Newbies at the range

Several people far smarter than I am, have pointed out that training is what you make of it.

Going to the range is not solely about poking your target up and poke holes in it. It can also be an excellent exercise in situational awareness. A crowded range just redoubles that opportunity.

But, everyone is different. Vive l'difference.

I now have two pistol ranges that I can use. My closest has individual outdoor shooting areas where a person (or a group of friends) have their own shooting spot. They have 15, 25, and 50 yard sections set up for that. Nice ti know, when by yourself, you do not have to call for cease fire, or look at the others as you have your own spot. The second newer place is steel targets only (provided) and the rifle section uses the European electronic scoring where you have a monitor showing you your shots. Those have a RSO at each walking back and forth making sure all are safe. They insist on all guns being unloaded and cased from the parking lot the each range. I have not used those yet as I go there for 5-stand

At one gun shop range an Oriental gentleman backed out of his booth with an AR-15, I was on him in a flash.
At another range no RSOs-there is a window behind the gun counter so they can keep an eye on things-I helped a couple of newbies with screwdrivers, jams, etc., I was thanked for that.

I very rarely go to a range. 99% of my shooting is right at my house and 95% by myself. It's very easy to develop a few bad habits which are actually perfectly safe in my situation, but not good at a range. Therefore, despite the many 1000's of rounds I have shot in my life, I am always a bit uneasy if I am actually at a range. I had a friend over once and I actually muzzle flashed him with my 308. Normally there would be nobody there - but I just messed up. Fortunately, I have developed a strong habit of keeping my finger off the trigger.

Stefan

I was at the range once when there was a father showing his two children how to shoot a .22 at the 400 yard range. He was on the far left, I was in about the middle and there were a couple of guys sighting in a rifle on the right. The guy decided to go walking up to change his 10 yard target while everyone else was firing. At first I was shocked and horrified, then I quickly came to me senses and called a very loud "GOING DOWN RANGE" interrupting the guys on the right in the middle of lining up a shot. They initially gave me a "what the heck" look, then saw the guy at his target changing paper and politely pulled their bolt and waited patiently. When the guy at the target heard me he turned and looked at me with a bit of a horrified expression. I just smiled and nodded to him to finish his target change then called "ALL CLEAR" when he returned to his bench.

No lectures, no pissing match, no calling the range officer! The guy learned something that day without being put off never to return.

Muzzles waiving around in the direction of other shooters are a completely different story though!

You handled that well Mike, IMO.

Had to correct a guy once who walked in, put on his ears, set up, loaded a mag, and took a shooting stance. There were people down range to his left but he didn't look. I yelled. He didn't hear. I yelled REALLY LOUD and MEAN. He stopped, looked and thanked me. He wasn't a new shooter. Looked LEO or military to me. I think he was just preoccupied. No harm, no foul, and IMO a good lesson; or at least reminder.

Went to a friend's house recently. I had just helped this guy build his first AR. A friend came over, who had recently chosen a 10mm as his first firearm. His reasoning is that it is versatile (like a .357 but modern) for bad guys and animals. Also he can find ammo for 10mm while everything else is made from unobtainium. My buddy, not to be outdone, produces his new AR.

Both of them muzzle covered me and themselves. I call one of my daughters over and ask her the safety rules. She recites the rules, which have been drummed into my kids' brains from a young age, as they should be by any gun owning parent/guardian. The two dudes are like, yeah that's right, which is why we are careful etc. They didn't get the hint at all.

Both of those dumb a$$es, and a younger friend of ours, are going to a basic firearms class this evening. They paid for the class but I provided the ammo for the 9mm guys. New gun owners seem to be having trouble finding ammo. No idea why.



FWIW I have been shooting for ~50 years. Haven't been to a safety class in a long time so maybe I should go too. On account of complacency. No one is immune.

Points being:

New gun owners are likely insecure about safety and therefore very careful at the range.... but potentially not safety aware or trained when at home and in their comfort zone.

New gun owners can often find guns to buy but not ammo. They are less likely to seek range training with ammo so scarce.

Complacency, nuff said.

One more thought. I was told in motorcycle safety training that the higher risk group was the mid-level experienced riders, not the younger riders. Not the older folks who been there, done that. I think gun safety shares that characteristic with riders.

I like em. They almost always just sweep their brass off the pad and leave it there for guys like me.

Starter52 said:

Nothing worries me more than a twenty-something newbie and his totally newbie girlfriend.

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This is when you see rounds going into the ceiling. Guys showing off for a girl are the worst!

I just went to my local indoor range for the first time today. I’ve been shooting at my buddy’s outdoor range on his property in the summer. First time gun owner as of June.

I was taught all the proper safety rules, went through my cpl course, and read over all the range rules prior to entering the range. I had no issues at all. I’m always careful as it is still new to me. Another guy a couple lanes over was also a first time gun owner as of July. We talked for a few minutes, it was nice.

I do not feel nervous at all at the range. I would be more leery of more experienced shooters who have become loose and complacent with safety precautions.

MikeInOr:

The guy decided to go walking up to change his 10 yard target while everyone else was firing. At first I was shocked

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My public range us usually like that, just a couple of others spread out. When I get there I pull out my equipment and then go over and introduce myself to each. Partly to be friendly. But mostly to mention "give me a shout when you take a break, so we can call a cease fire and everybody can unload and go downrange, if you would." Alternatively, If I'm there and somebody else shows up, I stop, do the introduction thing and finish with "when you're set up, please just flag me down for a cease fire so we can go down range safely."
Pretty much works every time, no butting in, no overbearing, they get the clue, and usually gains a new acquaintance.

-jb, low key range advisor

We have a small "public" range nearby. Think its on forestry land and its an absolute dump. I go occasionally to practice or to test fire new ones or repairs. I leave when more than one or two folks show up as I swear most have had only "movie" training. Shooting from hip, mag dumps and generally bad range behavior. Last trip i found a big pile of .223 cases which i recovered. The pile and quantity spoke "full auto" with one of those 100 round drums. Theres nothing there without holes it and even the donated picnic table has been shot to pieces. Only time i saw others policing brass was an elderly couple trying to supplement income by recycling. Even they were disgusted at the mess and that 90% of the cases were steel.

Public ranges need a cadre of volunteers to keep the site policed and to provide some shooter oversight. Without the attention of a group of people that care about the place it's going to be neglected and get turned into a dump by the users that don't care.

From a somewhat newbies' perspective, ranges are a scary place. If you are cognisant of the danger you are holding in your hand at all, going to a range to handle a firearm for the first time is a frightening experience. The noise alone is the first thing that can be alarming if you're not used to it. Even if you wear proper protection. And people are people. Few will ask for help when they get jammed up, and then they get even more nervous.
The first time I went to a gun range to practice, I was terrified. I watched all the videos on YouTube on gun safety, and was committed to not being "that guy". I had already taken the first NRA pistol course, but being alone, at the range was a completely different experience. Well, when I got there, I was so nervous, I was shaking. I loaded the magazine incorrectly, which caused the pistol to jam, and that made things infinitely worse for me. All those videos, and everything I learned at the course went completely out the window because of how nervous I was. The RSO at that place made matters worse. So much so, that it was years before I would handle a pistol again.
Fast forward a bunch of years, and I still got nervous going to the range for the first time after a long break.
The issue with firearms is that you need to practice. The first few times for me were a disaster, even though I technically knew all the "rules". Being comfortable around firearms takes time, and a gentle hand for guidance. That first gun range I went to closed down because it had a reputation for being less than friendly, which is baffling to me. Having good people around to manage a potentially incredibly dangerous situation is paramount. Happily, I've found an amazing place, with amazing people to guide me on this journey. I am thankful for that.
Also, I've seen people who obviously had a lot of firearm experience behaving in incredibly dangerous and reckless manners while holding their firearm. And that was equally as terrifying as my first range experience.

If there is one think I know about every shooter here is that we were all new shooters at one point. How bad we might have been might be what scares us being around other new shooters.

Rules and RO’s are what I would look for if I had to shoot with general public.

I generally only shoot at public ranges when playing gun games and that’s likely safer than up by the benches, lots more eyes on and you get to go home if your not safe.

NuShootr said:

...And people are people. Few will ask for help when they get jammed up, and then they get even more nervous...

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That's just a sad, sad story. People are different here!! Come to Wisconsin!! Some newbie shooting at the unsupervised public range that I use here is more likely to get friendly offers of advice, instruction and/or help if they're seen to be in need of it. Shooting ranges here are social opportunities for shooters as well. Going to one of the local ranges improves my mood. I have a good time. Too bad yours isn't that way, but don't paint all with a broad brush. As you say, people are people, and they vary tremendously. If there's somewhere else you can go to get in the practice you recognize you need, do it, even if it means a drive.

wiscoaster said:

That's just a sad, sad story. People are different here!! Come to Wisconsin!! Some newbie shooting at the unsupervised public range that I use here is more likely to get friendly offers of advice, instruction and/or help if they're seen to be in need of it. Shooting ranges here are social opportunities for shooters as well. Going to one of the local ranges improves my mood. I have a good time. Too bad yours isn't that way, but don't paint all with a broad brush. As you say, people are people, and they vary tremendously. If there's somewhere else you can go to get in the practice you recognize you need, do it, even if it means a drive.

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I'm in NJ, LOL. That about says it all. And yes, I'm at my local range at least once a week as my son and daughter and I go there to practice Archery. It's a 45 minute drive, but we love going there and the people there are amazing. I finally got my Fire Arm ID card, so will be going there more to practice with a rifle and a pistol.

If there is a problem on a rifle or pistol range, someone, if not the RSO, will explain to the offender the problem and instruct them on the proper procedure. In trap/skeet everyone wants problem instruction from the scoring person. If no one comes forward, I will control the situation and explain the situation thoroughly. That is much better than getting shot. In trap/skeet, we have the Amateur Trapshooting Association (A.T.A.) rules to guide everyone. If someone questions the rules, then we go to management, off the line of fire, and dispute them. All ages make errors on the firing line, including police.

I was an RSO at one of the largest ranges in the United States. The biggest problems we had were experienced shooters no longer paying attention to what they were doing. Goofing around in front of their less experienced friends or letting a new person shoot their big gun to see their reaction.

All new shooters have to go through a video orientation. Most listen. Those that don't we can tell in an instant and an RO will watch that table.

I no longer do it but I do feel safe when I go shooting there. Most of my time shooting is now at an indoor range where thee is a separation between tables that is bulletproof.

I am a competitive shooter, have done a variety of different disciplines, and they are all characterized by strict safety rules. There are several ways to get disqualified at, say, USPSA, and if you break a safety rule, you are done for the day.
Casual shooters make me nervous. I am fortunate to be able to practice on weekdays when the ranges are sparsely attended.

Starter52 said:

Nothing worries me more than a twenty-something newbie and his totally newbie girlfriend

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I was not able to spy on them at the range but the fifty something guy and his twentyish companion (daughter, niece, bimbo?) were a pair at the gun rental counter. Part of his "explanations" were right, some were partly right, and some were just what he thought were right.

If you have to tell the twenty something that he is doing something incorrectly, expect the monkey dance.

We had that couple and the 'dude' had his cap backwards. Well, you wear your cap forwards to keep empties out of your face. Backwards is posturing, except for some rifle positions.

The girlfriend seemed a nice sort, so I told her that she should turn it around. I explained why and she did it and thanked me. Boy - the 'dude' puffed up that someone would tell his submissive something else. Monkey, monkey

Usually, the dude shoots like crap anyway.

At my range, the newbies have an RSO with them helping them out.

They should reintroduce caps like Sherlock Holmes wore with brims both front and rear to prevent hot brass dances! LOL.

When I shot outside, I wore one of the fishing caps with the back flaps to keep empties out and shade my neck from the TX sun. It might not look cool but the sun was fierce.