The NTSA Carbine Match is an action match using the rifle divisions under the USPSA Rifle, Shotgun, and Multigun Rules, found at https://uspsa.org/rules. Match schedules can be found on the calendar located on the right side of the NTSA home page, and the Carbine Match is held on the 1st Saturday of each month.
Guests (non-members) are welcome at the match, but must stay with the match. Before and after the match, guests are not allowed to be unaccompanied on club property. If a member will specifically sponsor the guest, the guest may use the ranges after the match under the supervision of the sponsoring member.
This match is using the 'time-plus' scoring system in which each target must be neutralized to avoid adding penalty seconds to your time. Two hits anywhere on the target or a single 'Alpha' hit (center scoring area) neutralize the target. A target with 1 non-alpha hit is scored a failure to neutralize (FTN) for a 5 second penalty. No hits on the target score a miss for a 10 second penalty. Steel or reactive targets (such as clay pigeons) are either hit or score a miss for 10 seconds.
The match consists of 5 stages, stage 1 located on the rifle range at distances from 50 to 200 yards, stages 2 through 5 are held on the 50-yard intermediate range and in the 3 sections of pistol bay 1. The stages are different for each month but follow a general theme. Stage 1 will generally consist of steel targets requiring soft-tip or hollow point ammo (for safety and preservation of steel targets no FMJ, steel jacketed, bi-metal or steel core ammo can be used on this stage). Stages 2 through 5 may be shot with any safe ammo at ranges from 50 yards (stage 2 only) down to short range CQB distances. Round counts will vary per match but are usually 25-35 rounds of soft point ammo and ~150 rounds of standard ammo. It's always better to bring extra ammo than to run short, it doesn't go bad with time and you can always take it back home with you.
We use Practiscore for pre-match registration. The match is marked 'private' in Practiscore and cannot be found with a search, the link for sign-up is emailed out on Monday morning in the week of the match. If you would like to receive the match announcement/results emails, please sign up for the mailing list using the form found here on the web site under 'Action Matches', here:
http://shootntsa.com/reference_docs/Disciplines/ActionMatches.htm
Squad sizes are set relatively small at the beginning of the week to help keep balance between squads, and may be increased or decreased through the week as needed to support the number of shooters signing up. If you cannot get on the squad you prefer, email the match director (reply to the match announcement email) with your request and every effort will be made to accomodate the request. As much as possible shooters are not moved from the squad they sign up on without prior contact from the match director, but a level of balance must be maintained to keep the match flowing smoothly and reduce backups between stages so squad changes are sometimes unavoidable.
General Match Safety Rules
This is not an all-inclusive list but are in addition to (and may over-ride) rules found in the official USPSA rule set.
The match will be conducted using a "cold range" policy. All guns are to unloaded with an empty chamber flag inserted and remain unloaded until the RSO gives the 'load and make ready' command. The prefered method of transport is bagged in a rifle case and is to remain bagged until given the load and make ready command.
The shooter’s finger must be off of the trigger and
outside of the trigger guard until the shooter is aimed at the target
and ready to shoot
All shooters are required to wear eye and ear protection as well as a hat or cap with the brim facing forward. The ranges are in the shot fall zone of the skeet field and on days with a favorable (unfavorable as the case may be) wind some shot may land in the bays and the hat and eye protection are needed to avoid eye damage.
Muzzles must be pointed at the berms at all times and not aimed at the ground, above the top of the berm or at the side walls of the bays.