Stoppage and an Unsafe Neighbour on the Gallery Range
On a 100 m gallery range, Sepoy A is in lane four firing a 5.56 mm rifle with a 30-round magazine. After 12 rounds the weapon stops. The bolt is not fully forward and a live round is visible near the ejection port. Sepoy A keeps the muzzle downrange, but his neighbour in lane five turns left, rifle at waist level, to ask the range officer a question. The range officer is 20 m behind the firing point briefing a visitor and is not watching the lanes. The section commander is at the ammunition point 30 m away. The marker in the butts signals no hit on target four. Sepoy A cannot tell whether the stoppage is a misfire, a double feed, or an empty magazine, and he is due to fire the next practice in four minutes.
1. What should Sepoy A do in the first ten seconds, and what should he not do?
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Sepoy A should keep the muzzle pointed downrange, take his finger off the trigger, and call loudly: 'STOP, STOP, stoppage in lane four.' Any person on a range can call a stop for safety. He should not turn, remove the magazine, force the bolt, or try to clear the live round while lane five is sweeping people with a rifle at waist level. He should raise his free hand and keep watching his own muzzle. If the range officer does not respond, he should repeat the stop and remain in place; he should not grab his neighbour's weapon or leave his lane. The visible round means an immediate-action drill could cause a discharge or eject a live round outside the weapon, so clearing must wait for supervision. His priority is to stop all firing and prevent a muzzle sweep, not to finish the practice.
2. As the range officer, what sequence should you follow once STOP is called?
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The range officer should echo 'STOP', halt all firing, and order every firer to keep weapons pointed downrange with fingers off triggers. He should go first to lane five, because that is the active unsafe handling, and direct the firer to point the rifle downrange and unload under supervision. Then he should inspect lane four without standing in front of the muzzle: remove the magazine, cycle the bolt to eject and catch the live round, inspect the chamber, and clear the weapon. Only then should he allow remedial action or further firing. He should record the stoppage and the unsafe turn, give an on-the-spot correction to lane five, and check the marker's no-hit report. If he cannot clear lane four safely, he should close the range. Resuming fire is a decision after all weapons are clear and the butts are checked, not an automatic next step.