Running a detail

A detail is one group of shooters on the firing line at the same time. Some ranges call them squads. When a range rotates shooters, the next detail waits behind the line until it's called forward.

What follows is the usual sequence on a range that runs on a "safe time" principle, where the range officer calls regular cease fires so shooters can change targets. It's based on SSAA South Australia's range officer manual (version 2.3, 2018). Other Australian rules follow the same broad pattern but differ in detail, including on where firearms stay while people go forward (see below). Your club's standing orders and the discipline's rules set the exact wording and order, and some disciplines, such as IPSC action shooting or fullbore with scorers, work differently.

Before the detail shoots

1. 1

   Step 1: Explain the rules

   Explain the standard and local range rules that apply, and brief competitors on the course of fire.

2. 2

   Step 2: Call the detail to the line

   Direct the detail to move to the firing line with their firearms and equipment.

3. 3

   Step 3: Prepare and load

   Give the commands for preparation, shooting positions and loading that the discipline requires.

4. 4

   Step 4: Check readiness

   Ask "Is anyone not ready?" and wait for any answer before going on.

5. 5

   Step 5: Look downrange

   Make a last visual check that the range and impact area are clear of people.

6. 6

   Step 6: Start shooting

   Call "Commence fire", or the command the discipline rules prescribe, in a loud, clear voice.

While the detail shoots

Stay at the firing line and in control of it. Watch the shooters and the area downrange. Everyone on the line should be wearing hearing protection, so commands must be loud and clear enough for every shooter to hear and understand. If assistant range officers are helping, they repeat commands for their section.

In supervised practice, give a warning before the cease fire, for example "Cease fire coming up. Last round, please." In standard courses of fire, a time warning may be needed before a cease fire. A designated timekeeper gives it, or the range officer if an automated timing system lets them do so without looking away from the range.

If anything goes wrong, such as someone entering the impact area, call "Stop, stop, stop" straight away and set off any audible or visual warning devices the range has.

Ending the string

1. 1

   Step 1: Cease fire

   Call "Cease fire", or the discipline's equivalent, in a loud, clear voice.

2. 2

   Step 2: Make firearms safe

   Tell shooters what to do, such as "Remove all magazines, open all actions and stand clear of firearms." The words depend on the firearms in use. Many rules also require an empty chamber indicator or safety flag in each open action.

3. 3

   Step 3: Check every firearm

   Check each firearm on the line yourself, by sight and by hand if needed, and call "Clear" for each one. Assistants report when their section is clear.

4. 4

   Step 4: Declare the range clear

   Once every firearm is safe and every shooter is clear of them, announce that there will be no handling of firearms and that people may go forward.

5. 5

   Step 5: Bring everyone back

   When everyone has returned from downrange, give permission to remove firearms from the line and call the next detail forward.

The golden rule

Local rules can change the timing of some steps, but one rule never changes: no one handles a firearm while anyone is forward of the firing line. International rules state the same principle.

Rules differ on where the firearms are while people are forward. Under the SSAA SA procedure, cleared firearms can stay on the line, untouched. Under the NRAA's fullbore rules, when people go forward of the firing point the firearms must be removed from it first, with bolts out and an empty chamber indicator in place, and the red flag goes up. Check which procedure your range uses before you run a detail.

On fullbore ranges, the range is closed once every competitor has finished their string and every rifle has been cleared and removed from the firing point.

Getting the experience

New range officers learn this under supervision. In SSAA SA's scheme, candidates run a firing line while an accredited range officer observes, and SSAA Victoria asks new range officers to complete practice shoots under an experienced range officer's supervision. See Range officer accreditation and ask your club how it trains new ROs.