There seems to be some confusion about what is the responsibility of the competitor and what is the responsibility of the range officer or range master when it comes to popper calibration. In the event that you shoot at, and hit, a popper but it does not fall, it is your responsibility as the competitor to challenge the calibration of the popper. The range officer’s responsibility is to ensure that the score is correct; it is up to you to request calibration if a popper failed to fall. If you fail to call for calibration for a popper that was left standing, that popper will be scored as a miss.
What is meant by calibration? Poppers are different than cardboard targets in that they directly challenge the power factor of the ammunition being used (power is the “V” – Latin vis – in “DVC”). During stage setup, and periodically throughout the match, steel poppers are adjusted to ensure that they are “light” enough to fall with a properly-placed hit by a minor power factor round but are also “heavy” enough that they don’t fall with a slight change in wind speed or direction. Due to the shock and vibration associated with being shot, the adjustment mechanism for the popper can work loose and result in a heavier popper over time. If you shoot at and hit the popper but it does not fall, it may mean that the popper is out of calibration. Failure to fall may also be the result of an edge hit, a low hit, or even a miss that you thought was good.
The RO’s responsibility when it comes to calibration challenges is described in Rule 4.3.1.5 and can be summarized to say that there must be visible evidence of a hit to request calibration. Painting poppers between shooters is required at Level 2 and higher matches and is recommended at all matches (beginning in 2022, MCAS is requesting that steel is painted between shooters at all USPSA matches). If a freshly painted popper does not show evidence of a hit, the RO will deny the request for calibration.
The range master’s responsibility for calibration challenges is described in Appendix C1 of the USPSA rules. In summary, the RM has dedicated ammunition within a certain power factor range that is used to test the calibration of the steel. The RM will inspect the popper for obvious malfunction issues and will then shoot the popper with the dedicated ammo under a specified procedure. If the procedure is properly followed and the popper falls, it will be scored as a miss for the competitor; if it does not fall the competitor will be required to reshoot the stage after the popper is adjusted.
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