New Three-Position Air Rifle Rules Released

The 9th edition of the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules has just been released. The National Three-Position Air Rifle Council whose members include The American Legion, BSA, CMP, the Daisy-US Jaycee Shooter Education Program, 4-H Shooting Sports, USA Shooting and the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force JROTC Commands, issues a new rulebook to govern three-position air rifle shooting in the USA every two years. The new 2012-2014 rulebook goes into effect immediately. The new rulebook can be downloaded from the CMP website at http://publ.com/BUSpRxp or http://www.thecmp.org/3P/Rules.pdf. 

The 2012-2014 National Standard Rulebook has several rules that were changed to keep national 3-position air rifle rules in line with what competitors will see in USAS/ISSF rules at larger competitions. The ISSF is changing its rules for 10m and 50m rifle and pistol events to have separate “preparation and sighting” periods before record or competition firing begins. Since this will become the new international standard, the Council decided that junior position air rifle competitors in the U. S. should use the same procedures. To adapt this change to 3-position air rifle, the course of fire will start with a call to the firing line, followed by a 10-minute preparation and sighting stage. Commands to start record fire are given at the end of the sighting stage. No further sighting shots may be taken after record fire begins. Time limits for the record fire stages are shortened to reflect the fact that there is now a separate time for firing sighters.

In addition to adapting 3-position air rifle rules in the U. S. to the new international standard, these changes will make it much easier to facilitate the coaching of sporter class shooters that is permitted during sighters. Now when the preparation and sighting period ends, all coaching must stop and coaches must step back from the firing line. The changes from prone to standing and standing to kneeling include a 5-minute changeover stage followed by a separate 5-minute sighting stage. Match directors have the option of extending sighting stages to 10 minutes. The CMP has already tested this course of fire change during its monthly match at Camp Perry and Anniston on 22 September and found that competitors and coaches adapted with no difficulties. Most of these changes were also tested in the CMP Junior Rifle Camps this past summer. Course of fire changes are further explained in Rule 5.3 below.

The following rules are the major changes, or rule clarifications that were made to help the rules be more easily understood. Please note, this is NOT a complete list of changes. All changes from the previous rules are underlined in the rulebook so new rules can easily be identified.

Rule 2.4 - LOAD
The command “LOAD” is no longer given before “START” in regular competitions. The command “LOAD” is still given prior to “START” in finals. This change reflects the fact that there is a separate preparation and sighting time before record fire. The preparation and sighting time begins with “START” because not all shooters will be ready to start firing at the beginning of the time so “LOAD” is an inappropriate command. The command “START” allows competitors to continue to prepare their positions and then load and fire when they are ready to start firing sighters.

Rule 3.2.3 - Best-Four-Count Teams (formerly Organization Teams)
The previous rules included a provision for match sponsors to conduct special team matches where teams could enter more than four shooters and only the best four scores would count for the team total. These were called “organization teams,” but that name is now changed to “best-four-count teams.” If the best-four-count team rule is used, this must be stated in the match program to clarify if teams shoot five and count four or if more than five shoot. Best-four-count team scores are not eligible for National Records.

Rule 4.1.7 - 600 FPS Velocity Restriction
The new rules clarify that match directors do not have to check rifle velocities unless they feel a rifle was altered to be a “high velocity” rifle. It also recognized that using non-lead pellets may produce velocities slightly above the 600 fps maximum.

Rule 4.2.4 - Stock (sporter)
The AFAG Edge centered or neutral position for the butt-plate is defined as having the top of the butt-plate 15 mm below the centerline of the bore.

Rule 4.6.2 - Shooting Trousers
There may be a maximum of seven belt loops, not more than 20mm in width, with at least 80 mm between belt loops.

When rifle clothing manufacturers began using larger and stiffer seat pads as a means of adding support to shooting trousers, the ISSF Rifle Committee finally decided to stop fighting the enforcement challenges this presented and banned all seat pads on rifle shooting trousers starting in 2013. Since this change will ultimately affect many junior shooters in the U. S., the Council decided to adopt this change, but with a two-year grace period. The grace period will permit all shooting trousers that are currently legal to continue to be used without requiring that seat pads be removed. With the change in the ISSF rules, new shooting trousers will, however, no longer have seat pads. It is also expected that advanced juniors who compete in USAS/ISSF events will have to remove seat pads from old trousers immediately. The present plan is to require all seat pads to be removed not later than 1 January 2014, but the Council will monitor how this transition is progressing.

When rifle clothing manufacturers began using larger and stiffer seat pads as a means of adding support to shooting trousers, the ISSF Rifle Committee finally decided to stop fighting the enforcement challenges this presented and banned all seat pads on rifle shooting trousers starting in 2013. Since this change will ultimately affect many junior shooters in the U. S., the Council decided to adopt this change, but with a two-year grace period. The grace period will permit all shooting trousers that are currently legal to continue to be used without requiring that seat pads be removed. With the change in the ISSF rules, new shooting trousers will, however, no longer have seat pads. It is also expected that advanced juniors who compete in USAS/ISSF events will have to remove seat pads from old trousers immediately. The present plan is to require all seat pads to be removed not later than 1 January 2014, but the Council will monitor how this transition is progressing.

Rule 4.6.4 - Shoes
In another change designed to put more limits on performance-enhancing features in rifle shooter clothing, the new ISSF rules mandate that shoe soles can no longer be cut square or flat on the toe or heel, but must follow the external curvature of the shoe and not extend more than 5.0 mm beyond the external dimensions of the shoe at any point. Modifying shooting shoes to round off the toes and heels is a relatively easy modification to make and since many junior shooters in the U. S. will have to make this change, the Council also adopted this rule, but again with a two-year grace period. Shooting shoes that are legal under current rules can continue to be used with the expectation that full compliance with this rule must be achieved not later than 1 January 2014.

Rule 5.1.4 - Physical Impairments, Substituting Positions
In response to the need to provide shooting opportunities for a growing number of athletes with impairments who want to fire in 3-position air rifle competitions, the Council updated this rule to provide more guidance for athletes and match directors. The Council feels that athletes with impairments must be allowed to compete in 3-position air rifle events to the maximum extent possible and as long as the adaptive means used by an athlete does not provide an unfair advantage. The revised rule is closely linked with rules and classification procedures used by the IPC (International Paralympic Committee). Any coach or junior program that has an athlete with a physical impairment is urged to contact the USA Shooting Paralympic Director Bob Foth (Bob.Foth@usashooting.org) to obtain guidance in applying this rule. And match directors are urged to welcome and include athletes with impairments who comply with this rule into their competitions.

Rule 5.3 - Competition Events and Time Limits
The time limits were changed to reflect changes that are occurring at the international level. Competitions will now be structured to have separate changeover, preparation and sighting, and record stages. This will help alleviate some of the issues coaches, parents, and match directors have had with the rule that allows coaching during the sighting period for sporter shooters.

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