I made a mistake at the range today, and it made me feel dumb.

[kd7nqb]

So I was at the range with a buddy of mine and we were shooting. First his Kel-Tec P3AT then the rented .40 XD then his .22lr then the rented .454C Alaskan.

I put up a fresh target and decided that I wanted to start working on effectively reducing the time between shots. Long story short I ended up putting a bullet above the target and it hit the ceiling. At first I did not realize it but the the trail of dust and splinters of plywood made it obvious.

I felt like a moron, it was just a complete lack of judgment. From that point on I was almost scared to shoot. I have a lot of respect for the range and its owners and felt that I had wronged both. The owner was pretty cool all in all and explained that it happens more than she would like.

I most certainly would not consider this a ND but I still felt like an irresponsible shooter for a time. I take a lot of pride in my safe gun handling and I felt like I lost some major points with myself today.

 

[Lew]

Well, if it makes you feel better, I think it says a lot about you just in the way you feel. You make a committed effort to safe handling, right? One just got away from you. Learn from it, and move on. Keep on shooting.

Cheers.

 

[Pat Cannon]

Yeah, you've learned to be more careful with an unfamiliar weapon, but if you want to feel a little better about yourself, look to see where the nearest bullet marks in the ceiling are.

 

[SigfanUSAF]

At least you recognized it as a mistake, and didn't continue doing it. We've all made mistakes one time or another, though most won't admit it to anyone.

Here's a few.....

At my friend Johnnys house, he was showing off his new Ruger MkII. He pointed it at a soda can on his coffee table, forgetting it was chambered, and promptly removed the can and put a dime sized nick in a brick in his fireplace.

Me and a buddy at the range, 870 12 ga, and Chris "dry firing" it before putting it back in its case. It was also chambered, and a pile of buckshot landed less than a foot from my toes. For whatever reason, I still had my shooting glasses on, even though we were done shooting, and it kept some rather large chunks of rock and mud out of my eyes.

As far as myself, I don't make mistakes

 

[Mr White]

Chalk it up as a learning experience and move on. Thats all you can do.

I shot an arrow into the side of my neighbor's house once, about 3 months after he had new siding put on. Not too much can make you feel dumber than doing that!

 

[trueblue1776]

welcome to the club, that's where all those pesky "no rapid fire" sign come from.

 

[Black Knight]

You say you respect the owners and the range? Why not offer to pay a reasonable damage fee. A fee that you both agree on. That way it eases their expenses and hopefully clears your mind. The important thing is that you realized it, stopped and won't do that again anytime soon. I'll paraphrase one of my old instructors by saying the more you handle a firearm the more you increase your chance for a mistake.

 

[Nio]

As far as myself, I don't make mistakes.

Me either. The time I shot out the bedroom window, I did it *on purpose*.

Nio

 

[bg]

The old saying goes, if you fall off get right back on. The idea to help pay
for expenses is good and the fact you fessed up speaks for itself. Don't
be too rough on yourself, just make sure to buy everyone on the forum a
box of ammo for their favorite firearm and all will be well..

 

[trueblue1776]

BG-

I'll take 50 rds of 7.62 Nagant.



Just kidding, I saw those prices coming when they were selling those guns for 50 bucks.

 

[CypherNinja]

I embarrassed myself by nailing one of the clips that hold up the cardboard on the target hangers at my local indoor range. The range provides them so I had to go to the counter and sheepishly explain why I needed a new one. The owner said 'no biggie', but I was still pretty red faced.

Other than that, my record there is pretty damn good.

 

[brett30030]

I had an old hunting buddy shoot thru the floor of his truck with a 30-06 as he went down a bump trail with the rifle resting on the passenger seat/floor. it started to slide, he reached for it, clipped the trigger and bang, a convenient view port for asphalt inspections.

 

[CountGlockula]

Try holding a loaded gun in one hand and trying to load a magazine with both hands. My finger was on the trigger and shot the ceiling at my indoor range too. I just kept on truckin', hoping the range officer think it was the newbies right next to me.

Life goes on. Lesson learned.

 

[buck00]

Long story short I ended up putting a bullet above the target and it hit the ceiling.

Don't feel bad. I've been to ranges where there are bullet holes not only in the ceiling, but the sides of the wooden dividers (which is really scary).

Honestly, in most cases rapid fire is for inexperienced young guys who want to feel/act tough.... who have very little shooting skill so they shoot fast to make a lot of noise and smoke.

* It is of more benefit to practice slower shots and emphasize shot placement. If I ever rapid fire, I keep it restricted to three shot bursts on private land (woods).

 

[SoCalShooter]

If it makes you feel better I have serviced a few target hangers luckily I did not damage them.

 

[fatelk]

This illustrates why it is so important to always keep the barrel pointed in a safe direction, even with "unloaded" guns. Whem you make it an engrained habit to always watch the muzzle no matter what, it can mean the difference between an embarrasing accident and a horrible trajedy.

My mom put a bullet hole in her bedroom floor a couple years ago with an "unloaded" pistol. When she told me about it over the phone she said "Your dad wasn't in the house, and he really doesn't need to know about it".

I may or may not have made a very similar mistake like yours at my range, but I would feel way too dumb to admit it over the internet.

 

[kd7nqb]

Well it was a mistake that I learned from. There was no shortage of other holes in the ceiling and pillars but that did not seem to console me at all. Anyway I learned and it wont happen again. Plus now when I am teaching a new shooter I can explain the importance of muzzle control with a real world example.

 

[gezzer]

There was no shortage of other holes in the ceiling and pillars but that did not seem to console me at all. Anyway I learned and it wont happen again. Plus now when I am teaching a new shooter I can explain the importance of muzzle control with a real world example.

No excuse, you are not ready to train a new shooter until you have learned. With which gun did you hit the ceiling? That is not just going above the target. Geshh!!!! You missed the whole backstop.

Practice with a gun that you can control the recoil and forget SPEED. Speed only comes only with competence.

 

[fireflyfather]

One of the last times I went to a local indoor range, the idiot on the last lane was trying to impress his girlfriend with "double taps"...the gypsum board baffles were leaking an awful lot of dust from his "muzzle blast" (which left some very pretty half inch holes in the baffles, 1 for each "muzzle blast"). He then tried to explain it away as fragments from the rounds after it hit the target (paper w/ cardboard backer) because he was shooting hollow points. I didn't answer, just looked at his target for a moment, looked back at him, raised an eyebrow and shook my head.... I had to call the RO when they busted out the shotgun on the lane next to the wall (ASC frowns on people blasting away at the walls for some reason...steel plated or not). About that time, I just shrugged, packed up, and left.

I don't think his girlfriend was all that impressed, but I figured I'd let the RO handle it since the guy didn't respond to polite questions. I probably should have called him sooner, but I was busy making paper donuts.

 

[XavierBreath]

I most certainly would not consider this a ND but I still felt like an irresponsible shooter for a time. I take a lot of pride in my safe gun handling and I felt like I lost some major points with myself today.

If you feel like this, you are neither dumb, nor a moron. You are safe. You did apparently exceed your capabilities, but at times you have to exceed them to find out where they are. Now.....Unload that pistol, check it three times and dry fire practice. Work for fluidity and control, not simply speed. Remember smooth is fast, and fast is smooth. Concentrate on not pulling the trigger until you have acquired the sights, or if you subscribe to point shooting, the point of reference that you use.

 

[Breakdaddy]

Well, don't feel too bad about it. You made a small mistake and nobody got hurt so chalk it up to experience.

 

[.cheese.]

no worries with that... you were at a range afterall, you should see the range I go to. There are more hits in the ceiling than you could ever hope to count. You learned why there is no rapid fire at most ranges. Were you willing to destroy the ceiling? If it was one of those crappy drop in ceilings that scream of mold growing in them... I would be... jk.... but seriously... it was a small mistake and not worth beating yourself up over. Just be careful in the future.

I don't think I've ever hit the ceiling, but I did use a range at Outdoor World once that was really poorly designed. I think the last lane was an afterthought as it looks added more recently, and there is so little room between the target and the wall, that a slight angle while hitting your target (even dead on in the center) will hit the wall and ricochet. There is even a beam that they added some sort of steel deflector that I'll bet is because they realized that lane wasn't so good. The only way to avoid it would be to shoot next to the wall angled outward.... but then you risk hitting the neighboring lane's target if it's all the way to the back..... all in all that lane just shouldn't be a lane at all. I'm pretty sure it was meant to be an entrance for range staff to get back there during maintenance.

I left early because it really got embarrassing to be shooting near bullseyes followed by "CHING!" as it hit the deflector on the wall. Never went back as I didn't feel it was a safe design.

 

[230RN]

I have never had an accidental discharge.

I have never had a negligent discharge.

I always hit what I am aiming at. I have to change my targets with every single shot because every bullet always hits the center of the X and people can't see this if I leave the target up for the next shot.

I am superbly competent in all things.

It has been fifty eight years since my last confession.

And I never tell a lie.

Go, and sin no more, Cricket.

 

[The Canuck]

I have yet to make a mistake at the range, but I accept that being human, I will sooner or later. I'll just do my darned-est to prevent such a boo-boo.

I have had a few newbies to the range for corporate shoots and one fellow, Ike (great guy, just had trouble aiming with his bifocals) managed to shoot out two mechanical hangers in one session. He also shot the heck out of the roof baffles...

A Range Officer at the same range was telling me about one kid who came in and he was holding a semi-auto only Sterling in one hand while he tried to reel in his target to get a better look and somehow managed to shoot the metal post immediately to his left and above the switch. He must have a lot of luck because the 9mm round stopped against the metal and fell to the counter top.

 

[Monty]

Mine was I killed the mirror on a wardrobe with an unloaded .38 I was dry firing with. Never liked the thing when my wife drug it home so I didn't mind destroying it all that much I happens, it shouldn't, it does, learn from it.

Monty