10.4.2 A shot which strikes the ground...

[Thomas H]

In Case 2, it's an illegal stage if there's no fault line or barricade to indicate the safe line for the shooter.

Minor adjustment: not exactly.

2.1.3: Minimum Distances – Whenever metal targets or metal hard cover are used in a course of fire, precautions must be taken so that competitors and Match Officials maintain a minimum distance of 23 feet from them while they are being shot. Where possible, this should be done with physical barriers.

"Precautions" could be one of any number of things. While it is certainly true that having a barrier or a fault line to indicate the minimum safe distance is certainly a good idea, it isn't necessary on a particular stage. As such, this would not be an "illegal stage" for that particular reason. However, as the WSB didn't include any precautionary verbage, and there are no other terrain/stage equipment measures in place, THEN it is an illegal stage. (You may have meant that, but I wasn't sure if you thought that barriers/fault lines are required in all cases.)

I note also that rule 10.5.17 spells out pretty clearly how to measure, by the way:

10.5.17: A shot fired at a metal target from a distance of less than 23 feet, measured from the face of the target to the nearest part of the competitor’s body in contact with the ground (see Rule 2.1.3).

If 10.4.2 had used that wording, that would have solved this entire set of problems.

That being said---it seems to me that an inordinate amount of time here is being spent figuring out how to do a measurement where the important part is the safety issue at hand. (That is the point of this DQ offense, yes?)

If they are shooting at a target that is farther than 10 feet away, and it is a miss that goes a little low, that is one thing. On the other hand, if a competitor either commits a personal AD into the ground close to them, or yanks the trigger so badly that the bullet strike is closer than 10 feet on a target greater than 10 feet away, then we have a safety issue (that isn't merely a miss---that is a serious level of a person not in safe control of their firearm). If the determining factor for a DQ comes down to "It was 10 feet one inch" vs "it was 9 feet 12 inches" then I think you are basing your decision on the wrong thing.

For those who are going to say "But the rule says 10 feet!" I certainly agree. The point here is that 10.4 says this is an AD no matter what---in other words, if a shooter does this, it is a safety issue. If I see someone do this, I'll be calling it because it isn't an argument of inches---it is because I saw them dump a close shot. I'll get out the measuring tape to record the official distance, but it isn't ever going to read anything like 9'11".

As people have already said---the wording of this is sufficient that it could be measured in any number of ways. Given those possible choices, is it possible to have a distance of exactly 10 feet that would end up with a measurement on either side of safe/not safe? Certainly.

Determining factor: Was that shot a safety/control issue with the bullet strike close and not near a target, or not?

[kevin c]

I may sympathise with your perspective on safety, Thomas H, but, as far as USPSA goes, what I saw at the Nats (see my post, #34) demonstrates how NROI handles it right now.

[mgood]

10.5.17: A shot fired at a metal target from a distance of less than 23 feet, measured from the face of the target to the nearest part of the competitor’s body in contact with the ground (see Rule 2.1.3).

Ah, now I see where this jumping in the air and shooting idea comes from.

[Schutzenmeister]

All I can say is that we must certainly be in the off season. Quoting long-dead Greek mathameticians in support of an RO call at a match? Next we'll want to consider that the balistic drop of a 230g .45 caused the same aim-point to hit sooner than that of a .38 Super at almost twice the velocity. (At least THAT math brings us into the current millenium!)

Measure from the closest point of the shooter's body that is in contact with the ground. If that happens to be the ball of the foot on the fault line, so be it. If it is within say an inch (+/-) you may want to give serious consideration to the accuracy of your measurement before you make the final call.

Then make the call based on your best judgement. (That's what ROs (and CROs and RMs) are supposed to do.)

[JAFO]

"Precautions" could be one of any number of things. While it is certainly true that having a barrier or a fault line to indicate the minimum safe distance is certainly a good idea, it isn't necessary on a particular stage. As such, this would not be an "illegal stage" for that particular reason. However, as the WSB didn't include any precautionary verbage, and there are no other terrain/stage equipment measures in place, THEN it is an illegal stage. (You may have meant that, but I wasn't sure if you thought that barriers/fault lines are required in all cases.)

I did, actually. Thanks for pointing that out, although I'm currently at a loss as to what else you'd use other than barriers or fault lines of some sort. A trench would work, I suppose.