Australian shooters use an F88 SA1 with standard barrel and 3.4x Wildcat enhanced optical sight. Against this, other nations used M-16s, SA-80s and, in the case of the Malaysians, Steyrs with 1.5x sights. Rifle matches were fired on Electronic Target Range, Class Range and MTR. These matches required shooters to use all positions and all ranges between 100 and 500m, often with 100m sprints between serials.

Pistol

Australian's 9mm Browning pistol came up against a variety of competition, including the SIG-Sauer P226 and Vector 9mm. Pistol matches were fired at up to 50m in standing, sitting and kneeling positions, against static and moving targets, with magazine changes during some serials and movement between different ranges.

Carbine

In the carbine match the ADF used the short-barreled Steyr C with standard 1.5x optical sight. Other nations used variations of the M-16 or the AK-47. Carbine matches are fast and furious. All serials are at 125m or less, including rapid and snap shoots - up to four rounds in three seconds - in standing, kneeling and squatting positions against static and moving targets.

Machine Gun

All of the countries represented at BISAM used variants of the MAG-58 as their machine gun. These matches required excellent teamwork and were very physically demanding, with fire and movement between 600 and 300m. Crews were required to change between their number ones and twos firing, different length belts of ammunition requiring stoppage drills to be carried out and weapons had to be unloaded and cleared before any movement.

Matches at BISAM are designed around combat shooting. The following description of just two matches might give some idea of the demands placed upon shooters.

Rifle Match 3 - The Pengiran

Fired on an Electronic Target Range (ETR) this match begins with the mad minute - firers run 100m in 20 seconds then engage (typically) a 100m target with four rounds in five seconds, a 200m target with six rounds in 10 seconds, and a 300m target with 10 rounds in 25 seconds.

Next is the agony snap, in which 10 three-second exposures occur at various ranges over a seven minute period. Two more serials - 10 rounds prone at targets that appear almost simultaneously at 100, 200 and 300m, and 10 rounds sitting at 200 and 300m targets.

Pistol Match - Stage II

At 50m, 12 rounds, including a magazine change, are fired in sitting or kneeling position from the standing, in 60 seconds. Firers then have 25 seconds to move forward to 40m and fire six rounds. At 30m, two rounds are fired into each of five slow-moving targets then, at 20m, one round is fired into each of 10 fast-moving exposures.