SMISC Range Rules
Please take time to read this important information for first time visitors to our range. Please retain this information and always check with range staff on future visits as rules may be amended at any time.
We are a public facility open to all shooters.
While safety is the bottom line at all ranges, you will find some differences in range procedures and operation from range to range. It is the responsibility of the shooter to be aware of and comply with the rules of any range that they shoot at.
PLEASE NOTE: Only licenced shooters may use the facilities. Non Licenced individuals may only shoot through our try shooting program.
Important Information for Pistol Shooters
The following documentation is required for those wishing to shoot pistol at our facility:
Target Shooters with a full H Licence
- Must present their firearms licence endorsed for category H pistol use.
- Must present evidence of current financial membership of an approved pistol club (e.g. a club membership card with valid expiry date, a confirmation of membership document for the current year with a club letterhead and the signature of a club official, or a NSW APA card appropriately in date for the current year).
Probationary Pistol Licence holders who wish to shoot unsupervised
- Must present their Probationary Pistol Licence (PPL)
- Must be in the 2nd six months of issue of their PPL, and present evidence that they have successfully completed their club training and 6 months of supervised shooting (e.g. certificate, confirmation email, registration certificate for a firearm issued to the PPL)
- Must present evidence of current financial membership of an approved pistol club. (e.g. a club membership card with valid expiry date, a confirmation of membership document for the current year with a club letterhead and the signature of a club official, or a NSW APA card appropriately in date for the current year).
All shooters using the range will have their attendance electronically recorded.
SSAA members utilising the range will additionally have their range attendance processed through SSAA's Electronic Attendance System.
By using our facility, you agree to SSAA's Conditions of Entry and Range , as well as the specific Range Standing Orders of St Marys Indoor Shooting Centre which take precedence over SSAA's general range rules in instances where they would conflict.
Click here to view SSAA's Terms and Conditions of Entry and Range Rules.
Bring your covered firearm into the centre upon arrival. If you have left your firearms in your car and wish to shoot them you will be asked to retrieve them before the staff can sign you in.
PLEASE NOTE: ST MARYS INDOOR SHOOTING CENTRE RECOMENDS, THAT FIREARMS SHOULD NOT BE LEFT UNATTENDED IN VEHICLES.
Proceed to the front counter where the range staff will greet you. You will need to present a current firearms licence for the category of firearm to be used, and to gain member privileges, your current SSAA membership card.
If it is your first time using the range, advise the range staff and you will be provided with a briefing on range safety procedures.
Pistol shooters are required to present proof of current pistol club membership in addition to their licence. Those wishing to shoot high-calibre pistols must also present their appropriate permit.
All firearms brought into the centre must be covered, in either in a hard case or gun bag, and must remain covered until on the firing line or at the shop counter. Uncovered firearms are not permitted in the lounge area.
St Marys Indoor Shooting Centre operates under an energy and a calibre limit.
The maximum permissible Muzzle Energy as per the SMISC Range Approval is 7000 Joules (5160 ft lbs).
No ammunition (factory or reloaded) exceeding this limit is permitted for use on the range.
The following calibre limits also apply:
- Air pellet of a calibre up to .50" (12.7mm)
- Rimfire of a calibre up to .22"
- Pistol of a calibre up to .45"
- Rifle of a calibre up to .50" (12.7mm)
All parameters of ammunition must fall within these specified energy and calibre limits to be permissible for use on the range.
Any patron who utilised ammunition outside of the specified parameters will be held personally liable for any and all damages that may result.
If you are unsure if your ammunition is suitable, please submit an enquiry before attending.
Rifles and Pistols utilising approved ammunition may be used on the range.
Shooters wishing to utilise a firearm or equipment requiring a supplementary permit (E.g. prohibited weapons, high calibre pistol, suppressor permit, etc.) must declare this to staff and present the original permit for assessment and documentation.
Shotguns are not permitted for use on the range.
Hearing protection is mandatory for all range users regardless of the firearm type used. Hearing protection must be in place prior to entry to the range. Shooters should always use the best hearing protection available; a minimum of level 5 protection is recommended.
The use of eye protection is mandatory for all shooters on this range. Prescription glasses are acceptable.
Enclosed footwear is mandatory for all range users. Footwear that does not enclose the foot such as sandals, thongs or flip flops, or crocs are not permitted.
There is only one safe direction on the range, which is muzzle pointed towards the targets and backstop. This applies from the moment the firearm is unbagged or uncased, up until an RSO has cleared the firearm and it has been returned to its bag or case.
From time to time all shooters will encounter stoppages and minor malfunctions. Most will be little more than the failure to feed or to properly eject a round. Rectifying either of these can be done by the average shooter in a safe orderly fashion. However, sometimes help from an RSO will be required. Even in the case of the simplest malfunction the shooter must remain constantly aware of their muzzle direction and the safety of all present. Please advise a Range Officer immediately if you have a firearm/ammunition malfunction.
All firearms taken onto the range are to be cleared as safe by one of the centre’s Range Officers before removal from the bench/firing line. This procedure is not optional and is a major safety rule that applies to all people using firearms at this range. Remember, safe handling procedures always apply. Muzzles must point downrange at all times.
When you have finished shooting: Use the red button on the control panel on the bay partition wall to call a Range Officer. All firearms presented for clearing should be in a safe condition i.e. action open, unloaded (magazine removed wherever possible) and pointed down range. Remember you must have all magazines cleared as well. Please leave the shooting area tidy – place any rubbish, used cleaning patches or empty brass in the labelled bins provided.
The range is here for the use and enjoyment of members and visitors. Any person caught deliberately damaging target hangers or any other fixtures will be removed from the range immediately and faces a lifetime ban on the use of this shooting facility. Any person caught deliberately damaging property will be reported to the police, which may in turn lead to loss of licence and firearms.
Paying to use the range entitles you to one (1) hour of range time.
Any additional time beyond this is at the discretion of range staff.
Shooting time will be restricted to one hour during busy periods at the discretion of SMISC staff
Shooters with a minors permit must be directly supervised (one to one) by a suitably licenced adult shooter at all times. They must never be left alone at the firing line.
St Marys Indoor Shooting Centre Range Standing Orders
St Marys Indoor Shooting Centre operates under an energy and a calibre limit.
The maximum permissible Muzzle Energy as per the SMISC Range Approval is 7000 Joules (5160 ft lbs).
No ammunition (factory or reloaded) exceeding this limit is permitted for use on the range.
The following calibre limits also apply:
- Air pellet of a calibre up to .50" (12.7mm)
- Rimfire of a calibre up to .22"
- Pistol of a calibre up to .45"
- Rifle of a calibre up to .50" (12.7mm)
All parameters of ammunition must fall within these specified energy and calibre limits to be permissible for use on the range.
Any ammunition not listed on this approval is not to be used as it will not be contained within the RDA and may cause danger to life, limb, or property.
Persons who do not comply with approved ammunition requirements are taken to be in breach of range standing orders and will be held accountable for any costs incurred due to damage to range fixtures, or injury to persons.
No sub caliber projectiles are to fired for fire forming purposes; projectiles must match firearm bore size to prevent ricochets.
All spent cartridge cases that fall behind the firing line must be collected and not left on the range. Shooters may retain possession of their own fired brass. If they do not wish to retain the brass, it must be disposed of in a marked blue brass bin. Brass disposed of in this way is property of SMISC. Shooters are not permitted to collect brass not belonging to themselves.
Any brass falling forward of the firing line is deemed lost and not to be collected. Cease fires will not be called to facilitate the collection of brass. Such brass is property of SMISC and will be removed by approved staff members outside of range operating hours. Approved events involving shooting forward of the line are exempted from this rule, and brass collection conditions are as listed in the previous point.
It is strongly recommended that gloves and a mask are used when collecting used brass, and that the shooter washes their hands on completion of the activity at the sink available in each range. Brooms should not be used to sweep up brass for collection if the persons on the range are not in appropriate lead dust hazard PPE (sealed jumpsuit, respirator, gloves).
The Range Safety Officer (RSO) has authority on the range property to conduct authorised shooting practices and matches.
Range Safety Officers will be identified as such by wearing of SMISC uniform.
External Range Safety Officers will be identified as such by wearing of high visibility vests/blaze orange tee shirt or jumper and/or caps marked “Range Officer” or “Range Safety Officer”.
All Range Safety Officers have the responsibility to supervise all personnel (shooting and non-shooting alike) present on the range and may have persons removed from the range at their discretion.
All firearms licence or permit holders wishing to use the range facilities must sign in at the counter to pay for a range attendance that is digitally recorded.
Shooters must present their original firearms licence or permit(s) to be signed in. Minors must present their Minors Permit. Details from these will be recorded.Valid interstate firearms licences are accepted.
Photographs or photocopies of licences or permits are not accepted.
Shooters wishing to utilise firearms or equipment requiring supplementary permits (e.g. high calibre pistol, suppressor, etc.) must declare their intent to range staff and provide for inspection their original permit for inspection and documentation. Photographs or photocopies of permits are not accepted.
Unlicenced individuals are not permitted to access the range area and must spectate externally through the glass. Minors must be supervised at all times.
Exceptions to this condition include archery night participants, license holders coaching other shooters or supervising minors but not shooting personally, or carers.
These persons must sign in at the counter to have their visit digitally recorded as a non-shooting range attendance and must always obey all instructions of Range Safety Officers.
Visitors not accessing the range area and only trafficking the public shop, museum, and spectating areas need not sign in.
All ranges have a status indicator light on prominent display near range ingress/egress points.
A steady RED light indicates the range is OPEN and live firing is occurring. During range open times, firearms can be handled freely.
A steady GREEN light indicates the range is CLOSED and no handling of firearms is permitted.
Each shooting bay is numbered and has a correspondingly numbered target. Shooters must only engage with their assigned target.
Targets must be appropriately placed to reflect shooting stance. Targets must be placed at such a height to ensure the trajectory of the round is straight back into the backstop, and not angled upwards towards the ceiling or downwards towards the floor.
Certain authorised events are partly exempted to this rule including IPSC and Service Pistol. The arcs of fire will be limited based on firing position such that maximal range safety is achieved, as is minimisation of ricochet.
Prone shooting is only permitted on Range C. Shooters wishing to use the prone position must declare their intent to do so on signing in. The supervisor on duty has overall discretion on allowing/disallowing prone shooting depending on current range conditions.
The following firing guidelines are applicable to all ranges on the complex:
- Shooting is only to occur between 1000 (10AM) and 2145 (9:45 PM).
- Shooting may only occur when the range is OPEN, as visible by the red range status light.
- Firearms remain the responsibility of the licensed owner at all times.
- Firearms must be fitted with an appropriate sighting device (iron sights, scope, electronic optic, etc.). Firearms not fitted with a sighting device are not permitted for use.
- Firearms may not be left unattended on the benches unless the firearm is unloaded, the action is left open, and any detachable magazines removed from the firearm.
- Firearm magazines that the shooter is licensed to possess may be used.
- Firearm magazines are not to be loaded other than at the firing line.
- Any person who believes there may be a risk to people, or property must notify a Range Officer who will call a cease-fire.
- Any person who suffers injury or causes property damage whilst using a firearm must immediately report this to the Range Officer and range staff.
SMISC does not permit P650 usage on the range outside of internal approved instructors and programs.
Unlicensed possession and use of pistols pursuant to section 6B(1)(A) of the Firearms Act 1996 and clause 129 of the Firearms Regulation 2017 is not permitted at the shooting range unless the pistol is securely tethered in such a manner that prevents the pistol from being turned to the rear or any direction other than towards the designated target area.
Compliance with the previous condition may be dispensed with in circumstances where the range official is satisfied that the unlicensed shooter is a member of the approved pistol club and has successfully completed an approved firearms (pistol) safety training course conducted by an approved pistol club.
Unlicensed persons shooting on the range under the provisions of section 6B of the Firearms Act 1996 and clause 129 of the Firearms Regulation 2017 must at all times be under the direct supervision of a suitably licensed supervisor. In this regard, ‘direct supervision’ is one unlicensed person to one licensed supervisor.
Firearms may only be handled on the range itself, or at the counter or a classroom under direct supervision of SMISC staff or an FTO. For IPSC matches only, firearms may be handled at the nominated ready table external to Range D that is set up for the match. Handling of firearms in all other areas of the facility is prohibited.
Firearms must be covered by a hard case or gun bag at all times until on the firing line or at the counter under direct supervision of SMISC staff.
The only safe muzzle direction on the range for all firearms is downrange towards the back stop.
The muzzle of the firearm must not at any point be directed towards the walls, ceiling, floor, or the glass rear of the range. Firearms must be uncased on the range with the muzzle already pointed downrange.
Certain approved events including lever action rifle, Junior Development, and field rifle are exempt partly to the above rule. Firearms may be carried from storage racks to bays with actions open and muzzles oriented towards the ceiling, under supervision of the event RO. Once at the firing position, the muzzle direction conditions apply once again.
Firearms must have the action left open at all times unless the shooter has the firearm in their hands.
A firearm must not be placed down onto the bench in a loaded condition.
No firearms are permitted to be moved between bays unless the firearm in question has been cleared by the acting range officer and the firearm cased or bagged.
Range Office call buttons and lights have been provided at every shooting bay.
When a shooter wishes for their firearm(s) to be cleared for removal from the firing line, the following procedure shall apply:
- All firearms must be cleared by a Range Officer. Shooters cannot clear their own, or other people’s firearms.
- The firearm must be unloaded of all live ammunition, and the action left open.
- Magazines shall be removed where possible and emptied.
- The shooter shall alert the Range Officer by pressing the Range Officer call button in the bay.
- The Range Officer shall inspect each firearm for open actions, clear chambers, and ammunition removed from the firearm and any magazines.
- The Range Officer will advise the office that all firearm(s) have been cleared and the firearm(s) may be cased or bagged. The muzzle of the firearm must remain pointed downrange at the backstop as it is packed away.
If a shooter experiences a malfunction of firearm or ammunition, they must seek assistance from the Range Officer:
- In the event of a misfire, the firearm must remain with barrel pointed downrange for at least 30 seconds before attempting to clear the firearm.
- The firearm must be unloaded of all live ammunition, and the action left open.
- The shooter shall alert the Range Officer by pressing the Range Officer call button in the bay.
- The Range Officer will assist the shooter where possible and seek assistance from the range staff if necessary. No repairs are to be attempted without the owner’s approval.
- If a firearm cannot be made clear with a stuck live round in the chamber, the firearm is to be hotboxed until such a time as the shooter can engage a qualified gunsmith to retrieve the firearm for repair. The firearm is to be made as safe as possible, and a SMISC Incident Report completed.
For fully licensed Category H shooters, when signing in they must present their original firearms license endorsed with category H, and proof of current financial membership of their pistol club such as a membership card.
For probationary pistol licence (PPL) holders who are not yet graduated members of their pistol club, they are not permitted to shoot on the range even under supervision.
For probationary pistol licence (PPL) holders, they may only shoot unsupervised if:
- They present their original probationary pistol licence, and are observed to be in the second six months of issue of their PPL
- They present proof of successful completion of graduation from their pistol club
- They present proof of current financial membership of their pistol club such as a membership card.
High-Calibre Pistol Permit holders must declare their intent to use a high-calibre pistol on the range. They must also present their original High-Calibre Pistol Permit to range staff, who will witness it and record the particulars.
Holster use is not permitted outside of certain approved competitions. Participants must be accredited by a professional/competition body to use holsters.
Firearms may be cleaned within their bays, subject to the following conditions:
- The firearm must be unloaded and made safe
- The firearm must remain with the muzzle pointed downrange at all times.
- Used patches and other rubbish are to be collected by the shooter and disposed of in one of the provided rubbish bins.
- ‘Bore snakes’ can be used, however the barrel can only be directed at a maximum of 45 degrees towards the floor to facilitate the weighted end sliding down the barrel and out the muzzle. The firearm must be returned to a horizontal position with muzzle pointed downrange during the drawing out of the snake itself.
Wearing of hearing protection is mandatory for all persons wishing to access range areas. Hearing protection must be in place prior to entering the range.
Eye protection is mandatory for all shooters utilizing the range.
Fully enclosed footwear is mandatory for all persons entering the range.
Eating or drinking in any range area is prohibited. Food and drink must be consumed outside of range confines. It is recommended that you wash your hands and face before any consumption of food or drink.
St Marys Indoor Shooting Centre has a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol. Any person deemed by a SMISC Employee to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be excluded from the bounds of the Range.
Smoking is only permitted in the marked designated smoking area adjacent to the fence near the facility entryway.
Smokers are encouraged to wash their hands after shooting and before smoking due to the hazard posed by the possible ingestion of lead.
All smoking materials (butts, etc.) are to be disposed of in the bin provided.
If a round you discharge strikes a wall, the ceiling, or the floor, you must IMMEDIATELY cease fire and report the impact to a range officer.
As per item 11 of the SMISC Shooting Range Approval:
- Any incident or accident-causing injury to a person or property damage, involving the possession or usage of firearms on the range must be reported to NSW POLICE FORCE IMMEDIATLEY and separately to the NSW FIREARMS REGISTRY within 48 hours. This requirement is legislated under clause 94(1)(c) of the Firearms Regulation 2017.