TargetTalk

Steve Swartz wrote:From a practical standpoint, if you don't open the breech the range officilas assume you have not discharged your shot (more often than not).

Therefore, if you keep your breech closed to do some dry fire/holding/pointing/fooling around, you are, in the eyes of the match director, "holding up the match."

I mean, think about it- you have 8 people who shoot finals. When all observers note that their charges have fired their shot, they signal that their part of the line is done. If you keep your action closed, they will assume you are still waiting to shoot.

Well yes; of course you have the right to take the full 75 seconds . . . but I believe it would be considered a great rudeness to do so just because you need extra practice!

Do you *really* want to be irritating the match officials?

Take care of your business and get the heck out of the way. Be a Good Citizen.

Steve Swartz

Steve,
I have been in and around Finals since their re-introduction (first tried many decades ago at a competition in Rome?) as a CRO, Assistant RO, Jury member, etc.

For an experienced RO on paper targets, knowing when all the shooters have finished has not been a problem - on EST it is a cinch.

At our (AUS) state and national championships, when on paper targets we have little problem in finding 8 experienced shooters to sit behind the Finalists - they get a close-up view of the procedings.
When all 8 observers have dropped their flags, the RO knows all the Finalists have finished.

On EST, when all the overhead scoreboards have registered a shot, the RO knows all the Finalists have finished.

In practice, there does not seem to be a problem.

Spencer

Agreed on electronic targets it shouldn't be a problem- as long as the observers 1) know what they are looking at (what shot is it again?) and 2) are paying attention.

It's great that you can rustle up 8 observers at your matches!

Even at many of our "big" matches we are lucky to get 4 observers . . . a minor problem on electronic scoring; could be a major problem for paper. Unless, of course, you allow shooters to retrieve targets before all shooters are finished firing which is considered "impolite." Then you are exchanging one problem for another.

I've been at several matches where the observers didn't catch that the line was finished and let the full time expire. This "could" be a problem, especially if a competitor(s) was "faking out" the observers by continuing to point a closed breech pistol?

Or not . . . depends on how well the match is run in general I suppose (which brings up the conundrum: of the match were poorly run, the probability of there being a problem in the first place increases!).

Steve

Steve Swartz wrote:Agreed on electronic targets it shouldn't be a problem- as long as the observers 1) know what they are looking at (what shot is it again?) and 2) are paying attention.

If they 1) don't, or 2) aren't, then they shouldn't be involved in a final. One person can easily do a final just by watching the printers/monitors.

Steve Swartz wrote:Even at many of our "big" matches we are lucky to get 4 observers . . . a minor problem on electronic scoring; could be a major problem for paper. Unless, of course, you allow shooters to retrieve targets before all shooters are finished firing which is considered "impolite."

Not only is it impolite, it's also against rule 8.14.6.1.5.5 "If carrier operated target systems are used the targets must only be brought back to the firing line after the commands “STOP” and “CHANGE TARGETS”, to avoid disturbing neighboring shooters."

Steve Swartz wrote:I've been at several matches where the observers didn't catch that the line was finished and let the full time expire. This "could" be a problem, especially if a competitor(s) was "faking out" the observers by continuing to point a closed breech pistol?

The efficiency (or not) of the observers should not be a factor in what the shooters are allowed to do. If the rules say you can do aiming excercises with a closed breach then you must be allowed to do so. If the observers need a kick up the ass by the Jury or Chief Range Officer then so-be-it. The shooters are the people who matter, the range staff are there to apply the rules.