I hate public ranges.

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clipse

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My appologies if the people metioned are on this board.

I went shooting with my father-in-law last Saturday. We usually go to my mother-in-laws(they are seperated) house but here dog is sick and doesn't like the noise so I am giving him a little break from the noise.

Anyway, we went to a local outdoor range. We have been there before but never encountered any people. This time was different. When we got there, there was a guy there that had been waiting on a friend for about an hour or so that was late. His friend had eventually showed up and they started shooting. I could not even count how many times I got to see the business end of various pistols. The first guys also had a Beretta Custom Carry(?) that he was real proud of. Well,.......he dropped it on the concrete. When it fell the pistol landed in a way that it was pointed at me. That situation made my father-in-law drop his musket cap for his black powder rifle.

One thing I do have to give these guys is that they looked good shooting. Real good stance. It just looked like they were trying to pose more than they were trying to shoot. And listening the guys talk was kind of humerous. I can't remember what exactly they were saying but I do remember doing this :rolleyes: a few times. :D

On the way home my father-in-law and I decided that public ranges are for us. We are sticking to private property with decent back stops.


clipse
 
I'm not the greatest fan of public ranges either!! Does help tho - if you can choose your company ... as with THR shoots for instance. Otherwise ... it seems to be pot luck on the day!

I am most fortunate ... both my range facilities, while modest .. are at clubs ... and more often that not if I can sneak out on weekdays ... I have them to myself.:)
 
I shoot at a club run range, but it is open to the public.

It's usually the people who come in groups that break the rules.

One time a church group came and took the benches to my right. The kids were checking out the rifles and they were all pointing them the opposite direction of the firing line. One teenager was 'clearing' an SKS but the muzzle was pointed at one of the other kid's head.

Much fun for all.
 
I live in an area where private property or public land just arne't an option. But the times I've been to the public ranges safety has never been a concern just some really crappy shooting :D which is totaly fine till tehy start shooting my target. There is only one range that makes me nervous (united sportsman) in concord not because of the range itself but the entrance is at about at 35 degree angle off the rifle firing line and elevated. All it would take is a miss fire and the round would go right through your windshield.
 
lucky

our family belongs to a private range buried in the east tx woods,its all outdoors but you can get your time slot down once you learn the more senior members in & out times. once in a while we will shoot @ a indoor range, last time they had the chl class while we were there:uhoh: that was enough for us . :D
 
I've only been to public ranges, indoor and out. I don't care for them for a number of reasons including all of the above mentioned..

I live on the L.A.City / L.A. County border and even the cops can't tell me if it's legal to shoot on my property! I've been told by them it's legal until someonce calls them, then they'll come out and ask me to stop. I've read the reg's and it's still pretty unclear.

But I'm a lucky guy. I can shoot on my property all day long so long as I let my closest neighbor (a mile away) know it's me doin' the shootin'. Two years and nary a problem. We even cut loose a few tannerites every now and then.
 
All the public ranges I've gone to in the SF Bay area and in Orange County down south are managed. Been that way for 40 years. Some are police ranges and the rest club.

Up here one or two are less strict, one having at least temporarily closed. When the regulars at that range (Livermore) started coming to other ranges I could see why they shut down. Scary. The rest are strict to VERY strict about safety.

I worked a few weekends a year at the Richmond range and had the right to use the competition range on my own. Nice. Also working as RO gave me an excuse to be at the range, "But I promised the club I would work that Saturday, Dear."
 
Private club atmosphere...

I belong to a membership indoor range that's very well-administered. Safety is Job One and Shooting Fun a close second. It works for us. We watch out for each other and the managers/owners keep a tight eye on all of us. :cool:
 
In my limited experience, the ranges that make me feel the best are the ones that are well managed and monitored. Uncontrolled public ranges scare the cr@p out of me. Common sense isn't, and even where the rules are prominently posted, it's hard to get people to pay attention and play along. I really don't mind paying for a place that has a proactive RSO, my @$$ is worth it, and it's his/her job to deal with the proctologically challenged (not that I'd hesitate to back 'em up).
 
Private Club Revisited...

Oh--forgot to mention: We pay high rates to shoot at this indoor location, but given all the comfort, safety and benefits (social and otherwise), it's pretty much a "well worth it" investment. ;)
 
clipse, did you make any effort to speak with or educate these people considering their dangerously unsafe gunhandling?
If so, what was the result?
IF not, why not?
 
I hate private ranges. Stupid rules, to regimented...too many noobs.
Click to expand...

At the public ranges in PA you can't load more than 3 rounds in most locations and are not allowed to rapid fire
 
At the public ranges in PA you can't load more than 3 rounds in most locations and are not allowed to rapid fire
Click to expand...

As in, only three rounds in a magazine at a time? Wow, I can imagine my hands just blackening from all the residual powder I'd end up getting on them from playing mag-swap-and-load constantly. Ugh.

The more you tell me about PA here, the more I'm convinced that you should get the hell out. ;-)
 
Just outside the little town I live in is a Game & Fish public range. I rarely go there to shoot as it is usually crowded. There is a range officer running the range at all times. That's a good thing! The only thing it has in it's favor is that it's close. I also belong to two private clubs and have 24/7 range access. They are both about 40 miles from my home. I use the public range to do quick testing of loads and guns. The serious range sessions are reserved for the club ranges. The public range does not allow shooting from the holster, double taps, or any kind of rapid fire. It's also a pain to shag brass in a crowd. Still the public range is a great thing for those who don't want to belong to a club.
str1
 
I don't know about clipse, . . .

but my momma taught me not to get into arguments with folks with guns in their hands. It is occasionally possible to help someone out, but if the individual is stupid or ignorant enough, or both, to be handling a gun in an unsafe manner, it is usually best to just leave.

clipse, did you make any effort to speak with or educate these people considering their dangerously unsafe gunhandling?
If so, what was the result?
IF not, why not?
Click to expand...
 
clipse, did you make any effort to speak with or educate these people considering their dangerously unsafe gunhandling?
Click to expand...


One guy sounded like quite the know-it-all. I did not want to make someone mad at me while they were carrying a gun. Not something I want to try.

As a side note: While at the 25 yard range one guy was standing and shooting is AR-15 and the other guy was using a spotting scope to se where he was hitting the target. First shot was verry low and very to the left. Next shot the guy on the spotting scope yells,"You must have shot the exact same spot. Its gotta be the sights." He continued this for the next three for four rounds. Wow, good shooting you only have one hole on the target. :banghead: At seven yard they had trouble keeping a 5" group with any of the pistols they were shooting.(Glock, Kimber, Beretta, Dan Wesson,etc.)


clipse
 
I belong to a private club. I really enjoy it even when there are tons of people there we still all manage to shoot safely and still fun. It is nice to go out on a Monday morning like the my wife and I did earlier this week. We had the place to ourselves. It was allot easier to teach her the safety basics without worrying about the hearing protectoin.
 
I hate private ranges. Stupid rules, to regimented...too many noobs.
Click to expand...

Not just the noobs, but dealing with the "good ol' boys network" of some clubs is a pain.

And navigating the minefield of unwritten rules, which I swear some of the senior members make up on an ad hoc basis, stopped making the experience enjoyable a long time ago.

It's so frustrating, I'm almost at the point of selling off my gun collection and dropping out of the gun culture.
 
What's a tannerite?
Click to expand...

Tannerite is mildly explosive, used to make reactive targets. There's some guy who always puts an ad in the AZ Republic every single day for the past few years or so selling tannerite targets. Never had any experience with them myself, the most explosive things I've ever shot are cans of shook-up root beer. ;-)
 
At the public range I most often frequent (San Leandro), we get quite a few poseurs and newbies. The difference is that the rangemaster is quite willing to "instruct" them if their safety violations are pointed out, and to toss them if they don't mend their ways. The Richmond range, mentioned above, usually has one or two members always willing to "instruct". Bottom line: I think public ranges are fine if the management is active.
 
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