New to moving and shooting?

You are in the right place!

We understand that it can be intimidating showing up to your first “match”, “league”, “competition” or whatever you want to call it. Perhaps you’ve seen a video of a pro or some guy or girl you know running around, maneuvering around barriers, AND shooting a pistol or rifle. Not only are they shooting; they’re shooting fast, their reloads are fast, their movement is fast, everything seems to happen at a blistering pace.

I’ll let you in on a secret…

NOBODY STARTS OUT SHOOTING THAT WAY!

A common misconception is that everyone is a “super shooter.” If you aren’t one of the gifted few with firearms aplomb being your birthright you shouldn’t even bother showing up. An all too common sentiment is “I will embarrass myself” or “I don’t want to screw up.” It is perceived there’s a certain skill level you have to attain before you show up. While that isn’t completely false, that barrier to entry is much lower than you think.

Do you own a firearm? Are you familiar with basic firearms safety? The aforementioned barrier is just that, SAFETY. Can you handle a firearm safely? It doesn’t matter what shooting discipline, or governing body your local club or range chooses to affiliate with; there are a few safety rules that will be constant across each and every one. You may recognize these rules from either a range you may have visited, what your parents taught you, or a firearms class you took.

• Keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times!
• Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot!
• Keep your firearm unloaded until you are ready to shoot!

“But wait! The guy I saw was running around and shooting targets to his left and right? How is that safe?”

It may seem strange to see people shooting targets to their left and right when you are accustomed to conventional firing lines. You probably had neighbors to your left and right, everyone had their own target down range. Generally speaking everyone was keeping their firearms pointed straight down range perpendicular to the back berm. If someone deviated from this (hopefully not yourself or your buddy) a Range Safety Officer (R.S.O) probably sternly reminded you to keep it pointed down range.

In competition we abide by the “180 Rule.”

While navigating a stage you have a 180 plane that extends to your left and right that follows you up and down the range. Your firearm’s muzzle should never cross this plane; additionally, nobody should ever be forward of this plane. The Range Official (R.O.) or R.S.O will typically follow you from behind, close enough that they can ensure you are being safe and not violating any rules. But also far enough away that you aren’t going to bump into them if you make a sudden unexpected movement. If your muzzle breaks this plane the R.O or R.S.O should immediately tell you to “STOP”, “CEASE-FIRE”, or at the very least give you a warning.

Typically NFA PSL league events are more focused on practice and training rather than being a true “competition”. Provided there is no urgent or unsafe situation that arrises from slightly breaking 180; a simple warning is our preferred remedy. Normally when people break 180 they do so by a very slight margin perhaps a degree or two. Though a rule has been broken, an unsafe situation never actually developed. As long as the shooter corrects the issue we will allow them to continue.

It is important to note that a warning is not the norm. At most any other match or competition a “STOP” or “CEASE-FIRE” command will be given, the shooter will be disqualified and likely sent home without a refund. Issuing warnings rather than disqualification is a courtesy given with discretion from the staff.

Cold Range

This our way of saying keep your firearm unloaded until you are ready to shoot. No one is to handle firearms outside of the safety areas or unless under the supervision of the RSO’s when shooting a stage. All firearms are to remain holstered or cased, and chamber empty. No ammunition is to be handled within the Safety Areas. When in doubt don’t handle your firearm and ask an RSO for guidance.

Range Commands

In the dynamic environment of “moving and shooting” efficient communication is essential for everyone’s safety. The way that R.O’s and R.S.O’s communicate with shooters is through range commands. Rather than saying “Hey shooter, I need you to immediately stop shooting, take your finger off the trigger, keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction and await further instruction. Something has happened that is unsafe or is about to become unsafe.” Thats a lot of words to say when those actions need to happen instantly. Instead the R.O. is going say “CEASE-FIRE!” or “STOP!” Here are the major ones you will hear, most are self explanatory.

1. Cease Fire or Stop
2. Eyes and Ears
3. Do You Understand The Course Of Fire?
4. Load and Make Ready
5. Are You Ready?
6. Standby
7. “Engage”, “START”, or most commonly an audible tone from a shot timer.
8. If(IF) Finished Unload and Show Clear
9. Hammer Down, Safety, Holster
10. Down Range Area Clear

Shooter Are You Ready? Standby!

If you have a firearm, a few spare magazines, and a desire to listen and learn. You have everything you need to get started! Nobody starts out as a super shooter, we all stumbled through our first few stages. Like everything in life it takes practice, start slow, get smooth, when you are smooth and efficient you are fast. We can’t wait to have fun shooting with you!