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The outdoor range I spent most of my shooting life at was kind enough to give a five minute warning before a cease fire. This avoided the problem.
Cocked revolver and cease fire called-What’s the drill?
- Thread starter bushmaster1313
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I was running a bowling pin match at my one club, and this is what I expected to happen when I called a cease fire, and this is what did happen. The bowling pin range is dug out of a hillside with high wall of earth on the right side. When the shooter was firing my vision was directed enough toward that earthen wall that on the edge of my field of vision I saw two boys come bounding over the earthen wall. I probably deafened the shooter when I yelled "CEASE FIRE" . The shooter complied immediately. Luckily the boys were behind the firing line but this was just happening too fast to assess until everything came to a stop. Once I could see that everything was under control and there was no ultimate problem, I probably allowed the shooter to refire. In our club the rule is when a "CEASE FIRE" is called everything stops, period.
LVSteve
Member
At the public state range I frequent, the range officer announces:
"Fire what you have in weapon, do not reload. When you have fired off what you have, leave the weapon pointed down range with action open on your bench. Step back behind the yellow line."
It takes a little more time than the standard "cease fire" command but allows shooters to finish if they were shooting a string of shots without having to unload then reload and try to start where they left off.
As a side note, I have shot at s&wchad's club several times and he does an excellent job.
That's a sensible approach. If you have a bolt gun with blind magazine the only alternative to achieve an unloaded gun is to dry-cycle the remaining rounds, a process I dislike intensely. Then there are odd guns that have magazine extensions that look like a detachable mag, but are not. The FN-49 is one. Those are known to create issues with uninformed ROs.
BLACKHAWKNJ
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At one gunshop/range I go to when an RSO calls "Cease fire !" you immediately lay your firearm down and step back behind a line about 6 feet behind the firing line.
AJ
US Veteran
A bit off the subject but here goes. I hunted with a 7 MM FN Model 49 in NC. A game warden stopped us on the road in our car and wanted to see our guns and licenses. They had had a spate of guys cruising around and shooting at deer. He saw my FN and went nuts. Started hollering that was illegal and going to give me a ticket. Showed him the rifle was unloaded and safe. He was fussing about a magazine being in the rifle. Told him to please take it out as I could not get it out. He putzed with it for about 10 minutes and admitted he could not either. I explained what the rife was and that the magazine housing would only come out when you completely disassembled the rifle. Finally he was hapy and let us go.
There is a reason for a "Cease fire" call.
Generally for the safty of some thing or one, that is on the range
or about to enter said area, or a matter of safty that has come up by improper gun handling!!
It also means, "Heads up", look around, and see if YOU are in danger !!!
Lots of unsafe and stupid things happen on a range.
Generally for the safty of some thing or one, that is on the range
or about to enter said area, or a matter of safty that has come up by improper gun handling!!
It also means, "Heads up", look around, and see if YOU are in danger !!!
Lots of unsafe and stupid things happen on a range.
Mole hill; meet mountain.
cballman
Member
After reading this and all the questions and answers that have been given. During Range Safety Officer training the NRA Has the question . "What actions should shooters perform during a "cease fire?"
All personal must stop shooting immediately.
Remain in place.
Await further instructions from the Range Safety Officer or the Range Officer.
And then depending on the SOP "Standard Operation Procedure" for said range determines what happens next.
All personal must stop shooting immediately.
Remain in place.
Await further instructions from the Range Safety Officer or the Range Officer.
And then depending on the SOP "Standard Operation Procedure" for said range determines what happens next.
The ranges I've been to, cease fire meant finish your string, then put it down. But you still have to be on the lookout. They preferred that to a lot of potentially unsafe fiddling.
I've had shooters (not the RSO) call cease fire, then immediately head downrange to change targets without checking that everyone was clear. That's a worse problem.
I've had shooters (not the RSO) call cease fire, then immediately head downrange to change targets without checking that everyone was clear. That's a worse problem.
For time eternal the correct command is "Cease Fire, make safe". You would then open the cylinder and lower the hammer and bench the revolver.
That sounds like an accident waiting to happen.
AJ
US Veteran
I much prefer the command "Cease fire, Cease Fire! Unload clear and lock!" This command is for folks that know how to handle weapons. Not the Yahoos that you see on the local ranges. "Here BillyBob, hold my beer and watch this!"
Curious, I just tried that sequence with a Colt Three Fifty-Seven and a Smith Model 18. While cocked for single action, the cylinder will not release.
Safely lowering a revolver hammer is not difficult. And even if the hammer slipped and the cartridge fired, held down range it should not be dangerous. Just embarrassing.
cballman
Member
Doing the NRA RSO Training "Cease Fire" means you set the gun down and step back. Do not touch the gun or finish anything except set the gun down and step back. Then when the RSO states the all clear then and only then can you finish anything. That is how I have been taught and that is how things run on the ranges where I shoot. The RSO is the Big Boss.
