SECTION 65 – CIVILIAN SERVICE RIFLE/PRACTICAL RIFLE

 

387 The Rules in this Section are applicable to CSR/PR only, and in CSR/PR events take priority over general Rules dealing with equivalent matters.

388 Civilian service rifles or practical rifles may be equipped with either iron or optical sights. Where it is necessary to differentiate between the sighting systems in match conditions, those conditions applicable to iron sights will be termed ‘Iron’ and those applicable to optical sights will be termed ‘Optic’.

389 Civilian Service Rifle and Practical Rifle Classes:

Historic Enfield

a Any SMLE, No 4 or No 5 .303” service rifle

b Rests may not be used

c Trigger weight 4.5lbs minimum

d As issued sling

Any Iron

a Iron sights only

b No restriction on slings

c Rests are prohibited

d Trigger weight 4.5lbs minimum

e Magazine resting is permitted, no part of the wrist of the supporting

arm may touch the ground

Service Optic

a No restriction on slings b Magazine resting is permitted, but no part of the wrist of the supporting arm may touch the ground c Fore grips are prohibited, as are any modifications to the fore end, such as hand or sling stops, intended to facilitate an advantage with the support hand.

d Bipods are prohibited

e Trigger weight 4.5lbs minimum

f Optic sights maximum magnification of 4.5x

Practical Optic

a No restriction on slings or rests

b Bipods may be used, but must remain fitted at all times

c Vertical fore grips may be used, but must remain fitted at all times

d Trigger weight 1.5kg minimum

e No restriction on optic sights

 

390 Ammunition may be home loaded or commercially manufactured. It may be match (FMJ) or match (BTHP/HP/Polymer tipped).

391 To be eligible for the issued ammunition class shooters are limited to using commercially produced or military surplus ball (FMJ) rounds: the use of home loaded FMJ or commercial FMJ match ammunition is prohibited in this class.

392 Rifle Handling (in response to RCO firing point commands):

a Loaded. The rifle is ‘loaded’ when a magazine containing rounds 92 RANGE OPERATING PROCEDURES is on, the bolt is closed, there is no round in the chamber and the safety catch is applied.  b Ready. The rifle is ‘ready’ when the action is cocked, there is a round in the chamber and the safety catch is applied.  c Made Safe. The rifle is ‘made safe’ when it has been unloaded, the chamber has been verified by the firer to be empty, springs eased, safety catch applied, and then a magazine containing live rounds has been inserted (ie a complete ‘Unload’ followed by a ‘Load’).  d Unloaded. The rifle is ‘unloaded’ when the magazine is removed, the chamber is empty, the bolt is closed, the action is not cocked and the safety catch is applied (except where this is not possible for the type of firearm concerned).  e Safety Catch. The safety catch may be set to ‘fire’ when the order to fire, for example “Watch and Shoot” is given. In practices involving fire with movement when the order “Watch Out” is given, the safety catch is to remain at ‘safe’ until the firer is in the position and at the distance required by the match conditions.

393 Practicing with unloaded rifles may not take place behind the firing point or if anyone else is in front of the rifle.

394 Once a rifle has had its trigger tested it will be marked with a coloured sticker. Any rifles without the correct marking sticker will have to be tested before being fired in any competition or practice.

395 In individual and team matches, random samples of competitors will have their triggers tested. RCOs are to be supplied with a trigger tester of the correct weight for the rifles in use on the range. If a competitor is shooting in a class where the minimum weight is 4.5lbs and fails the test, he has the option to continue the match, providing the rifle passes the 1.5kg test. However he will not be eligible for any prizes. Should a competitor’s rifle fail the 1.5kg test, the rifle is not to be fired until the minimum 1.5kg trigger test is passed.

396 Variable power scopes may be used in the Optic Service Class. However, they must only be set at 4.5x power or less.

Dress and Equipment

397 Hearing protection is mandatory during all live firing.

398 The wearing of gloves is permitted during all matches.

Clothing

399 Any jacket or combination of clothing designed or intended to provide support to the body is not permitted. Padding or soft material for the purposes of protection or comfort may be used on the shoulder, on the elbows and on the upper arm.

This padding may be affixed internally or externally to a loose fitting jacket of any design or style having a lightweight, single thickness outer, provided that the combination of the padding and jacket does not provide support to the upper body. Strap-on elbow and knee pads may be worn. 

400 Modern medium-weight and heavyweight purpose-designed canvas, leather or synthetic shooting jackets are prohibited. Similarly, the wearing of excessive layers of clothing, with the purpose of restricting upper body movement (thereby providing support), is also prohibited. The wearing of the UK military issue sniper smock is allowed. Sling keepers are allowed.

401 During inclement weather waterproof clothing may be worn in all matches by firers and team officials (if any).

402 Binoculars may be used in all matches. Spotting telescopes are permitted in sniper matches and in other matches where specifically permitted in the match conditions.

Mobile Communications

403 The use of personal communicating devices, including mobile telephones and/or walkie talkie type radios, is forbidden for unauthorised communications between firing points and butts.

Protests and Reshoots

404 In very exceptional cases the RCO is empowered to order the repetition of one or more practices of a match if, in his opinion, this is desirable.

405 No reshoot that is based on a protest will take place unless the occurrence upon which the protest is based has been vouched for by an RCO. Any reshoot must take place at the earliest possible opportunity.

406 If an irregularity of procedure occurs, such as the timing of an exposure or a target or frame breaking, a firer in an individual match, or the team captain in a team match, may protest to the RCO before the score is known or the targets are seen. Once a protest has been upheld no information will be given to an individual or a team about the scores made in the first shoot.

407 Sighting shots, if allowed in the practice, will not be allowed in the reshoot unless there is an interval of ten minutes or more from the time the reshoot was claimed until the reshoot begins.

408 If a reshoot is granted as a result of a protest in a continuous fire and movement match or practice then the individual or team must reshoot the whole practice or match. Where it is possible to separate the score into phases (when ammunition is not carried forward) only the score made in that phase or by that group in which the irregularity occurs will count in the reshoot. The final score will then be the new score, the remainder of the original score plus all penalty points awarded in both shoots.

409 If firing point staff observe a competitor firing on another competitor’s target he is to be informed immediately that he is cross-firing. No allowance will be made for shots cross-fired, and no additional penalty will be applied.  The competitor at whose target the cross-shots were fired will reshoot that practice or match again without option.

410 In all cases of excess hits on electric targets, the competitor with the excess hits on his target will, without option, reshoot the practice, or complete match if it is a continuous fire and movement match.

411 In snapshooting, rapid fire and fire and movement practices, and any other practice in which each shot is not separately signalled, the method of giving the score will be: a Each sighting shot, where allowed, will be signalled by a spotting disc; both spotting discs will be shown after the second sighting shot.  b When the practice has been completed: i Scores will be taken and the total number of hits and their values will be shown on a score board or sent to the firing point by telephone or radio. The RCO will repeat these details so that competitors can hear, and will record them on the individual squadding card or team register.  ii Spotting discs will be placed in as many shot holes as possible on the scoring area and the targets will be raised at the same time as the score board is shown.  c Once the competitors have seen the score boards or have been told their scores, and have had a chance to see their targets with spotting discs in place, the RCO will ask if there are any challenges.  d Once any challenges have been resolved, or if there are no challenges, the RCO will order the butts to patch out.

412 In case of doubt or disagreement the RCO will be called to give a decision, which will be final. A gauge, if available, will be used by the Butts Officer to determine the value of doubtful shots.

413 For targets mounted on turning target mechanisms a hit will not count if the length of the hole exceeds twice the diameter of the bullet. For the purposes of this rule twice the diameter of the 7.62mm bullet will be taken as 15mm, in the case of the 9mm bullet 18mm and in the case of the 5.56mm bullet 12 mm.

Scoring Irregularities

414 The following rules will apply:

a In all relevant competitions when a shot touches a line between two scoring areas of a target the competitor will be credited with the higher value. In case of doubt the marker must lower the target and RANGE OPERATING PROCEDURES 95 call the Butts Officer to verify the true value before any such shot is signalled.  b If two shots strike the target both shots will be shown by spotting discs, but only the higher value will be signalled using the score panel.  c Only those hits on snapshooting or figure targets which are inside or touching the line drawn 15mm inside the edge of the target, or a proportional amount on representative targets, will count.

Challenges

415 A competitor or team has the right to challenge, once only, the value of a hit, or the score as signalled or telephoned to the firing point, on payment of a deposit: this applies to all matches. A competitor or team may not challenge the score of another competitor or team, but must bring to the attention of the RCO any unmistakable disagreement between the number of hits recorded and the number of discs shown on the target.  a Deliberate Practices. An individual competitor may challenge the value of the shot signalled.  b Timed Practices. The number of, and the values of, hits shown may be challenged.  c Challenge Fee. In NRA matches, in the case of (a) or (b) above, an individual competitor may have to pay a challenge fee of £1.

Challenge Procedure

416 The procedure for resolving challenges will be as follows:

a The RCO will contact the Butts Officer. The Butts Officer will order the signal panel to be removed (in deliberate practices) and the target lowered. The spotting disc or discs will be removed and the whole target will be examined by the Butts Officer, during which time a large fluorescent disc, or a red and white flag, will be displayed to indicate his presence at the target. Once he has confirmed the true value of the shot or shots the Butts Officer will order the value or values of the shots to be re-signalled, and will confirm the result to the RCO.  b If the original score is confirmed then the challenge fee will be forfeited. If, on the other hand, the challenge is upheld the fee will be refunded and the squadding card or team register will be altered accordingly.

417 If the circumstances are such that the signalled value of a shot cannot be verified at once, or without considerable delay, the competitor will be credited with the signalled value.

96 RANGE OPERATING PROCEDURES

418 A ricochet will be marked and signalled as a miss. A spotting disc will not be shown. A shot will not be shown as a ricochet unless it gives evidence that it has previously struck the ground by the throwing of sand or dirt against the target or into the gallery. An elongated shot hole is not, by itself, evidence of a ricochet. A ricochet will be reported to the firing point by radio or telephone.

419 Only the regulation spotting discs will be used. Colour blind competitors may request that their spotting discs be reversed so that the white side is shown.  When the target is being examined as a result of a Message 4, 5 or 8 all spotting discs will be removed from the target. A spotting disc that has been hit will not be used again until it has been patched. No spotting discs will be put in the shot holes until the score has been taken.

Firing After the Time Limit

420 A competitor firing after the time limit will have deducted from his score the maximum number of points that could have been scored by the shots fired after the time limit. If this results in a negative score the score will be recorded as zero.

This rule applies to all timed practices where fixed targets are used and the time limit is indicated by whistle blast.