Chronograph quickly becomes the most stressful stage at a major match when the chrono officer says your mags are too long. What? I have passed before? What is going on? A recent rule change was made to give competitors a second chance of passing. Let’s look at that change!
A Limited Optics competitor goes to chronograph and his magazine is too long for the mag gauge. The competitor realizes the base pad is on backwards. What does the chrono officer do?
For the newer members, most of the divisions have length restrictions for magazines and your magazines will be measured when you go through chronograph at a major match. We have a blog post and NROI Tips video that explain the what the mag gauge is and how it works.
Prior to 2026, if your magazine was too long for the mag gauge from having the base pad on backwards, it was a bump to Open or if you were shooting Open, a bump to shoot the match for no score. But in March 2026 we added rule 47b to App. C2: Should the competitor’s magazine(s) fail to meet the requirements of the declared division, the competitor under supervision of the Chrono Officer or the Range Master, may disassemble and reassemble the magazine prior to being re-tested. At no time may the competitor exchange magazine components, make modifications other than cleaning and re-assembly, or leave the Chrono Station while the magazines are being tested.
Basically this rule was proposed and approved to help keep competitors from being bumped to Open. But will this rule change save everyone? Probably not. However, if you did put your base pad on backwards, this new rule means you can mention that to the chrono officer and request to fix it. You will need to take the mag apart and reassemble it while at the chrono station under the chrono officer’s (or the Range Master’s) supervision. You will not be allowed to swap parts or remove grip tape or do any alterations. Sometimes a bit of grit between the base pad and tube end can also cause a mag to just not fit the gauge. If that is suspected, then this rule can also be applied. But remember everything must be done under supervision.
Now, if a magazine is way too long and assembled correctly, taking it apart and putting it back together is just a waste of time. This rule is for the magazines that are obviously mis-assembled or just a couple millimeters short of passing.
IF you are about to attend your first major match with chronograph, I highly recommend measuring all your mags before you go. Most clubs (or some of the members) have a mag gauge. Or if you want your own, you can purchase one from EGW for $35 (plus shipping). It really is a cheap investment compared to the cost of some magazines.
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