Biathlon Rifle Safety Standards
Before Shooting
Always keep the bolt open (to the rear) and the rifle unloaded until ready to use. Note – most Biathlon rifles do not utilize a safety so keeping the bolt open becomes the best “safety” measure.
Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
Always treat a rifle as if it were loaded.
The rifle should be carried with the barrel (or forestock) pointed towards the sky when being transported without the use of a harness.
Give verbal confirmation when taking control of a rifle and check that the bolt is open and the chamber is clear.
Never accept a firearm unless you know the chamber is clear and you understand its operation. (If you don’t know, ask.)
Use a safety marker/chamber flag when rifles are not in use. See new IBU rules for guidelines.
While Shooting
Unless the Venue has been declared “OPEN”, or “HOT”, by the Range Safety Officer in charge, the rifle should be in the rack or properly harnessed on your back
Do not take your rifle off your back before you are stopped at the shooting point.
Always point the muzzle of the rifle in a safe direction.
Do not attempt to open a snow cover on the front sight when the bolt is closed or a round is chambered. The bolt must be open, and no magazine in the magazine well, before opening the front site snow cover.
Don’t load your rifle until you are in position with the rifle pointed in the direction of the target (sometimes referred to as “down range”).
Never handle, aim or fire the rifle unless you have confirmed the “Venue is open” and there is nothing/nobody “down range”.
Always be sure of your target and what lies in front and beyond it.
The muzzle of the rifle must be over the firing line during any shooting or dryfire exercises.
Keep the rifle bolt open unless the rifle is on your back or you are in position and ready to shoot. After you shoot, if you intend to use the trail, keep your bolt CLOSED after your 5th shot, and open it only when you return to the Venue and the firing line.
The rifle must be unloaded after each shooting bout. Meaning no round may be left in the chamber or in the inserted magazine.
Reaching over the firing line while the Venue is OPEN is forbidden. A magazine, ski pole, sunglasses, or other item may fall over the firing line, but they must remain in place until the RSO closes the Venue.
On the command “Cease Fire”, immediately stop shooting, open the bolt, and unload the rifle (remove the magazine). Listen for further instructions.
If you should need to move to another shooting point, the rifle must be completely unloaded (including removing the loaded magazine) and properly harnessed on your back before departing the current shooting point.
When dry firing, only point the muzzle in a safe direction.
After Shooting
Never leave the shooting point with a loaded rifle, that is, a live round in the chamber.
Ensure all magazines are empty after each session/race, and never store, or transport a rifle with loaded magazines.
At the end of training, racing, or any shooting session, biathletes must perform a safety check before leaving the Venue by opening the bolt and removing the inserted magazine. Athletes must also remove all ammunition from both the stock and all the magazines before leaving the Venue.
General Rules
No horseplay on the Venue.
If you see an unsafe act, bring it to the attention of the individual involved and the Range Safety Officer (RSO) immediately.
Do not ever leave your rifle unattended.
Store your rifle and ammunition separately out of reach of the public.
It is USBA policy that the rifle bolt is to be open (bolt handle completely to the rear) once the rifle is removed from its carrying case or unharnessed. This includes any time the rifle is left unattended in the rifle rack or lying on the shooting mat. (USBA strongly encourages using a rifle bag/cover at all times other than in competition. Rifle bags should provide a window that allows a clear view of the rifle bolt).