Loading & unloading tables...

[flatapple]

My club would like to hold our first CAS event.  Is there a set rule about where the loading and unloading benches are to be located?  I would like to hear of examples from other clubs setups.

[Johnny McCrae]

We have our loading table on the left and the unloading table on the right. This was the best picture I could find. You can see a part of the loading table and unloading table sticking out on each side. I don't know if there is a hard fast rule about this but just about every place I've ever been to seems to load on the left and unload on the right.

[Jefro]

Howdy Flatapple, that all depends on how your range is set up. Do you have side berms to face the tables into??, or will your tables be on the same plane as the stage firing line?? If you have side berms that's what works best, this way stage design, spotters, target resseting.....etc..etc can all happen downrange without calling for a "Cold Range". We have three stages with side berms, our tables are about 18' uprange of the firing line, we load on right and unload on left. I have seen one club with one bay that has a longer side berm on one stage, both loading and unloading tables are on the same side, loading table in front of the unloading with guns facing the berm.
   If you do not have side berms then you'll need to have your loading and unloading tables facing down range on the common firing line like in Johnny's picture. This will restrict stage design to no downrange movement. If there is a problem downrange call for "Cold Range" and everyone would have to take hands off guns and maybe a step back or show of hands before calling "Downrange".

Good luck on your first match

Jefro Relax-Enjoy

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[Johnny McCrae]

Excellent explanation by Jefro. We do not have side berms at our range. If we need to go down range for any reason a cease fire is called and everyone steps away from the loading and unloading tables. The procedures described by Jefro are followed.

You will notice a series of three baffles just beyond the firing line running the length of our range. This is a result of someone (not a Cowboy shooter) sending a round over our berm.

[Major 2]

As Johnny said ".... I don't know if there is a hard fast rule about this but just about every place I've ever been to seems to load on the left and unload on the right."


I kinda always though it was as we read left to right , just figured to was a natural transition we load left and un-load on the right.

We are fortunate to have extended berms between the bays , and set up with a load left and un-load on the right configuration.

[Johnny McCrae]

Here is a little better picture. The tables serve both as loading and unloading tables. Our range consists of six bays. Five bays have three 12 ft. sections and one bay has one 12 ft. section.