Chapter 5 · Competitor Equipment · p.31
5.7Malfunctions of Competitor’s Equipment
A competitor who experiences a malfunction while responding to the “Make Ready” command, but prior to issuance of the “Start Signal” is entitled to retire to repair his firearm without penalty, under the authority and supervision of the officiating Range Officer and subject to all other safety rules. Once the repairs have been completed or a replacement firearm has been approved by the Range Master, the competitor may return to attempt the , subject to scheduling as determined by the officiating Range Officer or Range Master.
In the event that a competitor’s firearm malfunctions after the Start signal the competitor may safely attempt to correct the problem and continue the . During such corrective action the competitor must keep his firearm’s muzzle pointing safely downrange at all times.
While rectifying a malfunction, the competitor’s fingers must be clearly visible outside the trigger guard. (See Rule 10.5.7)
In the event that a malfunction cannot be corrected by the competitor within 2 minutes he must point the firearm safely downrange and advise the Range Officer who will terminate the in the normal manner. The course of fire will be scored as shot including all applicable misses and penalties.
Under no circumstances is a competitor permitted to leave a in the possession of a . (See Rule 10.5.12.)
Where the firearm has failed after the Start signal the competitor must not be permitted to reshoot the or string. This includes the instance where a firearm is declared unserviceable or unsafe during a course of fire. However, any un-attempted component strings in a Standard Exercise may still be attempted by the affected competitor after the firearm has been repaired, and prior to when match results are declared final by the Match Director.
In the event that a Range Officer terminates a due to a suspicion that a competitor has an unsafe firearm or unsafe ammunition (e.g., a “squib” load) the Range Officer will take whatever steps he deems necessary to return both the competitor and the range to a safe condition. The Range Officer will then inspect the firearm or ammunition and proceed as follows:
If the Range Officer finds evidence that confirms the suspected problem the competitor will not be entitled to a reshoot but will be ordered to rectify the problem. On the competitor’s score sheet the time will be recorded up to the last shot fired and the will be scored “as shot” including all applicable misses and penalties.
If the Range Officer discovers that the suspected safety problem does not exist, the competitor will be required to reshoot the stage.
A competitor who suspects a “squib” but was not stopped by the range officer is allowed to safely abandon the firearm and finish the stage unless it was the final firearm. In that case the time will be recorded, and the stage will be scored as normal. However, any attempt to clear a suspected “squib” is specifically prohibited under this provision whether the range officer has previously called stop or not.