[Nathaniel Firethorn]

One local club here has a rule that you can only load five rounds per mag. How common is this?

Thanks,
- pdmoderator

[jsalcedo]

I've never heard of it.

Does this include pistols?

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

Yup.

- pdmoderator

[Trebor]

You think that's bad? At our local state DNR ranges, you are only allowed to have ONE round in the firearm at a time. Get's kinda old: Load mag, insert mag, chamber round, fire, remove mag, load mag, repeat....

[jsalcedo]

Maybe they are looking out for the health of your magazine springs....

[Darrin]

Trebor, are you serious? :scrutiny: That sucks!

I haven't been to a range yet, indoor or outdoor, that has a limit on rounds in a magazine. (Not saying I've been to a lot of ranges, either. :rolleyes: :D )

[CZ-75]

Trebor,

What state is this?

[SkunkApe]

I suspect Trebor is from Michigan. Here in Michigan, at the Department of Natural Resources-controlled Pontaic State Recreation Area rifle and pistol range, the rule is "single load only".

Yep, that's right. Only one round allowed in the gun at a time.

At least that's the way it was when i last went there, about six years ago.

[George Hill]

I guess someone has to be buying Thompson Center Contenders... :scrutiny:

[Quantrill]

PDM,
If it is a bullseye (National Match) club, that is all you would ever need for competition or for practice. Of course, your own individual practice gets kind of limited this way. Quantrill

[Kharn]

My range has a 10 round rule posted all over the place, but the RO only enforces it when the gang-types show up with illegal hardware, or the bump-fire crowd cant keep it on paper.

Kharn

[Trebor]

Yep, SkunkApe is right, I'm in Michigan.

Actually, come to think of it, I believe the DNR has loosened the rules at at least some of the state run ranges to allow five rounds in the mag at a time with no rapid fire allowed. I shot at the Pontiac State Rec Area range a year ago and the RO allowed us to load and shoot five at a time. I hadn't thought of that until SkunkApe mentioned that range specifically.

Of course, to make up for that, they installed a series of baffles that makes shooting difficult unless you are EXACTLY the right height to comfortably shoot betwen the upper and lower baffles. It's kind of like shooting through a firing port, only in this case the baffles extend about two-third of the way to the target from the 25 yard line.

[slh02]

Going to a range here in maryland with my uncle when I was like 11 or 12 (so 6 or 7 years ago) that had a 5 round limit on it. I believe the reason was because there were only 5 targets that could be knocked down at each station. I cant remember the name of it off the top of my head.

[armabill]

Here in a gun club in Pa., this barbaric club only lets you load 5 rounds in a handgun and one in a rifle.

Another one that I belong to is just the complete opposite. It all depends on the club.

[RustyHammer]

One round only .... why?

[armabill]

Good question. I've asked that too! Safety? Club's rules though.

But at this club I have a special problem. I can't shoot a pistol at the rifle range and I can't shoot a rifle caliber at the pistol range. So my question to them is where can I shoot my 30/30 Contender?

Well the answer is to fire it at the pistol range using my .22lr barrel on the 50 yard range. If I pass then I can use it on the rifle range.

[45R]

We have a very small range in Sacramento that is run by the city. The round limit per magazine is 5 rounds. I am not sure what the purpose is but the targets are set up at 20 yards and we are not allowed to zip them in closer. Kinda cheesy but my long range shooting has improved quite a bit since I have been shooting pistols that this range.

[SquirrelNuts]

I have never seen this myself.

The only reason I can think of is to stop rapid fire. Most of the ranges around Atlanta say "no rapid fire." I guess that if you only have five rounds, you would be less tempted to rapid fire?

That is the best thing I can come up with, and it is not very good.

-SquirrelNuts

[Futo Inu]

Wow - and I thought I had it bad with the no rapid fire rule.

[TheOtherOne]

I've never understood those rapid fire rules. As long as you're shooting down range and keeping it under control they shouldn't regulate how fast you shoot.

What about "on target" rapid fire? Do they still have a problem with that?

[dinosaur]

Here in Pa. the public state ranges are 6 rounds for pstol, 3 rounds for rifle & shotgun. Also no shot, only slugs. Of course this has no effect on the turkey hunters who sight in their 12 gauges and destroy the pistol range.:banghead: I love sportsmen.:rolleyes:

[Graystar]

Those are some of the most ridiculous restrictions I've ever heard. Here in NYC there are no restrictions by law and the only range restriction is that you can't quick-draw. Other than that, I can load up 18 rounds into my Glock 17 and fire them as fast as I want.

You'd think NY would be the place with such craziness.

[NRA4LIFE]

I haven't shot there in awhile for obvious reasons, but the Renton Fish & Game club in WA state allowed only one round in the gun on the rifle range. Never shot on the pistol range there. They had quite a few strange rules.

[HankB]

Lots of times the people who run ranges and set the rules are along in years, and during their working lives were at the very BOTTOM of the heap. Now that THEY have a chance to tell OTHER people what to do, they do so at every opportunity. Often their reason is "Because I said so!" (This goes for younger folks too . . . there's an old saying about small people in places of minor authority . . . )

(Of course, no THR seasoned citizens would fit in this category, so don't think I'm taking a swipe at EVERYONE who's reached retirement age!)

[Erik]

"Wow - and I thought I had it bad with the no rapid fire rule."

Ditto

[Feanaro]

Only five or one round(s) in the mag!? Never seen a rule like that out here. :scrutiny:

[Correia]

No rapid fire. Thats okay with me...

However I consider 2 aimed shots a second slow fire. :D

[T.Stahl]

Our club has two strict rules: ;)
a) Don't load more rounds than mag capacity plus one.
b) It's okay to rapid fire if you don't damage anything other than the sand of the backstop and you do it with the intention to lengthen the rifle range from 50m to (by everyone desired) 100m.

[m.i.sanders]

Never heard of any rules like that around here, at least not any of the ranges I've been too. As long as you're not being stupid or endangering someone, there's not any limit on round count or on rapid fire, which is a good thing when I'm shooting .22 at the end of the day;)

[Poohgyrr]

45R beat me to mentioning our local 5 rounds per load range. I understand that range is used by the bullseye crowd and that's why they have that rule. Knowing Sacramento's liberal politics, I'm surprised it's still open. The good news is we should have a new indoor range open this summer, I think near Elk Grove. That means good ventilation (for indoors).

[Deadman]

The range I attend here in Sydney Aus. also stipulates one round loaded at a time. While it makes clearing tube fed firearms quicker, without the need to work the action for numerous rounds. The fact that detachable box magazines can't be loaded with more than one round is quite ridiculous.

Although it is possible to have multiple rounds loaded under supervision, very few people bother to ask. Even if they are grouping and throwing off their sight picture by manually loading a round for each shot...

[shermacman]

You people need to come to a gun friendly state like Massachusetts, where I live. My local range has no magazine capacity limits. The only rapid fire regulation is 'keep it on paper'. We even have a monthly machine gun shoot that is open to the public!:cool:

[keithernTN]

No 5 round limit at the ranges I shoot at. It could be insurance reasons that some ranges have round limits, but it is still stoopid and I would be looking for a new range.

[Master Blaster]

armabill:

Sounds like Delco field and stream?

The reason for five rounds is something to do with bullseye.
Don't ask me what, maybe they used to get mall ninjas blasting off 18 rounds from their glocks rapid fire, while mostly missing the target, and this disturbed the SERIOUS bullseye guys concentration.

Its still the best club in the area for outdoor shooting.


They even do this for revolvers!!!!,

I ignore the rule when firing a revolver thanks, no one has said anything yet.

Range Rules I have run across in NE DE and SE Pa.

Omelanden range, public 10 round limit no rapid fire.
No drawing from a Holster Unless LEO

Delaware state pistol club, private Lead bullets only (an idiotic restriction put in place by county zoning during the cop killer armor piercing handgun media craze),
YOU CAN DRAW FROM A HOLSTER HERE

Delco field and stream, private: 5 round handgun 1 round rifle, 2 rounds shotgun in doubles, 1 round singles.
No drawing from a Holster, or wearing ONE on the range! Unless LEO

Target Master commercial range no limit, full auto for rent, but be prepared to duck when the mall ninjas open up and sweep the range with a loaded weapon, while scratching testicles with their other hand. I came close to being perforated by an idiot here and would not EVER shoot there again.
No drawing from a Holster Or wearing a loaded gun Unless LEO

Responsible Shooter Marcus hook Pa. commercial 10 rounds, and No drawing from a Holster Unless LEO, but they do IDPA????

Usually rules are safety related, due to some idiots ruining it for the folks who are safe.

[igor]

On public ranges around here you're your own RO and do what you want to as long as you keep it on the backstop. Just too bad that the only indoor range left in town is .22 or .32 only.

[jthuang]

armabill's club sounds like Avon Lake near Avondale, PA.

[Ian]

I'm going to take a moment to thanks my lucky stars for the range I frequent, where I can do whatever I like, from drawing to rapid fire to shooting at flying clays with my rifles. The downside is that some of the other range users can be pretty safety-unconscious.

The closest thing I've seen to a 1-round limit is at my gun club at school. We have an informal 5-round limit in our pistols. Mainly because that's what we load in competition (ISSF bullseye), and to save on mag springs (all the guns are club-owned).

[zahc]

Who defines 'rapid fire'? seriously. What is it?:scrutiny:

[armabill]

Master Blaster wins!! It is DCFS.

Avondale closed and the members went to Atglen.

[Master Blaster]

Armabill how often do you go shoot there DCFS?

Spend any time on the pelletgun range?

I'm not sure I would want to shoot at a range where they let you shoot at flying clays with a RIFLE:what:

I KNOW I would not want to live within three miles of one for sure.

I used to shoot at avonlake, and it was the kind of place where you wore a loaded gun when you went downrange, never sure who might come up behind you.

Last time I went there was several years ago (avon lake)

DCFS is well run and I dont feel concerned when I take my 6 year old daughter there to shoot on the pelletgun range.

Safety is the 1st concern there.

That is a good thing, as the areas around ranges get more built up with residential housing the rules tend to be stricter, cause just ONE mishap could ruin it for everyone.

[armabill]

Don't use the pellet range at all.

I go sometimes once a week or every other week. No specific time or schedule, whenever I feel like it or get the time.

I'm going there tomorrow morning. Rain or shine.

[Min]

That's a scary thread title if I ever saw one.

[armabill]

Could be worse.

[Bill St. Clair]

Scary thread title indeed. I thought maybe you'd be discussing the latest proposed "assault" weapons ban.

I shoot at an outdoor range in the country, where I'm usually the only shooter. I can do whatever I want, and I've never heard of any mag or time limit rules. I usually use ten round mags, and I rarely fire slower than one aimed round per second. Two ten-round mags at that rate gets the barrel hot enough that I want to give it some time to cool off.

My 444 Marlin lever gun only holds 5 rounds in the magazine, but I usually shoot them at about two seconds per round. Same with the 4+1 rounds in my Savage bolt-action.

Would this be considered "rapid fire" by some? I consider rapid fire to be ten rounds in 2 or 3 seconds, which I usually fire offhand into a target at 25 yards. Haven't missed the paper yet (with a rifle. I DO miss the paper sometimes when shooting slugs from my pistol grip shotgun).

At the indoor range, when shooting .22 rifle competition, we are only allowed one loaded round. Most people use single shots, but since I have a 10/22, I load up two mags with one shot apiece to put two rounds into one of the bulls. The game is fired offhand at 50 feet at targets with five two-shot bulls and a sighting bull.

[Ian]

Master Blaster - The range is in the bottom of a steep valley. Unless you're shooting higher than about 40 degrees up, your bullets will hit the valley side...so you just have to exercise a bit of caution with clays & rifles (and it's not that they'll let you do that, but rather there's nobody around to say you can't).

[owen]

The reason for the five round limit in bullseye is to eliminate a long string of slam fires which, back in the heyday, was an issue. It is against the rules (last I checked) to load more than 5 in bullseye because of this.

The issue started because people were modifying their pistols to have minimum sear engagement, to give them the best possible trigger pull. Every now and then, the hammer would fall when the slide closed, causing the gun to fire. Sometimes a gun would do it repeatedly.The longest string in BE is 5 rounds, so only 5 rounds may be loaded.