear, the competitor must holster his

handgun.



8.3.7.4 If the gun does not prove to be clear, the Range Officer will

resume the commands from Rule 8.3.6 (also see Rule 10.4.3).



8.3.8 “Range Is Clear” â€" This declaration signifies the end of the Course of

fire. Once the declaration is made, officials and competitors may move

forward to score, patch, reset targets etc.
 
Excellent post JT!!! There seems to always be some confusion with regard to the proper range commends. This small bit of knowledge makes helping out at matches a ton easier!
 
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