AR's are annoying at the range

Newtosavage said:

I know this isn't going to win me any fans, but I have to say it. I can't stand it when the tactical operators show up with their AR's at my local rifle range. It's getting to the point that I am just packing up and leaving.

Let me start out by saying that Uncle Sam trained me on Mini-14's and later AR-15's and I was trained well. I understand the tool and it's purpose. BUT...

These days, the majority of guys, gals and kids sporting AR's have no concept of range safety and have no idea how loud and obnoxious it is to shoot on the bench next to them.

Just yesterday, I put a guy's AR in the gun rack for him because he left it on the bench with the bolt and ejection port cover closed, pointing BACK at the line of people and vehicles in the parking area. When he came back from hanging his target and discovered his rifle in the rack, he was pissed that someone touched it. I told him "buddy, if you don't make your rifle safe and leave it pointed at my pickup, I'm going to take care of it myself." He then went on to act like everyone's range officer and never apologized. SMDH

After that, another guy on the bench next to me pulled out his M&P and started throwing brass onto my bench as I was testing loads with my bolt gun. No brass catcher or any attempt at one, and again, no apology.

Why people these days who bring AR's to the range just don't feel like they need to obey the basic safety commandments is beyond me. But I am seeing it more and more.

If you take your AR to a public range, please don't be one of those guys.

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Was unaware that the U.S. government/military ever used the Mini-14 ... (25 years on active duty).

Yep, pretty sure "Uncle Sam" used/uses M14's and M16's... This post is weird.

Newtosavage said:

Border patrol and a few other agencies. I actually still prefer it to the AR platform.

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...not Uncle Sam...

The only AR related issue I don't like at public ranges is I get constantly peppered with hot brass. I always use a brass catcher as I reload 95% of what I shoot.

I keep an old ratty umbrella in my truck just for this I can open in up and lay it on my bench to shield me from hot brass it gets their attention and typically they move a few feet away from me.

Where were you a border patrol agent at?

I would tend to agree with you. There seams to be a whole new generation of gun enthusiast who's first guns are a glock and an AR15 and seam to be more concerned with how many magazines they can empty while pretending to be a special forces operative than marksmanship and safety.

I reminds me of skiing when I was a kid. When I started skiing snowboarders were kind of a novelty. The last time I went skiing a couple years ago 90% of the people on the hill had snowboards and it was rather unenjoyable to ski because you were constantly dodging snowboarders who feel the need to stop in the middle of the hill and sit down or take off there board and walk around for some reason.

Newtosavage said:

Border patrol is not trained by Uncle Sam? That's news to me.

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Macchina said:

View attachment 778923

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Uncle Sam isn't and never has been US Army specific. He is a character representing the embodiment of the US Federal Government. You happened to pick a US Army recruiting poster but he can be found on recruiting posters of every Service including the Coast Guard.

Newtosavage said:

Border patrol and a few other agencies. I actually still prefer it to the AR platform.

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Dude, the Border Patrol did not use the Mini-14. It's Honor Guard at one time did use the M-14.

Totally different critters. Do your research. Mini-14 NOT equal to the M-14.

Newtosavage said:

I know this isn't going to win me any fans, but I have to say it. I can't stand it when the tactical operators show up with their AR's at my local rifle range. It's getting to the point that I am just packing up and leaving.

Let me start out by saying that Uncle Sam trained me on Mini-14's and later AR-15's and I was trained well. I understand the tool and it's purpose. BUT...

These days, the majority of guys, gals and kids sporting AR's have no concept of range safety and have no idea how loud and obnoxious it is to shoot on the bench next to them.

Just yesterday, I put a guy's AR in the gun rack for him because he left it on the bench with the bolt and ejection port cover closed, pointing BACK at the line of people and vehicles in the parking area. When he came back from hanging his target and discovered his rifle in the rack, he was pissed that someone touched it. I told him "buddy, if you don't make your rifle safe and leave it pointed at my pickup, I'm going to take care of it myself." He then went on to act like everyone's range officer and never apologized. SMDH

After that, another guy on the bench next to me pulled out his M&P and started throwing brass onto my bench as I was testing loads with my bolt gun. No brass catcher or any attempt at one, and again, no apology.

Why people these days who bring AR's to the range just don't feel like they need to obey the basic safety commandments is beyond me. But I am seeing it more and more.

If you take your AR to a public range, please don't be one of those guys.

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HUGE generalization. I would posit that the vast majority of those who've been trained on the AR (M-16/M-4) platform have a far better concept of range safety and totally understand just how "loud and obnoxious" the rifle is than everybody else. Please quite judging folks on the basis of the one guy you've seen at the range acting like an asshat.

someguy2800 said:

a whole new generation of gun enthusiast who's first guns are a glock and an AR15

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Actually, their first gun is plastic with a wire attached to a video game console. My son wants nothing to do with firearms, but he wants to play first person shooter games. Go figure.

My students (10th/11th grade) are all about the first person shooter games. Apparently, Call of Duty is the best.

In my experience its usually related to being "new" to the sport, some times its excitement. Sometimes its just cause that persons an a**, Ive found that to rarely be true tho. Often the newest guys on the range are shooting ARs.
We dont have any official ranges here, so we have to police our selves. Ive found that for the most part if I nicely ask someone to lock their action open before going down range, or when there are people downrange they will do so untill they forget, after which a quick reminder is usually all it takes for a while, and sometimes ever. We dont have racks (unless its one of the range regulars and they bring theirs) so for the most part guns are left laying on the tables or leaning on the vehicles Ive seen a few fall over and off, ive never seen one fire or even have a live round in it.
The getting wacked by brass is something that sometimes cant be helped, but usually if theres ANY easy way to prevent it the person with the AR has been happy to comply(easiest is switching sides). I actually have a target stand with extra tall poles that i can hang stuff between to use as a brass stop, and when i use a pop up i put up a piece of shade cloth to stop flying brass (it also makes it really easy to collect your cases if you put a tarp under it). On a range like ive seen pictures of with bays etc its probably more difficult to do stuff like that, but again if ARs are prevalent it might be worth trying to come up with something to stop flying brass. and again sometimes theres just nothing to be done on a crowded day.
What really bothers me are muzzle brakes, and thats just part and parcel to shooting with ARs on the range.

I thankfully belong to a gun club and go to other ranges that have proper RSOs that closely monitor the "hot range", "cold range" concept and also require weapons be in proper safe condition when shooting is stopped. Some of the situations mentioned above would not be tolerated at properly run ranges.

The first complaint about the rifle being pointed the wrong direction and not made safe... what’s that got to do with ARs at all, except that the idiot you saw happened to be shooting one?

Second complaint about spitting brass... Any semi-automatic firearm platform will do the same thing, to varying degrees.

I don’t think ARs have anything to do with the problem. The problem is two-fold: (1) Dumb people shoot guns, too. (2) Public ranges generally suck. The sheet metal roofs so many ranges use over their firing areas don’t help mitigate noise, and people tend to be as inconsiderate of others as they are anywhere else.

Frankly, I’m on the other side of the fence. I hate going to public ranges. I’ve never been to one where you’re allowed to practice any actual firearm skills other than slow-fire marksmanship. Shooting while moving, rapid fire, magazine changes (fire, mag change, fire), etc.

You ask about any of that stuff and they just stare at you like you’ve got “mall ninja” tattooed across your face. To each his own, man, but practicing slow, deliberate trigger control with live ammo gets old pretty damn quick.

Bobson said:

To each his own, man, but practicing slow, deliberate trigger control with live ammo gets old pretty damn quick.

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This is an entire issue unto itself. From what I've gathered, shooting sports, such as High Power and Service rifle are essentially dying out. (Continually decreasing participation.)

Gun ranges in general are awful.

And yes, the AR/Glock crowd is what it is. Newbs in any hobby can ruin a hobby. That doesn't mean the people that own these guns are all newbs, but there is certainly a trend.

Bobson said:

The first complaint about the rifle being pointed the wrong direction and not made safe... what’s that got to do with ARs at all, except that the idiot you saw happened to be shooting one?

Second complaint about spitting brass... Any semi-automatic firearm platform will do the same thing, to varying degrees.

I don’t think ARs have anything to do with the problem. The problem is two-fold: (1) Dumb people shoot guns, too. (2) Public ranges generally suck. The sheet metal roofs so many ranges use over their firing areas don’t help mitigate noise, and people tend to be as inconsiderate of others as they are anywhere else.

Frankly, I’m on the other side of the fence. I hate going to public ranges. I’ve never been to one where you’re allowed to practice any actual firearm skills other than slow-fire marksmanship. Shooting while moving, rapid fire, magazine changes (fire, mag change, fire), etc.

You ask about any of that stuff and they just stare at you like you’ve got “mall ninja” tattooed across your face. To each his own, man, but practicing slow, deliberate trigger control with live ammo gets old pretty damn quick.

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The anti "mall ninja" group is around here also, mostly hear them at the gun counters while fondling the latest not AR....
There were some guys out doing "movement" (im pretty sure they were just playing, but when i said drills they stood up a little taller so drills it was) drills last time i went to shoot. They asked if i wanted them to stop when i got there, but i was only function testing (my AR at that lol) so they just took a break while i did that. I watched them for a while as i was putting my gear away. Looked fun, and they were being safe. If they were being "mall ninjas" well who really cares.
They were taking up the entirety of the small area we have to shoot in that spot, but were considerate enough to have stoped if id wanted to set up a table.

I sort of wonder if we have dont have less stupidity, and rudeness because we generally DO have to police ourselves.