Is it legal to re-holster your pistol in USPSA

[Mbauer67]

Specifically in USPSA multigun rules is it legal to engage a part of the pistol targets then holster your pistol, pickup a shotgun and engage an array of SG targets, abandon the SG and finish engaging the remainder of the pistol array.

[Torogi]

For USPSA i believe it is.

8.2.5

.... may re holster provided this is accomplished safely, and the handgun is either unloaded or in ready condition stated in section 8.1.

[alma]

I will have to look closer at the Multi Gun rules but in USPSA you can reholster provided it is in the condition referenced above but a course of fire can never require you to reholster.

[ericm]

....well, at the old SOF matches, which all 3 gun sprung from, it was not only legal, but sometimes mandatory!

I would have no problem with the above stated scenario, USPSA rule or not.

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......but, back then, we were all a little more rugged than folks now......

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I KEED, I KEED......

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but no, really

ericm

[aperk]

I believe it is legal in most cases. The exception is a hot chamber in prone position.

[Doug H.]

I believe it is legal in most cases. The exception is a hot chamber in prone position.

I didn't see that in the USPSA MG Rulebook, can you quote the reg? OP asked specifically about USPSA.

Doug

[Sarge]

I believe it is legal in most cases. The exception is a hot chamber in prone position.

I didn't see that in the USPSA MG Rulebook, can you quote the reg? OP asked specifically about USPSA.

Doug

WOW! Are you allowed to holster a clear gun in prone in MG? Would seem to be a serious 180 safety violation. Does MG have a 180 rule?

Edited to add, I just looked up the rule:

5.3.2 If at any time during the course of fire, a competitor allows the muzzle of his firearm to point rearwards,

that is further than 90 degrees from the median intercept of the backstop, or in the case of no backstop,

allows the muzzle to point up range, whether the firearm is loaded or not (limited exceptions: [5.3.8 and

3.2.6]. An abandoned firearm found to be pointed in an unsafe direction will be considered a violation.

When abandoned in a vertically set barrel, any muzzle down orientation is considered a safe direction.

5.3.18 Drawing a handgun while facing uprange or while prone.

Stands to reason if you can't draw you can't holster as well.

Edited March 30, 2014 by Sarge

[Doug H.]

I believe it is legal in most cases. The exception is a hot chamber in prone position.

I didn't see that in the USPSA MG Rulebook, can you quote the reg? OP asked specifically about USPSA.

Doug

WOW! Are you allowed to holster a clear gun in prone in MG? Would seem to be a serious 180 safety violation. Does MG have a 180 rule?

Edited to add, I just looked up the rule:

5.3.2 If at any time during the course of fire, a competitor allows the muzzle of his firearm to point rearwards,

that is further than 90 degrees from the median intercept of the backstop, or in the case of no backstop,

allows the muzzle to point up range, whether the firearm is loaded or not (limited exceptions: [5.3.8 and

3.2.6]. An abandoned firearm found to be pointed in an unsafe direction will be considered a violation.

When abandoned in a vertically set barrel, any muzzle down orientation is considered a safe direction.

5.3.18 Drawing a handgun while facing uprange or while prone.

Stands to reason if you can't draw you can't holster as well.

I agree that you can't draw while prone but there is no rule in USPSA to prevent a shooter from going prone with a loaded and holstered pistol, unlike some matches that prohibit it like Ironman.

A case could be made that is is technically legal to re-holster a pistol while prone due to the exception to 5.3.2, because of the 3 ft radius from the shooters feet.:

5.3.8 While facing downrange, allowing the muzzle of a loaded handgun to point uprange beyond a radius of 3

feet from a competitor’s feet while drawing or re-holstering.

I'm not saying this is safe or smart and luckily most 3 gun shooters would not attempt to holster while prone. Stage design and Written Stage Briefings can be made to reduce the possibility of holstering while prone and it could also be made a Forbidden Action under 10.8.1.1.

Doug

[Mbauer67]

To touch back on this subject, it is actually stated in the rule book that it is legal to re-holster. The reasoning behind this question was because of stage 8 at the uspsa multigun nationals. Where it starting with the pistol, bolstering then moving to the shotgun, and finishing with the pistol would have been the fastest way to run the stage.

As it turns out someone else came up with this same solution and they changed the stage description to where you had to start with the shotgun in hand. I guess someone thought it might be a safety issue, but either way the chAnge made that stage a pure hosing stage.

[MarkCO]

USPSA MG rules allow re-holstering of the handgun provided it meets the stated conditions (safety on for SA, etc.). You may also set a gun down on the ground provided you stay within 1m. You can not be holding one gun while shooting another.

I see no prohibition about being prone with a loaded gun. I try to design my stages so that a shooter will not want to re-holster on the clock and then go prone. However, I have run numerous stages where the competitor makes the pistol ready and shoots the rifle prone before they use the pistol. If a holstered pistol is not acceptable, neither is one dumped in a bucket. I have seen plenty of occurrences of firearms firing during holstering and drawing, heck, even two in abandonment locations with no human touching them. Still have never heard or seen one fire in the holster by itself.

[ac4wordplay]

...

The reasoning behind this question was because of stage 8 at the uspsa multigun nationals. Where it starting with the pistol, bolstering then moving to the shotgun, and finishing with the pistol would have been the fastest way to run the stage.

As it turns out someone else came up with this same solution and they changed the stage description to where you had to start with the shotgun in hand. I guess someone thought it might be a safety issue, but either way the chAnge made that stage a pure hosing stage.

Stage 8? Stage 8 was long range rifle (with close rifle and shotgun targets - no handgun).

Maybe you mean stage 7?

[Mbauer67]

...

The reasoning behind this question was because of stage 8 at the uspsa multigun nationals. Where it starting with the pistol, bolstering then moving to the shotgun, and finishing with the pistol would have been the fastest way to run the stage.

As it turns out someone else came up with this same solution and they changed the stage description to where you had to start with the shotgun in hand. I guess someone thought it might be a safety issue, but either way the chAnge made that stage a pure hosing stage.

Stage 8? Stage 8 was long range rifle (with close rifle and shotgun targets - no handgun).

Maybe you mean stage 7?

My mistake you are correct Stage 7.