Rules
Be prepared and learn more about the rules of the Steel Challenge
HANDGUN CALIBER:
Center fire handguns must be in the minimum caliber of 9mm/.38 special. (0.354″) Maximum caliber 0.453″ Center fire firearms shall be suitable for holster use. Minimum Case length 18,9mm No Magnum Loads allowed.
RIMFIRE PISTOLS OR REVOLVERS:
Rimfire shall be .22 Long Rifle caliber only. No Holster required. Start position GUN ON THE RAIL (45º angle)
HOLSTERS:
Holsters shall be mounted in the general vicinity of the waist and must retain the gun even by jumping over an obstacle of 40cm height. Test must be done with the holster in the Draw mode. Adjusting the tension after the Test is not allowed. No cross draw and Shoulder holsters are allowed. Triggers may not be fully exposed. Holsers must point the barrel of the gun in a safe direction.
HOLSTER EXPERIENCE:
You need to show you are capable to draw safe a loaded weapon from out the Holster. If you can not show this capability on paper (IPSC License) the RO can ask you to make a test draw. When we have enough applications we can organize a Holster experience day a couple of weeks before the Match to license you for the Match.
POWER FACTOR:
There will be no multiple projectile or magnum loads allowed. All rounds must have a minimum power factor of 110 Major load are not recommended.
SCORING:
Your time is your score. Each of four targets must be hit during each string of fire and a designated stop plate will be hit last to stop the time. Total score for Matches 1 through 6 will determine the Overall Champion. The best four out of five runs will be counted as the total score for each stage, except for LAPUA / VIHTAVUORI Outer Limits, which will be the best three out of four runs. Any hits made after the maximum time allowance (30 seconds) will not be counted. All primary targets hit after the stop plate has been struck, will be scored with a 3 second penalty each. The maximum time allowed for each individual run is 30 seconds. The competitor will be stopped and asked to reload if they reach the 30 second limit. Three(3) second procedural penalties will be given for: Creeping, movement or jumping before the start signal, foot faults, shooting at the wrong targets from the designated boxes, and incorrect or non movement.
SHOOTER CATEGORY:
It is the shooter’s responsibility to properly declare any extra categories in which they wish to be entered. If you are not sure, then you must ask BEFORE the match begins. A shooter may qualify for more than one category (Pistol Open and Standard, Revolver Open and Standard and Rimfire) Check your score card labels before the match to insure that you have been given the correct category status.
MISCELLANEOUS:
It is the responsibility of the competitors to check their scores as written on their score cards and to sign their score cards when finished shooting. Any questions concerning the score card should imediately been asked to the Range Officials. If still needed, a Match Director will then be summoned. All shooting boxes will be 3′ x 3′. A foot fault will be described as when shots are fired while any part of the body (foot) is touching down outside of the shooting boxes. (3 sec. penalty) Clarification: A competitor may not support any weight down “outside” (on the ground) of the shooting box while shooting, but foot pressure on the raised shooting box will not be penalized. All courses of fire will be fired from a single shooting box with the exceptions of LAPUA / VIHTAVUORI Outer Limits, which will have more than one shooting box. The LAPUA / VIHTAVUORI Outer Limits will have three 3′ x 3′ shooting boxes. The shooters will start on their weak hand side shooting box (right hand shooters Left, Left hand shooters on the right side) and will engage the 20 and 35 yard plates on the weak side of the center line, move to the middle shooting box and engage the remaining two plates and stop plate. Note: Only two of the three boxes will be used by each shooter. Depending on whether you are right or left handed, you will begin in the appropriate outside box and finish in the middle box.
MOVEMENT USPSA:
rules will apply for shots fired while moving into the second shooting box in LAPUA / VIHTAVUORI Outer Limits. If the contestant fires and leaves Box A and then realizes they missed and/or hit the targets out of sequence and returns to Box A and continues to shoot, there will be no procedural penalty (Keep the muzzle down range while returning to Box A). Any target(s) struck in the incorrect order (A vs. B) WILL be judged as a miss. If any shots are fired after having begin to move out of the box, there WILL be a procedural penalty. For ease of judging, both feet must be touching down while firing in the Weak Side Box in LAPUA / VIHTAVUORI Outer Limits. Upon reaching the Middle Box, the contestant may begin to fire when one foot is in the box and the trailing foot is either in the box or in the air. Remember, if targets are engaged out of order without corrective shots being taken, there will be a procedural penalty, plus a miss scored on each target struck out of turn.
STARTING COMMANDS:
The shooter comes to the Primary Safety Area with his gun in a closed (Range)bag here he/she can put the gun into the holster. In this area ammunition, magazine and Speed loader handling is strictly forbidden. On request of the RO the shooter comes into the Shooting box. The audible COMPETITION ELECTRONICS timer start will be proceeded by the commands “Load and make ready.” At this point the shooter may check his sight picture one time and eventually adjust his red dot sight. After that he loads the weapon and puts it into the holster. There are no pre draws from the holster (5 sec. penalty) After a short time is taken, the shooter shall indicate that he or she is ready. The commands will be “Shooter ready? – Stand by.” There will then be a hesitation of one to two seconds before the start signal will sound. Creeping or jumping is expressly prohibited! Hands must remain motionless after the “Stand by” command. A 5 second penalty WILL BE Added for creeping, premature start, hand movement or bouncing of any kind. Please do not test the officials.
HAND POSITION:
Hands are to be held in the “Surrender Position”, which is shoulder high, with the wrists and full hands visible from behind. (one hand at each side of the Head) The Range Officer will stop the count down and give one warning and one warning ONLY if they see that the competitor is setting up too low or starting to creep or “bounce”. Failure to comply will result in a five second penalty for each occurrence.
SAFETY RULES:
The range is cold! Handguns will not be loaded except as directed by Match Officials. Semi-autos will have an empty chamber and magazine well, and all chambers and revolver cylinders will be kept empty. During loading or unloading, engaging the course of fire and during remedial action in the event of a malfunction, the muzzle of the handgun must ALWAYS be kept pointed down range. If the limit line (180 degrees of the shooter box) is violated with a loaded gun, the contestant will be asked to unload and will be disqualified from the entire match. After a string of fire, no contestant may leave their position until the firearm has been unloaded, inspected and cleared by the Range Officer. The firearm will then be holstered or placed in a protective sheath or bag. In the event a firearm cannot be unloaded due to a broken or failed mechanism, the shooter will notify the Range Officer. In no case, will a contestant leave the line with a loaded weapon. During the contest, contestants will refrain from handling their firearms, except when instructed by a match official or in designated areas. Should a firearm be dropped during a course of fire, the contestant will not pick up the firearm, but allow the match official to do so. The match official will then unload and inspect the firearm.
SAFETY VIOLATIONS:
The following violations, any one of which may, and any two of which shall, result in disqualification. Pointing an Unloaded pistol up range (break the 180 degree line). Dropping of an Unloaded firearm. Leaving the line with a loaded pistol. Any grossly uncontrolled shot or accidental discharge. Picking up a dropped firearm without the direction of a match official. The following violations shall result in automatic disqualification from the tournament. Pointing a loaded firearm up range. Dropping a loaded firearm. Any shot fired into the holster or into the ground within six feet of the contestant. Unsafe handling of a loaded firearm. Contestants under the influence of a controlled substance. (Alcohol or drugs) Any behavior or action in violation of sportsmanship codes, or that which directly and/or adversely affects the performance of another competitor. Any disrespectful words and/or gestures to or towards a match official.
GENERAL MATCH INFORMATION:
All targets are painted white and will be re-painted prior to each contestant’s first run on each course of fire. Stop plates will be clearly visible by having red surroundings. The stage lay-out will be adjusted by the Shooting range measures. Eye and ear protection for all shooters and spectators are required. Individuals observed without eye or ear wear will be required to leave the shooting area. There will be designated areas for function firing and firearms handling. Magazines and Speed loader may be loaded within the Walls of the Shooting Complex but need to be stored immediately after loading. The shooting box area at each stage is for competitors only! No friends or family members are allowed in this area. The same gun, holster and holster position must be used throughout the match. IF there is a mechanical problem, equipment of similar make or model may be used as a replacement. Under no conditions will a competitor be allowed to “upgrade” their equipment during the match. Should a malfunction occur, the string of fire will be scored and competitor given the chance to retire for repairs or replacement of the equipment before resuming the course of fire. The squad will not wait, but proceed with the next competitor due to shoot. Due to the unique needs and nature of the Steel Challenge, drawing from concealment is not allowed. If someone wishes to file a protest for an arbitration hearing, there will be a € 50.00 cash fee. The Arbitration Board will consist of the Executive Directors. If the protest is upheld, the € 50.00 fee will be refunded. The protest must be prepared in writing and submitted within one hour of the “violation” and before the close of competition on the day of the occurrence. When a Range Officer scores a miss, it is the shooter’s responsibility to appeal the decision at the end of that particular string of fire. The Range Officer will then go down range and check the target. Once the next string of fire begins, there will be NO further opportunity to appeal the call. All final decisions will be made by the Executive Directors. The shooting schedule will be adhered to. If a contestant arrives after their designated squad has concluded shooting, they will either fire the stage with the last squad of the day or be put with a later squad. This will up to the discretion of the Match Officials. The shooter may NOT reassign themselves to other squads of their choice. Contestants are to go to the line prepared with the appropriate number of magazines, or speed loaders and needed ammunition, so as to not cause unnecessary delay. A contestant may have an assistant to help them in reloading if needed. When a contestant has finished, the Range Officer will call the next contestant to the line. That competitor must then go immediately to the line. If the tournament has all competitor slots filled, the match will be on a tight time-table and shooters will be required to make ready within forty five (45) seconds of being given the command to load and make ready. Practice drawing or sighting may only been done with the unloaded Gun only one time before the String of Fire Starts and will not be allowed after the first string of fire. Thirty (30) seconds will be the standard for making ready for each additional string of fire. If the contestant is not prepared to begin at the 45 second mark prior to the first run, the Range Officer will announce “Time Expired, Make Ready Now”. The contestant then has ten (10) seconds to make ready and notify the Range Officer upon having done so. If the contestant has not notified the Range Officer of their readiness at the 10 second mark, the Range Officer will begin the verbal Start Commands. If the contestant does not engage the course of fire when the audible start signal sounds, they will be given a maximum time for that string of fire. Please understand that we need to establish a balance between the competitor’s need to ready themselves and the amount of time available in each day. Your cooperation will be appreciated by the Match Staff and the other competitors. Competitors may fire as many rounds as they deem necessary for each string of fire.
DRESS CODE:
Camouflage or Para-military clothing, or shirts with controversial slogans or sayings WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. Anyone wearing these items will be asked to leave the range facility.
PENALTIES:
Three second penalties will be given for procedural violations, premature starts, creeping, missed targets and foot faults where applicable.