2024 SNIPER ADVENTURE CHALLENGE

The objective for a team is to acquire the most points while limiting the number of point penalties incurred. The team with the most points will win. Teams must carry all the gear they use to complete land navigation and all tasks, though it may be abandoned at any time. Teams must carry one long-range rifle, one carbine, and two pistols for the entire course. Refer to the Required Gear List for items required for all teams/competitors. All other gear is left to the discretion of the team based on the task briefing. This information will be posted to this web site far in advance of the match date.

SAFETY

1. USPSA safety rules are the baseline for safety at this match.
2. Violation of any safety rule will result in match disqualification (DQ).
3. The Match Director has the right to disqualify any competitor for Unsportsmanlike Conduct based on his judgement.
4. Competitors shall practice good muzzle control and firearm safety at all times. Competitors that do not handle their weapons safely will be disqualified from competing further in the match with no refund of match fees.
   1. Do not ever allow the muzzle of your weapons to point at anyone.
   2. Do not load your weapons until directed to do so by a range officer.
   3. Do not put your finger on the trigger until your sights are aligned with your target.
   4. Obey all Range Officer commands immediately.
5. In addition to the USPSA definition of an Accidental Discharge, the stage RO may call an A.D. using his own judgement, e.g.: if the competitor was clearly not engaging a target. Any round that does not impact within 10 yards of the target the competitor is engaging, or impacts in an unsafe area or direction, is declared to be an AD.
6. The entire competition area is a "cold range."
   1. No firearms may be loaded at the match site except under the direct command of a RO.
   2. Long-guns shall be kept unloaded in cases or on a designated rack, and carried muzzle up or muzzle down and the action open.
   3. "Sweeping" any person with a weapon's muzzle will result in immediate D.Q.
7. All firearms must have a functioning safety, subject to verification by an RO at any time. (A pistol that has not had any factory safety devices disabled will be considered to have a safety for the purpose of this rule.)
8. Any firearm or ammunition deemed by any RO or match staff to be "unsafe" for any reason may not be used in the match until a determination is made by the match director that it may continue.
9. All firearms must be able to be completely unloaded without firing a round.
10. Any firearm that can be demonstrated by any RO or match staff to have a hammer/striker that will fall without the trigger being pressed shall be deemed unsafe and may not be used in the match until repaired.
11. Any rifle slung must have an empty chamber, unless directed by the stage RO.
12. No person shall consume or be under the influence of alcohol or non-prescription drugs at the match site. Any person found to be impaired and unsafe as a result of legitimate prescription drugs may be directed to stop shooting and requested to leave the range.
13. Safety glasses and ear protection are required to be worn/used at all times by competitors and spectators when in the vicinity of any weapons being fired.
14. No person shall place a rifle in such a position that it points at any other person. Find a safe direction if you need to set your rifle down! If you find out there are people passing or downrange, wait until they are clear and then relocate your rifle.
15. This match may include dynamic shooting in natural terrain. Match staff will communicate what are safe directions to point firearms while shooting, or while waiting. This will typically be presented during a stage or match briefing. The competitor shall note and obey the safe muzzle direction guidelines.
16. Ammunition must not cause unusual target damage or cause a fire or other safety risk.
    1. No steel jacket or core projectiles
    2. No armor piercing, incendiary, or tracer bullets
    3. Ammunition that must be "fired" to be unloaded once chambered is declared to be unsafe and may not be used in this match.

TEAM DEFINITIONS

1. Each team shall be comprised of two shooters.
2. One shooter shall be designated the "rifle shooter," and one shooter shall be designated the "carbine shooter."
3. Targets designated as rifle targets may only be engaged by the rifle shooter, with his rifle.
4. Targets designated as carbine targets may only be engaged by the carbine shooter, with his carbine.
5. Each shooter shall shoot the same firearms for the entire match.
6. For the purposes the preceding rule, the "same firearm" shall be defined by a specific combination of caliber, receiver, barrel, stock, grips, sighting device.
7. Unless otherwire directed by the stage RO, team members will stay within arms'-reach while shooting on all stages. Every shot fired without team members in this proximity will incur a procedural penalty. Team members may be separated by more distance while on transit legs. For Assault Stages, team members must be within a pace of each other unless otherwise specified. It is strongly recommended that they stay two abreast while engaging targets in the same direction for safety.

Equipment

1. Rifle
   1. Minimum caliber: .243/6mm
   2. Maximum caliber: 300WM
   3. Maximum muzzle velocity: 3200fps
   4. Ammunition subject to verification by chronograph at any time
   5. Bolt-action is a typical choice, but not required
   6. (This section is the 2017 Competition Dynamics Unified Rifle Definition)
2. Carbine
   1. Minimum caliber: .223/5.45
   2. Maximum caliber: 300WSM
   3. Loaded cartridge OAL not to exceed 2.90"
   4. Maximum muzzle velocity: 3200fps
   5. Ammunition subject to verification by chronograph at any time
   6. OPEN division carbines are permitted.
   7. Semi-automatic strongly recommended
3. Pistols
   1. Minimum caliber: 9mm Luger
   2. Maximum muzzle velocity 1500 fps
   3. Maximum caliber .45"
   4. Must be carried in a holster that will retain the pistol during vigorous activity.
   5. Cross-draw holsters are prohibited.
   6. Each team member must carry his holstered pistol on designated stages.
   7. Pistol must be in safe operating condition
   8. 2023 CHANGE! "OPEN" Pistols allowed. This means your RDS and comps are OK. The only restriction is that the slide must be at least partially contained while holstered and the holster must retain the pistol safely under vigorous movement
4. When selecting your rifle and carbine choices, keep in mind that the majority of targets will be reactive armor steel plates. If your load does not have enough momentum to cause a hit indication that is detectable by a spotter, your shot will be counted as a miss. For reference, .243 is known to have acceptible target indication for rifle, and .223 is known to have acceptible target indication for carbine targets.
5. Any shooting accessories may be used provided they are carried by the team during every stage. Accessories include but are not limited to:
   1. bipods, bags, shooting sticks, slings, jackets, gloves, or other shooting support devices
   2. optics such as spotting scopes, binoculars, and range-finders
6. Teams shall use only one carbine, and only one rifle throughout the match. The carbine shooter shall use only one carbine throughout the match. The rifle shooter shall use one rifle.
7. Ammunition and magazines may be replenished at any time.
8. Ammunition that must be "fired" to be unloaded once chambered is declared to be unsafe and may not be used in this match. All firearms must be able to be completely unloaded without firing a round.
9. In the event a weapon breaks or becomes inoperable during the match, the shooter may substitute a weapon of substantially similar configuration for subsequent stages, subject to approval by the Match Director.
10. Teams violating Equipment Rules will be subject to scoring and/or monetary penalties. Fines will be assessed if target damage occurs due to: forbidden bullet types (AP, steel, tracer, etc); disallowed calibers; or exceeding the muzzle velocity limits.
11. In the interest of fairness to all competitors, active night vision devices (night vision optics) are not permitted for use in the night stages.

ADDITIONAL SAC EQUIPMENT RULES

1. All equipment on the Required Gear List must be carried at all times.
2. Holster may be "mounted" to your person or to your pack only. If it is mounted to the pack, it may only be mounted on a waist belt in such a manner that it can be drawn by the competitor without removing his pack. Any holster connected to the pack waist-belt must be a closed retention-style flap holster*. (* For the purposes of this rule, a holster is a flap holster if it has a movable part that covers the rear of the pistol and physically prevents the pistol from leaving the holster, and is held in position by some mechanism such as a hook, latch, button, etc. A retention holster without a rear flap does not qualify.)
3. Cross-draw configurations are not allowed regardless of where the holster is mounted.
4. A chest-mounted holster is permitted as long as the firearm does not break the 180 during a draw and the pistol is completely contained in a separate compartment while carried-- For application of the chest-mounted rule, please contact staff for systems OTHER THAN the Hill People Gear chest rig.
5. Pistol-mounted lights are allowed.
6. In the interest of fairness to all competitors, active night vision devices (night vision optics) are not permitted.
7. GPS devices not permitted for land nav.
8. Electronic maps are not permitted.
9. All two-way communications devices are prohibited, other than SPOT trackers and radio gear provided by the match. This means cell phones are prohibited. One-way PLB's are permitted.
10. Each team must bring a GPS to be used for emergencies only. It will be sealed pursuant to the following rule:
11. GPS, cell phones, and other communications devices may be brought and used for emergencies only, or to coordinate extraction if a team quits. All such devices shall be powered off and sealed in a container by match staff prior to the event. Use of any such device during the match shall incur an extreme scoring penalty. If the sealed container is opened, that is considered proof of use. The Match Director has sole discretion to waive this penalty for any team that uses these devices to render emergency aid to any person during the match.
12. Note: there is nothing that prohibits "PDA" style ballistic computers, provided that they have no two-way communications capability, no GPS capability, and no stored maps. (For the purpose of this rule, hardware support for a capability means the device has the capability even if it can be disabled in software.)

SCORING

The objective is to obtain the most points while completing the course or within the time limit. The match packet that you get during check-in will detail the point values for completing different parts of the course and what conditions must be "met" in order to receive points. Likewise, it will detail the penalties for skipping or otherwise failing to follow the briefing and meet the objectives. In general, the way to obtain the most points will be to achieve the mandartory checkpoints in order without skipping any; to do well at the shooting stages and challenges; and to achieve as many of the bonus checkpoints as you can.