Port Malabar Rifle & Pistol Club Orientation Package

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1 The Port Malabar Rifle & Pistol Club has some of the finest facilities in the Southeast. We welcome new members to our club. This orientation will show you what we shoot here, the safety precautions to be observed and the rules for each range on our property. Here is a map to our facility There s an aerial photograph of our property at the end of this package. GENERAL RANGE SAFETY RULES Range Safety is our most important concern. All club members are responsible for the safe operation of the range. If you see someone behaving in an unsafe manner, bring it to his attention. Our club members cooperate with each other to have a good time, safely. Gun Handling Always keep your gun pointed in a safe direction. That means down-range. It doesn't mean point it straight up. Never point a gun at any human being, range building, roof or structure on our range. Keep your finger off the trigger until you've lined up the sights with the target and are ready to fire. When not firing, lay your gun on the bench. If the range is inactive ("cold") make sure the action is open and the magazine (if any) is removed. On a cold range, uncased guns may not be carried, handled or touched. "Draw & Fire" shooting is not allowed on any range except the Action Range. Concealed weapons: no concealed weapons on an active firing range. This means that if a range is in use (by you or others), you cannot have a gun on your person when the range is cold. This is not to be construed to forbid concealed weapons on our property. When outside an active firing range, the law of the State of Florida applies to concealed carriage of firearms. Protective Equipment Eye protection includes goggles or eyeglasses. Be sure to use shatter-proof lenses in your eye protection gear. Ear protection consists of either ear plugs or ear mufflers. Prolonged exposure to gunfire, especially under our firing line roofs will cause hearing loss without hearing protection. Besides, it'll really hurt. Eye and ear protection are required at all times while on the firing line. This rule applies to non-shooters as much as to shooters. If a malfunction like a case rupture occurs or a ricochet occurs, non-shooters are in as much danger as shooters.

2 Range Control All shooters must agree that the firing line is hot before handling any weapons. Likewise all shooters must agree the firing line is cold before going downrange. Don't depend on other people's implied agreement. Make them verbally acknowledge that the line is cold. Some shooters may not notice that you want to go down range or may not hear you (no hearing protection in the past?). With the range cold, no handling of firearms is allowed. All guns must be placed on the bench with chamber open and any magazine removed. Don't touch that gun. No shooting is allowed forward of the firing line. A significant hazard from splash-back from backstops exists forward of the line. All weapons must be kept pointed down range at all times. The muzzle must never point at another shooter. Legal Targets Targets must be placed on a target holder. On some ranges, target holders are provided. Otherwise, you must provide a target holder. The target holder must keep the target level with your gun so that after the bullet passes through the target, it'll hit the backstop. A good target holder is the iron holder sold at many gun stores that holds two 1X2 pieces of wood about 20 inches apart. Cardboard can be stapled to the wood and the target stapled to the cardboard. Never use plywood as a target holder. Plywood deflects bullets unpredictable and can result in a bullet going up and over a berm. It really irritates the people on the other side of the berm when that happens. Never shoot at a ground target. All targets must be placed such that bullets hit a proper backstop. Proper backstops are the berm or steel bullet deflector at the far end of each range. Rounds leaving our range are probably the biggest risk we run of losing our range. Any bullet which hits the ground at a shallow angle will ricochet. It doesn't take an impact with a rock or other hard object to cause a ricochet. Think about what you are shooting at. If a target in a target stand is much lower than your shooting position, the bullet will pass through the target and hit the ground. Always have the target close to the level of your gun. Never shoot at anything that isn't a range target. Don't shoot any range buildings, support structures, roofs or equipment. Nothing that's alive is a legal target. Think about what you're doing. If it doesn't look like it's meant to be shot at, it isn't meant to be shot at. We take vandalism very seriously on our ranges. Vandals will not only lose their membership, the club will initiate both criminal prosecution and civil action to recover damages. Guests & Minor Children Club members may bring guests to the range. While your guests are on the range, you are responsible for their direct supervision. That means you can't shoot while you supervise them. That means they must be with you at all times. You may bring no more that three guests with you at a time. The same general rules apply to children. You must supervise them at all times. You can't shoot if they are shooting. Don't let them climb the berms. Picture your child's head popping over the top of a berm just as a shot goes off on the other side.

3 No commercial activities are allowed on our ranges. That means you can't bring people to the range as part of your business and you can't charge people admission. And finally, all animals must be on a leash on the range. Range Hours The Range is open from 8AM till sundown. Sundown means the sun has disappeared behind the west berm. Skeet and Trap shooting is held in the evening on scheduled days only. Scheduled Activities A calendar of events is published in the Club Newsletter. Look in the Newsletter for events of interest to you. Scheduled events have priority in the use of ranges. Action Shooting Area The Action Shooting Area is located at the west end of our property between the Practice Range and the High Power Range. The Action Shooting Area is specially designed to allow action shooting safely, It is the only range where draw-and-shooting is allowed. Because of the added risk involved in action shooting, rigid safety rules are enforced on all who use the range. The Action Shooting Area is accessible through a gate at the west end of the main range road. The south two bays are available for practice. The Action Shooting Area is used for International Practical Shooting Conference practice and matches. All shooters using this range must be briefed by a certified Action Shooting Area Officer. Briefings are held prior to each action match and organized practice. After completing the safety briefing, you will be given a blue dot to put on your badge. Only people with the blue dot may use the Action Area. The Action Shooting Area is also used for Class III matches and practice. No Class III firing can occur without a certified Class III Range Officer supervising. The supervising Range Officer may not shoot while supervising. Qualified Class III Range Officers have an orange dot on their badge The Action Shooting Area is also used for Single Action Sport Shooting (Cowboy Action Shooting). When using the range for individual practice, shooters must furnish their own targets which must be cardboard targets in target holders. No ground targets are allowed. Steel targets in the south two bays may be used for practice. No steel targets may be shot with rifle fire. That will destroy the targets. Do not attach targets to any structures or props on the Action Shooting Area. Don't shoot any structures or props. After you're done, police up your area. The action shooters work hard to maintain a world-class facility. Please help them keep it that way. PISTOL RANGE The Pistol Range is the range immediately to the east of the IPSC Area. It provides up to 50 yard ranges for use by pistol shooters Steel backstops are located at a little over 50 meters from the firing line. These backstops are proof against all rimfire cartridges and non-magnum pistol cartridges only. Center-fire Rifle will punch right through the backstop and depart the range, creating a major safety violation. The Pistol Range has wooden bullet baffles. These structures are installed to insure that any round fired by accident will be stopped before it can leave our range. The Eyebrows are made of pressure-treated lumber

4 and form a "Venetian blind" over the front of the firing line so that a gun fired upward will hit one of the slats in the eyebrow. Downrange are a series of baffles designed to stop shots discharged into the air aimed over the backstop and to stop shots that might ricochet off the ground. Target hangers are provided at the 25 yard line. Cardboard is attached to the hanger using clips attached to the hanger. You then staple your target to the cardboard. Under no circumstance will you place a target on the eyebrows, baffles or any part of its supporting structure. To do so will cost you your membership. Conventional Pistol The range is used for Conventional Pistol competition and practice. Conventional Pistol club matches are held every Saturday at 0930 except for the fourth Saturdays of odd months when an NRA-Approved 1800 match is held. Contact Paul Austin if you are interested in these matches. Pistol Targets During competition, target holders and backers are provided for both Slow Fire, shooting at the 50 yard targets and Timed & Rapid Fire at 25 yards. During competition, turning targets are used for Timed and Rapid Fire portions of the match. The Turning Targets are also available during organized practices and coaching clinics. At all other times the Turning Targets are not available. Pistol Range Allowable Firearms * All rimfire pistols * All pistols firing non-magnum cartridges This means that you can shoot a.357magnum with.38 special loads or.44magnum with.44 Special loads. Small Bore Rifle Range The Small Bore Rifle Range is located on the South Range Road, immediately north of the Sighting In Range and fires west. The range is 50 meters and is to be used for rimfire rifle fire only. Small Bore Rifle Competition The Small Bore Rifle Range is used for small-bore rifle and by the Junior Rifle club. Small-Bore Rifle matches are held on the first Sunday at Contact Gil Fire Eagle for more information Small-Bore Rifle Silhouette matches are held starting at 1000 on the fourth Sunday of each month. Contact Al Smith for more information The PMR&PC Junior Rifle club practices on the Small Bore Rifle Range every Saturday starting at The club furnishes all equipment. Small-bore Rifle Targets When using the Small Bore Rifle Range for practice, shooters must provide their own targets and holders. Target holders are cardboard with 1X2 furring strips at the edges. Targets are stapled to the cardboard. For Small-bore rifle (bulls eye shooting), targets may only be placed immediately in front of the 50 yard and 100 yard berms. Your target holder must put the target at the level of your rifle when you're shooting. That means about a foot above the ground for prone firing, about 30 inches above the ground for kneeling and

5 sitting and at shoulder height for standing. In all cases, look at where the bullets hit after passing through the target. If it's hitting the ground, reposition the target. For Small Bore Rifle Silhouette shooting, the Silhouette animals are placed at ground level in front of hinged metal plates which swing up from the ground to provide a backstop. The Small Bore Rifle Range offers 40 yards of firing line, firing west. No center-fire rifle shooting is ever allowed on the Small Bore Rifle Range. Firing a center-fire rifle on this range will cost you your membership. Practice RANGES Two Practice Ranges are provided by the Club. A Pistol Practice Range is located at the extreme west end of the range property, immediately south of the IPSC Area. A Rifle Practice Range is located just south of the Pistol Practice Range, firing west. The Pistol Practice Range may be used with any pistol (except rifle caliber handguns). The Rifle Practice Range can be used for rifle fire only (with the single exception of rifle-caliber handguns). The Practice range is one of the most popular ranges at the club, especially with new members. Why is that? Some of the reasons have to do with the informal nature of the range, the shorter shooting distances and diverse types of firearms allowed. This is an ideal place for the new shooter because they can get instant feedback to assist in improving their skills and instant gratification from seeing their shots hit the target. The Practice range also requires less investment in equipment: All you need is your basic eye and ear protection, a gun, ammo and a target. Don't let the informal nature of the Practice range fool you however. Range safety rules, rules for firearm handling and range cleanliness are the same as for all the other ranges. All of these items have become issues at the Practice range at one time or another and is one of the reasons that a range chairman has recently been appointed for the Practice range. Cleanliness Trash left lying on the range not only looks unsightly but it also becomes a safety issue in and of itself. There is a broom provided to sweep the concrete pad free of sand and discarded brass after you are finished. Be considerate of the next range user. Authorized Target Materials Only paper targets fixed to the target boards provided at the 15 yard line may be used. No tin cans, bottles, clay birds or other impromptu targets may be shot. No targets not fixed to the target board may be shot. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact the Practice range chairman, Larry Paris at Practice RANGE RULES GENERAL RULES - Always keep all firearms pointed in a safe direction. - Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. - Always keep all firearms unloaded until you are ready to shoot. - The use of holsters at the Practice range is not permitted. RANGE COLD Firing line is not active. Shooters may go forward of the firing line only after the following has been completed and verified:

6 - All firearms are unloaded, lying on the bench with their actions open. - Absolutely no handling of firearms are allowed at this time. - All shooters must verbally acknowledge that the range is safe by clearly stating "Range is Cold". If just arriving at the range during a "range cold" period, leave your firearms in the vehicle until the range is declared "hot". Targets, ammo and other materials can be handled during range cold periods. - All firearms must be transported in a case. PREPARING TO GO RANGE HOT - All firearms must remain unloaded, action open and on the bench pointing down range. - All personnel must be behind the firing line. - All shooters must verify that all personnel are behind the firing line and verbally acknowledge their concurrence to go "range hot" by clearly stating "Range is Hot" to all parties on firing line. RANGE HOT - All firearms must remain pointed down range. - Only fire at targets that are mounted directly in front. Do not fire at targets that are across the range. - Only fire directly into the berm. NO GROUND TARGETS ALLOWED Pistol Practice Range Allowable Firearms * All pistols, any caliber Rifle Practice Range Allowable Firearms * All centerfire rifles, any caliber * All rimfire rifles, any caliber * Rifle-caliber pistols This category includes Thompson-Contenders chambered for rifle calibers,.44 Magnum and.454 Cassul pistols. * Shotguns firing slugs SIGHTING-IN RANGE The Sighting-In Range is located at the extreme south end of the Range property. The Sighting-In range provides bench-rest facilities for sighting in Center-Fire Rifles and Rifle-Caliber Handguns at 100yd and 200yd ranges. The range is open seven days a week during range hours and is open to all club members. The Scheutzen matches are shot on this range. Scheutzen Rifle is limited to single-shot non-bolt-action center fire rifles only. Contact Larry Luongo for more information. The range is intended for shooting from the bench only. For all use except for Scheutzen competition, the shooter must be sitting at the bench. The range includes a 25 yd target for getting your sights on the paper. Only use the 25yd target to get "on the paper" and then shift to one of the other positions. Legal targets are paper targets stapled to the plywood target holders at the 25yd, 100yd and 200yd target lines. No other targets may be shot on this range. No bottles, no cans. No targets on the ant-ricochet berm at 25 yards. After you finish shooting, remove all your old targets from the target board. Otherwise, they blow away and leave the range in a mess.

7 Sighting-in Range Allowable Firearms * All centerfire rifles, any caliber * All rimfire rifles, any caliber * Rifle-caliber pistols This category includes Thompson-Contenders chambered for rifle calibers,.44 Magnum and.454 Cassul pistols. * Shotguns firing slugs HUNTER'S PISTOL SILHOUETTE RANGE Silhouette shooting is a sport that originated in Mexico and involves shooting metallic silhouettes of chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams. Pistol silhouettes are sized to present a challenge to a good shooter and required considerable dedication to excel. The Silhouette Range is located on the East-West Range Road, across from the bathrooms. Access to the Hunter's Pistol Range is restricted to competition and organized practice only. The gates to the Hunter's Pistol range are locked. To gain access to the range, you must be evaluated and briefed by the Hunter's Pistol, Small Bore Rifle or Air Pistol match chairman. After the briefing, you will be given the key to the locks. The range is used by the Hunter's Pistol shooters, Small Bore Rifle Silhouette shooters and by the Air Pistol Silhouette shooters. The Pistol Silhouette range contains two sets of bunkers. Each set of bunkers consists of a chicken, pig, turkey bunker and a line of supports for rams. In both sets of bunkers, swinging targets ("swingers") are provide for practice. The swingers may be shot with.22s and pistol cartridge handguns only. Any shooting of swingers with a center fire rifle will damage them and imperil your club membership You can also place paper targets inside the bunkers for sighting in. All targets must be inside the bunkers or at the Rams line. We have had problems with ricochets from this range due to people undershooting and skidding a round off the ground in from of the targets. The "plowed ground" is an effort to reduce this problem. The overhead baffles are intended to stop accidental discharges from leaving the range. A venetian blind baffle extends from the firing ling outward and a sky baffle filled with stone is placed forward of the firing line. All firing must be done from a standing position except at designated benchrest firing points. This is necessary to prevent firing under the sky baffle and over the berm. Hunter's Pistol Range Allowable Firearms * All rimfire pistols * All centerfire pistols firing approved cartridges * Rimfire rifles BLACK POWDER RANGE The Black Powder Range is located on the east side of the range property, between the Hunter's Pistol Silhouette Range and the High power Rifle 600yd Range. It is a west shooting range with impact berms at 25, 50 and 100yds. The target backers consist of chicken wire strung on wooden frames. There is cardboard stored in a bin on the north end of the loading bench as well as clothes pins. The clothes pins are used to secure a piece of the cardboard to the chickenwire and your targets are then attached to the cardboard. When posting your

8 targets, please be sure they are not directly in front of any of the wooden frame members where they will be struck by your bullets. The covered loading bench is just that: a loading bench only. The firing line is designated by a line of logs laid on the ground immediately to the west of the loading bench. The Black powder Range is open to anyone shooting a muzzle loading gun but center fire Black powder guns are allowed. They are the only center fire guns allowed on this range. Rimfire guns are not allowed on this range nor are center fire shotguns. If a Black powder cartridge gun is to be used on this range, please restrict its use to the 100yd berm as it tends to cause too much damage to our smaller berms. The Black powder group (Calusa Country Longrifles) hold their regular monthly shoots on the fourth Sunday and the preceding Saturday except for January. Matches start around 8:00 AM on both days with the range being open for competition until everyone is finished. If for any reason your unable to get all of your targets shot on Saturday, bring them back out and finish them off on Sunday. During the cooler months some of the regular shooters camp out at the range, make a potluck supper and just make an entire weekend of it with a nice campfire and tomahawk throwing by lantern light. Our matches consist of a rifle paper match with four targets with five shots at each target. As soon as our pig house gets repaired we will once again have a silhouette match. We also have a pistol match consisting of two targets with ten rounds at each target.. We have a 'hawk and knife throw too. Our matches are real low stress. Newcomers are always welcome. There are plenty of folks willing to help out a greenhorn and we can certainly use someone new to pick on. If competition just isn't yore thang, the range is open for your use seven days a week, sunrise to sunset. All we ask is that you respect our range and clean up after yourself. Black Powder Range Allowable Firearms * All black powder pistols * All black powder long arms except cartridge rifles Black powder cartridge rifles are shot on the high power rifle range. HIGH-POWERED RIFLE RANGE The High Power Rifle Range is located on the North side of the club property. Firing lines are fixed at 600yd, 300yd and 200yd with twenty positions total. Access to the range is through a locked gate. The Rifle Director and Match Chairman are responsible for evaluating shooters. Those that the Director or chairman approve may use the range. The range is used for organized practice and NRA High Powered Rifle competition. In addition, the range is used for Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Silhouette. The black Powder Cartridge firing line is adjacent to the 600yd High Power firing line, across the access road from the 20 position firing line. Black Powder Cartridge fire is directed obliquely against the north berm to prevent ricochets. Swinging targets are provided on the north berm for organized practice with a qualified range officer. Match silhouette targets are stored until a match is held. Designed to comply with requirements for sanctioned National Match competition, the range may only be used with the supervision of a qualified Range Officer. This means that solo shooting is prohibited. All firing on this range will be done with the proper rifle and caliber for the distance designated. In general, types of rifles used at the designated matches are acceptable. Questions on types, caliber, rifling should be addressed to the match chairman or Rifle Director. This range is not a test range. The proper sighting for each distance for each individual rifle must be correct prior to shooting on this range. Use the Sighting In Range prior to using the High Power Range.

9 The High Power pit area is behind a berm at the west end of the range. The target holders are raised above the berm for firing. Bullet impact is into the 25 foot berm behind the target frames. Targets and backers are kept in the target shack which accessible by the match chairman of each discipline, Rifle Director and designated NRA shooters holding a current qualification card. Because of the potential hazard from this range, all shooters will use only range targets. Do no use the High Power Range with impromptu targets stuck in the ground in front of the target line. This area is safety critical and proper use is required. Proper Equipment! Proper Skills! Proper Targets! Prevent Safety Hazards! Trap and Skeet Range The club offers four automated Trap fields and two Skeet fields as well as a 5-stand shooting field. The electric machines are used only during scheduled events. Trap and Skeet are shot concurrently and the fields operate both on the weekends and during the week in the evening. If you shoot at night, bring mosquito repellent or you will be carried away. We shoot trap on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings. Skeet is shot on Monday evenings. The range is restricted to shot no larger than 71/2 and guns must be unloaded with actions open when not on the firing line. No exceptions. Because of the large number of new shooters we have attracted during the past year, I'm going to repeat some of the safety rules and good behavior rules we expect everyone to conform to. * Eye and ear protection must be worn while shooting. This is a club rule and applies to all shooting disciplines. * Always keep the gun unloaded and action open while not actually on the firing line and when changing stations. * No shot larger than 7½ may be shot on any shotgun field. The trap & skeet fields fire north over the High Power Rifle Range. Firing larger shot endangers the lives of the High Power shooters. A patterning frame is available on the #3 Trap Field. The 7½ shot rule applies during patterning as well. Only load one shell at a time except when shooting doubles, when two shells may be loaded. Be on time to take your station with the rest of the squad and have everything ready (Ear plugs, ammo, hat, gloves etc.). If your hulls hit the ground, DON'T PICK THEM UP. The scorekeeper has first choice. If he doesn't want them then you can have them. Don't forget to donate to the kitty for the Trap Machine loader. SPORTING CLAYS RANGE The Sporting Clays range is bounded by the main entrance fence on the east, the access road to the 200 yard range on the west and the main club road on the north and the club fence to the south. Sporting Clays practices are scheduled for at least twice a month throughout the year and a schedule is available from the chairman. Practices are usually held Sunday mornings at 9:00AM and the meeting area is just to the south of the rest rooms.

10 Sporting Clays is similar to Trap and Skeet in that it uses traps and clay targets to duplicate the conditions and presentations you would normally find while hunting. A typical sporting course is laid out over an area of 20 to 30 acres. Ideally a Sporting Clays range should be set in terrain similar to that of the local hunting conditions. A Sporting Clays course is usually set in a circular or horse-shoe shape enabling shooters to start and finish in roughly the same place. Along the path targets are thrown from 10 to 14 shooting stations. A course can be laid out with either automatic or manual traps, and the traps are usually set out-ofsight. Sporting Clays at Port Malabar throws all of the following targets except for the rocket: Standard: 4 1/4 inches in diameter, 1 1/8 inches thick; dome shaped; standard target in trap and skeet. Rocket: 4 1/4 inches in diameter, 5/8 inch thick; deceptive in flight; appears to float, but retains more velocity than the standard. Rabbit: 4 1/4 inches in diameter, 1/2 inch thick; rolls and bounces on the ground; thick rim density prevents shattering on impact with the ground. Battue: 4 1/4 inches in diameter; 3/8 inch thick; "flying razor blade" difficult to pick up edge-on; does rolls and wingovers. Midi: 3 1/2 inches in diameter; 7/8 inch thick; smaller size makes it appear farther away than it actually is; retains initial velocity longer than other targets. Mini: 2 3/8 inches in diameter, 5/8 inch thick; deceptive because small size makes it appear to be moving faster than it actually is; slows quickly because it's light. Target sequence may incorporate singles, report pairs, following pairs and true (simultaneous) pairs. A round usually consists of 50 or 100 targets. The shooter's gun must be visible below the armpit and may not be mounted until the target is visible. Excerpts for this article came from the 1995 edition of Black's Wing and Clay Sporting Clay shoots are held every Sunday.

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12 Orientation Completion Form Safety Rules Summary o Always point the muzzle in a safe direction o Always wear eye and ear protection while on an active firing line o Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot o When the firing line is cold o Keep the action open, magazine out and gun unloaded on the bench o Do not touch, carry or handle any uncased firearm o Before making the line hot, all persons must be behind the firing line. o Do not handle a firearm while anyone is forward of the firing line o Obey all firing line commands. Do not move forward of the firing line until the range is declared cold by all shooters Range Regulations o Members are responsible for their guests and must have them under direct control at all times o Guests are limited to three at any time o When any guest is firing, you must supervise him and you may not shoot o When you are firing, the guests may not shoot o The same rules apply to minor children (under 18) o Targets are to be positioned so that bullets will directly impact the backstop. No ground level targets, cross-firing or ricochets are allowed. No shooting at glass objects or wildlife. o Firearms are to be used only on the designated ranges at designated targets with safe ammo. Conform to all specific rules posted on each range. o No alcoholic beverages will be allowed on, behind or adjacent to any range while shooting is in progress o The executive board much approve scheduling and re-scheduling of any matches and installation of any fixtures o Members must visibly display membership badges except during working parties. Members may not lend keys or badges. Violation of the Range Safety Rules or Range Regulations may result in suspension or termination of your membership Date Signature Name (Printed) Port Malabar Rifle & Pistol Club Range Orientation