Every lane in the indoor range where I shoot is riddled with bullet holes, in the partitions on either side of the booth and overhead. Not just forward of the shooter position either; in every booth it's like someone turned 90 degrees to the left or right and fired point blank into the wall. The partitions are metal lined but first time newbie shooters blasting away in the adjacent lane make me nervous.
Range battle scars
- Thread starter Gouranga
- Start date
- Status
BADUNAME37
Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2008
- Messages
- 4,434
What really stinks most about this kind of carelessness and outright vandalism is that it typically makes it harder and more difficult for those who are careful and conscientious.
Like they always say, it only takes a few people to spoil it (whatever 'it' happens to be, in this case - SHOOTING SPORTS) FOR EVERYONE!
Whenever I see a highway or road sign riddled with bullets, and/or shotgun holes, I always shake my head and think about how some careless person - possibly drunk and/or high on something, or just plain stupid - would actually shoot at the sign, either from a moving vehicle, or they walked up and did it - perhaps a hunter coming out of the woods.
I read an article in American Rifleman magazine a few decades ago and they were saying that the average speed limit sign may last so many years (let's say ten years for purposes of argument). Think how many people see the damage caused by a bullet, bullets and/or shotgun shell(s).
I remember seeing a "regular" at the range (the kind of person who knows everything about everything - or at least he thinks he does). I remember bringing up this topic as he was angry at a new metal roof they had installed just months prior over the benches and there were already several .22 holes in the metal roofing. When I mentioned how many people would observe a sign that has been riddled, his reaction was "highway and street signs don't last that long, there wouldn't be THAT MANY PEOPLE SEEING THE DAMAGE!"
I almost fell off the range bench when he said that as one sign in particular had been shot at at least 20 times. It was a sign that looked like it was fairly new when the shooting happened and now was literally shredded to the point where you could barely make out what it said (it was a Speed Limit 25 sign). And, may I add that that particular sign was in that same location, all shot up like that for at least 10 years! I believed the road crews decided to keep it up to prove a point, and the point, in my mind, was well-made!
Last summer, they replaced expressway signs with all new ones. The old ones were about 30 years old. The new ones already have several bullet holes in a section of them and several look like someone stood about 30 feet away with a 12 gauge full choke and shot the sign with 6 shot, a nice hole blown through the huge green sign a couple inches in diameter with pellet holes and dents around the hole.
I realize I am "preaching to the choir" here, so I hereby get down off my soapbox.
Like they always say, it only takes a few people to spoil it (whatever 'it' happens to be, in this case - SHOOTING SPORTS) FOR EVERYONE!
Whenever I see a highway or road sign riddled with bullets, and/or shotgun holes, I always shake my head and think about how some careless person - possibly drunk and/or high on something, or just plain stupid - would actually shoot at the sign, either from a moving vehicle, or they walked up and did it - perhaps a hunter coming out of the woods.
I read an article in American Rifleman magazine a few decades ago and they were saying that the average speed limit sign may last so many years (let's say ten years for purposes of argument). Think how many people see the damage caused by a bullet, bullets and/or shotgun shell(s).
I remember seeing a "regular" at the range (the kind of person who knows everything about everything - or at least he thinks he does). I remember bringing up this topic as he was angry at a new metal roof they had installed just months prior over the benches and there were already several .22 holes in the metal roofing. When I mentioned how many people would observe a sign that has been riddled, his reaction was "highway and street signs don't last that long, there wouldn't be THAT MANY PEOPLE SEEING THE DAMAGE!"
I almost fell off the range bench when he said that as one sign in particular had been shot at at least 20 times. It was a sign that looked like it was fairly new when the shooting happened and now was literally shredded to the point where you could barely make out what it said (it was a Speed Limit 25 sign). And, may I add that that particular sign was in that same location, all shot up like that for at least 10 years! I believed the road crews decided to keep it up to prove a point, and the point, in my mind, was well-made!
Last summer, they replaced expressway signs with all new ones. The old ones were about 30 years old. The new ones already have several bullet holes in a section of them and several look like someone stood about 30 feet away with a 12 gauge full choke and shot the sign with 6 shot, a nice hole blown through the huge green sign a couple inches in diameter with pellet holes and dents around the hole.
I realize I am "preaching to the choir" here, so I hereby get down off my soapbox.
BADUNAME37
Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2008
- Messages
- 4,434
hemiram
Member
I have to admit I have left a couple of "scars" in years past. I hit a couple of hangers, and I blew a hole in the roof when the gun went off due to a mechanical failure right after I cocked it. That was almost 30 years ago.
But I never blew any holes through the separating walls, never shot anything behind me, etc. I saw some of that at every indoor range I have ever shot at. One guy had brought in a full auto Thompson, and sprayed .45 ACP all over the place. He was hitting hangers, the cables, and he blew a couple holes in the roof. It was impressive, but scary to watch. He got whacked about a hundred bucks, and he said that anyone who wanted to shoot it could, if they had ammo. I went and bought three boxes of .45 ACP, and that was the first time I shot anything full auto. I didn't hit anything but what I was shooting at. It was a lot of fun.
But I never blew any holes through the separating walls, never shot anything behind me, etc. I saw some of that at every indoor range I have ever shot at. One guy had brought in a full auto Thompson, and sprayed .45 ACP all over the place. He was hitting hangers, the cables, and he blew a couple holes in the roof. It was impressive, but scary to watch. He got whacked about a hundred bucks, and he said that anyone who wanted to shoot it could, if they had ammo. I went and bought three boxes of .45 ACP, and that was the first time I shot anything full auto. I didn't hit anything but what I was shooting at. It was a lot of fun.
Gouranga
Member
Wow, some interesting scar stories here. See the ones that are downrange, while disconcerting a bit, they don't bug me as much. What it means is that whatever the cause, at least the shooter was following the critical rule of having the weapon pointed in a safe direction. It is ones in places no gun should be pointed, like the one at my range that is right through the back of the folding chair (I was told nobody was in the chair at the time and the person who did it was NOT welcome back) that scare me.
Accidental/Incompetent though, is IMO overshadowed by the ones you guys have described as deliberate. That is just beyond foolish to do something like that.
One of the scars I pay attention to is one on a lane in the floor about 4 ft up from the line. It was done by a regular shooter, usually one of the safest guys you are gonna meet. Regularly competes, fired more rounds than I have ever seen. One day, he racked his slide and somehow managed to pull the trigger as he did it. The gun went off as soon as the slide went forward putting the mark in the floor. He was so embarrassed, he packed up and left, and did not come back for weeks. The good thing was he only violated 1 rule not 2, so nobody was hurt.
That particular mark always reminds me about complacency. If someone like him can make a mistake like that, heck I know i can.
Accidental/Incompetent though, is IMO overshadowed by the ones you guys have described as deliberate. That is just beyond foolish to do something like that.
One of the scars I pay attention to is one on a lane in the floor about 4 ft up from the line. It was done by a regular shooter, usually one of the safest guys you are gonna meet. Regularly competes, fired more rounds than I have ever seen. One day, he racked his slide and somehow managed to pull the trigger as he did it. The gun went off as soon as the slide went forward putting the mark in the floor. He was so embarrassed, he packed up and left, and did not come back for weeks. The good thing was he only violated 1 rule not 2, so nobody was hurt.
That particular mark always reminds me about complacency. If someone like him can make a mistake like that, heck I know i can.
- Status
