Action Area Rules

PORT MALABAR RIFLE & PISTOL CLUB

STANDARDS & OPERATING PROCEDURES

FOR THE ACTION AREA

 

I -- Access

The Action Area is open to all members who attend an Action Area orientation. Members who qualify will be given a sticker on their PMRPC badge. Qualified  members may bring guests.

Scheduled matches/events take priority over casual use of this range. Use of the range during a match is at the discretion of the match chairman, who controls all bays during the match.  Bays that are set up for matches may be used for practice, but the props and target stands may not be moved in any way.  These rules apply for all shooting that occurs outside of matches and sanctioned practice sessions.

 

II -- Firearms and Ammo Allowed

All pistols and rifles except .50 BMG

Rifle-caliber cartridges are fired at paper and clay only.

Pistol-caliber cartridges can be fired at paper, clay or steel.

.22 rimfire firearms can be fired at paper, clay and steel.

Air pistols and air rifles at paper and clay only.

Shotgun -- slug and buckshot on paper only

Shotgun -- birdshot on paper, clay, or steel

No open powder containers or powder pellets are allowed on the benches.

 

III -- General Range Procedures    

1.) The range follows the 180-degree line rule. The acceptable range of fire starts at a line marked by the shooter nearest to the forward berm.  The line is always parallel to the forward berm, and the range of fire extends 180 degrees forward toward the front berm.  Shooters must not allow the muzzle of any unsafe firearm to break this line.

2.) Drawing from a holster is allowed as long as the shooter does not break the 180.

3.) Multiple shooters are allowed in a bay. Each bay is controlled by the first shooter into the bay.

4.) Eye protection is required at all times. Ear protection is required when near shooting.

5.) Gun handling  outside the bays:

-- All firearms must be brought to the bays made safe or safely encased, as specified by the general rules. ”Safe” means the firearm is unloaded; magazine removed if possible; slide locked to the rear or cylinder/action  opened; and chamber flag is installed if possible. “Safely encased” means that the gun is in a holster or case that conceals or protects the trigger. 

-- A loaded firearm inside the bay cannot be moved outside the bay.

-- If a firearm is moved outside a bay while it is not encased, it must be made safe and

carried muzzle down. 

6.) Gun handling inside the bays:

-- The “safe direction”  is the direction in which a firearm would do the least damage if discharged.  When a berm or trap is present, guns should be handled so that the muzzle is pointing at the berm or trap, and bullets will impact directly into it. If a muzzle is not pointed downrange, it should be pointed at the ground.

-- There are only two conditions for guns: “safe” and “not safe.” A holstered gun is considered safely encased.

-- Shooters may go downrange to change targets with a loaded, holstered handgun.

 

7.) Purposefully damaging club property is grounds for disciplinary action. If you damage something, you must notify a club officer before leaving the premises.       

8.) The first person who enters the action area each day must unlock and open the gate, and raise

the flag.  The open gate and flag indicate that the action area is in use. The last person who leaves

the action area must close and lock the gate, and lower the flag.    

9.) All shots fired must directly impact a berm. No shooting at ground targets is allowed. Targets other than the above must be approved by  the pistol director or his designee.

10.) No shooting is allowed from outside a bay, including shooting from the covered seating areas.

11.) Vehicles may not be parked in a bay while there is any shooting in that bay.

12.) The minimum safe distance for shots on steel is 10 yards.

13.) Steel targets cannot be engaged from more than a 15 degree angle.

14.) No personal steel targets in Bay 1 (the southernmost bay).

                       

IV – Submachineguns

1.) Use of submachineguns, including bump-fire, accelerator stocks or any other devices that simulates automatic fire, requires at least two people to be present. One of them must be a PMRPC-approved NFA range officer.

2.) All select fire guns must be chambered for pistol rounds only.  No automatic weapons chambered for rifle cartridges may be fired at PMRPC without the board’s approval.