RANGE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

Transcription

1 ZANESVILLE RIFLE CLUB RANGE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES Revised 03/15/2013 by Travis Gilkey

2 Section 1 - Legal: The Organization, Purpose, Membership, Officers and Fees are addressed in the Zanesville Rifle Club By Laws. As stated in the By Laws, ZRC is a Not For Profit Corporation. The basic goals are to promote safe and enjoyable firearms usage for all qualified adults and juniors. Membership is available to any person who is 18 years of age and is not under a Firearms Disability as described in the By Laws. Junior Membership is also available to any person under the age of 18 who is sponsored by an adult member. Section 2 - Location: The Zanesville Rifle Club Range Property is Leased from The State of Ohio, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry (here in after referred to as "Department"). The property is located in Blue Rock State Forest on Sugargrove Road, Salt Creek Township, Muskingum County, Ohio. It is Managed by Blue Rock State Forest Office. The Range was originally a National Guard Facility. The physical address is 7380 Sugargrove Rd. Section 3 - Affiliations: ZRC is affiliated with the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). Membership in the NRA is not a requirement for membership in ZRC but it is highly recommended. Our Range Liability Insurance is purchased through the NRA and there is a requirement that at least 50% of our Membership belongs to the NRA. Section 4 - Use: If you are a Member of ZRC, you have access to the Range and the Practice Target Shed anytime. The exceptions to this will be times scheduled by the Club Officers for events. With this access, there will be times when you may be at the range by yourself or with other Members doing casual shooting that is not supervised. It is every Members responsibility to insure that shooting is conducted safely. Please be courteous and work with them so that all Members can get the greatest use of the Range. The Range primary use is for shooting. It has a measured distance of 300 yards. There are 16 Firing Points at 200 yards and 300 yards. The Pits have vertically moving Target Frames. There are three Shooting Benches, one each at 100,200 and 300 yards. There are Latrine Facilities available but no water. Members are permitted to camp overnight at the range but all their equipment and vehicles must be kept, as you are looking down range, in the area to the right of the 200 yard Firing Positions. Open fires are restricted to this bivouac area only and are subject to regulations prescribed by the Division of Forestry. Members are responsible to maintain the premises and remove/properly dispose of trash generated at the Range. DO NOT leave live rounds at the Range or empty cartridges. These can become a serious safety issue when mowing. Do not cut trees or shrubs. Do not use trees or buildings for targets or back stops. Section 5 - Restrictions: Range availability is at the discretion of the Club Officers. The largest caliber's permitted on the Range is: Pistols no larger than.500s&w; Rifles no restriction other than no.50bmg; Muzzle Loaders no larger than.58 caliber; Shotguns no larger than 10 gauge. There will be no firing of 50 caliber BMG at any time. No one is permitted to fire fully automatic guns (Class 3) without the permission of at least 3 ZRC Officers. The Officers will require the member to provide the proper Federal Licenses and one Officer must be at the Range and act as a Chief Range Safety Officer during firing. Section 6 - Main Gate & Registration: Do not give the Main Gate or the Practice Target Shed combination to anyone. Other than a scheduled Match, when you enter the Range, you must lock the Main Gate behind you and combination numbers must be scrambled. That way if someone comes, they will have to be a member to get in. When you are done shooting you must: cleanup your brass and trash, neatly put away anything you have taken out of the Practice Shed, lock the Practice Shed, sign the sheet in the Mailbox on the back of the wooden sign in the Parking Area (this helps us justify our lease with the State... the more use we can document, the better our chances or renewal) and lock the Main Gate on the way out. Section 7 - Priority: These Standard Operating Procedures (here in after referred to as "SOP") must comply with our Lease with the Department and secondly with the Club By Laws at all times. Should there be a conflict, this SOP must be revised in line with the Lease and the By Laws. Section 8A - Safety Rule #1: All people using the Range are responsible to keep their muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times. This is the primary Rule of Gun Safety. A Safe Direction means that the gun is pointed so that even if the gun were to go off, it would not cause injury or damage to anyone or anything in the Range Complex or outside the Range. The key to this rule is to control where the muzzle or front end of the barrel, is pointed at all times. Common sense dictates the safest direction, depending on different circumstances. Parallel to the firing line is never a safe direction.

3 Section 8B - Safety Rule #2: Everyone is to keep their finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. When holding a gun, rest your finger outside the Trigger Guard alongside the gun. Until you are actually ready to fire, do not touch the trigger. Section 8C - Safety Rule #3: Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use. Whenever you pick up a gun, always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction, keep your finger off the trigger, engage the manual safet y if possible, remove the ammunition source (magazine or magazine tube), open the action, visually and physically inspect the chamber(s) and magazine area, which should be clear of all ammunition and leave the action open. If you do not know how to open the action or inspect the chamber(s), leave the gun alone and get help from someone who does. Section 8D - Safety Rule #4: Know your target and what is beyond. All rounds fired at the Range must enter the Approved Impact Area only. The Approved Impact Area, as you look down range from the 300 yard Firing Position is: no farther left than the flag pole on the left side of the Range; no farther right than the Service Road; no higher than the top of the exposed dirt area on the other side of the creek; no lower than 25 yards down range of the 200 yard Firing Points. Be aware there is a chance that unauthorized personnel could enter the Range from many directions so check before firing. THINK FIRST. SHOOT SECOND. Section 8E - Safety Rule #5: Be sure gun is safe to operate. Just like other tools, guns need regular maintenance to remain operable. Regular cleaning and proper storage are a part of the gun's general upkeep. If there are questions concerning a gun's ability to function safely, a knowledgeable Gunsmith should look at it. Section 8F - Safety Rule #6: Know how to use the gun safely. Before handling the gun, learn how it operates. Know the basic parts, how to safely open and close the action and remove ammunition from the gun or magazine. Remember, a gun's mechanical safety is never fool proof. Nothing can ever replace safe gun handling. Section 8G - Safety Rule #7: Use only the correct ammunition for your gun. Only BB's, pellets, cartridges or shells designed for a particular gun can be fired safely in that gun. Most guns have the ammunition type stamped on the barrel. Ammunition can be identified by information printed on the box and sometimes stamped on the cartridge. Do not attempt to shoot a gun with the wrong ammunition. If you are not sure you have the right ammunition, do not attempt to shoot the gun. Section 8H- Safety Rule #8: Wear eye and hearing protection as appropriate. Guns are loud and noise can cause severe hearing loss. The can also emit debris and hot gas that could cause eye injuries. For those reasons, shooters and spectators must wear hearing and eye protection. Before firing, all shooters must check with others at the Range and advise them they are about to commence firing. During Matches, this will be handled by the CRSO. Section 8I- Safety Rule #9: Never use alcohol or drugs before or while shooting. Alcohol, as well as any other substance that may impair normal mental or physical body functions, must not be used before or while handling or shooting guns. Section 8J - Safety: Shooting at the Range can only be conducted during daylight hours. Every person at the Range is responsible for their own safety and the safety of all others. Anytime, anyone witnesses an unsafe situation, they are to immediately call "Cease Fire". All people present at the time are to immediately stop shooting, clear all ammunition from all firearms and ground their Firearms leaving the actions open. Shooting may resume after the unsafe situation has been corrected. If this was an unsafe act, see Section 8N - Unsafe Acts. Anytime a person is forward of the firing point (other than those "Sealed in the Pits"), all guns must be cleared of all ammunition and grounded with actions open and cannot be handled until everyone is behind the Firing Line (other than those "Sealed in the Pits"). Section 8K - Firing Points: All rounds fired at the Range must be fired from the Approved Shooting Area and directed at the Approved Impact Area. The Approved Shooting Area as you are looking down range is: on the left, an imaginary line that runs from the left most Firing Point at the 300 yard line down to the Flag Pole on the left side of the Range; on the right, an imaginary line that runs from the right most Firing Point at the 300 yard line down to the end of buts by the roadway and sheds. No shooting is permitted from any other location on the property. The Firing Points at the 300 yard line can be identified by white markers placed in the ground numbered 1 through 16 moving left to right. No shooting is permitted diagonally across the Range and no shooting is permitted from the Approved Impact Area to the Approved Shooting Area. Should there be the slightest doubt as to what is permissible and what is not, contact a Club Officer before firing.

4 Section 8L - Pits: Anytime there are people in the Pits during live fire, there must be a person on the line acting as the Line Safety Officer and one member in the Pits acting as the Pit Officer. Each of these Officers must have two way radio communications at all times. No one is permitted to leave the Pits without permission from the Pit Officer. The Pit Officer must get approval from the Line Safety Officer before allowing anyone to leave the Pits. If you use the Pit Target Carriers, use the Practice Targets located in the Practice Target Shed. DO NOT attached Targets directly to the uprights or cross members of the Pit Target Carriers. Section 8M - Driveway: Anytime anyone is firing from the 300 yard line, there must be a barricade of some kind blocking the driveway to the right of the 300 yard Firing Points. Immediately after firing, this barricade must be removed. Section 8N - Unsafe Acts: If you are at the Range and you observe an unsafe act being performed by anyone on the Range, please tell that person that they must follow this SOP (Range Safety Rules). If they continue, do not cause a confrontation. Try to get the person's name and vehicle license number and report the information along with the date and time to a club officer as soon as possible. The Club Officers will take the necessary action to correct the problem. If the violation puts you in danger, leave the Range immediately. Section 9 - Targets: If you place items on the Range or berm, these items must be removed or cleaned up before leaving. Items such as targets, clay pigeons, wood, metal cinder blocks, etc. You set it up, you clean it up. Section 10 - Practice Shed: As a Member, you have access to the Practice Target Shed. Please keep it in an orderly manner. Take any garbage that you generate or see laying around home with you. We try to keep a supply of targets and equipment in the shed for your use but to be on the safe side, bring what you need to shoot. The things we put in the Shed do not last long. Section 11 - Guests: Members are allowed to bring guests to the Range with them but the guest must leave with them. Guests must abide by all the rules. No Member is authorized to permit non Members to use the Range when the Member is not present. No Member is permitted to give the Main Gate Combination to a non Member. Section 12 - Matches: Anytime there is a Match, there must be a Chief Range Safety Officer (here in after referred to as the CRSO) on the Firing Line at all times. The CRSO will govern the Pits along with the handling, loading and firing of all guns on the Firing Line. Those Members not involved in the Match are not permitted to shoot without the CRSO permission. At all Matches, a First Aid Kit and a Cell Phone must be available. Section 13 - Match Briefing: Before the start of every Match, a Safety Briefing will be read by the CRSO to all participants on the Firing Line. For High Power Matches, the following Firing Line Safety Briefing will be read: Good morning, my name is. For today's Match, myself and will be your Chief Range Safety Officers. While you are in the Pits, and will be your Pit Officers. Anyone seeing an unsafe situation is to immediately yell "Cease Fire". All competitors are to immediately remove your Magazine, clear your gun, put your Safety on, leave the bolt open and install your Open Bolt Indicator. Muzzles are to always be pointed in a safe direction which is down at the ground and between the flagpole on the left and flag pole on the right. Keep your finger off your trigger until your sights are on your Target. Keep your gear and smoking behind the Ready Line. Today's Match will be an 80 shot, NRA Sanctioned Match. You will get 2 sighter shots before each of the 4 segments. Relay #1 and #2 will be first to the Firing Line. Relay #3 and #4 will be in the Pits. While Relay #1 is firing, Relay #2 will score and vise versa. If you have a problem or need help, you or your scorer needs to raise your hand and we will assist you. When we are ready to begin, I will give you the Command to come the Firing Line. When I do, you can bring your equipment to the Firing Line. When you bring your gun to the line, it must have the Bolt open, an Open Bolt Indicator in place, Safety On and Magazine out. You are not to handle your gun until told to do so. When I give the Command; "Your 3 Minute Preparation Period will begin when your Target appears", you can then handle your gun. At that point, your Target will come out of the Pits and you may dry fire, adjust your equipment, etc. You are not permitted to load your gun. We will keep the time and I will give all the other

5 necessary Commands. When done firing, remove your Magazine, clear your gun, put your Safety on, leave the bolt open and install your Open Bolt Indicator. You then must lay your gun down on the Firing Line or get permission from a Safety Officer to remove your gun from the firing line. Do not attempt to police your brass until told to do so. Relay #1 and #2 will shoot their Standing and Sitting. We will then have a Pit Change and Relay #3 and #4 will shoot all the way through. We'll have another Pit Change and Relay #1 and #2 will shoot here 300 yard Prone and simulated 600 yard Prone. When you go to the Pits, make sure you take your Hearing Protection, Safety Glasses, liquids and food. Any questions? Remember Safety First. Good Shooting and thanks for coming. Section 14 - Pit Briefing: Before the start of every Match, a Safety Briefing will be read by the Pit Officer to all people in the Pits. For High Power Matches, the following Pit Safety Briefing will be read: "Good Morning. My name is and I will be your Pit Safety Officer. No one is to leave the Pits without my permission. Everyone must have Eye Protection and Hearing Protection. I encourage you to wear a hat that has a bill. I will give all the necessary Commands. Anyone having a problem while in the Pits is to see me. We have garbage bags down here. Please use them. Do not put or leave garage in the Ammo Cans. At this time, please check that you have everything you need. Any questions? Remember, Safety First. Section 15 - Emergencies: The location of the Range rarely allows the use of smaller Cell Phones (<1.0 watts). The Bag Phones (normally watts) will normally work if the antenna is high enough. You might have to drive out of the Range to a higher location. Muskingum County does have 911 ability. The Range is located on Sugargrove Road, east of Duncan Falls, on the edge of Blue Rock State Park. If heading west to east on Sugargrove Road, the Range Driveway is on the right before you get to McDonald Road that heads toward Chandlersville. If driving to the nearest hospital, turn left out of the Range Driveway and head west to Duncan Falls on Sugargrove Road. Take Route 60 north into Zanesville and it turns into Route 60/Route 146. Stay on Route 146. Shortly after you cross over Maple Avenue, the Good Samaritan Hospital will be on your right. Bethesda Hospital can be reached by turning right on Maple Avenue, heading north, but it is a little further.