“Range is going hot”: The Safety Officer is giving a warning to all other match participants that he is ready to start the scenario, and that all participants should return behind the line of fire if they are not already there. The shooter should not manipulate their firearm at this time.

“Load and make ready”: The shooter should face downrange and load their firearm, then return the loaded firearm to their holster. They should be sure to have a “topped off” magazine to start the scenario.

“Shooter ready?”: This is the shooter’s last chance to ask any questions about the scenario! If not, they should indicate to the Safety Officer that they are ready to shoot the scenario.

“Stand by”: The shooter should be ready to begin the scenario when the buzzer sounds.

*BUZZER*: An electronic sound signaling the start of the scenario. The shooter should draw their firearm from the holster and begin the scenario. In scenarios requiring “turning and drawing”, the shooter must turn toward their strong (i.e. holster) side.

“Unload and show clear”: At the conclusion of the scenario the shooter should remove the magazine, clear the round from the chamber and lock the slide open. The Safety Officer will inspect the weapon to insure that it is safe. The shooter should then release the slide, point the firearm downrange and dry fire.

“Range is safe”: This is a signal to the other Range Officer that it is safe to go forward of the shooting line to score the targets and for the tapers to tape after scoring is complete.

Additional SO Commands

“Stop”: You must immediately stop any activity, keep your weapon pointed downrange and wait for additional instructions. The Safety Officer has determined that it is necessary to discontinue the scenario. Something has occurred which may be unknown to you, a target is down, or some unsafe condition exists.

“Finger”: You are moving with your finger inside the trigger guard. Immediately move your finger outside the trigger guard. If you do not comply, you will receive a procedural penalty and possibly be disqualified from the remainder of the match.

“Cover”: You have exposed more than 50% of your “A” zone, or you need to move to cover to reload. If you do not comply, you will receive a procedural penalty. As a general rule, when utilizing cover, your feet and legs should always be behind the source of cover.