All right guys, I joined a shooting club before Thanksgiving, and today was finally able to go out there to shoot. Rifle shooting I end up next to a guy shooting what looks like an old Mauser. Walk down to the targets and he's next to me looking at his target wondering where the shots hit (multi-sight in target on about a 4' square board, no hits).

He tells me he'd assembled this rifle from parts and the front sight had fallen off the day before so he'd soldered it back on after bore sighting it. I'm serious. At this point I'm already a bit skeptical of his intelligence, I ask what action he used, I guess a spanish mauser, and 7.62 barrel of some sort.

I shoot a few more rounds, then we're getting ready to go and he tells me what he really likes is shooting cast bullets (I never have understood the appeal in that, at some point somebody will have to try explaining it to me) and wants to show me his custom cast bullet rifle, another mauser. I'm glad I waiting to see what came out of the trunk, and wish I could have asked for a picture without be blatantly rude.

He pulls out an abomination of a rifle, not only barrel in the white but rusted/tarnished whatever, ugly and unfinished, stepped US military barrel in 308 win. Poor argentine action was probably nice before he got it, I didn't get to "examen" it so can't say if the drill for the bases hit the lug, but the bolt handle (he said done by sarco) looked like thin pot metal welded on and the safety was some ugly thing I had never seen before either. He tells me he has four different barrels, 308 win, 257 roberts, 7x57 and I can't remember the other. He just swaps them out. I ask him, out of optimism, if he just uses headspace gauges to check them. He says yes, but doesn't do it at the range as a couple of the barrels have threads that are a bit messed up and he can't unthread them without the barrel vise. I felt so sad for that poor argentine.

one last thing to top it off for all of you. He then takes out a browning box he wants to show me his hi-power as they're such great guns still. pulls it out, second mag is loaded, he goes to check without pulling the mag in it, puts a fresh on in the chamber. easy enough mistake I suppose, taken by itself wouldn't have frightened me much, he emptied the chamber right after. then as I'm leaving he's having a hell of a time decocking it.

anyways, I told my uncle as we drove away that we should probably not shoot next to him next time and preferably to the left since there'd probably be more shrapnel to the right. am I right in my judgement?

Red

The real issue is there's one at every range. And that no shit.
I've run into the bubba's, butchers and half assed engineering types that think they know something the gun industry doesn't. Scares the hell out of me enough That I don't go to public ranges any more. I go to public land that allows shooting and set up there I have the damn hillside to blast into from 100 yards to over 1500 if you felt like walking that far and setting up a target

Definitely to the left.

"Sometimes a "gunsmith" frightens me a little", "Should I be scared to..." That's interesting. You know what frightens me? YOU DO!

Let's chug on down to "mamby pamby" land...

All kidding aside, if you are in the presence of someone who you feel is unsafe, move. You don't need a concensus for that.

Kcstott is right. There's one at every club. If you want to see more, work the "open sight in days" at your local club. It's amazing what shows up. Avoid these guys.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Westpac:
"Sometimes a "gunsmith" frightens me a little", "Should I be scared to..." That's interesting. You know what frightens me? YOU DO!

Let's chug on down to "mamby pamby" land...

All kidding aside, if you are in the presence of someone who you feel is unsafe, move. You don't need a concensus for that.

Well West, I post these more for entertainment and fun conversation than anything. I don't actually need to know the guy is unsafe. "definitely to the left" was what I expected, guys that got the humor in it and knew what I was saying.

Since I enjoy reading these threads about idiots and bubbas, I post them when I can hoping others will get a laugh. If you mistakenly think I really don't know whether these people are idiots and can't decide without input whether or not I want them working on my guns or want to be next to them at the range, then feel free to skip my posts.

Red

quote:

Originally posted by Dago Red:

quote:

All kidding aside, if you are in the presence of someone who you feel is unsafe, move. You don't need a concensus for that.

Well West, I post these more for entertainment and fun conversation than anything....

Well Dago, I posted the reply for entertainment purposes. Yes, I failed to include smiling faces and other emoticons so you would know. However, if you do find yourself in a unsafe situation, and there is no adult present, don't be scared, just stop, drop and roll. See smiley face!

I read it a couple times not sure, it is often hard to get written comments "tone", though iw ill say I suaully I think get them right. this time I guess I didn't.

Sorry, I'm probably touchy today, no excuse, mondays aren't that bad, but I apologize nonetheless.

Red

I would be less scared of your guy than the guy with the brand new STW, Warbird, or whatever trying to get every last fps out of the cartridge.
The guys I know that shoot cast bullets are the most methodical, safety conscience guys I know. They are the ones that have btdt with the new stuff and now get enjoyment with the old stuff. I'd cut him a break.

quote:

Originally posted by Dago Red:
I read it a couple times not sure, it is often hard to get written comments "tone", though iw ill say I suaully I think get them right. this time I guess I didn't.

Sorry, I'm probably touchy today, no excuse, mondays aren't that bad, but I apologize nonetheless.

Red

No problem.

Nah. That's nothing you "namby pamby" Yanks! Here we "Brits" go even better in the "abuse a Mauser" game.

Years ago, before handguns were banned in the UK, I was at my shooting club when a guy turns up with a Mauser Broomhandle.

Sets out his firing point with said Mauser safely open etc., etc. Goes down range puts up his target with everybody else and when the signal is given prepares to shoot.

Takes out his 9mm Luger ammunition, loads his Mauser Broomhandle and shoots his target.

Then "change" is called and we all go forward to examine our targets.

On the way down myself and others ask about his Mauser. You didn't ever see many of the "Red Nine" conversions, even if the the famous "Red Nine" grips were missing AS IT APPEARED TO BE FROM HIS.

Said fellow then reveals it isn't a "Red Nine" at all but a standard 7.63mm Mauser but he can't get the cartridges and 9mm Luger seem to work it OK anyway! So he just uses them!

He was asked to leave by the Range Marshall very, very shortly afterwards!

Yeah but after a box of 9mm down the bore the barrel was no longer 7.63 it was more like 8.5mm

Talk about a friggin press fit

It was really quite unbelievable...and the gun really was 7.63mm the guy wasn't winding anybody up.

Well it was about 38 years ago but I'll admit to closing my eyes when I pulled the trigger on my first barrel install.

I have also been know to pick up and move a seat or two away from a couple shooters at the public range. They just struck me as an accident waiting to happen.

I may have mentioned it before, two guys at the range with a nice Garand shooting 308s in it. Couldn't figure out why the fired brass looked like a "rimless 45-70". I over heard one say to the other , " A 308 is just a short ought six."

Recently, my brother, who is a civil engineer, showed me some ".17 HMR" brass that he and his kids had fired that day at our cabin on the river. He told me he needed to clean his rifle because the cases were sticking and he was having extraction problems. I have an HMR and have never had a single problem, so I asked to see the cases. About a 1/2 second later I asked him which rifle he was shooting, his HMR or the .17 Mach 2 that he won at a DU Banquet. He replies "my siver .17 HMR." I then explained to him that he was shooting Mach 2 ammo in his HMR, and the differences between the two. The cases were split really bad, some all the way down to the rim. He immediately put the split cases back in his pocket and made it a point to go talk to someone else. All I can say is, Thank God the kids didn't get hurt.
Just goes to show that you can be "smart" and still be an idiot.

Yep,they are everywhere.I was at the range this fall and a guy to my left was there with his daughter,they had three rifles of various calibers,he was having problems with his rifle.After it snapped on him twice,the third time was the charm!He had bloody specs all over his nose,darn good thing he had glasses on,although he probably needs a new prescription,opened the bolt and what the heck!!!,the case stayed in the chamber!I had a cleaning rod with me and tapped out the case.Oh he was ranting on those crappy Remington factory loads.Thought they must of had way to much powder because the case was split in so many directions like I've never seen!!!!!!!!!I looked at the headstamp and it was a 270 Win case.I asked him what caliber his rifle was,he said 300 Win Mag!!!!!!!!!

The only time I ever felt the need to move to another shooting bench was when a guy with one of those black rifles let loose and a steady stream of his empties came flying in my direction.

No apologies. Not even a Steve Urkel-esk, "Ooops, did I do that?"

Of course they were steel cased and not worth picking up, so he didn't. They're oughta be a law.

I was once @ a "public" range on a F&W area in southern Indiana. I was working up loads for a muzzle loader so was on the 50yd range.

This guy shows up W/a single shot break action Stevens .22 pistol. It had a home made maple stock W/a rather larger fore-end & had a scope mounted on it.

Poor Bubba did not realize that pistols need long eye relief scopes & by all appearances he had mounted a rifle scope as we observed him holding the pistol up close to his eye, most likely to get a full field of vision in the eye-piece.

He was holding it like a rifle W/his weak hand under the fore-end stock, taking an improvised rest on the uprights supporting the roof over the firing line..

We imediately packed up & went to the 100yd range to avoid this accident waiting to happen. We weren't on the 100yd range long when somebody came up & informed us that Bubba had just shot himself. Most likely he shot himself in the finger of the hand he was using to support the pistol's fore-end with. Looked like he he must have gotten his finger over the muzzle when he fired the gun. OUCH!

We later went down to the now empty 50yd range to have a look. There was blood sprayed all over the firing line. It looked as though someone had used a squirt gun to spray a fine stream of blood all over the benches, uprights & some even made it to the lower portions of the roof!

while waiting to set up a target at the 100 and less range, I watched someone shoot up almost a whole box of 375 ruger trying to sight in his gun... at 25 yards. he kept complaining that the target was blurry. he made a few clicks of adjustment before shooting again. he eventually moved to the 1,2,300 yard range. before I left the RO said he had cut his nose open on the flip up scope cover button thing.

I tend to avoid the range's public sight in day like the plague.

If I were you, I'd not only be worried about being anywhere near that guy again, but also about those who are running the range. They shouldn't allow something like that. While safety is everyone's responsibility, it's the range operators responsibility to make sure that everyone is acting responsibly.

I've seen a lot of very careless behavior at our club range, mostly by non-members. The only real accident I've witnessed was a SMLE that blew up. Guuy was shooting GI ammo, and it was the first shot, so I suspect a plugged barrel. Fortunately, he suffered nolating injury.

Range manners seem to be a thing of the past.

speaking of incidents... guess whose range this happened at?

(this incident took place a while before I joined)

what was the cause?

Red

I just love Bubba, great stories fella's.

I can't contribute any Danger stories but just about the lengths some folks need to go to keep shootin - at my favourite public range there is an old fella, living on a pension and can only afford to shoot once every 3 months. He has an ancient muzzle loader, gotta be 150 years old, the stories it could tell, the stocks a mess, all exposed metal surfaces are patena and surface rust, just looks like a piece of junk, I can't stress enough how knocked about this Rifle is yet structurally it is sound, the bores reasonable and everything is safe.

He shoots at the same bench each time, recovers as many of his fired home cast projectiles as he can to recast them for his next shoot.

He uses a homemade Tang sight secured to the stock with a radiator hose clamp, might even have a self tapping wood screw or 2 and the old bugger shoots credible groups with it at 200 yards and through it all he has a smile on his face and really loves his quarterly day out.

regards Jacko

there was a lot of rumors going around the internet about this one... along the lines of a very expensive gun and a very expensive scope... but its just a savage. mythbusters even tried to duplicate this without success

quote:

Originally posted by sagi:
mythbusters even tried to duplicate this without success

Not to discount your post but not everything the mythbusters do is in accordance with science or good research on the subject at hand. It definitely set up for good TV though

I NEVER go to the public range (or even the club range) on the weekend. Too many bubbas and also too many folks who just wanta talk (& show me their stuff) when I just wanta shoot (& mind my own business).
Regards, Joe

I have yet to find anyone at a covered shooting range interested in marksmanship. By marksmanship I mean real shooting without artifical support. All these people do is pull triggers from a table and chair and admire their bullet holes. What a waste of time.

Accuracy can be purchased. Marksmanship can only be earned.

quote:

Originally posted by kcstott:

quote:

Originally posted by sagi:
mythbusters even tried to duplicate this without success

Not to discount your post but not everything the mythbusters do is in accordance with science or good research on the subject at hand. It definitely set up for good TV though

yes I know they aren't the best at what they do, but it is entertaining. while googling for the photo of the banana gun, I found a second gun whose barrel was split in 3 about half its length, from a bore laser too. mythbusters must have gotten a good gun or something.

As I've stated above Public or even a private shooting range is nearly a waste and I don't bother especially when I have hundreds of square miles of public land to go set up on. Only problem is during summer when it's way to damn hot to go.

As for marksmanship I tend to agree with this one.
I want to shoot off a bench long enough to dial in a sight, confirm zero, test hand loads, an shoot a group, after that it's time to play and see what you can hit or hunt at longer ranges with little to no support

quote:

The only time I ever felt the need to move to another shooting bench was when a guy with one of those black rifles let loose and a steady stream of his empties came flying in my direction.

No apologies. Not even a Steve Urkel-esk, "Ooops, did I do that?"

Of course they were steel cased and not worth picking up, so he didn't. They're oughta be a law.
--------------

A fellow did that to me ~ 15 years ago. I got a friend to quickly relinquish his on the firing line just to the left of Rambolina, zipped over to my truck and came back with an H&K 91 (an actual Made in Germany one) and all fifteen of my (hurriedly) filled magazines (can you say 7.62 Norinco steel cased ammunition with the thin copper wash?).

I laid down a good five minutes of suppressive fire (the only thing left of my target was the two sticks that had held the paper up). If any of those hot, hotter and then really darn hot cases did not hit him in the head, arm or down his shirt it was not due to a lack of effort on my part.

Those of us with experience with that model of rifle (and its G3 progenitor) know that it is just as deadly in a direction 70 to 90 degrees on the starboard side as it is directly downrange. He started screaming at me, so I knew I had the range and azimuth about dead on. I just stopped long enough to pour my water bottle all over my receiver and barrel.

I finally stopped (in deference to my battle rifle's well being). He was pretty unhappy, and charged my position, so to speak.

That was his second tactical error of the day. As soon as he grabbed me in plain view of everybody at the range (many of the observers had been on the bad end of his boorishness in the past) a whole new game commenced, and he learned that my default (and initial) move was to "fight like a girl".

It seems most of us have seen the mud flats part of the gene pool from time to time. As usual, the bullies of the world are just cowards thinly papered over with a simulacrum of aggression.