Range Rules

Welcome to the ranges of the WCSU

WCSU SAFETY RULES AND PROCEDURES

Procedure on arrival – Signing in
Upon arrival at the range, all people (regardless of whether or not they are coming to shoot) must sign in on one of the register books. Each affiliate is provided with a book for this purpose but in the event that a member of an affiliate does not have access to the said book he/she must report to the range manager on the Founders-Range (closest to the gate that borders with the military ranges) and sign in there. This is critical because anyone that has not signed in is not covered by the insurance.

Upon signing in you will be issued with a sticker, this sticker must be displayed on your clothing. This indicates that you have signed in and paid the required fees. a person not wearing a sticker may be asked by an RO, Range Manager or Committee Member to confirm
that he has signed in.

Children are very welcome, but must be at all times under direct supervision of the adult with whom they have arrived.

Please note that the ranges are considered live at all times, DO NOT wander off the main road without the consent of one of the WCSU committee members, you may end up driving into the field of fire of one of the ranges.

Please drive slowly and with caution, the gravel roads can cause you to lose control and there are animals wandering about on our ranges and around them.

Sobriety
Please note that people may not handle firearms at the WCSU ranges if the RO deems them to be under the influence of alcohol or any other substance. The RO does not need to be able to prove it. Should an RO or committee member deem any person to be under the influence, such person will be asked to leave the WCSU ranges.

Adherence to safety rules and cooperation with the ROs
Please note that all people entering the ranges of the WCSU fall under the authority of the WCSU. All safety rules and instructions given by the committee members and ROs must be adhered to without exception.

Loaded Firearms
Many of us carry loaded firearms, and are fully entitled to do so outside of the WCSU ranges.
Please note that no loaded firearms are permitted on the ranges in any place other than on the shooting line, after the RO has given permission to load firearms.

The only people permitted to carry loaded firearms are:
   – Designated RO’s
   –  Committee members
   – Range Manager

 In certain events the committee of an affiliate may designate some of its membersto carry a loaded firearm on that day.

A person who arrives at the range with a loaded firearm must declare it to the designated RO at the range where he/she will be shooting (do so while signing in).

The firearm must be unloaded under the supervision of the RO, while the range is live.

A shooter who wants to load his firearm before he leaves the ranges must inform the RO and he will be given permission to do so while the range is live. This must be the last thing he does before he departs from the ranges.

Please note that firearms may not be handled for any purpose at any place other than the firing line and only when the range is live and the RO has given permission to handle firearms.

DO NOT load/unload or handle a firearm anywhere else other than at the shooting line.

Bagging and un-bagging of firearms
Firearms may only be un-bagged once the designated RO has declared the range live and has given permission to handle firearms.

When un-bagging firearms care must be taken to ensure that the firearm is pointed down-range while the bag/box is being opened and from that moment on it must remain pointed down-range without any exceptions.

Once un-bagged, a firearm may not be bagged until one of the ROs has personally verified that the firearm is unloaded and all ammunition has been removed.

A shooter who wants to bag a firearm so that he commences shooting with another one must ask the RO to check the firearm and get his permission to bag it. He may then un-bag the next firearm he wants to use.

Moving with a firearm on the shooting line
A person is allowed to move between shooting benches with the following conditions:
   – The bench near him is free.
   – There is no shooter or other person between the benches. (if a person is prone or kneeling one may not pass a firearm above or  behind him)
   – The firearm must be unloaded and the action open, the barrel must be pointing down-range at all time.

Live Range, Safe Range and range commands
The range commands are as follows:
   – The Range is Live, you may unbag and handle your firearms, and you may commence shooting. Only once this command has been given you may touch a firearm and be near the shooting benches. Firearms must be pointed down-range at all times. Shooters may not go forward from the shooting line; people who are not shooting must stand well back. A shooter who has a malfunction must immediately cease fire and alert the RO. The malfunction must be handled under the supervision
of the RO.

   – Cease fire! Unload, and SHOW CLEAR. This is the command given when the range is about to be declared safe. Upon hearing this command all shooters must immediately cease shooting, they must remove all ammunition from their firearm, clear the chamber and show it to the RO who will inspect all firearms before declaring the range safe. From this moment firearms must be either bagged of left on the shooting bench, with the action open and the barrel pointed down range.

   – The range is SAFE! You may go forward to put your targets DO NOT HANDLE ANY FIREARMS! As of this moment one may not be near the shooting bench and must be either a meter behind it or ahead of them, if going to set or check targets. As of this moment there must be no handling of firearms even if this firearm is disassembled.

   – Please note- if a shooter wants to go forward more than 250 meters he must inform the RO. He will be given a reflective vest which he must wear until he is back at the shooting line.

Safety equipment
Hearing protection
   – Appropriate hearing protection is mandatory at all times when shooting or close (less than 15 meter from a person who is shooting)

Eye protection
Appropriate eye protection is recommended at all times but mandatory when:
   – Shooting handguns.
   – Shooting with Black Powder firearms.
   – Shooting shotguns.
   – Shooting at any targets made of any material other than cardboard and paper. (rifles and handguns)

Footwear and clothing
   – Please note that clothing that exposes parts of the body to cases that may be ejected from firearms may cause dangerous situation. Shooters must ensure that they are dressed in clothing that will prevent this. (Low cut shirts, sandals) it is highly recommended to wear a peak-cap at all times to prevent the ingress of cases between the shooting goggles (or glasses) and the shooter’s eye.

   – You are welcome to wear your hunting clothes, but please remember that this makes you less visible. Make sure that people know that you are walking down- range, especially if you are going to go further than 200M from the shooting line.

   – Footwear must be such that a shooter cannot easily lose his balance (sandals and floppies) as this will also cause dangerous situations. Furthermore, due to the presence of thorns and snakes at the ranges it is highly recommended to wear footwear that is suitable for outdoors.

Targets
   – At the Founders Range, targets may only be made of cardboard and paper and held on frames supplied by the WCSU. Shooters who bring their own targets and frames must present  them to the RO, who will decide if these may be used.

   – Metallic targets – may be used at the metallic silhouette and LRP ranges (or other ranges in organized events). These targets must be of a type that is designed to swing, turn or fall when hit and must be shot at with the type of firearm that they were designed for. The minimum range for shooting at any metallic target is 20 meters. Shooters may bring their own targets but these must first be presented to the RO who will decide if these may be used.  

– Clay targets may be shot at only during organized events.

Ammunition
   – The use of tracer ammunition and any type of pyrotechnic charges is strictly forbidden on all the WCSU ranges.

   – Please note that a committee member or RO may forbid the use of any ammunition for reasons such as but not limited to: poor condition, excessive pressures, repeated jamming.

   – Please note that you are responsible to remove the empty cases of your ammunition as well as any ammunition that may have misfired. Do not leave any lying around or throw it in the bins.

Firearms permitted

   – Fully automatic firearms may be used at the WCSU ranges under strict guidelines and only after receiving permission from a member of the EXCO.

   – All other types are permitted in the ranges that are appropriate for them.

   – If you intend firing a semi-automatic firearm other than a handgun please bring this to the attention of the Range Officer.

   – Please note that a committee member or RO may deem a firearm to be unsafe and forbid its use at the ranges should a firearm present problems that may include but not limited to: shaving lead, poor condition (rust, extreme dirt) continuous jamming.

   – Please note that a committee member or RO may deem a firearm to be unsafe to be used by a particular person, for example – if the RO considers that a particularly small person cannot safely handle a particular handgun due to weight or recoil that are beyond the ability of this person to control, they may forbid this person from using that particular firearm.

When Shooting from field positions, Shooters who chose to shoot from the prone, sitting or kneeling position must:
   – Ensure that at all times their shoulders are aligned with the rest of the shooters on the line, to prevent them from being behind or ahead of the shooting line.

   – Load and unload the firearm only once they are in the position in which they will shoot. (for example, the firearm must be unloaded before changing from kneeling to standing or prone)

   – When cycling the action, loading, reloading and unloading it is mandatory to keep the barrel pointed down-range.

   – It is particularly important to ensure that you are not ahead or behind the shooting line when getting up.

Dropping a firearm
   – Dropping a firearm is dangerous. It signifies that a shooter lost control over a firearm and is extremely dangerous if the firearm was loaded or being fired when it was dropped.

   – Should this happen to you, DO NOT pick it up. Alert the RO who will then supervise when you pick up the firearm and investigate why it was dropped.

   – Should the RO decide that negligence was involved he may ban the shooter from continuing shooting at all or with that particular firearm.

Usage of the various ranges
   – Visitor, MSA members and WCSU members are allowed to shoot at the Founders- Range and the pistol range (depending on the firearms they wish to shoot.

   – Members of various clubs shoot at the various ranges depending on the particular club activity.

   – At times when organized activities take place, the Founders Range may be allocated to a particular event, in this case another range may be provided as an alternative.

   – Please note that no person may shoot unless he is under the supervision of an approved RO.


Flora and Fauna
Please Note that there are various snakes, bucks and other animals roaming around the ranges. All people using the ranges must take all precautions to avoid harming them in any way. At the ranges make sure that you scan every now and then and should you see an animal down-range a cease fire must be called until he moves on (or is chased away).

When driving at the ranges one must do so with caution and at moderate speeds. Not only that one must avoid driving over any kind of animal but there is a real and ever present danger that one can lose control on the gravel roads and collide with another vehicle, overturn, or hit people that are close to the road.

Reckless driving will be treated as a serious safety violation, and you may be asked to leave the range.

The Speed limit is 40 Km/H

Exceptions to the rule
When events are run by other clubs where they are occupying a complete range (or several ranges) some rules may be waved with the prior consent of the WCSU committee. The specific changes must be discussed and agreed upon ahead of the date of the event and are valid only for the date when they are to be done.

For example:
   – There may be a case where metal targets may be allowed to be shot at the Founders- Range (this requires several conditions to be met).

   – In certain Metallic Silhouette events shooters may remove a rifle from the bench without bagging it (with the bolt open) and put it on a vertical rack that is provided for this purpose while his detail is not shooting etc. This will be done under the supervision of the designated RO, after the firearm has been unloaded and checked by the RO.

We hope you enjoy your use of our ranges and look forward to seeing you again.