Range Commands

This will likely be the first range command you hear at the match. “The range is hot” means we’re getting ready to shoot. Make sure your ear protection is in place (you should always be wearing eye protection) and pay attention to the safety officer. 

OK, it’s your turn to shoot and you assume the start position for the stage as specified in the stage walkthrough. The safety officer will direct you to "Load and make ready.” (If you aren't clear about the course of fire, now is the time to have any questions answered.) Unless otherwise specified in the stage description, remove your gun from the holster, insert a magazine with the correct number of rounds for the division or for the particular course of fire, and chamber the first round. (Click here for more information on divisions and classifications). Re-holster (unless otherwise specified in the course description).  If the course of fire calls for the gun to start unloaded, the command will be "Make ready." 

Once your gun is made ready in accordance with the stage description, get comfortably into the position you want to be in when the buzzer sounds. Take a deep breath. Relax and focus on what you are about to do. The safety officer will ask, "Are you ready?"  If you are not ready, say "Not ready." You will be given a few seconds to get ready. If you do not respond to the command within about 3 seconds, the safety officer will assume you are ready.  After that, you’ll hear... 

Once you hear “Standby,” you cannot change your position. You just wait for the buzzer to sound. When the buzzer goes off, safely draw or retrieve your gun and proceed to engage all the targets as specified in the stage description. When all the targets have been engaged, the safety officer will say... 

When you hear this command (and you've taken all the shots you intend to take), unload (drop the magazine and put it in a pocket, on a prop, or on the ground--get it out of your hand), and show clear by retracting the slide, ejecting any round in the chamber. Hold the slide back so that you and the safety officer can visually verify that the gun is empty). Once the chamber is clear (or cylinder is empty), the safety officer will say... 

Let the slide go forward (or close the cylinder), after which the safety officer will say... 

When you hear this command, point the muzzle toward the rear berm and pull the trigger. If you have a decocker, don’t use it to drop the hammer. The safety officer wants to hear the “click.” If your gun has a magazine disconnect, we want you to insert an empty magazine so you can drop the hammer. Then remove the empty magazine. You will then be told to... 

Replace the empty gun in your holster or the flagged PCC in a case or on a cart. With a pistol, don’t do anything else (pick up a dropped magazine or ejected live round) until the gun is holstered and the safety officer says... 

You made it! Now we can record your time for the stage and proceed downrange to score and paste the targets. What follows are some other commands or warnings you may hear as you progress through a course of fire. 

If you hear “Muzzle,” you are close to pointing your muzzle in an unsafe direction. This is also referred to as, "Breaking the 180".  Immediately direct the muzzle downrange. If you don’t respond properly to the warning, or if you manage to “sweep” yourself or another competitor before a safety officer can issue a warning, you will be disqualified from the match. You’re welcome to stay and watch the rest of the match, but you’re done shooting for the day. 

If you hear a safety officer or fellow competitor yell “Finger,” it’s because you have your finger inside the trigger guard when you are not actively engaging a target. Get it out and place it straight along the slide so the safety officer can see that it is clear of the trigger. The first finger warning will result in a 3-second procedural penalty. The second finger warning is an automatic match disqualification. 

If you are in the process of shooting a stage and you hear someone yell “Stop!”, immediately stop what you are doing, keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction, take your finger out of the trigger guard, and wait for instructions. This command is typically used when a potentially unsafe condition has arisen and needs to be resolved. It is also used for stage issues such as a prop malfunction. Whatever it is, it will be straightened out and you can start over. Also, if you see some condition that could be unsafe, don’t hesitate to yell “Stop.” Even if it turns out to be nothing, we can always start over. Better safe than sorry.