Match rules

1.Introduction

The association shall be called Xtreme Steel Shooting South Africa [abbreviated to XSSSA] hereinafter referred to as the Association.

The association is a non-profit organization founded and united by persons with mutual interests and acting in the spirit of cooperation to best promote their special interests and enjoyment.

The Association shall be affiliated to any other associations, which may be considered necessary by the committee.

“His, him, he” shall include female and vice versa, unless specifically otherwise provided for.

2.The objectives of the Association are

1. a)
   To promote, regulate and encourage the sporting uses of extreme long range shooting, on steel targets, in South Africa.
2. b)
   To promote the development of the equipment and techniques to achieve accuracy at extreme long range distances in the sport of shooting steel targets.
3. c)
   To establish a set of rules and guidelines that standardize and govern the conduct of XSSSA sanctioned shooting competitions.
4. d)
   To promote the safe use of rifles.
5. e)
   To promote the use of competition and safety rules for the sport of extreme long range shooting as set out by the Association.
6. f)
   To co-operate with, and to support any other shooting, sporting, or associated body on matters of mutual interest to achieve any of the foregoing objectives, but without such co-operation infringing in any way upon the independence of the Association or its members.
7. g)
   To carry on any business, calculated to further the objectives of the association.

3.Competitor’s duties and responsibilities

1. a)
   Any shooter who participates in a XSSSA sanctioned shooting competition shall be responsible to the Match Director, to conduct himself safely, and in accordance with XSSSA match rules.
2. b)
   Any shooters who refuse to comply with any XSSSA match rules, or the decision of the Match Director, after being instructed to do so, can be disqualified from the shooting competition, upon the recommendation of a majority vote of the match committee.
3. c)
   All shooters are responsible to register and sign the indemnity form with the Match Director, immediately upon arrival at the shooting range to participate in an XSSSA sanctioned shooting competition.
4. d)
   All shooters are responsible for signing a waiver of responsibility and release of liability statement and signing a statement indicating they are familiar with the rules of competition for each class of competition they are participating in before the shooter will be allowed to compete in any XSSSA sanctioned shooting competition. The waiver of responsibility and release of liability statement form, and the form acknowledging the shooter is familiar with the rules of competition, shall be provided by the Match Director.
5. e)
   A shooter’s briefing meeting shall be held by the Match Director each day prior to the beginning of the match. This meeting is mandatory and it is the duty of the competitor, to attend the shooters meeting each day of the competition. Should the competitor fail to attend one of the meetings, without the permission of the Match Director, it may result in the disqualification of the competitor by the Match Director, upon a recommendation of the match committee.
6. f)
   Each shooter is responsible to clean up their trash and discards, to insure range cleanliness. Violations of this requirement or any XSSSA safety rule may result in a penalty of One Hundred Rand (R100.00) being assessed to the shooter, at the discretion of the Match Director, with the approval of the match committee.

4.Match Readiness

1. a)
   XSSSA is not for the general shooter and although all shooters are welcome, XSSSA is for the shooter who already has a good basic understanding of marksmanship and has the knowledge to put the first shot, on the target at extreme long range.
2. b)
   Shooters that participate in this long range precision match must have a good knowledge of external ballistics and all factors that will influence this ballistics.
3. c)
   Due to time constraints at the shooting points, shooters must acquaint themselves with the ballistic data for their rifles or must have a good understanding of how to operate ballistic programs to enable them to obtain the correct ballistic data, do the necessary adjustments, and take the shot at long range, within the allowed time.
4. d)
   Shooters must be familiar with the setup of their rifles and must make sure that their rifle scopes can adjust to these long range targets. The shooter must take note that targets will seldom be closer than 500m, and can be out to approximately 1300m.
5. e)
   Sharing of rifles is not allowed, unless it is with a Junior shooter or as approved by the match director. In the case were a rifle is shared both shooters score’s will not count towards any prizes or ranking list.

5.Match Procedure

1. a)
   Competitors meeting: The competitors meeting will signal the start of the shooting competition. The Match Director shall hold a competitors meeting prior to the start of the competition, each day. The purpose of the meeting is to ensure that competitors are aware of day’s procedures and provide updates regarding safety information. Attendance at the briefing meeting is mandatory for all persons who are registered to shoot in the competition unless excused by the Match Director. Failure to attend the meeting may result in the disqualification of the competitor by the Match Director upon a recommendation of the match committee.
2. b)
   Shooting Groups: Two teams shall be grouped together to form a “Group” of four (4) shooters. Teams shall be informed at the competitors meeting of who their partners are for the duration of the day. The “Group” will stay together for the duration of the day and no swapping out of teams shall be allowed.
3. c)
   Allocation of Lanes: “Groups” will be allocated with shooting lanes where they need to start shooting the match and this will be done by the luck of the draw. After the competitors meeting, the groups, will commence to their allocated FFP lane with due diligence. Only 20 min will be allowed for groups to get to their respective shooting lanes before an AIR HORN, or other method, will sound the start of the shooting match. Shooters must make sure that they are on time at their respective lanes otherwise bottlenecks will form. All groups will start at the same time after the signal to do so, has been given by the Match Director.
4. d)
   Start Time: All possible effort shall be made to start the match at the time indicated on the entry form or information sheet.
5. e)
   Course of Fire: Groups will engage a total number of 16 targets at 8 different shooting lanes.
6. f)
   Sequence of Fire: Targets must be engaged in sequence from CLOSEST TO FURTHEST. If shooters shoot targets out of sequence, the shooter will lose the points for that target, and he can proceed to shoot the correct target again. Should targets be directly above each other, the shooter will nominate to the Spotter, Scorer and Timer, which target he will be engaging first.
7. g)
   Time at Lanes: Groups will be periodically checked, to see if a constant flow of shooting sequence is maintained and the Match Director will warn groups who take more than 45 min at any lane.
8. h)
   Food and Drink: Competitor must bring/carry their own food and drink to the shooting lanes as no lunch break will be given.
9. i)
   Completion of the course: After the course has been completed, all groups will return to the Briefing area of the morning and hand in their score sheet as soon as possible.
10. j)
    Prizes: The first three teams as well as the first three individual places will be awarded prizes.

6.Match Rules

1. a)
   No loaded firearm may be brought onto the firing range.
2. b)
   Only a person that, is in terms of the South African Firearms Control Act (Latest revision), authorised to poses a firearm, may bring such firearm onto a sanctioned XSSSA competition. The match director, range officer or any member of the committee may at any time request the shooter to produce the licence for such firearm.
3. c)
   Shooters that are outside the borders of South Africa and want to participate in any XSSSA match, must make sure that they are possession of a valid firearms licence or permit in their country of origin. In addition, the shooter must apply for a South African import permit through his travel agency to enable him to not only legally be in possession of the fire arm in South Africa but also to enable him to buy additional ammunition. These shooters must take note that only 200 cartridges in total, can be brought into South Africa.
4. d)
   Visitors and Juniors, entering a XSSSA competition, but do not have a firearms license, will be squatted with the shooter who invited the visitor or Junior. Shooters that do invite visitors and juniors to participate in XSSSA matches must make sure that the visitor or junior is up to date with the rules of the competition.
5. e)
   No firearm, of any nature, may at any time, or under any circumstances be pointed at any other person on the shooting range.
6. f)
   No person (shooters and non-shooters) may participate in any the shooting activities, unless he has signed the attendance register.
7. g)
   No firearm may be discharged on the shooting range unless the match director, range officer or committee members, has given the order to do so. Once all shooters are at the firing line at the beginning of a match, a signal will be given and all shooters will start shooting at the same time so as to enhance the flow of the match throughout the day and prevent bottle necks.
8. h)
   All firearm must have the action open at all times and must always be placed such that the barrel points downrange with an empty chamber indicator inserted and visible.
9. i)
   No live ammunition may be left in the rifle after the shooter has completed his relay.
10. j)
    No tracer ammunition shall be used.
11. k)
    No additional shots may be taken at any type of targets which includes rocks, gongs, trees, live animals or birds, etc.
12. l)
    Junior shooters is deemed to be a junior if he/she is 17 years or younger on the 01 January.
13. m)
    Junior shooters must ALWAYS be under the direct supervision (this means within arm’s length) of the authorised license holder of the specific rifle when moving around on the shooting range.
14. n)
    There will be no sight-in ranges as it is expected of the shooter to rely on the reliability and repeatability of his rifle, putting the first shot on target at any range.
15. o)
    Shooting teams will consist of two shooters (i.e. shooter and spotter). Due to the fact that this is also an individual competition, the roles will be revers after the shooter has completed his relay and the spotter will become the shooter.
16. p)
    The person not engaging the target on a specific lane may fulfil the duties of a spotter for the person shooting. Shooting lanes shall be shot on a rotation basis.
17. q)
    The first shooter at the specific lane must start shooting within 5 minutes of arriving at the designated shooting lane.
18. r)
    Shooters must leave the FFP, (either to swap with the spotter or to swap with the next team), within 1 min after he has taken his last shot on the second target.
19. s)
    All people in the vicinity of the FFP, including the current shooting team, must keep quiet to enable the shooting team to confirm the audible HIT on the gongs. This may take up to 8 seconds from the time that the shot is fired.
20. t)
    The second reason for keeping quite is because of the fact that the shooters make use of very sensitive electronic earmuffs, which is able to pick-up very low sounds and amplify them. Should people need to have a discussion, they should at least be 50m away from the FFP.
21. u)
    Any person which, do not adhere to the above requirements, do not show good sportsmanship, or who do not honour the authority of the range officer, may be requested to leave the shooting competition and may be permanently banned from future XSSSA sanctioned matches.

7.Equipment

1. a)
   Everything that you can carry may be taken with you. Terrain will dictate in most cases what equipment can be carried. Bench rest type front rests are not allowed
2. b)
   Natural surroundings, within the designated area may be used and can be repositioned to the advantage of the shooter, but may only be done within the shooters allowed time. No additional time will be granted.
3. c)
   As indicated above, centre fire rifle up to and including 0.338” may be used.
4. d)
   The shooting competition will not be divided into different classes in terms of rifles. The open class will include all rifles up to and including 0.338” calibre with a muzzle energy not exceeding 5500 ft/lb and Lite class will include all rifles up to and including 0.338” calibre with a muzzle energy not exceeding 3000 ft/lb.
5. e)
   Shooters may share a rifle but their scores will not count.

In addition to the above, the following equipment may also be used or come in handy:

1. Eye and ear protection – Compulsory
2. Empty Chamber Indicator/Flag
3. Rifle bag or case
4. A rifle capable of 1 MOA or better accuracy
5. A scope with enough internal adjustment – your weapon system must allow you to shoot out to at least 1,3km.
6. Ammunition
7. Backpack to carry equipment, water and food/snacks
8. Bipod or other allowed front rest. - Bench rest type front rests are not allowed. Any Bi-pod, X-Bag or Backpack may be used as a front rest.
9. Rear Bag – Any type of sandbag / sock / monopod or hand can be used for the rear support underneath the back part of the stock.
10. DOPE chart or ballistic programs. – Any type of ballistic calculator, paper or electronic, may be used.
11. Laser Range Finder – Any type.
12. Weather station. – Any type.
13. Compass. – Any type.
14. Stop Watch – Preferably a count-down type stop watch. Please bring your own.
15. Rifle Sling
16. Writing and note taking material
17. Extra rounds
18. Small set of allen wrenches and other tools specific to your rifle and gear for small repairs.
19. Weapon cleaning equipment
20. Personal medical items
21. Inclement weather gear to include sunscreen and bug spray
22. Shooting mat
23. Knee and elbow pads
24. Pocket knife
25. Lens cleaner for optic(s)
26. Extra batteries for all electronic equipment carried
27. Binoculars
28. Shooting hat
29. Food and Water – Please take note that you will be on the range the entire day with no break due to the nature of the match.

8.Targets and Scoring

1. a)
   Targets with unknown sizes will be engaged by the shooter at known distances, with the majority of targets further than 500m.
2. b)
   Range builders will make sure that targets are not less than 1 MOA at the distance they are placed. For all practical purposes the following examples of minimum target sizes at comparative distances may be used as reference:

1. c)
   Due to the natural surroundings, from where the shooter will be shooting, a designated area is defined as an area of 3m x 3m from a Final Firing Point (FFP) indicated by the match director by means of a clear marking. This imaginary 3m x 3m square can be positioned around the marking by the shooter, as long as the trigger of the rifle remains within a 3m x 3m area that includes the FFP.
2. d)
   The clear marking indicated above by the match director, will be the exact point at which the distance to the target has to be determined from.
3. e)
   18 Targets will make up a course of fire. If the shooter hits the target with his first shot, he will receive 15 points for the target. If the shooter hits the target with his second shot, he will receive another 10 points for the target. If the shooter does not hit the target with any of the two shots, he will receive “O”. A max of two shots will be fired to each target making up a total of 36 shots and a potential full score of 450 points.
4. f)
   The following example from a typical score card should provide more clarity:

1. g)
   A target will be deemed to be HIT when a clear “gong” is emitted from the steel target and there is a visual indication that the gong has been HIT. A HIT will be marked by the points applicable to the gong (i.e. 15 Points for the first HIT and 10 Points for the second HIT) and a MISS will be marked by an “O” on the score card.
2. h)
   Any shots taken after the command “STOP FIRING” has been given shall be scored as ZERO i.e. “O”.
3. i)
   Shooters must check and make sure that their score is correct, and INITIAL next to his score in each lane, BEFORE they leave the designated shooting area to go to the next shooting lane.
4. j)
   Not more than 3 targets (i.e. 6 shots) will be engaged form any shooting lane.
5. k)
   Shooting Lanes will be clearly numbered and will be coloured the same colour as their corresponding gong colours. Refer below.
6. l)
   For clarity purposes gongs will be painted different colours on sequential lanes.

1. m)
   Targets will only be painted at the start of each day of competition and will not be painted during the course of the competition.
2. n)
   Should there be a target failure of any kind and the target is found to be irreparable by the Match Director, the target in question will first be replaced with a spare target. If the spare target has already been used to replace a previous faulty target, the target in question will be pulled from the competition and all shooters will lose the score on the specific target. The competition’s total score will also be adjusted accordingly. Range builders must therefore make sure that the targets are in good working condition at all times.
3. o)
   In case of a tie at the end of the shooting competition between shooters in the same category that is eligible for prizes, the winner will be determined by means of shoot-out at 300m on a paper target with 1” bulls-eye dot. Shooters will take one shot at their specific target and the shooters will be positioned according to the bullet hole closest to the centre of the bull. Should a shooter decline to participate in the shoot-out match or not have enough ammo to compete in the shoot-out match, such shooter will automatically loose the shoot-out match.
4. p)
   Ranking of shooters will be done by taking the winning score, herein after referred to as the Topgun, of each match as 100%. All other scores will be related to this score.
5. q)
   Although individual scores will be posted, the importance of this competition is on the shooting team and not on the individual shooter.

9.Duties of specific individuals during the relay

1. a)
   Two teams, and by implication 4 shooters, will be grouped together for a shooting match, each shooter, with his own function within the group and will consist out of the following individuals:

• Group 1 - Team 1 - Shooter
• Group 1 - Team 1 - Spotter
• Group 1 - Team 2 - Visual Official (VO)
• Group 1 - Team 2 - Scorer / Timer Official (STO)

1. b)
   Grouping of the teams will be done under the sole discretion of the match director.
2. c)
   The purpose of the two teams is as follows: While one team is paired to be Shooter and Spotter, the other team’s members will be fulfilling the function of STO and VO
3. d)
   Only a member of the shooting group can mark the score sheets, no shooter from another group or member of the public, will be allowed to mark the score sheets.
4. e)
   At any stage during the course of the match, the person with the clip board i.e. the STO, will act as the RO for that specific time period and shall be responsible to make sure that all safety regulations are been adhered to.
5. f)
   Once the first team (shooter and spotter) have complete the shooting lane the next team (STO and VO) will commence on the same lane with engaging the targets.
6. g)
   Teams must take note of the sequence of the shooter order, which is indicated on the score cards. This sequence has been arranged to make sure that each shooter gets a change to engage 2 Lanes 1st, during the course of the match. Shooting orders must be strictly adhered to, in order to avoid disqualification.

   1. a)I.e. In the example above under scoring, Shooter 3 will start shooting first on Lane 2 together with his spotter and team mate, who is shooter 4.
   2. b)After shooter 3 has shot, shooter 4 will engage the targets.
   3. c)Then shooter 1 from the second team
   4. d)And finally shooter 2 will shoot on Lane 2.
7. h)
   In addition, the Spotter, STO and VO, will visually and audibly confirm the HIT on the gong.
8. i)
   The VO will specifically be responsible for visual confirmation by means of binoculars or his rifle scope.
9. j)
   The STO will specifically be responsible for audible confirmation by means of removing his earmuffs to hear the gong “sound”.
10. k)
    Every effort must be made to confirm HITS on gongs as there is only one chance to do so. For this reason please refer to Match Rules above.
11. l)
    The shooter may choose to have his own timer on the ground in front of him. The STO shall however, have authority of the time keeping and his ruling will be final. It is therefore imperative that, if the shooter decides to have a timer, he synchronises with the STO.
12. m)
    Shooting teams must take note that their time will start from the time that the first member of the team walks onto the FFP. It is therefore suggested that shooting team members wait for each other before walking onto the FFP.
13. n)
    Shooting teams must take note that the shooting times will NOT include time spend in the preparation areas.

10.Time keeping on the Shooting Lane

1. a)
   The shooting TEAM will have a total of 10 minutes to engage all the targets from the time that any one of the shooting team members enters the FFP area. This means that both shooters in the team will have to engage all the targets in the 10 minutes allowed.
2. b)
   The shooter that engages the targets first, must shoot all the targets in that lane before the second shooter of the team can start engaging his first target. I.e. Shooter 2 cannot engage the first target directly after shooter 1 has shot it. Shooter 1 must first complete engaging all the targets before shooter 2 can start engaging the first target. Below is an example of how a shooting group will typically engage targets at a FFP.

1. c)
   The 10 minutes indicated above is continuous and will not be stopped for any reason, other than a safety issue.
2. d)
   An example of the timing sequence is given below for clarity purposes:

11.Approved Ammunition

1. a)
   Acceptable bullets are jacketed lead core, solid brass/bronze or suitable solid steel.
2. b)
   Those bullets that are not suitable include tracer, incendiary (packed with nitrocellulose and a small steel ball is placed in the tip of the bullet to ensure that a chemical explode on impact) or explosive type bullets.
3. c)
   Unsafe ammunition shall be banned for any XSSSA sanctioned matches. It shall be the responsibility of the Match Director of his designated Range Officer to make a determination regarding the suitability of reloaded ammunition. Poor quality or reloaded ammunition displaying characteristics such as corrosion, damaged brass, improperly seated primers or damaged bullets, will not be allowed to be used in a XSSSA sanctioned match.

12.Safety

1. a)
   Safety at any XSSSA sanctioned shooting competition is of paramount concern. The Match Director of any XSSSA shooting competition or his designated Range Officer has the responsibility and authority as prescribed by the XSSSA Match Rules to ensure the safe conduct of the match. The Match Director shall have the authority to disqualify any shooter for unsafe conduct or to remove any piece of equipment that has been determined to be unsafe for participation in the shooting competition.
2. b)
   If the Match Director disqualifies a shooter or a piece of equipment from a shooting competition for safety reasons, it shall be the duty of the Match Director to submit a complete written report immediately following the shooting competition.
3. c)
   Decisions made by the Match Director and Match Committee regarding safety violations are final and cannot be appealed.
4. d)
   FINAL FIRING POSITION SETUP – The diagram below shows the typical layout of the Final Firing Point (FFP), which is the position from where the shooter and spotter team will engage the targets. For safety purposes the following rules MUST be strictly adhered to and is not negotiable. Shooters which do not adhered to this rules can be disqualified from the shooting match.

   1. 1.As indicated in the diagram below, there is a designated area on each side of the FFP for each shooter respectively.
   2. 2.During the time that other shooting team is busy engaging, nobody else will be allowed to enter the preparation area on either side of the FFP. This is distracting to the team which is currently busy engaging the targets.
   3. 3.Shooters will not cross over each other e.g. having both rifle bags on one side of the FFP that will cause a shooter to move behind the other shooter with his barrel pointing in the direction of his team member, or any other person on the shooting range.
   4. 4.At no point will a shooter, with a rifle that is not safe (chamber flag inserted), move behind another shooter, causing the barrel of the rifle to point in another person’s direction.
   5. 5.Shooters will only be allowed to handle their rifles, once the previous shooting team have left the FFP. This means that the previous shooting team, and their equipment, is OFF the FFP.
   6. 6.Rifles will be moved onto the FFP only after all other gear e.g. Shooting mats, sand bags etc, have been placed onto the FFP, so as to prevent shooters losing control of their rifles,
   7. 7.When shooters move their rifles onto the FFP, the barrel of the rifle will ALWAYS point down range.

1. e)
   Open Actions: It is recommended the bolt be removed from any rifle that has been brought to the firing line and the shooter is not immediately preparing to fire. If it is not convenient to remove the bolt entirely, the bolt should be in the open position at all times unless the shooter is engaged in shooting. An empty chamber indicator/flag must be present in the chamber to indicate that there is no live ammunition in the chamber.
2. f)
   Position of Muzzle: whenever a rifle has been brought to the designated firing area and set up for competition, the muzzle of the rifle shall be pointed down range in a safe direction. Any exception shall be approved by the Match Director. All competitors firing a bipod rifle shall ensure the muzzle of their rifle is pointed at the impact area when the rifle is unattended on the firing line.
3. g)
   Hang fires / Misfires: Any competitor who experiences a hang fire/misfire, shall wait at least thirty (30) seconds before opening the bolt of the rifle and shall notify everyone near his designated shooting area that a misfire has occurred. The area immediately to the rear of the competitors area shall be cleared of all other competitors and spectators before the rifle bolt is opened. The competitors time for shooting will not be extended to complete the course of fire. A competitor who experiences a series of misfires / hang fires shall be evaluated by the Match Director to determine if the rifle or ammunition being used is safe for the competition. The Match Director shall determine if the competitor can safely be allowed to continue the competition.
4. h)
   Alcoholic Beverages: No alcoholic beverages will be consumed on the range during an XSSSA sanctioned shooting competition. Violation of this rule by a competitor shall result in his disqualification upon recommendation of the XSSSA Committee.
5. i)
   Use of Drugs: Any competitor of a sanctioned XSSSA shooting competition who is determined to be under the influence of any drug, shall be evaluated by the Match Director and Match Committee for his ability to participate in the competition safely. The competitor may be disqualified from the competition based on a majority vote of the Match Committee.
6. j)
   Eye and Ear Protection: All competitors registered and participating in a XSSSA sanctioned shooting competition shall have adequate eye and ear protection on their person at all times when on the firing line. All spectators of a XSSSA shooting competition shall have adequate ear protection when in the vicinity of the firing line.
7. k)
   All rifles will be carried with an empty chamber indicator/flag when shooters move between shooting lanes.
8. l)
   Only the rifles of the shooting team (shooter and spotter), who is actively about to engage the target, may be, safely and with bolt open, muzzle pointing downrange, have the empty chamber indicator/flag removed. Should the scorer use his rifle, instead of binoculars, in his duty to determine visually, if the target has been hit, he must not remove his empty chamber indator/flag from his rifle and can position it next to the shooter, making sure not to infringe on the shooters designated shooting area.
9. m)
   The spotter’s bolt must remain open at all times with the empty chamber indicator/flag inserted. After the team have completed engaging the targets, they will open their bolts and install their empty chamber indicators/flags before leaving the shooting position.