IDPANL Multi-Gun Match Rules 2017
These rules will apply to the Zombie Apocalypse VI Multi-Gun Shoot scheduled for August 5, 2017.
- GENERAL CONDUCT
1.1. It is the competitors’ responsibility to read and understand the rules herein, and by participation they are deemed to agree to be subject to these rules.
1.2. Eye and ear protection is mandatory for participants, spectators, and officials at the event site.
1.3. Participants and spectators are expected to conduct themselves in a courteous and sportsmanlike manner at all times. Any person who violates this rule may be ejected from the event site at the Match Director’s discretion.
1.4. Participants may be subject to event disqualification for safety or conduct violations. Disqualified participants will not be allowed to continue with the event nor will they be eligible for prizes.
1.5. The final decision on all disqualifications, scoring challenges and re-shoots will be made by the Match Director. A range safety officer (RSO) will not issue a stage disqualification. All disqualifications shall be for the remainder of the match and any side events.
1.6. These match rules shall not supersede any rules or guidelines established by the St. John’s Rod & Gun Club.
1.7. Competitors are responsible to ensure that all and any equipment that they bring to the match is fully in compliance with all laws in the jurisdiction where the match is being held. Competitors are solely and personally responsible for the legality, safety, and security of anything (including but not limited to all equipment, firearms, and ammunition) that they bring to the match.
- SAFETY
2.1. Participants must be trained in the safe use of a holstered handgun in order to participate in any handgun stage where a holstered handgun is in play or where movement is required. Acceptable credentials are:
– International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) Safety Officer (SO) certification.
– International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) Black Badge.
– Armed law enforcement and military personnel (e.g. police).
– Prior approval of the Match Director.
2.2. Participants who do not have the credentials set out in Section 2.1. will be able to participate in handgun stages adapted specifically for them, e.g. without holster use and with minimum movement required.
2.3. All events will be run on ‘cold’ ranges. A participant’s firearm(s) will remain unloaded at all times except under the direction and immediate supervision of a RSO.
2.4. Handguns may only be unholstered while in a designated safety area; upon starting a course of fire; or at the direction and immediate supervision of a RSO.
2.5. Long guns not actually in use in a course of fire are to be racked or stored in a gun case, with the action open and unloaded. Long guns being moved between racks or cases to the stage start position shall be carried either muzzle up or muzzle down, with the action open and unloaded.
2.6. During a stage a participant may be expected to handle more than one firearm, but never simultaneously, and neither firearm may be discharged until one is re-holstered or safely grounded (as may be required by the stage or course of fire). Violation of this rule will result in a match disqualification.
2.6.1. During the course of fire, a participant will be required to ground a firearm in order to transition to the next course of fire.
2.6.2. A firearm will not be considered grounded until it is rendered safe (with an empty chamber and magazine removed), and it has been placed in the designated container (e.g. dump barrel or box). Designated containers designed to safely accommodate grounded firearms will be identified in the stage description.
2.7. A participant who causes an accidental discharge will be stopped by a RSO as soon as possible and may be immediately disqualified.
2.8. A participant who performs an act of unsafe firearm handling will be stopped by a RSO as soon as possible, and may be immediately disqualified. Examples of unsafe firearm handling include, but are not limited to, the following:
– Allowing the muzzle of a firearm to break the 180 degree safety plane.
– Allowing the muzzle of a firearm to point at any part of a person’s body (including that of the participant) during a course of fire (i.e. sweeping).
– Pointing any firearm, whether loaded or unloaded, in any direction deemed by an RSO as unsafe.
- AMMUNITION
3.1. Handgun ammunition shall be centerfire only.
3.2. Rifle ammunition shall be centrefire only, .308 Winchester class and below.
3.3. Shotgun ammunition shall be 12 gauge or 20 gauge bore, and No.2 lead shot or smaller. No steel shot.
- FIREARMS
4.1. All firearms used by participants must be serviceable and safe. An RSO may inspect a participant’s firearms at any time to check they are functioning safely. If any firearm is declared unserviceable or unsafe by an RSO, it must be withdrawn from the event until it is repaired to the satisfaction of the Match Director.
4.2. Participants must use the same firearms (shotgun, CQB rifle, and handgun) for the entire event.
4.3. If a participant’s firearm becomes unserviceable during the course of the event, that participant may replace the firearm with another of a substantially similar model, caliber, and sighting system only with the approval of the Match Director.
4.4. Participants may not reconfigure any firearm during the course of the event.
4.4. Firearms must be loaded to division capacity unless otherwise stated in the course of fire (COF). Where a firearm cannot be loaded to division capacity, the firearm must be consistently loaded to their maximum capacity.
4.5. Downloading magazines to better accommodate a COF is expressly prohibited.
- HANDGUN HOLSTERS
5.1. Holsters must safely retain the handgun during vigorous movement. The holster material must completely cover the trigger on all semi-automatic pistols. Revolver holsters must completely cover the trigger and the cylinder. Due to safety concerns, shoulder holsters, back holsters, ankle holsters, and cross draw holsters are strictly prohibited.
- EQUIPMENT AND COMPETITOR DIVISIONS
6.1. There will be a single, open equipment division. Firearms must comply with the St. John’s Rod & Gun Club Range Operating Instructions.
Handgun: No restrictions.
Close Quarters Battle (CQB) Rifle: No restrictions. Supporting devices are prohibited. Magnified electronic, optical or iron sights are permitted.
Shotgun: 12 gauge or 20 gauge bore, with No.2 lead shot or smaller.
6.2. There will be two (2) competitor divisions:
Experienced: Persons who have, prior to the match, attained an acceptable level of credentials as set out in Section 2.1.
Novice: Persons who have not, prior to the match, attained those acceptable credentials set out in Section 2.1.
- TARGETS
7.1. Cardboard Targets
The cardboard target will be the official IDPA style. This is an 18 x 30 inch buff color cardboard silhouette with an 8 inch round “A-Zone”. The values of the scoring zones are five, four, and two points respectively. However, since the Vickers Count structure operates with a “points down” system, the target is set up to directly reflect this scoring method. Hence, the target is scored -0, -1 and -3.
7.2. Steel Targets
Steel targets may be employed, such as 8 inch round discs, variable sized square discs, and Pepper Poppers. The entire steel target is considered a five (5) point zone (-0 points down if hit). If a steel target is not hit or in the case of a knock down target, not knocked down, the target will be scored as a miss. If a steel target fails to fall and appears to be out of calibration, it will be checked and recalibrated, and the competitor will be offered a re-shoot for that stage. If a steel target falls during the course of shooting, without having been engaged, a competitor will generally receive the benefit of that target, unless there appears to be a calibration problem.
7.3. Paper Targets
Paper targets, typically 8.5 x 11 inch sheets or larger, may be employed. These targets will contain a scoring zone or ring. For clarity, the inner scoring zone or ring is down zero and the outer scoring region is down 1.
7.3. Other Targets
In addition to the aforementioned targets, other target types may be employed, such as frangible targets (e.g. clay birds or balloons). Both these types of targets are scored in the same manner as steel targets. Frangible targets must receive a minimum of one pellet hole or at best be broken.
7.4. Shoot/No Shoot Designation
Some targets may be marked as “shoot” or “no shoot”. On a shoot through of a no-shoot target that also strikes a “shoot” target, the competitor will get the penalty for the “no-shoot” target hit AND will get credit for the scored hit on the “shoot” target. The reverse will apply when a round on a “shoot” target penetrates a “no-shoot” behind it. Hence the rule of thumb: all shoot throughs count, except on hard cover.
7.5. Hard/Soft Cover
Any shot that puts a full diameter hole in “hard” cover and continues on to penetrate the target will be considered to have missed the target (whether the target is a “shoot” or a “no-shoot”). There is no penalty for hitting “hard” cover other than the miss. Stage props or vision barriers are also used to represent “hard” cover or impenetrable objects. Shots that penetrate “soft” cover will be scored as hits. Targets are not considered hard cover unless designated as such in the stage description. Therefore if a bullet passes through a cardboard “shoot” or a no-shoot” target and strikes another target the secondary hit counts for score/penalty.
- SCORING
8.1. Vickers System scoring is based on assessing the shooter a “time” penalty for every point the shooter drops from the total “Possible” point score (points down). To score Vickers Count, simply take the time it took to complete the string of fire (raw time) and add one (1.0) second for each point down. Add any applicable penalties and total to get the Final Score. In Vickers Count scoring, as many shots as desired may be fired, but only the best hits as specified by the course description will be scored.
8.2. Limited Vickers System is the same as Vickers Count described above except the number of shots you can fire on any string is limited to the number specified in the course description. Any extra shots will incur a procedural penalty of three (3) seconds per string and one of your highest scoring hits will be deducted from your point score for each extra shot fired. Limited Vickers scoring is used to allow multiple strings to be fired without having to score the targets after each string of fire, thus making the stage run quicker. Limited Vickers will only be used to score Standard Exercises courses.
8.3. Only holes made by projectiles will count for score/penalty. Evidence that the projectile made the hole must be present on the target (i.e. crown or grease ring/mark). Holes made by shrapnel, fragments, wads or flying debris will not count for score or penalty.
8.4. Knock down targets (e.g. Pepper Poppers) must fall to score. Swinging/flashing targets must react in the manner prescribed in the stage briefing. An RSO may call hits.
8.5. Any shots fired subsequent to a stop or cease fire command will not be scored.
- PENALTIES
9.1. Procedural Error (PE) adds three (3) seconds per infraction and is assessed when the competitor does not follow the procedures set forth in the stage description or when a competitor breaks a competition rule. An infraction resulting in a significant advantage will incur one penalty for each shot fired.
9.1.1. Fault Lines. No part of a competitor’s body may touch the ground on the far side of a fault line while shooting. Competitive advantage will be automatically deemed to have been gained in the event of any fault, and a Procedural Error (PE) assessed.
9.2. No-Shoots. A hit on a No-Shoot target adds a single five (5) second penalty. If the competitor has more than one hit on a particular no-shoot target, a five (5) second penalty will be assessed for each hit on that no-shoot target.
9.3. Did Not Finish (DNF). If a competitor cannot finish a stage due to an unserviceable firearm his/her score will be determined by whichever of the following methods will result in the best score.
9.3.1. All required shots that were not fired will be scored for points down and failure to neutralize; this time penalty will be added to their total time up to the point where the firearm ceased to be serviceable.
9.3.2. The minimum number of shots required for the stage will be multiplied by three (3) seconds for a stage score.
9.4. Failure to Do Right (FTDR) adds twenty (20) seconds for gross unsportsmanlike conduct. Non-inclusive examples are: verbal abuse of an SO or official; throwing equipment on the ground; or throwing a tantrum for any reason. All FTDR penalties must be approved by the Match Director.
9.5. A competitor that chooses not to shoot a stage will be given no score and a DNF for the entire match.
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