Falling Plates

Summary

This club match is a casual shoot that pits speed against accuracy. At the sound of the buzzer, the shooter begins to shoot down the six steel plates on a rack in any order the shooter prefers.

The time it takes to knock down all the plates is your time for that string. Each round consists of three strings where you shoot the plates down. Your score is the sum of all your strings.

 Match Facts

• The match is held on the indoor range during the fall, winter, and early spring. Even filled with people waiting to shoot, it can get cold due to the exhaust fans.
• Match is held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday evening from October to March. See the calendar for exact start dates, as they may change due to the final and first shoots of outdoor action steel.
• Match registration begins at 6:30pm, at which time attendees can usually begin some practice shoots before the match begins around 7pm.
  
• Cost is $5.00 for the first round, and $10 for up to three rounds. (Each round is 3 strings at the plates.) Shooters may mix and match guns if they buy multiple rounds. Juniors under the age of 18 may shoot the match for free when accompanied by an adult entry.
• Pre-registration through Practiscore is encouraged to make check-in faster, but it is not required.
• As an indoor match, this shoot is rarely canceled for weather, but if in doubt, check the club calendar before leaving.
• Any caliber authorized for use on the indoor range can be shot from a pistol or a pistol caliber carbine.
• The purpose of this match is to have fun. You don’t need to be an expert shooter to enjoy it. This match can be fun for juniors to shoot, but please keep in mind that they should be tall enough to safely and easily shoot over the immovable shooting bench.

 Course of Fire

• Match follows cold range rules. Guns must be unloaded and cased when brought to the line. Guns may only be handled and loaded at the firing line. Guns off the line must remain cased.
• Uncase when instructed to by Squad Leader with the firearm pointed in a safe direction. When instructed to, load your firearm and make ready.
• The match is shot beginning in the low ready position. There are no round limitations for this match, so shooters are encouraged to pre-load to full capacity three magazines before coming to the line.
  
• We shoot at 8″ plates about 10 yards out from the shooting line.
• Squad Leader will ask whether the shooter is ready, if acknowledged, “Standby” will inform the shooter the start buzzer is imminent. Commence shooting on the buzzer.
• When you complete your three strings, the Squad Leader will ask that you drop your magazine and clear your firearm. He or she will want to check your chamber, and then will ask you to drop the slide, drop the hammer (if possible) and re-case.

Divisions

Categories

Recommendations for Match Participants

• Good eye and ear protection are critical for this match. With two guns going at one time on the indoor range, it can get very loud. Also be sure to wear appropriate clothing. Fragments can come back from the steel. Usually fragments do not come back fast enough to be anything more than an annoyance, but they have been known to sometimes break skin.
• You will shoot a minimum of 18 rounds of ammunition in each round of the match you shoot. That’s assuming you don’t miss, which you probably will. You should plan on a full magazine for each of the 3 strings included in a round. If you’d like to shoot multiple rounds, bring enough ammunition to reload all of your magazines.
• You can load magazines behind the shooting line, in the hallway, or in the meeting room, you just can’t handle or load firearms in these areas. There is no magazine capacity limit for these matches.
• It is better to only shoot as fast as you can hit the plates. Misses are costly. Speed will come with experience.
• Please do not bring a brand new gun or a recently worked on gun unless you have checked it’s in good working order first. A match is no place to find out something isn’t working with your firearm. If your firearm is found to be malfunctioning in a dangerous manner, you won’t be permitted to continue with it.
• Be sure you have good muzzle discipline and are good about always keeping your muzzle pointed in a safe direction. We can be forgiving of newbies who need to take their time, and don’t know all the ropes, but we do require that you’re already a safe shooter.

Contact

• Contact the match directors at steel@ftrpa.com
• Pre-registration is strongly recommended on Practiscore. Walk-ins are accommodated, but it greatly speeds things along when you pre-register.