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A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, sports venue, or playing field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or shooting sport. Some shooting ranges are operated by military or law enforcement agencies, though the majority of ranges are privately owned by civilians and and cater mostly to recreational shooters. Each facility is typically overseen by one or more personnel, known as a Range Officer (RO), or sometimes a range master in the United States. Supervisory personnel are responsible for ensuring that all firearm safety rules and relevant gun law are followed at all times.
Shooting ranges can be indoor or outdoor, and may be restricted to certain types of firearm that can be used such as or , or they can specialize in certain Olympic disciplines such as trap shooting/skeet shooting or 10 m air pistol/rifle. Most indoor ranges restrict the use of high-power , , or fully automatic firearms.
A shooting gallery is a recreational shooting facility with (usually very low-power such as or , occasionally or even ), often located within , amusement arcade, carnivals or , to provide safe casual carnival game and entertainment for the visiting crowd by prize customers with various , and as trophies.
Indoor range roofs are constructed from steel joists or precast concrete panels with a smooth flat surface that will redirect misfired bullets, facilitate maintenance, and prevent lead buildup. Roof baffles are installed at a 25–30 degree angle to protect ceilings, lighting fixtures, ventilation ducts, and any other unprotected element from stray bullets. Baffles are typically constructed of armored plate steel covered with fire-rated plywood. Deflectors are similar to baffles, but are not usually covered with plywood; they can be installed either vertically or horizontally and are used to redirect stray bullets from unprotected fixtures and elements inside the firing range such as doors, windows, and ventilation registers. Shields are constructed of plate steel and plywood.
The central controls for the firing range equipment, communication, lighting, and security are housed in control rooms or stations. The range master, who is in charge of range operation and management, operates the controls. The control station must provide the range master with an unobstructed line of sight of the firing lanes and all shooters. Control stations are usually constructed of concrete blocks with bulletproof observation windows.
Backstops and Bullet trap are used to absorb the energy from the projectile and capture it to prevent overflight beyond the range area. Bullet traps come in a variety of designs and are usually constructed of impenetrable metal plates. The thickness of the plates and the materials used depend on the velocity and energy levels of the projectiles to be fired in the range. The majority of modern bullet traps are made up of angled hardened steel plates that redirect bullets into other metal plates, releasing their energy. The plates must be resistant to penetration, abrasion, and metal fatigue. The traps direct the spent bullets to a collection area in front of the trap or, for high-energy projectiles, at the back of the trap.
Many indoor ranges provide additional spaces such as a cleaning room for weapons, a classroom, restrooms (including shower facilities), office areas, lounge area, or storage and maintenance rooms. Passageways are used to physically isolate the firing range from the adjoining areas.
Target systems consist of a shooting target and optionally a target carrier system and a target control system. Some ranges utilise electronic scoring systems which do not require paper targets to be placed downrange. Targets for indoor ranges are usually a paper sheet or piece of corrugated cardboard with a printed image, either a bullseye or a silhouette.
Target carrier systems allow a range to operate more efficiently and safely by transporting targets between the firing line and the target line, so the shooter does not have to wait for a "ceasefire" and physically walk downrange to examine and set up the target. This is particularly useful on commercial and "self service" ranges. The target control system allows the range master to control the operation and movement of the targets through a central control station in the control booth. Some ranges provide local control modules that can be operated in the shooting booths. Many smaller clubs or competition ranges may not bother with target carriers as shooters fire in timed details anyway, and match targets will be collected for scoring at the end of each detail. Electronic scoring systems are increasingly common on such ranges, which eliminate paper targets and manual scoring.
Lighting in the range consists of control booth, uprange area, shooting booth, and downrange lighting systems. Control booth lighting is usually manually controlled and consists of general lighting and low-level lighting used during particular shooting conditions. Lighting uprange of the booths is general ceiling-level lighting and can usually be controlled manually or from the central controls. Lights downrange of the firing line are usually spotlights used to illuminate the targets at various distances downrange of the booths.
Safety control systems are installed to protect the shooters during range malfunction or emergency situations. Such systems may include warning lights, alarm bells, and air-flow and filtration monitors.
Suitable ranges can be set up in sports halls or function rooms, using simple wooden backers, pellet catchers or lightweight ballistic curtains to protect the wall behind. Although safe handling practices for lead pellets must be followed, the lack of combustion gases negates the need for the high-performance ventilation systems required on conventional indoor ranges. Such arrangements are particularly common for major championships. Few locations could justify the expense of maintaining a permanent range with 80+ firing lanes, but such a range can be set up temporarily in large sports halls or exhibition centres. This is the approach taken by major European events such as InterShoot, RIAC and the Welsh Airgun Championships.
Outdoor ranges are designed to contain all fired shots. This necessitates a high retaining wall behind the target line called a backstop or stop-butt, comprising an earth mound, sandbag barrier or specially designed funnel-shaped traps to catch and prevent misaligned shots, errant projectile ricochets, or shots going beyond the bounds of the shooting range. Most outdoor ranges restrict the maximum caliber size and/or projectile energy based on the design specification of the range. Some target-shooting ranges have separate facilities devoted to the use of higher-powered firearms such as .50 caliber.
Outdoor ranges may be partially enclosed and so have some features in common with indoor ranges, for example the British Armed Forces barrack range has a roofed firing point and normally has 360° walls. As its name suggests, it is generally found in military bases rather than in the more remote areas common to outdoor ranges. Outdoor ranges for ISSF and Olympic shooting events often have heavily sheltered firing points to protect athletes, spectators and media from inclement weather as well as housing the sophisticated electronic target systems.
Several studies of outdoor ranges have shown that prolonged exposure to lead and noise can cause health problems, particularly among employees and instructors.
Due to their larger area and more "open air" nature, outdoor ranges need less cleaning and maintenance than indoor ranges. However, despite the natural ventilation of outdoor firing ranges, some outdoor ranges have ballistic baffles overhead, and concrete walls and structures on the sides that can cause the air to stagnate and lead to increase exposure to lead and noise.
Consequently, operators of outdoor ranges might consider adding sound transmission barriers, absorptive materials, and natural vegetation to lessen noise emission. Fans pointing downrange can provide air movement away from shooters to lessen lead exposure.
A "fixed firing point" or echelon rifle range is where the targets are located at the various distances with the marksman or woman shooting from the one firing point. The most advanced rifle range of this design was constructed for the Commonwealth Games New Delhi 2010.
The firing point cover can be as simple as a tent, to a frame with only a roof (to keep off rain or sunshine) to a substantial building with appropriate apertures to shoot through.
Electronic scoring targets use an acoustic or optical system to evaluate the shot as it passes through the target frame.
Service rifle competitions typically use the military-standard targets contemporary to the firearm's era. The same applies for the matches they shoot.
Other target types include a metal plate that is knocked over by the projectile such as in the air rifle sport of field target or handgun discipline of IPSC, and stationary metal plates of scaled animal outlines on which bullet strikes mark as well as those that mark the paint which is painted over again after scoring.
Ranges without automatic target placements sometimes have galleries or trenches from where personnel lift and retract, mark and replace targets.
Backstops need to be of sufficient height to capture the projectile intended for the target as well as any ricochet that may occur from the projectile striking the range floor. The height is determined by range distance, as well as the approved firearms - a range for unsupported or pistol shooting may require a larger backstop than a range exclusively used or prone or supported rifle where a greater level of accuracy is expected.
The flag method is the most common method used to estimate wind speed. A flag blowing in the wind will naturally blow away from the flagpole, with the angle of the bottom of the flag to the flagpole increasing with increasing windspeed. To estimate the wind speed in mph, the angle in degrees between the bottom of the flag to the flagpole at the mid-range position between the shooter and the target is divided by 4. For example, an angle of 60 degrees between the bottom of a flag and a flagpole would be estimated as a windspeed.
The clock method is then used to determine full value, half value, or no value corrections in a minute of angle for this wind. Aligning the target at the 12 o'clock position or direction, with the 6 o'clock direction being directly behind the shooter, winds at 3 or 9 o'clock are equated to full value, winds at 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 o'clock are equated to half value, and winds at 12 and 6 o'clock are equated to no value.
The minute of angle correction (full value) is then commonly estimated as ((Range meters / 100) × Wind mph) / C, where C is a constant. The constant C equals 15 for ranges from 100 to 500 meters, 14 for 600 meters, 13 for 700–800 meters, 12 for 900 meters, and 11 for 1,000 meters.
For full-value winds, this full windage correction is used. For half-value winds, the minute of correction in windage given by this formula is halved; for no-value winds, no minute of angle correction in windage is required.
Multiple flags are required for two reasons. First, the wind speed closest to the midpoint of the range has the greatest effect on the projectile. In addition, the wind at one part of the range will not always be the same at another part.
Wind flags are not always actual flags, sometimes streamers are used, small triangle flags, or even pinwheels. Factors such as the range length and expected strength of the wind determine the best type of flag to use. When no flags are available, a small leaf or another small light object can be dropped from shoulder height, and the object is then pointed at by the shooter; the angle between his arm and his torso can provide an equivalent wind speed estimation as a wind flag, although it will not be at the mid-range location along the bullet's trajectory.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health issued an Alert, that presents five case reports documenting lead and noise exposures, and examines firing range operations, exposure assessment and control methods, existing regulations, and exposure standards and guidelines. More information about reducing occupational exposures at indoor firing ranges can be found at NIOSH Firing Range topic page
In 2013, The American National Academy of Sciences published a report highlighting the shortcomings of current occupational lead exposure standards and urged the United States Department of Defense to update its guidelines and practices for protecting workers from lead exposure on firing ranges.
Outside air must make up for the lost airflow. The distribution of supply air is crucial in assessing the ventilation system's effectiveness. Air supply systems are designed to spread air equally over the firing range's distance. Airflow at the shooting line can be unstable if it is not uniformly dispersed, allowing lead and other pollutants to be brought back into the shooter's breathing region. Supply air should be added as high as possible in the range.
During cleanup, the ventilation system should be turned on. Personnel and shooters should be aware of the areas of the range to which they are permitted entry, as well as the areas where their clothing or skin may become contaminated. Shooters should not be permitted to proceed beyond the firing line. Individuals who might need to walk down the range should have disposable shoe coverings accessible. Before consuming food, drinks, or other products, shooters should thoroughly wash their hands and face.
The Safety Area will have a designated safe direction in which shooters can point the muzzle of their firearm. Beginners Guide to IPSC Shotgun.pages Handgun – International Practical Shooting Confederation Australia
The handling of ammunition is expressly prohibited within the safety area, including any . Outside the safety area ammunition can be handled freely to load magazines, but firearms may only be handled under the direct supervision of a Range Officer. This strict separation of firearms and ammunition prevents accidental or negligent discharges.
Of note is the US Military concept of a Small Arms Range Safety Area (SARSA). SARSAs are areas established to contain small arms activity that could be hazardous to non-participating aircraft. They define dates, boundaries and altitudes to be coordinated with local air traffic control.
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