Rule Book

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1. All persons, competitors or spectators must wear ear protection while with 50 yards of live fire. Eye protection is strongly recommended, but not required.
2. Every new shooter must be cleared with the Match Director as having a basic knowledge and be able to use the knowledge to be a safe competitor.
3. ACTS functions on a "Cold Range" basis for safety. Unloaded firearms may be handled in designated areas only. Firearms may only be loaded or unloaded at the direction of Range Officers. Violators face disqualification from the match.
4. Any shooter whose firearm breaks the 180 during the course of fire will face disqualification. The 180 is an imaginary line separating up range from downrange. This line moves with the shooter throughout any course of fire.
5. Any shooter who "sweeps" him/herself or any other person with a loaded or unloaded firearm at any time shall be disqualified.
6. A shooter will not draw a holstered sidearm while lying in the prone position.
7. Accidental/Negligent discharges will result in disqualification from the match.
8. Intentional discharges in a direction deemed unsafe by the Range Officer shall result in disqualification from the match.
9. Any shooter who displays disruptive behavior or is abusive (verbal or otherwise) towards any other person at that match will be disqualified.
10. Any shooter found to be or is suspected of being under the influence of any drug or alcohol immediately before or during the match will be disqualified.
11. Dropping an unloaded firearm behind the firing line necessitates that a Range Officer pick it up, confirm it is not loaded, and in a safe manner return it to the shooters bag, holster or vehicle. Any dropped firearm found to be loaded would cause the shooter to be disqualified. Dropping a loaded firearm during the course of fire will cause the shooter to be disqualified.
12. All persons at the match must obey Range Officers with respect to the shooting competition and safety rules. Any shooter failing to do so will be disqualified and removed from the shooting area. Any person failing to observe this rule will be removed from the shooting area.
13. Unsafe gun handling by a competitor during a match may result in disqualification from that match. Unsafe gun handling may include but is not limited to accidental discharges, sweeping, shooting over confining berms, unaimed or uncontrolled fire, and any other actions deemed unsafe by the match staff.

1. "Load and make ready." - The shooter may now load his/her firearm and assume the starting position as defined in the course of fire.
2. "Are You ready?" - The RO asks if the shooter is prepared to proceed. If the shooter is not ready to proceed, it is the shooter's responsibility to inform the RO that they are not prepared. When the shooter does not respond negatively to this question, the RO will assume the shooter is ready.
3. "Stand By." - This is the verbal signal given by the RO to the shooter that the start signal will follow soon.
4. Start Signal - The signal for the shooter to start the course of fire will most often be an audible signal from an electronic timing device. However, other options can include visual, verbal, or other start signals that must remain the same for all shooters that execute the course of fire.

1. "If you are finished, unload and show clear." - If the shooter has finished the course of fire, he/she will then remove all magazines, and ammunition from his/her firearm(s), and hold the firearm(s) in a position that allows the RO to confirm the firearm(s) is/are unloaded.
2. "Slide Down/Bolt Closed Hammer Down." - Is the command given by the RO after confirming the shooters gun(s) is/are unloaded. The shooter will follow the command by closing his/her firearms actions and dry firing downrange to ensure that the firearms are clear. The redundancy of dry firing after the RO clears the shooter is a requirement. If the shooter believes that dry firing will cause damage to his/her firearms, a third person is required to visually clear the shooter.
3. "Range clear." - This command given by the RO to indicate the range is safe. No one should move forward on the range to perform range duties until this command is given.
   

Other Commands...

1. Free style - being the shooter's choice, generally standing supported, kneeling or prone, etc., firing position.
2. Strong hand - in the case of a right handed person this would mean their right hand only, unsupported by their opposite hand. All functions must be performed by this hand alone with the exception of reloading, clearing malfunctions or unloading.
3. Weak hand - in the case of right handed person this would mean his/her left hand only, unsupported by their opposite hand. Draws must be using the strong hand, the firearm will then be transferred to the weak hand and firing may commence. Drawing, reloading, clearing malfunctions or re-holstering may be done with the assistance of the strong hand.
4. Strong hand injured - in the case of right-handed person this would mean their left hand only, unsupported by his/her opposite hand. The strong hand may not be used in any way shape or form, to include reloads.
5. Weak hand injured - in the case of right-handed person this would mean their right hand only, unsupported by his/her opposite hand. The weak hand may not be used in any way shape or form, to include reloads .
6. Kneeling - is defined as having a minimum of one knee on the ground.
7. Prone - is defined as body horizontal to the ground (knees, thighs, and navel must touch the ground).
8. Surrender (starting position) - is defined as facing downrange, hands empty with wrists above the shoulders.
9. Tactical (starting position) shooter facing downrange with rifle in both hands, buttstock at hip level on strong side with muzzle pointing downrange at eye level.
10. Alert/Low Ready (starting position) shooter facing downrange rifle in both hands, buttstock in strong shoulder, muzzle downrange at navel level.
11. Ready (starting position) Shooter facing downrange, rifle in both hands buttstock in shoulder muzzle downrange at eye level.
12. Strongside Sling Arms (starting position) Shooter facing downrange with rifle slung over the strong shoulder muzzle up.
13. Weakside Sling Arms (starting position) shooter facing downrange with rifle slung over weak the shoulder muzzle down.
14. The default starting position for all courses of fire that do not have a clearly defined starting position is; standing facing downrange, loaded sidearm holstered, loaded rifle at Alert/Low Ready.

1. All firearms used in ACTS matches must be suitable for either concealed carry, military, or police use.
2. All handguns must either be 9mm Parabellum (for autos) or .38spl (for (revolvers) caliber or greater, or (if the caliber is below 9mm Parabellum/.38spl) have been used by a regular military service as a standard service sidearm, and appear on the BATF Curio & Relic list.
3. All rifles must be .223 Remington or higher. All pistol caliber carbines must comply with handgun caliber requirements.
4. All firearms are subject to inspection and approval by the Match Director or Range Officers.
5. All firearms must be legal to own in the jurisdiction in which the match takes place.
6. ACTS requires a holster that will securely hold your handgun. The holster must cover the trigger guard area.
7. No "Competition Holsters" will be permitted. If it is not suitable for duty/concealed carry, it is not permitted. The Match Director will have sole discretion in what he/she may or may not permit at his/her match. In general, if a manufacturer lists a holster as a "competition holster" it is not permitted.
8. Chest holster must be mounted on the shooter's strong side. weak side (cross draw) holsters are prohibited.
9. Belt mounted holsters must be on the shooters strong side, and must be mounted between 12 o'clock and 3 o'clock for a right handed shooter and 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock for a left handed shooter
10. Shoulder rigs are not permitted.
11. The Match Director may require a "holster test". With the gun/belt/holster assembly attached to the tester in the manner it is to be worn, the handgun must be retained in the holster when the tester hops. During this hop, both of the tester's feet must clear the ground, the tester's heels must clear the ground by at least 3 inches and the tester may not hold or touch the handgun. All retention devices on the holster used to pass the holster test must be engaged at the start of every course of fire.
12. If a belt holster is to be worn, ACTS requires a belt sufficiently strong enough to hold your holster and magazines/speed loaders in a safe manner. The belt is to be worn about the waist.
13. ACTS requires sufficient magazines/loaders and pouches as necessary to complete the stage at hand. The pouches may be attached to your gun belt or thigh rig, chest pouch, vest, etc, but in any case, must be on the body. During the course of fire all reloads must come from pouches, unless otherwise directed by the course of fire. During the course of fire, you may safely retrieve any ammo that has been dropped. (redimags & mag cinches are permissible)
14. Extra capacity magazines are permitted, however, they may not be loaded in a sidearm at the beginning of a stage. Pistol magazines must fit flush with the magazine well when a stage begins.
15. Rifles with grip-pods may be used, but the grip-pod may not be deployed unless it is on a PR rifle. Shooters who deploy a grip pod during a stage will take a DNF for that stage.
16. Rifle magazine pouches must cover no less than 1/2 of the magazine
17. Pistol magazine pouches must cover at least 1/2 of the magazine
18. No muzzle brakes. (Exception - AK47/AK74 style muzzle brakes, those found on the M1A rifle as they come from the Springfield Factory, and muzzle brakes permanently affixed to rifles built between September 1994 and September 2004)
19. No extended magazine wells for rifles
20. Magazine wells on sidearms may not be wider than the grips of the sidearm to which it is attached
21. Lightening cuts on sidearms are permissible.
22. Drum magazines are not permitted.
23. Slings are mandatory and must be factory made. Homemade slings are no longer permissible.
24. No "Competition" modifications may be made to any firearm used in ACTS matches The following is a non-inclusive list of such modifications:
    
    · Compensating, venting or metering ports (factory compensated pistols are permitted).
    · Optical sights, scopes, or barrel weights. (Service Rifle & Pistol)
    · A weight of more than 4 oz. over stock. (Pistols only)
    · Any barrel other than factory stock or comparable replacement. (except on Precision Rifles)

1. The official target of the ACTS organization is a brown cardboard silhouette target that measures 22" wide, and 34.5" tall (pictured below). It is the same target used by IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association).
   
   
2. Hard cover is defined for scoring purposes, as an impenetrable barrier. Hard cover is indicated using black on a hostile target with a crisp line delineating the hard cover areas from the scoreable areas. Shoots landing on Hard Cover are scored as misses.
3. Soft cover will be described as a vision barrier through which shots may pass and be scored on the shoot targets. Both shoot targets and no shoot targets are considered soft cover. A full diameter hole in either, made by a shot subsequently striking a shoot or no shoot target downrange will be scored as a hit on the down range target, and any applicable penalties will be assessed (in other words, "shoot throughs count").
4. Use of Cover -- If cover is available to the shooter, he/she must use it if practical to the solution of the stage. A shooter is considered to be using cover if 50% or more of the shooter's "Zero Zone" is behind cover and not visible to the most threatening target. (A Shooter's head counts at 30% of his Zero Zone.
5. If no cover is available or if the shooter is moving between cover points, the shooter must remain in motion.
6. If there are no hostile targets within 75 yards of the shooter, the prone position is considered acceptable cover.
7. No-shoots are targets that are indicated as a non-engageable target. No Shoot will have "empty hands" stenciled onto the target.
8. Scoring is done on a "total time" basis. The accumulated time of all runs, plus target hits, plus penalties equal total time. That will be the score. On the ACTS target, 0 zone hits add 0 seconds, 1 zone hits add 1 second, and the 3 zone adds 3 seconds. If a hit breaks the perforation between zones, the shooter is given the better score. In order for a hit to be considered to be breaking the perforation, the lead ring left by the bullet must touch the perforation. A residual tear in the paper does not count. Targets that disappear during the course of fire will be given penalties for no hits on target or failure to neutralize, but will not receive miss penalties, targets that some portion remains visible will receive both penalties. Steel targets are scored as a simple hit or miss. Knockdown targets must be knocked down to score as a hit.
9. Each target must be neutralized. If it is engaged with a rifle, it must have at least 1 shot in the "0 zone", or 1 shot in the "1 zone", or 2 shots in the "3 zone." If it is engaged with a handgun, it must have at least 2 shots on paper regardless of their location to be considered neutralized, unless the shot is in the triangle zone of the "head" then only one is required for the target to be considered neutralized.
10. Standard engagement will require two shots per paper target. the best two hits on any target will be counted for score.
11. Magazines with ammunition must be retained during reloads. A magazine is not considered dropped until the shooter leaves point of cover where it was dropped, or if the magazine was dropped on the move. Penalty is assessed per magazine dropped. Empty magazines may be dropped/abandoned without penalty.
12. If multiple strings are used on a stage the number of hits per target should be two times the number of strings for the stage (three strings of fire - each target should have at least 6 holes). Any number of hits less than the number required will be counted as a miss. FTN and FTE penalties will not be assessed on a CoF with multiple strings of fire.
13. The following penalties may be assessed during scoring:
    

    Miss	10 seconds
    Hitting Non-Threat Target	15 seconds per hit.
    Premature start	5 seconds.
    Procedural	5 seconds.
    Failure to use available cover	5 seconds.
    Leaving cover w/ empty weapon in hand	5 seconds
    Dropped Magazine	10 seconds per magazine dropped.
    No Hits on Target	35 seconds.
    Failure to Neutralize	15 seconds per target.
    Overtime shot	10 seconds per shot (par time stages only).
    Contact Shot	35 seconds (only applied if shooter blows paster off of a target)
    Circumvention of game spirit*	30 seconds.
    Poor Sportsmanship**	60 seconds.

    
    *Circumvention of Game Spirit is where a shooter intentionally skirts the rules to gain an advantage, or where the shooter executes a stage in a manner that is tactically unsound.
    **Poor Sportsmanship is pretty self-explanatory. ACTS is a sport for manly men & thick skinned women. No whining is allowed. (multiple violations may result in ejection from match)
    
    
14. It is the Range Officer's responsibility to insure that scoring for their stage is done properly. Each shooter is responsible for signing their score sheets after they have reviewed it for completeness and accuracy.
    
15. No shooter or spectator may touch any target until it is scored. Any person doing so may be disqualified from the match.
    
16. If at anytime a competitor is unable to finish a stage or string because of the competitor's equipment failure (i.e. barrel blockage, firearm breakage, etc.), the competitor will be scored his time and hits for the course of fire until the breakage, and awarded ALL penalties for misses, failures to engage, and any other procedural penalties appropriate to the stage or string.
    
17. In the event of breakage, a competitor may complete the match with an "equivalent" firearm after receiving express permission from the Match Director to make the substitution. The equivalent firearm must be of the same caliber and division as the firearm with which the competitor began the match.
    

1. Stages must be set up in a safe manner, without presenting a hazard to any shooter. You must take into consideration ricochets, ground hazards, visibility, local shooters abilities and any other item that may constitute a problems such as, 180's, shoot throughs etc. The Match Director is responsible for this.
   
2. Each stage must be presented to every shooter in the same way: Shooting areas, target arrays, target types, props, range commands, etc. Every controllable aspect of the course of fire must be the same for every shooter at the match.
   
3. Stages and their descriptions must be set up clearly. Make things easy to understand. Shooting boxes and/or areas must be easy to distinguish from the surrounding area. Props are up to the course designers and Match Directors. Keep in mind that you want people to enjoy the challenge, not curse your birth.
   
4. Props must not provide any danger to the competitor. Any prop that is used that requires maneuvering completely over, around, through or under must have an alternative procedure available for those that may be physically unable to follow the directed course procedure. No penalty is to be assessed if the shooter gains no advantage. A genuine disability must be present to use the alternate procedure. Remember the "No Whining" clause.
   
5. A "par time" may be set for a course of fire, but must not be less than 1 second per shot required per 25yds. (one target at 25yds, and two targets at 50yds must have at least 5 seconds of engagement)
   
6. Rifle only targets will be no closer than 25 yards
   
7. Handgun only targets many not be farther than 25 yards.
   
8. Rule 9 does not apply to targets not designated as rifle or pistol only.
   
9. Steel targets may not be placed closer than 10 yards (for handgun) and no closer than 25 yards (for rifle).
   
10. In the event of limited space, smaller targets (with proportionate dimensions) may be used to simulate greater distances.
11. Timing of stages will be done using one of three methods:
    ·Timed Stages - Timed with a shot timer - from start buzzer to last shot fired + penalties.
    ·Untimed Stages - Firing window limited by events other than the timer, or timer not used (raw time will be "0").
    ·Par Stages - Par time window, from start buzzer to end buzzer and overtime (shooter does not have to cease fire at second buzzer). Regular target points and penalties apply plus penalties for shooting beyond the par time limit.
    

1. Protests regarding scoring or Range Officers decisions must be made verbally first to the Range Officer in charge of that stage, then to the Match Director.
   
2. If no consensus can be reached, A Protest Committee will be established by the Match Director consisting of three competitors present at the match.
   
3. The protesting competitor and the RO will have 30 seconds to plead their case to the protest committee.
   
4. The protest committee will not deliberate, but will make an immediate verbal vote either in favor of the protester or the RO.
   
5. The decision of the Protest Committee is final.
   
6. If the protester prevails, he she will re-shoot the stage. In the event of such a re-shoot, a different RO will score the re-shoot.
   
7. If the RO prevails, the protester will be assessed all penalties and points as originally scored by the RO plus a 5 second delay of match penalty.
   
8. If a shooter has a protest they are not to sign the score sheet.
   

1. Range equipment malfunction.
   
2. If a Range Officer mistakenly stops a shooter for a suspected safety problem, and the problem was not real. Safety concerns that are not of the shooter's doing will also be grounds for a re-shoot.
   
3. In any case where a competitor is not afforded the same opportunity to shoot the stage as all other competitors.
   
4. When the Stage has been finished and the score sheet that is given to the competitor is not completely or correctly scored.
   
5. When the Range Officer and the Match Director concur on special circumstances for granting a re-shoot.