[220_Swift]

I have always been amazed at the number of people at our range that I do not know, and have never seen before. Our range is private, and is gated, and you get a key as a member. When ever I go in, I always lock the gate behind me. But it never fails, someone else comes in, and leaves the gate open. I almost always shoot on the rifle range, which is the furthest back. And I get a little nervous sometimes when people come in that I don't know. I now make it a habbit to remove the bolt from my rifle, and put it in my back pocket when I go down range. I also carry a handgun with me when I go down to change targets. I was talking to the president of our club, and he mention that 10 or 15 years ago, someone went to a range, and when the guy went down to change targets he was shot with his own rifle. Kind of makes you think about what can happen. Does anybody else take any precaustion when they are at the range?

[Kevlarman]

I go to a public range, so other than the eye/ear/body armor, nope.
When I'm out on BLM land, I'll have a handgun on my hip.
I try not to go shooting alone, though.

[PlayboyPenguin]

The biggest precaution i take is being aware of the people around me and how they are handling themselves and if anyone in the lobby area looks "odd". I have left a gun range before when I and another shooter smelled alcohol and noticed some "Bubba looking" guys down from us drinking from a flask. We reported them but the range officer said unless he caught them he would not do anything to them. I told him what i thought of that and him and left never to go back.

[O-neg]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on this board.

The range I use is county run and ways back in a forrest. No range master or club, just throw three dollars in the lock box. There are ten 100 yard lanes with benches, and ten fifty yard lanes.

I also keep a pistol on me when shooting, you never know whats going to come through that gate. I sometimes have two or more fairly expensive weapons laid on my bench. In my eyes that makes me a possible target ( pardon the pun) for the criminal element.

I first arm the pistol, grab stool, targets, and stapler, then set my targets up while everything else stays locked in the trunk. Next my sand bags, range bag, spotting scope. the last thing are the weapons. I don't go down to the targets again, until its time to retreive them. I just reverse the order and go home.

Does that sound paranoid?:scrutiny:

[Standing Wolf]

Unarmed on a shooting range? Not me!

[Mad Bodhi]

Didn't Platt and Matix,the infamous "Miami shootout" perps do just such a thing.Bushwhacking a guy alone plinking in the woods? I always have a pistol on my hip and it's very rare that I shoot solo and when I do I carry my rifle with me to check targets,more to deter theft than just in case a shootout occurs but still.I'm sure i've given many people pause when I show up.Big,bald headed hispanic guy with tattoos and scars :what:.But a smile,saying "HI" and a little gun talk and actually using my weapons with some degree of competence,IE. no sideways gangster shooting,usually put's them at ease.

[220_Swift]

I usually go through the week. I don't like the weekend crowds, and that is when I have free time. At first my wife thought I was a little over paranoid. But now she agrees with me. My thought is, this place is pretty much out in the middle of nowhere to begin. And I also can't get any cell phone reception. So, I am on my own. Justs makes sense to me to be as prepared as I can be.

[craig]

platt & matix did exactly that. i know, i lived in cutler ridge/ kendall. they got one car from a local informal shooting area off of krome avenue. a lot of people quit going out there to shoot until those two got killed.

[Double Naught Spy]

Strangely, the only places where I have had loaded guns pointed at me (that I know of) have been at gun ranges. Commonly, this is by newbies. It is scary as hell to see a younger person (20s or so) shoot a gun for the first time, it the target, and then turn with the gun in hands, finger on trigger, in the excitement of telling friends and family the target was hit, and I am clearly seeing the muzzle of a Glock pointed at me. No rip on Glock. That was just the last time something like that happened where I felt I was actually endangered.

At public ranges or classes, I wear body armor. I don't wear it as often now because I have my own place to shoot and so little chance of being shot by others by mistake.

Didn't Platt and Matix,the infamous "Miami shootout" perps do just such a thing.Bushwhacking a guy alone plinking in the woods? I always have a pistol on my hip and it's very rare that I shoot solo and when I do I carry my rifle with me to check targets,more to deter theft than just in case a shootout occurs

I always have a BUG with me at the range. Except in some class circumstances, I don't see any reason to be at a gun range with guns and not have a loaded one with me. In part, this is a response to the Platt and Matix episode noted, but in reality, having a loaded gun would not have mattered in the P&M incident. They did not bushwhack the guy, but waited patiently until he stopped shooting, waiting behind him as new arrivals to a shooting area would do, and when he ran out of ammo, they already had their guns out, robbed him, then shot him.

What I never understood was why they didn't just shoot him in the back of the head anyway while he was shooting, especially since they apparently were going to shoot him anyway. The idea of robbing him at gunpoint, then shooting, seems a little dangerous. It would have been easier to shoot him, then rob him. Plus then maybe he doesn't ever see them. Instead, he did see them and provided information about who robbed him.

I like O-neg's procedure. I was at Collin County Gun Range NE of Dallas one day. They had folks from Garland or Richardson PD practicing on the tactical range with sub guns and their sharp shooters on the 200 yard rifle range. I finished up and got to watch some od the drills on the tactical range. That was cool. So I thought I would go see the sharpshooter and I enter the range and nobody is around. They were changing targets at 200 yards. Let me just say that they had really nice rifles, rested, breeches open, unguarded. There were 3 rifles out, but 5 rifle cases, and the guys down ranges didn't have rifles with them. So I figure all 5 were there, 2 still in cases. Plus there was 2 handguns that looked like competition guns complete with the whole extended flared mag well, optics, muzzle brake, and nontactical bright colors....and only me around.

You sometimes have to wonder why law enforcement is not always the most security conscious group of people, but they are not always.

[garrett1955]

hey O-neg. you near central wis??

[Stevie-Ray]

I keep a loaded weapon on me at all times, usually my primary carry. After I shoot this one, I reload it and it goes back on the hip while the secondaries are used. Works for me. I've noticed very few that do the same.

[ddj8052]

I also shoot at a private range most of the time. I feel pretty much the same as most of you. The range is isolated and I figure I am there alone and anything can happen. I always keep a loaded weapon on my hip. If I am shooting that gun I will reload it asap and place it back on my hip. I also usually have my Taurus 85ti in my pocket. The reason I do this is that it allows me to always have a loaded gun ready to go. Also, when unfamilliar people show up. I will stop shooting and observe for a while. If there are any strange vibes, or they don't seem natural I will leave, plain and simple.

Also, While I am oserving I will usually stand with my hands in my pockets ;)

[larry_minn]

This is where a sling is nice. If at rifle range the rifle stays with me. Pistol is loaded on hip (normally concealed)
One should alwasys listen to (that little voice) that warns you of danger. Course if it tells you do hurt someone DON'T LISTEN. :0
BTW I NEVER shoot all my ammo. Keep a couple mags loaded in my pocket.

[MadMercS55]

If I'm alone at the range I always have a loaded sidearm. If I'm using the rifle range, I sling the rifle with a loaded mag in a pocket. Anymore, if the range is busy I tend to go elsewhere. I love going to the range with friends and family, not so enjoyable with a crowd of strangers.

[PlayboyPenguin]

One should alwasys listen to (that little voice) that warns you of danger. Course if it tells you do hurt someone DON'T LISTEN.

That is what I always say. I am very aware of the people around me when at the range or in a gun shop. If something makes me the least bit nervous I move on. I can always come back later.

As for that little voice, also do not listen if it tells you to wear socks with your sandles or if it tells you it is okay to wear a speedo even though you have put on 50lbs and your backhair has grown into your chest hair. :)

[Lupinus]

not really. I shoot at a club range that is open to the public and they have pretty strict RO's....pretty strict RO's that are well armed.

[STAGE 2]

I shoot at a really nice private range here in TX, and all of the people that I have met there have fallen into the "nice and normal" category. That said, I'll always have some kind of concealed carry on me.

Especially so when I'm cleaning my firearms. #9 and a small apartment really dont mix so I like to break everything down and get it bright and shiney while im outdoors at the range. That and there is a nice area with big tables far away from the firing line that are perfect for doing so.

Given the members and the really great staff I don't have any worries about anything going wrong. However if something were to go wrong I'm not gonna be the guy sitting there with really clean gun parts and no gun.

[EddieCoyle]

I shoot at a private gun club that is isolated with no gate, no fence, and no range officers. Most of the time I'm the only one on the pistol range. While I'm there, I open carry (usually a 1911) and keep a 642 in my pocket at all times. Since I'm shooting pistols, I'm seldom very far away from my other guns when I'm changing targets.

I'm there probably more than anybody so if I see someone I don't know, I go over and introduce myself, and ask if they're a member. Several times I've asked people that were not members to leave. One time, a group of guys that were not members showed up with a cooler full of beer and bunch of guns and were unwilling to leave when asked politely. As I left, I dialed the local police and let them deal with it.

[O-neg]

[/Qgarrett1955 hey O-neg. you near central wis?? UOTE]

Hey, Garrett1955.

I'm in the north east corner in upper Oconto county.

[Byron Quick]

I use a public range at a nearby WMA. I'm carrying a 1911 as usual. I keep a couple of loaded magazines with me that I don't shoot. I go down to the targets on the rifle lanes with a slung AR15. I'm not being paranoid. I'm just a strong believer in "I'd rather have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it." I also believe that the handgun is needed to fight your way back to where you foolsihly left your rifle. So whenever, the option is available, I sling the AR15.

I think I'm going to have a padlock hasp welded to a .50 ammunition box. When I go to the targets, I'll lock up the bolts and the ammunition.

[depicts]

I thought it was just my paranoia, but I also lock the gate behind me when I go into my club to shoot. It bothers the heck out of me when the next person leaves it open. I've had carloads of people drive in just looking around. One time had a guy walk up behind me on the firing line telling me his truck was stuck in the woods and would I give him a tow.

My club rules say no loaded guns past the firing line, but I keep a pistol in my pocket anyway.

Years ago in my club, they were going to vote to ban guns in the clubhouse during meetings. Then one guy said, wouldn't we be embarassed as heck if someone came in a robbed us all, and no one had a gun!:) That settled that issue.

I think a lot of the firing line rules we have should apply to most everyone, but a gun no one sees isn't there, and I'm going to keep carrying it.

I hate bringing four or five nice guns to the club and walking downrange to change targets or set up spinners, and have my guns 50 yards away. Almost anyone could outrun me at that distance, or use one of my guns against me. I play it safe.

[Whatsit]

To me, it seems more reasonable to worry about theft, not getting capped. I guess it depends on your area.

[Mauserguy]

I shoot mostly on BLM land, and I always take my rifle with me when I go to check my targets.
Mauserguy

[Ala Dan]

My Seecamp LWS-32 is tucked away securely in my back pocket for
instant access~!:D

[Burt Blade]

You are _far_ more likely to be shot by the fellow in the next firing point when shooting in a group, than you are to be ambushed when out by yourself. If you are carrying a hideout for the latter case, you owe it to yourself to be prepared for the former case.

Watch your fellow shooters. Be on yellow at all times. Never assume that everyone heard the range commands. Never assume that they know that the range is cold, or that cold means "unload and ground all weapons", or that cold means "put the gun down, now!", or that cold includes _all_ shooters "including you!"

Today, I watched four different shooters turn a gun parallel to the firing line to clear a jam, check the condition, or to load it. All four swept their buddies with loaded weapons without even realizing what they were doing. I saw three different cases of gun handling when the range was called 'cold'. These were not newbies. Most of them were older than I am, and had clearly been around guns for some time.

This is why I arrive early, and grab the far right point on a pistol line. Only one guy in six is a lefty, so I am far less likely to be shot by some blissfully ignorant boob. One of the nice things about shooting a cap-n-ball revolver is you have plenty of time to observe the other shooters, in the three to five minutes it takes to carefully load five target loads. You have time to make use of that end-of-the-range position to observe the other folks.

Just take a few minutes to observe each new arrival setting up. Take a break. Be an observer for a few minutes. Then look again when they begin firing. Evaluate each person on the line, for skill and gun handling. Surprisingly, newbies and youths are often the safest ones. They know they have to conduct themselves properly to continue using the facility. Sometimes it is the old hands who get too casual. Sometimes it is the guy with something completely new who brain-locks and turns to address a malfunction in an unfamiliar weapon. And sometimes you just have to watch them to spot the potentially fatal bad habit that no one else seems to notice.

So many of us spend hours on this forum and others, discussing and debating, yet how few of us spend a few minutes making sure the guy in the next range booth is not about to add us to the collective lore of "stupid range accidents".

[Kharn]

I carry my 1911 cocked and locked OWB.

Kharn

[klover]

I don't mind trading trys on different arms and ammo. I usually shoot at a busy range with strict ro's.

The boonies make me leary any more because the weapons got pricier with my age and income. Plus what if you get a Kaboom when you're way out?

[english kanigit]

Yeah, I've been meaning to buy one of these...
http://www.interamer.net/ProductImages/bodyarmor/GroinCupLevel_IIIA.jpg (http://www.interamer.net/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=36)

...because of this (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=122843). :uhoh: