This "rifle only" stage might very well be more properly referenced as "The Malf Stage", as I saw as many firearms malfunctions on this single stage as I saw on any three of the other stages in this match.
Why, I wonder, should this be true?
In my limited experience, and only as a spectator at this match, I can only conclude that the competitors were "pushing the envelope" in terms of firearms reliability. This 30-round Rifle stage presents challenges not really represented by any other stage in the match. (Indeed, it may be one of the paramount strengths of this match that the stages provide such a variety of shooting problems.)
The round-count is most important, in that it appears to offer a premium for a competitor who can engage all of the targets without reloading. This may or may not be true, but the suggestion is there. The lure to stuff as many rounds as possible into your fattest magazine (or pair of magazines) is there. And the irresistable temptation to challenge the capacity of your firearm ... is there.
Add to this temptation the fact that all of the targets are close, easy, and an open invitation to turn this otherwise indistinguised stage design into -- A Hoser Stage!
The result was far too often a dismal disappointment to competitors who had, they felt, reasonable expectations of Smoking The Stage.
This did not often happen, except in the case of those competitors who went into it with the intention of surviving the Siren's Song.
Those who did well on this stage seemed to be those who poured a libation to the gods of Functional Reliability, planned to reload at least once during the stage, and played it fast and not-very-loose.
In evidence of that theory, I offer the Video of The Malf Stage.
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