2016 2016 US OPTICS TEAM CHALLENGE

Venue: Private 17,000+ acre ranches near Douglas, WY.

Check-in will be at 440 Wagon Hound Rd.

Safety

1. Violation of any safety rule will result in match disqualification (DQ).
2. USPSA Safety Rules shall be followed, with the following notable additions:
   1. In addition to the USPSA definition of an Accidental Discharge, the stage RO may call an A.D. using his own judgement. Example: if the competitor was clearly not engaging a target. If a round impacts more than 20 yards from the closest target, it is declared to be an A.D.
   2. The Match Director has the right to disqualify any competitor for Unsportsmanlike Conduct based on his judgement.
3. The Blue Steel Ranch 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. * When hiking to or from a Stage, or while in a Transit Section during a Field Stage, the bolt may be closed on an empty chamber with no magazine in the rifle, after the RO has declared the rifle “clear”.
   3. "Sweeping" any person with a weapon's muzzle will result in immediate D.Q.
4. 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.)
5. 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
6. 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.
7. Any rifle or carbine slung during a stage must have an empty chamber, unless directed by the stage RO. * This does not apply to use of slings during the Assault Stages
8. 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.
9. Eye and ear protection is mandatory.
10. 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.
11. 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.

Teams

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
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. MUST CONFORM TO TACTICAL DIVISION" RULES, with the exception that bipods are permitted. Only one optical sight permitted. Silencers will be allowed under Tactical Division carbine rules.
3. Pistols
   1. Minimum caliber: 9mm Luger
   2. Must be carried in a holster that will retain the pistol during vigorous activity.
   3. Cross-draw holsters and prohibited.
   4. Each team member must carry his holstered pistol on designated stages.
   5. Pistol must be in safe operating condition
   6. Pistol must not exceed USPSA's "Limited" division specifications.
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
   3. The only exception to this rule is that the RIFLE SHOOTER's carbine must only be carried on designated stages.
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. No steel core, steel jacketed, armor piercing, incendiary or tracer bullets are permitted.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. In the interest of fairness to all competitors, active night vision devices (night vision optics) are not permitted for use in the night stages.

SCORING

Each stage will be scored in a manner to combine accuracy and speed. Accuracy will be emphasized, and first-round rifle hits will be worth more than second round hits and/or carbine hits. Stage scores will be normalized into match points to comprise the overall match scores. Full scoring details to follow.

PENALTIES

1. There is no penalty for misses besides the potential points not gained by missing.
2. A failure to engage (FTE) penalty will be assessed for every target not engaged by the time the team moves past the target's shoot position. The team may not back up. The RO determines and has final say if shooter engaged a target or not.
3. A procedural penalty will be assessed for failure to follow directions.
4. Procedural and FTE penalties will cause -5 points to be applied to the stage score per infraction.
5. The match director may apply scoring penalties up to full match disqualification for match disruptions caused by competitors or inividuals in their party, on his discretion alone.

Note: rules are subject to change up until the match date.