These rules protect you and everyone else around you
and should be kept in mind at all times.
We understand that it may be tough for beginners to
remember these rules when they first start out.
If you have a question, ASK the Range Officer prior to stepping to the
line. New competitors are encouraged to
take a safety and/or training class. Check with your local qualifying range for
safety course availability.
If Range Masters witness any competitor displaying
disregard for the rules, he/she reserves the right to disqualify any and all
competitors found to be in violation.
All disqualifications will be reported to American
Marksman staff. Penalties can include up to permanent disqualification from any
and all American Marksman activities.
Range personnel and American Marksman staff reserve
the right to contact law enforcement for any incident that warrants. Please see
explanations later in the document about situations that are punishable by
disqualification.
In
addition to the 4 basic rules of gun safety, American Marksman will follow the
rules/guidelines listed below.
All persons
on the range are required to use ear and eye protection.
Anyone who is an amateur shooter,
regardless of gender or age, who is legally allowed to operate a firearm in
their respective state or competition area, can participate.
This tour is built on the idea that
amateur shooters should have the chance to compete, improve and win. The
guidelines below describe how American Marksman classifies an amateur shooter:
- No one that has any level of sponsorship in the shooting sports may participate. This includes a shooting contract of any kind including cash, product of any kind or reimbursement of match fees by a third party. This rule does not apply to shooters in the Junior division who have received match fee reimbursement, as long as they satisfy the rest of the eligibility rules.
- No one that has ever placed in the top 10% of any major competitive shooting event (see link to list below) in any division or category may participate. Please note that for USPSA, this rule extends to the top 15%.
*Clarification on GSSF matches: American Marksman considers any match
listed under the 'Match' tab on www.gssfonline.com as a major match. Any indoor
league match listed under the 'Indoor League' tab on www.gssfonline.com is not
considered a major match.
- No one that has ever been ranked in the top 10% of any national competitive shooting organization’s classification system may compete. As mentioned above, for USPSA, rule extends to the top 15%.
*Clarification for USPSA: anyone that has attained Grand Master
or Master status is not eligible. Shooters that have only
attained Class A or lower ARE eligible.
*Clarification for IDPA: anyone that has attained Master
status is not eligible. Shooters that have only attained
Expert status or lower ARE eligible.
- Any member of a law enforcement or military unit that selects membership based on shooting skill is considered a professional and not eligible.
*For a list of the 'national level shooting events' referenced in bullet point #2 above, please click here.
Note on the Boomer Shooter program: American Marksman does not consider Boomer Shooter to be a professional level shooting program and, therefore, participants in the Boomer Shooter program ARE eligible for American Marksman participation, as long as they do not violate any of the criteria listed above.
If American Marksman staff discovers that a participant does
not meet the criteria of being an amateur, that person and their results will
be immediately removed and no refund will be issued for registration.
Any minor child under the age of 18 must be registered to
participate by his/her parent or legal guardian. Parent or legal/guardian must
also be in attendance with their child at the time of competition.
For questions regarding eligibility, please email [email protected] with “Eligibility Question” in the
subject line.
Descriptions of Each Category
Junior: males and
females aged 12 to 16 years
Women’s Open:
all females aged 17 years and up
Men’s Open:
all males aged 17 years and up
Military/Law Enforcement:
males and females who are veterans, or current or retired members of the Armed Forces or any law
enforcement agency.
*Note regarding Military/Law Enforcement Category: Any current member of any military branch or law enforcement
agency who is a member of any special unit or team that selects team members
based on shooting skill and/or performance will be considered a professional
and will not be eligible.
Each competitor may compete in only one category. The
category selected at initial registration will follow the competitor for as
long as he/she advances.
Note: At the national
championship event, the top remaining competitors in each category will all
compete against each other for the title of American Marksman. After the
American Marksman has been determined, the high-finishers in each of the three
categories not represented by the overall winner will be named as the national
champions for their respective categories.
At the local qualifying level, all shooters will use
.22 caliber firearms (.22 long rifle ammunition only) and will choose to use
handgun, rifle or both at time of registration. Shooters can bring their own
firearms (see in depth rules about firearms below). If shooters do not have
their own firearms, they may rent or borrow from the local qualifying range
facility, if available.
If a competitor registers for both firearm types,
he/she will shoot 2 paper targets for each
firearm type.
Targets for the local level will be made of
heavy stock paper.
The
course of fire (for one firearm) shall be completed using two (2) target sheets
and will consist of 3 strings on each target sheet. Two (2) target sheets will
be provided with registration fee and will be given to the competitor at the
local qualifying range that he/she chose during the registration process.
Target
distance shall be 20 feet for handgun and 30 feet for rifle and the target will be hung with the bottom of the target 4 feet off the ground.
All shooting for the local qualifying level will be standing, unsupported and freestyle. Freestyle means we do not restrict how you choose to hold your firearm as long as all safety protocol is followed. A two handed grip is permitted.
Total
rounds fired per target sheet shall be 25. Total rounds fired during the
2-sheet course of fire will be 50. See the image of the target sheet below for
reference.
- "String 1": 2 rounds per target, freestyle (10 rounds total)
- "String 2": 1 round per target, freestyle (5 rounds total)
- "String 3": 2 rounds per target, freestyle (10 rounds total)
Score
will be time + penalties. Each of the three (3) strings will be timed
separately and recorded on the provided scorecard. After the first 3 strings
are complete, Range Master will retrieve target sheet and add up the penalties,
which will be added to the score.
Penalties
will be scored as follows:
- Completely within the center area will be a “0” (no penalty
assessed).
- Completely within the circular /rings area (stars & stripes) is
a 2 second penalty.
- Completely outside of the circular area, but still on the target
sheet, will be a 4 second penalty. The letters that spell out “American
Marksman” count as outside the ring areas.
- Any round that completely misses the target sheet will be scored as
a 6 second penalty.
- Any procedural penalty will be scored as a +6.
Procedural penalties will be defined as:
- A round that completely misses the target sheet.
- Failure to follow commands or course guidelines.
- Any other instance deemed by Range Officer as worthy of procedural
penalty.
General rule on penalties: If a round leaves an impact point that crosses over two different
scoting areas, the penalty assessed will be the lowest (or least harmful to a
competitor’s score) available. The range master administering the contest shall
have the final say on all penalties.
The total score on each target sheet will be recorded as follows:
String
1 time + String 2 time + String 3 time + all penalties
Maximum Time:
Each competitor must finish the 3-string course within 3 minutes. Additional
target sheets will not be provided unless competitor registers again on www.AmMarksman.com and provides confirmation to Range Master.
After
the competitor has completed the first 3-string course, the second target will
be affixed and the process will begin anew.
Range
Master will manually enter scores on to an official American Marksman
scoresheet while the contest is underway. After both courses (2 target sheets)
have been completed and scored, the Range Master will enter both scores into
the American Marksman website for upload to the leaderboards.
After
both target sheets have been completed, the range master and competitor will
review the results and the range master will explain his/her scoring decisions.
If both parties are in agreement, range master and competitor will initial the
score sheet and fill in the date. Once a scoresheet is initialed by both
parties, no protest and/or complaint will be heard. Please see below for
protest procedure.
Sight Pictures
Participants are allowed to take a
sight picture prior to the start signal and shooting the course of fire.
Sight picture can only be completed
with the firearm being used to compete.
Scoring Protests/Discrepancies
If a competitor believes that a score
was judged or recorded incorrectly by the range master, the competitor will
have seven (7) days to inform American Marksman of the situation.
American Marksman makes no guarantees
that any protest/complaint will be upheld.
In the event of a protest or
discrepancy, the burden of proof is on the competitor to prove that his/her
score should be changed.
A protest fee of $50 per filing will
be charged and will be due (via check made out to American Marksman) within 7
days of the filing. Checks should be mailed to: American Marksman 1000 Chopper Circle Denver, CO 80204
If a competitor wishes to file an
official protest, he/she SHOULD NOT initial the scoresheet. Instead, the
competitor should provide the following items to American Marksman in the form
of an email to [email protected]
with "Protest" in the subject line.
- Image/photo of target sheet in
question.
- Image/photo of scoresheet in
question.
- Written explanation of the
incident with as many facts as are available included.
Please note the following rules and
guidelines of a protest situation:
- A protest fee of $50 per filing
will be collected before the protest is reviewed.
- American Marksman will confer
with the range master that administered the contest before making a decision.
- American Marksman will not
accept testimony, points of view, video or pictures from any third parties
including relatives and friends of the competitor.
- Filing a protest in no way
guarantees that a favorable result for the competitor will be rendered.
- Any protest filing received
after the 7 day period WILL NOT be considered.
- If American Marksman upholds
the protest, the protest fee check will be destroyed and not deposited/cashed.
If the protest is not upheld, the protest fee check will be deposited by
American Marksman.
- American Marksman will attempt
to review and make decisions on all protests within three (3) business days of
receipt but a specific timeline is not guaranteed.
Note on re-shoots:
A reshoot will only be awarded if there is a malfunction of the targets or other range related problem. This DOES NOT include a firearm or ammo malfunction.
Firearms Allowed
Note: These rules are for the local
qualifying round only. Rules documents governing the regional and national
championship rounds will be provided at a later date.
Firearms used must be serviceable and
safe and be of .22LR caliber only. Customization is allowed, however, firearm components and sighting systems must be, or have been, available to the
general public in quantities of at least 1000 produced.
Handguns must be of a typical
configuration (stocks, arm or wrist braces, etc. are not allowed) and must be
held and fired using only the hand(s) of the competitor. Rifles must be of a typical configuration and
must be fired from the shoulder with no supporting devices of any kind. Single strap slings are allowed.
Magazines may have no more than 10
rounds and 11 rounds is the maximum capacity of any firearm at the start of
each string. Firing more shots than is necessary to complete a string will be considered a disqualification.
Conventional iron sights, red dots and
variable powered optics are allowed. Lasers or projected beams of any kind are not allowed to be used. Suppressors are not allowed to be used. The sighting system shall not be adjusted in
between strings.
Note: If a
change of firearm becomes necessary due to a mechanical issue, the competitor
will be allowed to replace his/her initial firearm with a replacement firearm
that is a similar make and model, with approval of the Range Master. The
replacement firearm must meet the same guidelines and requirements listed
above.
Range Commands
The Range Officer administering the
local qualifying round contest will issue a series of commands to ensure
safety. The commands, and expected responses, are below:
- Shooter should be facing down range,
ensure fit of ear and eye protection, and will assume the low-ready starting
position. (Firearm pointed at ground a few feet in front of shooter's feet).
- "Shooter Ready?" An affirmative answer (or lack of
answer) from the shooter means that shooter is ready to begin course of fire.
If shooter is not ready for any reason, he/she will responds with "Not Ready".
- "Stand By" Range officer will activate the timer
at this point and the audible start signal should be heard within 2-3 seconds.
- Start Signal This will be an audible sound from the
timer and will not be spoken by the Range Master.
- "Unload and Show Clear" This command will be issued when
shooter is finished. Shooter will lower the firearm and present it for
inspection. Muzzle will be pointed downrange, magazine removed, slide locked or
held open, and chamber empty.
- "Bag Firearm" There will be no more firing after this
command is issued.
- "Range Clear" Signifies that course of fire is
complete. (This can be issued by the Range Master
at any time. Shooter will cease fire and
remain still until further instructions are issued.)
RANGE OFFICER ASSISTANCE
Range Officer may offer assistance to
a shooter during the local qualifying round. The RO may tell the shooter such
things as the firearm is not loaded or that the safety is engaged, among
others. Shooters will not incur any penalties for accepting assistance, either
requested by the shooter or offered by the RO. American Marksman is designed to
offer a fun and instructive experience for all shooters and RO assistance is
encouraged.
INTERFERENCE (OTHER THAN BY
RANGE OFFICER)
If any assistance or interference from
an outside source (other than the range officer) is provided, the RSO, at
his/her sole discretion, may assess a procedural penalty (6 seconds).
DISQUALIFICATION
A participant may be disqualified, at
the discretion of the Range Officer, for any of the following:
- Intentional
unsafe shot (sole discretion of the Range Officer)
- Repeated
non-answering of RO verbal commands
- Unsafe
firearm handling
- Dropped
firearm
- Firearm
muzzle pointed in any direction except down range during a course of fire
- Using
more than one firearm during a particular course of fire
- Any
unsportsmanlike activity (at sole discretion of the Range Officer) including,
but not limited to, cheating/dishonesty, non-adherence to any commands given by
any match official, taunting/heckling of other competitors, etc
- Visible
consumption of alcohol or drugs or reasonable suspicion of either activity by
RO
- Refusal
to remove offensive garments and replace with reasonable and modest
alternatives
Accidental and/or Negligent Discharge
Any accidental or negligent discharge
will result in disqualification.
An accidental or negligent discharge
will be defined as:
- A shot that travels in any direction
not specified in the course of fire or deemed to be unsafe by Range Officer.
Any shot that strikes the ground within 10 feet of the competitor
- A shot that occurs after completion of the course of fire
- Any shot that occurs loading, reloading or unloading. This
does not include a detonation occurring during these times. If a detonation
occurs, the RO must inspect the firearm to ensure proper working order
Results Posting/Leaderboards
When the Range Officer enters a
competitor’s scores, they will automatically be processed by the scoring system
and will be added to the American Marksman leaderboards.
The leaderboards will show competitor’s
standing in the category of competition selected at registration for the entire
region. For example, if a competitor selected the Junior category and competed
at a range in Colorado, his/her results would be added to the leaderboard for
the Junior category in the Rocky Mountain region.
Leaderboards will be available for
viewing on www.AmMarksman.com beginning March 1, 2016.
The website, and leaderboards, will be
optimized for mobile viewing. Smartphone users can bookmark the website/leaderboards
on their phone screens (where it will appear as an app) for easy future access,
without having to launch a browser every time.
For a breakdown of the regions by
state, please visit our FAQ page, located on the website.