This Question of the Month required you to go into Appendix A3 of the rulebook, otherwise known as the Glossary. We remind you several times in the RO seminar that the appendices are part of the rulebook, and it looks like most of you remembered that. Let’s look at the relevant definition and how it applies.
During a Standard Exercise, a PCC competitor is performing a mandatory reload and drops their 50 round stick magazine on the ground, retrieves it and reinserts in the firearm and continues to shoot the stage continuing to hold the magazine to support the PCC. Their hand never left the magazine while shooting. As the RO, what is your call?
The starting point to answer this is to look up the definition of ‘Reloading’ in the glossary: Revolver – Empty the cylinder, insert new ammunition, and close the cylinder or loading gate. Self-loader – Remove magazine, insert a different magazine, and return the firearm to battery (slide closed), and the competitor’s hand removed from the magazine. For PCCs, a reload is complete when the replacement magazine is fully inserted into the magwell and the bolt is in battery. The competitor’s hand is not required to be removed from the magazine. For the purposes of this definition, a magazine/speed-loading device retrieved from the range floor is considered a new source of ammunition.
There are three main sections of this rule. The first two sentences describe the reload process for revolvers and semi-auto handguns and PCCs. For revolvers, reloading starts when the cylinder is opened to remove the empty cases and ends after new ammo is inserted and the cylinder is closed. For handguns and PCCs, reloading starts when the original magazine is removed, different magazine is inserted, and firearm and the competitor’s hands are back into a shooting position. You will notice that the definition says a “different magazine” which means dropping a mag into your hand and reloading the same mag back into the gun does not count for those mandatory reloads. You need to use a different magazine.
We do have an exception of when the reload is complete for PCCs and that is covered in the third and fourth sentences. PCC competitors are not required to remove their hand from the magazine. Reloading is complete for a PCC competitor when the new magazine is fully inserted and the bolt is in battery.
And the last sentence applies to all divisions and basically says if you drop a magazine on the ground and pick it up and use it for your reload, that is fine. The time it takes to drop the mag and retrieve it (while observing all the other safety rules) is punishment enough and we won’t penalize you for not using a different magazine.
Okay, now that we have broken that definition down by topics, let’s return to this month’s question. PCC competitor is making a mandatory reload and fumbles the magazine and picks it up and uses it. The question doesn’t say if this was a different mag or not, but either way the last part of the rule covers that and it’s not a penalty. Then after inserting the new mag, the competitor keeps his weak hand on the magazine as he shoots rest of the stage. This is where the middle part of the reloading definition comes into play. He doesn’t have to remove his hand. So, no penalty there either.
Which means the correct answer is “Do nothing” and most of you got it correct!
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