Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. What safety equipment do I need?
A. You will need eye and ear protection. If you do not wear glasses you can bring safety glasses or shooting glasses. For hearing protection you can use ear muffs or ear plugs. The new electronic ear muffs provide hearing protection while allowing you to hear the verbal commands from the RSO (Range Safety Officer).
Q. What kind of pistol can I use to shoot the stages?
A. You can bring just about any automatic or revolver from 9mm to .45 cal.
Q. Why can’t I use my .22 cal pistol?
A. You could but then there are “knockdowns” used to activate the reactive targets (swingers and clam shell etc targets) and the .22 cal may not have enough power.
Q. Are there any pistols that I can’t shoot with?
A. Yes. You can’t shoot with “specialized” or modified pistols generally referred to as “race” guns. These pistols are modified and present an unfair advantage to other shooters. Pistol should be "concealable with normal clothing.
Q. Are there restrictions on the magazines or releases?
A. Yes. You can use any magazine capacity but you can’t shoot with any more than ten rounds in the magazine. An extended magazine release may be used.
Q. What happens if I have a pistol “malfunction”?
A. If you are shooting a stage and have a malfunction such as a failure to fire or battery, a failure to feed or a jam you will be allowed to “clear” the weapon and proceed with the COF (course of fire). If you cannot clear it immediately you may be allowed a “re-shoot” of that part of the stage once the weapon is cleared. If the pistol has a “squib” (bullet jammed in the barrel) or something serious the RSO will ask you to make the weapon safe and take it to another area. If you continue to have problems with your pistol the RSO can ask you to withdraw from the match and declare a DNF.
Q. If I have problems with my pistol or if I decide I want to change pistols during the match is this OK?
A. No. “Bring what you want to shoot and shoot what you bring” is the spirit of the match. You can change identical pistols however. If you brought a Springfield .45 XD and you have an XD 45 identical to the first you can swap it out.
Q. What about holsters?
A. You can use any stock, off the shelf holster suitable for concealed carry or duty holsters. No holster modifications are permitted. Exception: Ladies are allowed to use drop loop holsters.
Q. How do the holster and magazine holders have to be worn?
A. We require that holster be carried on the strong side hip at the mid-line of the leg. The seam on your pants is a good alignment gauge. We do not permit tilted or cutaway holsters. Inside or outside the waistband holsters are allowed, however appendix carry holsters will require the permission of the Range Safety officer. Shoulder holsters and cowboy rigs are not permitted. Magazine holders will be carried on the support side hip at the mid-line. Revolver speed loader holders can be carried in front on the strong side.
Q. Why do you use the “Triple Threat” as a qualifier?
A. There are lots of great qualifiers to rank shooters however we chose this one because we can run it quickly and as a stage rather than using a more protracted and complex qualifier.
Q. Couldn't a shooter “game” the qualifier?
A. Sure. Any shooter can qualify poorer to win a lower class in the match but why would they? Once you have won your class 3 times you will automatically be moved up to the next class. Anyhow since there are no trophies and only bragging rights a shooter would have to have some serious self-image issues to cheat on the qualifier.
Q. How are the targets scored?
A. For the present we use a scoring system similar to IDPA. There are points added for each hit not in the “0” zone and penalties for misses and “no-hit” zones. These are translated into seconds of time added to your raw time. All targets require at least one hit in the 0 or -1 zone to avoid additional penalties. Procedural violations will also add time. If the shooter appears to be trying to circumvent a course of fire to better the final score, a Failure to Do Right penalty may be assessed.
Q. What are causes for a disqualification?
A. Dropping a gun, unintentional discharge, violating the "180 rules", or repeated safety violations.
Generally speaking just show up with an off the shelf rig consisting of a stock service pistol or revolver in a stock holster with stock magazine holders. This should not be difficult or expensive. Any good gun store can help you plus almost any person who regularly attends this shoot will probably be happy to show you what they shoot with or offer suggestions. Pistols can be customized including upgraded sights, barrels, triggers, however, modification that make major changes in weight, size, or shape will not be allowed. Almost any gun suitable for real world defensive and practical concealed carry use are acceptable. | 
