Range officers will use the following commands while supervising groups of shooters at Black’s Creek Public Shooting Range. Range officers should review these commands and their meaning with each group member prior to shooting.

Command:	“Shooters to the firing line”
Purpose:	To notify shooters that they can load their firearms.
Action:	Participants should load their firearms and wait for the next command.
Command:	“Is the line ready?”
Purpose:	To determine if all shooters along the line are ready.
Action:	All shooters not ready should indicate their status to the range officer. Sufficient time
	should then be allowed for the shooter(s) to complete their preparation.
Command:	“Ready on the right”
Purpose:	To declare that the shooters on the right side of the range have indicated they are ready.
Action:	Any shooter not ready at this command may chose either to alert the range officer
	or complete the process of getting ready before the final command has been given.
Command:	“Ready on the left”
Purpose:	To declare that the shooters on the left side of the range have indicated they are ready.
Action:	Any shooter not ready at this command may chose either to alert the range officer
	or complete the process of getting ready before the final command has been given.
Command:	“Ready on the firing line”
Purpose:	To notify all participants that the range is about to be under live fire and that if anyone
	is not ready at this point, they should call the range officer.
Action:	Await the next command.
Command:	“The range is now open, commence firing”
Purpose:	To declare the range formally open for live fire.
Action:	The participants may commence the prescribed course of fire. Muzzleloader shooters may snap caps prior to loading. No muzzleloader may be capped or primed before the “commence firing” command has been given. Firing should continue until a predetermined time period has lapsed or until all participants have completed the prescribed course of fire. Shooters finishing the session should open the action and bench their firearms, step behind the yellow "safe" line and wait quietly for remaining shooters to finish.

To stop firing and declare the range safe:

Command:	“Shooters, you have (X) number of minutes left to complete the course of fire”
	OR
	“Shooters, fire your remaining rounds”
Purpose:	To alert all shooters that a general cease fire is about to be called and to allow the
	slower shooters to complete their course of fire.
Action:	Shooters should complete their course of fire. In the event there are rounds remaining
	that have not been fired, the shooter upon the command “cease fire” should simply
	unload, clear and bench his/her firearm.
Command:	“Cease fire, make your firearms safe”
Purpose:	To stop all firing.
Action:	All participants should cease fire, unload (if necessary) safely clear and bench their firearms.
Command:	“Snap caps” (muzzleloading only)
Purpose:	To assure that the flash hole is open and the barrel is free of any material (oil)
	capable of causing a hangfire.
Action:	All participants using percussion-type muzzleloaders should step to the firing line,
	affix a primer cap, point the firearm down range and “snap” the cap.
Command:	“The range is now clear. Check your targets”
Purpose:	To alert shooters along the line that travel beyond the firing line for purposes of target
	change, target retrieval or collection of spent casings is approved.
Action:	Participants may move down range as directed to change or remove targets or to clean
	up. The next relay should not take up positions on the firing line until told to do so.
	Participants not going down range must remain behind the yellow “safe” line.

To indicate emergency or hazardous conditions, the following commands should be used:

Command:	“Cease fire”
Purpose:	To stop all shooting immediately. This command can be given by anyone witnessing
	an unsafe situation.
Action:	All participants should cease fire, unload, safely clear and bench their firearms.
Command:	“Misfire”
Purpose:	Normally given by a shooter to alert the range officer and other participants
	that a round did not fire when the trigger was pulled and that a hazardous condition
	may exist.
Action:	The shooter experiencing the misfire should continue to point the firearm down range
	and await further instructions. The range officer may or may not call a general cease fire
	depending upon the situation. Shooters immediately adjacent to the misfire should cease
	fire, unload, open and bench their firearms and step back from the firing line and behind
	the yellow “safe” line. Remaining shooters may continue to fire as directed by the range
	officer or may cease fire at their option and await further instructions. At their discretion,
	the range officer may assist the shooter with clearing the misfire.