GSP7: Have you been shooting at my local range? I have seen some idiots do just that.

We have a warning system, that you turn on a light switch and then it starts beeping like a truck backing up and all red lights which are posted every 4 benches or so, start flashing.

Still you have morons that waltz right on out there, acting like people will see them and stop shooting.


As mentioned above about the fools with the AK 47s and Mini 14s with the big clips. I hate those people. Not the weapons, just most of the fools they appeal to.

It is all too common to see these people show up,
first thing they have to do is get a brand new target stand.
Half the time you have to tell them that they must make sure the range is safe before going out to hang their target.

Then they go post their target at 25 yds, and then also take the benches to the left of everyone else it always seems.

Then they pull out the 50 and 100 round drum clips, maybe 4 or 5 of them.
Waste the brand new target stand in 30 seconds, slinging brass out of the AK to the right showering everyone else there.

Then they load up their AK and their drums, leave ALL OF THEIR CRAP UNUSABLE BRASS, laying all over the place.

If they pick up their target at all, it is usually to show their dumbass buddies, and they just walk right out on the range again without warning anyone or turning on the warning system.


My third favorite bozo is the one who comes out with his AR 15 and pulls out the banana clips, with cheapo Wolf ammo, and his MUZZLE BRAKE, sets up next to you and then blows out your eardrum with his muzzle brake and showers you and the 5 guys to your right with brass and then gets up and leaves. Once again leaving his brass all over the concrete for someone else to clean up or slip on.


These people shouldn't even have sling shots or be allowed to play with anything sharper than a marble..... because if common sense and common courtesy was liquid, most of these people wouldn't have enough to overflow a thimble.

seafire

Seafire ,, I worked at a Gun club and rifle range for several when I was younger. About 1975 on.
Id say 98% of customers are normal shooters. You can tell who the idiots are as they get out of their vehicle just by their mannerism.

We used to see people that looked like trouble get out of the vehicles talking loud etc. We would say to each other. Watch this guy he will pull a assult rifle out of his trunk. And sure enough.

We had "No Rapid Fire " at the range I worked. This one idiot tryed to take a punch at the range master because we had to ask him to leave because he refused to obey the range rules.

It's that time of year again, it seems.

At my little back yard range, numerous friends/relatives show up the week before deer season (starts next Monday, the 29th) to do their annual 'sight-in'. Strange, those guys are never around when it's time to do range maintenance, but, I digress.

Anyway, this past weekend, the neighbor hears us shooting, so, he asks if he can bring his Savage 110 '06 up to shoot. He's a nice guy, allows me to drive across a portion of his property to more easily reach some of mine, it's the neighborly thing to do, etc.., so, sure, go ahead. As he's walking through the yard between our houses, I notice his rifle's muzzle is pointing at me, the house, the sky, then me again, etc.., so, I mentioned it to him. "Oh don't worry, it's not loaded" is the reply. 'Course, it would be hard to tell, since the bolt is also closed. A short discussion about safety, and he's ready to go.

Okay, he shoots a couple at the 100 yard target, chambers a live round, puts the safety in the Safe position, lays the rifle down across the bags, stands up and starts to walk down range. When I say "hey, you've got a live round in the chamber", he gives me one of those looks and says "It's on SAFE". He was actually going to walk down range with that thing pointed at the middle of his back.

We had a little longer discussion about gun safety, and I hope he got it this time. I know he hunts out of a camp with a group of guys, and, I asked him whether they had rules, as most do, like the action must be open when within 50 feet of camp, etc.. He said "yeah, they have some rules, but nobody enforces 'em, hah-hah". Now THAT is scary.

He's one of those bull-type guys who just rips into things all the time, with little regard for his, or anyone else's, safety. The guys he hunts with have pretty much the same attitude, so, all I can do is make sure I'm nowhere near them during the season.

R-WEST, just tell him to open the bolt, and set rifle barrel up, and it will act as a chimney, and cool the barrel more quickly due to natural draft.
OK, it may be bull hockey, but it sounds good, and maybe he'll share with his other buddies.
Might save a skid mark in your shorts.

Poulsbo,
you made me remeber a shooter that come at the range with his nice wife.
The first time that he came at the range he was not properly and completely equipped (no spotting scope) and did not know that it can be rented at the secretary's office.
Well, he sent his wife with the targets in the trench where target equipments are and all we thought that she has only to raise the target.
Instead she was instructed to climb on the target equipment and signal with her finger where he has hit.
When, after the first shot, she got out of the trench, under the terrified eyes of the other shooters, we had some second of panic.
Of course the range officers stopped immediately the shooting activities and gave the fire command only when she arrives behind the benches, where the couple has been instructed that was not a clever way to zero a rifle.
We are still doubtfull on the possible killing wish of the husband , but they are still married.

I'm gonna play devil's advocate here. What some of these people did was stupid. It doesn't mean that they are stupid but rather uninformed. Unschooled. As I posted elsewhere, not everyone had a old man or uncle or some other mentor to teach them what was what in the world of shooting. For example, the fellow picking up brass in front of his bench could very well have perceived a window of safety extending from his bench to his target. Not thinking that a cross fire was possible from one of the more experienced shooters at the other benches. Also, I have seen some highly experienced shooters hide behind trees with a walky talkys spotting for another shooter. That's certainly not a bright thing to do. As far as the old fellow is concerned, he's probably beyond help since he feels he knows it all. I daresay, had he gotten shot the heirs would have swarmed all over the manufacturer rather than marking it up to stupidity.
Finally, I am sure some of the same remarks were made when some of us showed up with our cheap 6.5 swedes and junky kraut 8mm K98's or the italian carcanoes. If we were lucky, someone took us aside, played Dutch uncle, and quietly explained what was what. If not, if that person's ego was so fragile that he had to boost it at any cost, he hollered down the line, "Hey Charlie, come look at this piece of shit this kid is shooting". Or began a tirade of abuse loud enough that everyone could see how smart and authoratative he was. By either road, I'm sure he felt very smug as the piece of pond scum slunk off to sell his gun and donate the money to Sarah Brady.
Guys, everybody has to start somewhere. A young man showed me his Rem 710 this past summer at the range. He had saved and saved and bought it with his "own money". I certainly didn't tell him it was a giant POS; but rather, I looked it over, mounted it and said, "Boy, it sure come up nice." I went to a range outside of Chicago. The firing line itself was totally unsupervised. HOWEVER, before you could use the range, there was a tape recording of range regulations that you had to listen to AND SIGN OFF ON. You were given a copy of the rules and you were on your on.

Although I admit that many of these shooters seem to exhibit symtoms of the moron factor, damning a whole class of shooters isn't right either.

I own a couple of of the high cap wonders, and although that would never be the only firearm I would take to the range, and because of the inherent inaccuracy of these types of weapons I don't spend much time with them. But they do on occasion go with me to the range and get fired. Personally I loose interest quickly because they take buckets of ammo, and for all of that firing a bullseye is the exception not the rule. The shot groups usually look like either a work in progress or a failure on the reloading bench. The AR's seem to be be better in this regard but I don't have much use for a .223 so I both don't own one or care.

Safety - I have seen many shooters that frankly make me nervous, many it is ignorance and firearms safety instruction should be required. A novel concept would be for violators of safety violations @ ranges would be instead of throwing violators from the range, to remove them from the firing line, and explain to them that they will not be allowed to use range facilities until they have completed a firearms safety course. Actually with a little policing on this by the ranges, like faxing a offenders list to the other local ranges, and restricting these shooters from all their local ranges, the offenders options are simple, either get with the safety program or drive great distances to find a range that doesn't know you.

In my mind the absolute two worse class of shooters are:

One-the know it all, that starts blowing and puffing himself up before he ever steps onto the firing line, doesn't matter what he is shooting but its usually a big Desert Eagle, or a new S&W 50 cal mag. This individual is marginal on safety at best, and shots his hand cannon like crap on a good day. If he is carrying a rifle it is a magum something or the other that a gun writter somewhere has labeled the Most powerful something or the other. These guy don't listen, they are know it alls that think because they are male, that God himself has empowered them to be a firearms expert. What a load of bovin leavings.

The second class of moron is the wanta be gangland rapper. This is the clown that learned his shooting skills watching Angalina Jolie movies. The same guy that needs his sights on his pistol mounted on the side, so he can play gangsta rapper at the range. I still haven't figured out the advantage of having hot brass spit into your face. I was watching one of these morons one day shooting at man sized target at ten yards, I have seen better shotgun patterns at 50 yards, and clearly 1/2 of the rounds going downrange weren't even on target, which meant to me this guy was doing cross lane fire. Me if I owned, or was a range offical I would have booted his sorry ass out, as this is a recipe for a hot brass round down somebodies shirt, and that is a formula for a mistake to happen. These clowns are really the worst I have seen. If I see one of these wonder bunnies show up, I usually wrap up my shooting for the day and go home. The only positive that has come from this as they have served as a good example of what not to do for my boys, and I didn't need to even address the drill of why Hollywood is full of it when it comes to firearms. One look and they knew.

As of late I do 1/2 my shooting on a private range, and virtually all my rifle shooting, its only on pistols I rent range time. I like this a lot better, no rif-raf, rules are posted they don't need to be as only people people with good range etiquete ever get invited, and the company and the coffee is better.

Bill Smith, Yeah, Red Castle is one fine club. I think when you run a good show, which Red Castle certainly does, the folks tend to respond to it in a positive manner of self discipline and good conduct.