Procedural Penalties
Procedurals may be assigned for actions that disobey the instructions provided by these rules, the WSB, or Range Rules. Because PCSL allows stage procedures to be highly flexible, cases may arise where there is no clear ruling on exactly how many procedurals to assign for a certain infraction. In cases like these, it’s recommended to assign the least amount of procedurals possible while still mathematically discouraging the course of fire from being shot in an anti-competitive or stage-breaking manner. Best practice is always to think ahead and explicitly list potential penalty values in the WSB for non-standard stages (see: Section 12.9). In cases where judgments have to be made during the ongoing match, the RM and RO Team should conclude on a fair application of penalties and do their best to inform all competitors of the decisions and enforce the ruling consistently throughout the match.
12.1 Foot Fault and Firing Shots While Outside A Shooting Area
Engaging a target while part of the body, firearm, or worn equipment touches the ground outside the shooting area:
12.1.1 No significant advantage
If no significant competitive advantage is gained (i.e. engaging targets from the position does not become easier by faulting) and the competitor is still at least partially inside the shooting area, only one procedural should be awarded per target engaged while faulting.
12.1.2 Significant advantage gained
If a significant competitive advantage is gained or the competitor is completely outside of the shooting area, one procedural will be assigned per shot fired.
12.1.3 Re-entering the shooting area
After faulting, the competitor is only considered to be back inside the shooting area when they are touching inside the shooting area with some part of their body and no longer touching anywhere outside the shooting area.
12.1.3.1 Jump example
This means that a competitor cannot originate from outside the shooting area, jump in the air, fire shots while in the air, and land completely inside the shooting area. In this case, because the jump originated from outside the shooting area, the competitor would not be considered to be back inside the shooting area until they landed. Therefore these shots would have originated from completely outside the shooting area, which is an automatic per-shot procedural penalty.
12.2 Bracing on an object outside the shooting area
Engaging a target while part of the body, firearm, or worn equipment makes contact with any object outside the shooting area that results in support or stabilization, whether intentional or unintentional:
12.2.1 Per-shot procedural
One procedural will be assigned per shot fired.
12.3 Failure to Engage
Failing to shoot at least one round at a target.
12.3.1 FTE penalties
FTEs shall incur one procedural per occurrence, in addition to the miss penalties incurred for not hitting the target with the required number of rounds.
12.3.1.1 Two-hit target example
A competitor does not engage a paper target that requires two hits will receive two misses and one FTE procedural.
12.3.2 Reasonable attempt to hit
In order to not receive an FTE penalty on a target, the competitor must make a reasonable attempt to hit the target, rather than burning a round near the targets in the ground or backstop.
12.3.2.1 Reasonable attempt defined
In general, “reasonable attempt to hit the target” means making the effort to align the firearm’s point of aim in the general vicinity of the target before firing.
12.3.2.2 Leaning position example
Three handgun paper targets are spaced a few yards apart from each other and only available from a difficult leaning position. The competitor barely gets an angle on the first visible target and quickly fires three rounds into the berm near the first target without making an effort to aim at each of the other two targets available. The competitor claims that they engaged each of the three targets and should not receive any FTE penalties, even though there are no hits on target. In this case, the competitor should be assigned the misses for all the targets, and two FTEs, since they clearly only made one “reasonable” attempt to engage the first visible target of the set.
12.3.2.3 Long range rifle example
A competitor gets into a long range rifle position with four targets spread out at various distances. They fire four shots in rapid succession with minimal, if any, change in point of aim. They claim they engaged all four targets and should receive no FTE penalties. In this case, either three or four FTE penalties should be assigned depending on if the ROs believed there was a reasonable attempt to at least aim at the first target in the set.
12.3.3 Enhanced FTE penalties
The WSB may define an enhanced number of procedural penalties for not engaging certain targets that are determined to be of higher value or higher risk/reward.
12.4 Engaging targets with the wrong firearm
12.4.1 Unsafe engagement
First, if any unsafe engagement as outlined in Section 1.8 is made due to the shooter’s proximity to the target, the shooter must be immediately stopped and receive a Stage DQ.
12.4.2 PCC considerations
Note that in many of the following cases, competitors will most likely be using a Pistol Caliber Carbine as their carbine. In these cases, the caliber will likely be shared with the handgun (9mm) making determining which hits were made with which firearm difficult. Additionally, shooting handgun steel at close distances with a PCC is not unsafe and the shooter should not be stopped as in the case with rifle caliber at close distances. The following clarifications assume that the engagement made is safe, although with an incorrect firearm:
12.4.3 Wrong firearm scoring
Targets must be engaged and hit with the correct firearm in order to score. If they are not engaged with the correct firearm, an FTE penalty will be applied and the target will be scored as missed, even if the shooter engages and hits the target with an incorrect firearm.
12.4.3.1 Malfunction example
A competitor’s carbine catastrophically malfunctions or the competitor runs out of ammo. They proceed to engage the remaining carbine targets with their handgun. In this case, all engagements and hits made on the carbine targets with the handgun will be scored as if they never occurred.
12.4.4 Falling & reactive steel
If a competitor safely engages falling steel targets with the wrong firearm (such as knocking down handgun poppers with a PCC), they will automatically receive a miss and FTE penalty for each target engaged with the wrong firearm, because there is no way to engage the target correctly since it is no longer available to shoot at.
12.4.5 Static steel
If a competitor safely engages static steel targets with the wrong firearm, it is treated as if nothing happened. They are simply wasting time and ammo. The competitor will not receive a hit or engagement on the targets by hitting them with the wrong firearm, but since the steel is static, the competitor does have the opportunity to go back and re-engage the same targets with the correct firearm to score normally.
12.4.6 Paper Targets
12.4.6.1 Different calibers
If engaging paper targets with the wrong firearm of a separate caliber (such as shooting a carbine paper with handgun, when using .223 and 9mm), where the holes made on target are obviously differentiated from one another, the incorrect engagements and hits are treated as if they never occurred, similar to the process for static steel listed above.
12.4.6.2 Same caliber
If engaging paper targets with the wrong firearm of the same caliber (such as shooting a handgun target with a 9mm PCC while also using a 9mm handgun - except in the rare case where hits can easily be determined by bullet type, e.g. large clean holes left by target hollow points out of a handgun and ragged holes left by round nose bullets out of the PCC):
12.4.6.2.1 No re-engagement
If the competitor does not then engage the targets with the correct firearm, they will receive an FTE procedural and misses for the incorrectly engaged targets.
12.4.6.2.2 Re-engagement with indistinguishable hits
If the competitor originally engages one or more paper target(s) with the incorrect firearm, but then does go back and engage the same target(s) with the correct firearm, and the hits made with the correct firearm are indistinguishable from those made with the incorrect firearm, the target(s) will be scored as shot and one procedural will be assigned per target.
12.5 Engaging targets from the wrong position
12.5.1 Unsafe engagement
First, if any unsafe engagement as outlined in Section 1.8 is made due to the shooter’s proximity to the target, the shooter should be immediately stopped and receive a stage DQ.
12.5.2 Outside shooting area
Targets engaged from completely outside the shooting area are automatically considered to be engaged from the wrong position.
12.5.3 Position-specific targets
Unless otherwise specified, targets may be engaged from anywhere they are visible from within the shooting area. However, the WSB may require certain targets to only be engaged from a specific position. Targets must be engaged and hit from these specified positions in order to score. If they are not engaged from the defined position, an FTE penalty will be applied and the target will be scored as missed.
12.5.3.1 Port engagement example
The WSB states that the three carbine steel targets must be engaged through a specific port. The competitor engages them from a separate position on the stage. These three targets will be scored as misses and incur one FTE penalty each unless the shooter fixes the mistake and re-engages the targets from the correct port.
12.5.4 Falling & reactive steel
If a competitor safely engages falling steel targets from the wrong position, they will automatically receive a miss and FTE penalty for each target because there is no longer any way to engage the targets correctly since they are no longer available to shoot at.
12.5.5 Static steel
If a competitor safely engages static steel targets from the wrong position, it is treated as if nothing happened. They are simply wasting time and ammo. The competitor will not receive a hit or engagement on the targets by hitting them from the wrong position, but since the steel is static, the competitor does have the opportunity to go back and re-engage the same targets from the correct position to score normally.
12.5.6 Paper Targets
12.5.6.1 No re-engagement
If a competitor engages paper targets from the wrong position and then does not re-engage the targets from the correct position, each target will be scored as though it was never engaged, earning mikes and FTE penalties.
12.5.6.2 Re-engagement with indistinguishable hits
If a competitor originally engages one or more paper target(s) from the wrong position, but then corrects their mistake and re-engages the same target(s) from the correct position, and the hits made from the correct position are indistinguishable from those made from the incorrect position, the target(s) will be scored as shot and one procedural will be assigned per target.
12.5.6.2.1 Distinguishable hits
In the case that the hits made from each position are clearly distinguishable (such as from angle of entry), the target shall be scored as if no shots were taken at it from the wrong position, and no procedurals shall be assigned.
12.5.7 No-shoot hits
No-Shoots hits earn penalties regardless of engagement position.
12.6 Failing to activate a moving target before engaging
12.6.1 Per-shot procedural
Engaging a moving target prior to activating it will automatically result in one procedural assigned per shot fired at that target unless the WSB specifically allows for the option to engage the moving target prior to activation.
12.6.2 Activation timing
In the case of a piece of falling steel activating the moving target, the target is considered to be “activated” the moment the bullet strikes the activator target as long as the activator then proceeds to fall and activate the moving target.
12.6.2.1 Slow fall example
A competitor hits an activator popper which takes a long time to fall. Before it falls the competitor engages the moving target. Then the popper finishes falling and the moving target begins moving. No penalties are assessed.
12.6.2.2 Edge hit example
A competitor nicks the edge of an activator popper thinking they successfully hit the target, but the popper does not fall and the moving target is not activated. If the competitor fires shots at the moving target before successfully re-engaging the activator popper, these shots will earn one procedural each.
12.7 Abandoning a firearm not in its defined Safe Condition
Reference Section 2.6 for Safe Condition definitions.
12.7.1 Per-occurrence procedural
One procedural shall be assigned per occurrence, or
12.7.2 Handgun re-holstering
For handguns re-holstered not in a Safe Condition, a Stage DQ will be issued instead (14.3).
12.8 Using a magazine that has been loaded in excess of the divisional limit
12.8.1 Per-round procedural
One procedural shall be assigned for every round loaded in excess of the maximum load-to capacity imposed by the competitor’s division per Section 3.
12.8.2 Utilized magazines only
Penalties shall only be assessed for magazines that were utilized on the course of fire (i.e. inserted while a round was fired)
12.9 Custom Penalties
12.9.1 WSB custom penalties
A WSB may specify a custom penalty to be applied for committing an action. These penalties should be proportional to the action committed.
12.9.2 Maximum custom penalty
In Hit Factor scoring, Custom Penalties may never be greater than 25% of available Stage Points per infraction.
12.10 Disobeying stage procedures specified by the WSB
Disobeying stage procedures specified by the WSB shall earn one general procedural per occurrence, unless the WSB has a Custom Penalty assigned to the specific action per Section 12.9.