Have you ever brought too many guns to the range?

Usually take about 7 rifles and 3-5 handguns.
I make a day of it at the outdoor range I frequent.

Mostly a few target rimfires.
Then the Sharps/Browning BPCR 45-90 or Martini-Henry 450-577 or Snider 577
Occasionally a trapdoor
Then anything se that the mood strikes


So yes I have brought too many to the range before.

Nope, Usually not enough.

Have you ever brought too many guns to the range?

Yes but it really matters not as worst case scenario is some may not get shot. I may for example get really into shooting for example my 308 Winchester bolt gun and may not get to my M1A or AR10 before I wander down to the handgun areas. They will likely get shot the next time around. I figure better too many than not enough.

Ron

Jim NE said:

For me, three handguns is about the max I'll bring to the range. Two is preferred. I used to bring up to half a dozen, but I've decided that's kind of a losing strategy. I don't get to spend enough time with any one weapon to establish familiarity. The only time to bring a lot of guns is if you have a large collection and you want to verify that they are all still basically in working order. Even then, the fact that they are working doesn't necessarily mean they are reliable.

As someone else stated, when you bring a lot of guns you start worrying about leaving something behind. A good way to deal with that is to COUNT the number of guns you bring so that you can remember a simple number rather than trying to create a mental list of everything you've brought. Then you can easily tell if you're missing something. If you are, THEN you start itemizing. A better way to deal with that, however, is to not bring so many guns.

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Reading your comment, I had a vision of myself back in my early days, setting up at the range, and how ridiculous I appeared.

Thing is, my early days was about 12 months back!

It was 8-10 handguns, laid out in pairs on hospital towels, across the full length of a range bench. With a stack of tupperwares next to each towel holding my “ladder loads.” And a roll of butcher paper, lid of a jar and a magic marker, for “sighting targets.”

And then I would do what I was there to do: make Bang noises.

The whole thing looked like “Flea Market Day at the State Home.”

Now it’s down to one caliber and two guns.

Rockrivr1 said:

Too many? No such thing.

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Since around 2010, I bring too much ammo and too many guns every time I go to the range or shooting. Sometimes, I bring ammo for calibers I’m not even shooting.

Main reason is my planning is fine, but the reality always comes through. New shooters are met, folks offer to let me shoot their guns, etc. I generally try and use my own ammo when offered a gun to try, and I always refill the mags with my ammo before I hand it back. If offered a gun where I don’t have that caliber ammo, I always offer some of mine in a different caliber that they can use.

Just try and share the burden and help promote the sport.

YMMV

pairof44sp said:

Reading your comment, I had a vision of myself back in my early days, setting up at the range, and how ridiculous I appeared.

Thing is, my early days was about 12 months back!

It was 8-10 handguns, laid out in pairs on hospital towels, across the full length of a range bench. With a stack of tupperwares next to each towel holding my “ladder loads.” And a roll of butcher paper, lid of a jar and a magic marker, for “sighting targets.”

And then I would do what I was there to do: make Bang noises.

The whole thing looked like “Flea Market Day at the State Home.”

Now it’s down to one caliber and two guns.

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Been there....Still there. This was the "first course" of one of my pistol days....can only fit so many at one time...LOL!

Like many of us I used to bring too many guns to the range. Now range days are planned for specific purposes or training needs.

Have you ever brought too many guns to the range?
I bring as many as I want to clean when I get home.

Have I ever bright to many .... Nope

Have brought upwards of 20 before.
When I lived in PA the group of guys I hung out with would bring lots of guns for others to try before they bought. Have a cookout and good time shooting

I try to have a plan when I leave for the range. I’ll take however many I want but I know there are some that are not a priority. Yesterday my main goal was to test some 30-30 loads on the rifle range and some 9mm loads. If that had been all I did I’d have been content.

Make a plan and execute it. Sometimes the plan is fun and sometimes the plan is an objective(s).

i usually do not bring enough time but just the right amount of firearms.

At the local military match I started out shooting M1 Carbine in rifle, .45 AO 1911A1 clone in pistol, for both vintage (issued before 1947) and modern (issued 1947 and later).

I brought two guns to the matches for Vintage Rifle, Vintage Pistol, Modern Rifle, Modern Pistol. (A season was seven monthly matches.)

AS the supply of surplus Lake City arsenal .30 Carbine dried up, commercial .30 Carbine was pricier and occasionally 100 rd or 200 rd .45 Range Packs were unfindable. I was gifted a Yugo M70AB2 (AK variant) by my son. I bought a CZ-52 pistol for $129. 7.62x39mm and 7.62x25mm military surplus was cheap and meant less wear on my .30 carbine and .45 pistol.

I was bringing four guns to the matches for Vintage Rifle, Vintage Pistol, Modern Rifle, Modern Pistol.

The range master decided to suspend the ban on optical slights (ACOG, Red Dot, etc) by creating a new Modern Military Rifle category and iron sighted 1947 & later became Vintage Modern Rifle. My son found out and had me test his M4gery build by shooting it for a couple of seasons.

So I was bringing five guns to the matches for Vintage Rifle, Vintage Pistol, Vintage Modern Rifle, Modern Rifle, Modern Pistol.

Yes, I began to feel I was bringing too many guns to the range. Especially if I brought other guns to sight in or test ammo or function after the matches were over.

I brought two shotguns to the Jackpot shoot today; only shot one, though. I brought the other to find out whether it was worth what I paid for it from a guy who collects them. It was. I could have shot it, I shot a 23 with it Thursday.

My ranges are a 90-second ATV ride from my house. I almost always only take one gun/ammo caliber/target type/training plan combination with me at a time.

When I'm done with that combo, I just ride back to the house and swap things out.

Unless I've got grandkids visiting. Then it's time to load up lots of everything for a fun morning on grandpa's range. I've never taken too many guns to the range when grandkids come to shoot!

I try to limit myself to 4 guns, in whatever combination. More than that and I end up putting wrong stuff in wrong places, then next range trip find my missing this in my that box.

I'm sorry, your question does not compute

Riomouse911 said:

Stay safe.

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90% of my "trips to range" are the small range we built on one end of my pasture. Shooting is done by myself and any number of my 12 grandkids, plus friends, parents, relatives, co-workers and others.
I normally bring 10+, at times +++++
Introducing new shooters, teaching kids, or just trying a caliber or type of gun they have never used.

As a retired, State certified, Hunter Safety Instructor; safety is ALWAYS #1.

Neverv too many but always more than I actually shoot.

Have you ever brought too many guns to the range?

It depends…
At Cowboy Action matches I used to bring spares that never got used or loaned so I just took what I needed. Then I broke something and regretted not packing the extra guns. Murphy sux!

At desert shoots the answer would be “No”

But I don’t do desert shoots any more, mostly because I have no shooting friends here any longer. I won’t do a desert trip alone and besides, I gave my 16 year grandson my 4x4.

When I go to the indoor pistol range I usually take 2 or 3 guns and usually in the same or similar calibers.
9mm - 3 Glocks or 1 Glock and a PC Carbine
.38 - 3 or 4 revolvers
.357 - 2 revolvers
.22 - 2 revolvers

Lately I have been finding that 2 guns is good. I don’t pressure myself to rush and I always bring plenty of ammo. I had a great time Sunday shooting my 2 G34s and my son-in-law came along with his 19X.
Today I took my S&W 17 and my 63 and played with different .22 brands and velocities and have decided Winchester .22 LR annoys me so I gave the guys at the range around 400 rounds of Winchester.22 Xpert HV (Xpert my …) and some 36 grain high velocity stuff. I think I will stick with CCI, Aguila and Federal from here on out. Enough about that.

My answer is I take what I need to take to enjoy myself. Never too many.

Usually 5-7, but when starting on smallest caliber first to get my fundamentals going, I wind up never shooting the magnums if dwelling too long on one smaller caliber. Fatigue is the issue, so I started forcing the magnums in earlier. I only shoot some of them enough to warrant the cleaning. I am really just making sure I have enough guns and ammo to fill the time before tiring. I usually add a couple reloads of my current carry piece. With few exceptions, my outings are all revolvers, so I have to schedule semiautos in enough to maintain some level of comfort and skill with them.

Last time out I ran out of targets, and a range neighbor offered one of his. That was a nice feeling. A resupply should arrive with UPS shortly.

One thing I’ll add… always bring some .22’s for every range visit except shotgun clays. I consider .22’s a good warm up for the basics including trigger press, sight alignment, and just getting my head right.

I have .22’s that mimic most of my regular use guns. I find them a big help.

I almost always take "too many" as traffic makes it ~45 minute drive to the range so I like to have a couple of spares along so that a failure doesn't ruin my range trip.

Yes I have. A friend from Canada I've never shot with came down for the first time in years. There are far more gun restrictions there, so I brought almost everything on my range trip with him. We didn't get to shoot everything, and he was confused by the different types of firearms, and in shock/awe about our 2A rights. I didn't get it at first, because I have lived in AZ. for decades. Next time just a few.

Granddaughter is studying Special Education, wants to be a teacher. (and it would probably help her in dealing with me). She was working at a summer camp for handicapped kids. One of the other councilors was a 23yo Australian guy. The camp closed early because of flooding.
Liam didn't have anyplace to go and his flight home want for another week.
She called and asked if he could stay here and I teach him to shoot?

Our trip to the range included a LOT of different items. First up; safety class. He was attentive and polite. As i do with every class, examine ammo and components. Begin with .50cal muzzle loader, then .22, .357, .44, .223, .260, .30-30, .30-06 and .45-70.
Examine firearms, ML, bolt, lever, pump, semi-auto. SA, DAO revolvers and 1911.

Finally getting to the firing line, he was excited, but waiting for instruction.

We began with .22s. Rifles, bolt, pump, lever and semi-auto. Surprisingly, he loved the lever gun, but had no problem mag dumping the 10-22. Moving on to Single Six and the 1911ACE.

He was asking about the "big" calibers. We moved to .38Spl. The .357 got his attention. The .45C was impressive (a REAL Cowboy gun)
The .44Mag was 1 shot and done. "That is insane".
So, we go to the .50cal ML. Big boom, lots of smoke, rang the going loud. But, 2 shots and done. "It is sooooo slow to shoot."

Lever time; .44Mag, " a little better than pistol "
.30-30 " REAL Cowboy gun "
.45-70 "No, Thank You" "Can I shoot the AR?"

OK, safety class, again. Orientation and operation. Time to load up. 30 round mag dump. (can't stop grinning) " my government is so STUPID. We should have never let them take ours away. This is sooooo much fun. "

We get home, he gets another class. Time to clean. Then the final lesson. Sort brass and reload. Had him resize and put in tumbler.

Went out 1 more time before he went home. He asked me to video him shooting AR and Cowboy guns, with his phone. "So his friends would believe."

Too many? Nope.