My questions are, why is the distance set on the type of gun and not the joule/power? As the rifle is lower powered is it the 'done thing' to engage at a closer distance?
If you're unsure at your local site, I'd just speak with the marshalls and clarify. I can't imagine they'd saddle you with an MED if you're shooting at 1.14J or lower, but they may decide to because
they're lazy they don't want to have people running around with 2.3J sniper rifles point-blanking people and then claiming "no, I'm at 1J".
Typically "AEG", "DMR" and "Sniper Rifle" are more classifications than actual RIF types. I've never been told at any site or event I've been to (outside of AI500) that I can't use a bolt action rifle at 1.14J or lower and then shoot up close like everyone else. For example, when I play Vietnam filmsim events at Gunman, they have a sniper ban during the summer where DMRs and sniper rifles are banned because the ferns grow high and it's harder to find angles without creeping into your MED. However, they still allow me to use my m700, very much a bolt action rifle with a scope on it, as long as I set it to 1.14J or under, because at that point it's just the same as anyone's AEG, just a lot quieter, typically more accurate and more satisfying to hunt GIs with
I've never been to a site or event that has told me I still have to have an MED if I have a bolt action rifle (or a gun that looks and acts like a DMR) at 1.14J or under. At some sites a 1.14J bolt action is far more useful, like Gunman Eversley during the summer due to their sniper ban, and also my local Worthing Airsoft as while they don't have a ban, the site becomes even more woodland CQB during the summer because of how much it bushes up.
The only difference was AI500. They didn't let me bring one of my 1.14J bolt actions to the shopping centre one for no other reason apart from they said "no sniper rifles", even though it was under the power limits and actively would've made my life more difficult (CQB with a bolt action is a challenge, but a thrill!). They also had a moan at me at the Citadel one when I brought my m21 because it looks like a sniper rifle, but I said "it's an m14 with a scope. It's just a battle rifle and the power is under 1.14J" and so they didn't stop me from using it. So that's the only example I have of a site/event classing guns based on how the action works / what they look like.
Also, it can go the other way (somewhat). I've seen people running arp9s with drum mags as "DMRs" because they're locked to semi-auto and the power is higher, though most events and some regular sites will specify that a DMR has to be a RIF based on a real-world DMR, like an m14, SR-25, mk12 etc. DMR rules are the thing that varies the most from site to site, as they could be 1.48J, 1.64J or 1.88J depending on the site, some sites mandate a stock, some sites require specific RIFs like I said earlier.
