Scary ranges!

There's a local indoor range here that has literally no supervision.

Despite the huge picture window behind the counter, "management" is seemingly blind to whatever is going on on the firing line, to include three guys arguing with each other in Serbo-Croatian while wrestling over a loaded Remington 870.

I'd lay odds that I could reenact the water buffalo sacrifice scene from Apocalypse Now on the range and nobody behind the counter would even notice.

Haven't shot there in almost twenty years and won't be back any time soon.

Now that would be worth seeing...

The many bullet holes in the ceiling and walls of my public indoor range made me opt for the weekday membership when very few or no one else is there. The ventilation is better too.

Yes, Jay's guns and range in Baker, Fl. Poorly set up, a handgun range fan intersects the rifle range (where you are required to go downrange to set up targets) with no control measures to prevent cross-firing, target frames in poor condition (rusty nails and other junk sticking out and laying around everywhere) a junk car about 30 yards from the firing line (sure, you can shoot at it), firing positions WAY to close to each other (but separated by chicken wire so you don't get showered with brass from the bubba next to you doing a mag dump) and clueless RSO's, when they are there. Do not recommend.

stonebuster said:

The many bullet holes in the ceiling and walls of my public indoor range made me opt for the weekday membership when very few or no one else is there. The ventilation is better too.

Click to expand...

Sounds like Jim's in Fayetteville, NC.

H&H

Counter person takes new customer into range. Customer rented a M-29. Employee is behind firing line, showing customer how to load. LOADS! Explains SA / DA trigger. PULLS TRIGGER! Hole in ceiling. 4 shooters on firing line, under benches. Employee laughing, says he do that on purpose to emphasize safety and control. New Customer left.

At the range I used to go to in PA they had a separate fenced in range area for rentals, but you had to walk through the normal range to get to it. They would charge x amount to shoot 5 rounds of 44 mag or an AK etc. The customers were mainly tourists from NYC or Philly or an international crowd.

I'm shooting one day and a couple comes out of the rental range with a boy and a girl that were at most 10 years old. The kids run up to the bench next to my shooting station and try to grab one of my rifles. After them them sternly not to touch the gun the parents look to start a fight with me cause I dared to yell at their kids. While this is going one the range officer that took the group into the rental section slinked off cause he didn't want to get involved.

Years ago, I shot at a public rifle range near Houston. I thought they were pretty strict at the time, but after seeing some of these stories, I think they were doing okay. (Clearcreek Gun Range if I remember right).

Waveski said:

A while back I spent a few days at a friend's deer camp in northern rural Wisconsin. Nearby is a public range. Posted minimal rules , no enforcement. Backstop consists of a variety of small berms.
As I approach the firing line I observe a guy bench resting and sighting in his deer rifle, him being the only other person in sight. He is shooting at a sheet of cardboard that is propped up about 100 yards out on a small earthen berm , maybe the size of a Volkswagen. After about 5 rounds the shooter yells "Where am I hittin' ?" Up pops his buddy from behind the little berm - brushing the dirt from his head he cheerfully points at a grouping that is high right and says "Right here - off by maybe a half a foot!"
Shooter tweaks the scope and yells "OK - Get down , I'm gonna try again!" .

Yikes.

Click to expand...

The sad part of that is spotting scopes that will work at 100 yards can be really cheap. I once used one of the cheap Russian scopes that was $40 at the gun show. Worked fine for 100 yards.

MechAg94 said:

Years ago, I shot at a public rifle range near Houston. I thought they were pretty strict at the time, but after seeing some of these stories, I think they were doing okay. (Clearcreek Gun Range if I remember right).

Click to expand...

Clear Creek was a great range.

Finally shut down because of residential encroachment.

The houses were so close and thick, he could sell out, by the lot, for a fortune.

I was invited to finally get to shoot my 50-BMG at long range like a huge abandon strip job from
mountain to mountain. I was invited because I own a 50 of course. Didn't really know these guys
they just work for me from time to time.
The rifle weighs around 32 pounds, has to be transported unlike a regular rifle, it is as long as
a Disney Movie, and the ammo is included in the Fort Knox inventory if you get good stuff.
I pull up, they been shooting already. And about 4 empty BEER cans with a PAIR of coolers
set out for the rest of the day.
There wasn't any way to gracefully bow out, so I guess they won't be working for me
any more. Let's just say it wasn't what I would have wanted a kid to hear.
The same thing cost me one of my best deer hunting buddies as a friend.

Zerodefect said:

Detroit.

Click to expand...

Worst job I ever had was tail gunner on a pizza delivery truck in downtown Detroit

Zerodefect said:

Detroit.

Click to expand...

Lol

MechAg94 said:

(Clearcreek Gun Range if I remember right).

Click to expand...

The one between League City and Bayview?
Nice range. Not that much more strict than Carter's Country. Or HW out in Cypress Bend.

Zerodefect said:

Detroit.

Click to expand...

You win the internet for the day.

CapnMac said:

Or HW out in Cypress Bend.

Click to expand...

https://patch.com/texas/houston/gun-range-employee-indicted-hot-wells-shooting

Gravel pit 3 miles from my house.

I actually had the audacity to film myself handling multiple pistols that were never cleared on camera, and my hands occasionally moved in front of the muzzle multiple times. I then proceeded to fire the pistols at targets while my trigger finger went inside the trigger guard before I was ready to fire.

Can you imagine the hand-wringing and righteous indignation that followed after committing such egregious sins???

Not at a range, but on neighbor'sneighbor's deer lease.

He was going to be the only one there, not wanting to be in the wood alone ( pre cell phone ), he asked me to go with him.

We get the first morning and the weirdest weather I had ever seen. From the ground up to 6 foot, perfectly clear, unlimited visibility.
Absolute calm. 44°
6 foot from the ground, fog that was like looking at concrete.

He drives us to the back side of lease. Stops at any easily followed trail. Says, stand is 150 yards, on the right.

After walking what felt like half a mile, in see the ladder for the stand. Ladder? Unless the fog lifts, in will never see anything.
Well, lets check out the stand and see what the sitting arrangements are.
Up the ladder in go, a 20' ladder. Who built this thing?
Finally, getting to the blind floor, is lift the trap door to enter.
Just as I reach in, the god awfullest screech ever heard to mankind. A screech owl is sitting inside the blind.
When it can pry my other hand from the splintered rung, I enter the blind and close the trap door. I turn to the blind back and close the window.
45 minutes, the sun is coming up, fog is lifting and scanning every tree in sight, intent on introducing a 7mmMag Hornady Ballistic Tips at 3150 fps to a screech owl.

I never seen it.

About 10:30, a nice 10 pt came up behind me. I heard him, as he walked under the blind. Drew my .44M SBH and shot him at 5 yards.

Neighbor shows up, 15 later. Driving to camp, "did you hear that screech owl? I nearly crapped myself. I was walking to my stand. I tell you, he was close by"

Scariest range was a local one in Kansas that played host to the Chinese exchange students that never handled a gun in their lives. The ceilings looked like Swiss cheese and I got flagged too many times to count on a single range trip. Pretty unnerving to look over and see one of them flagging me with the barrel of a MAC-10 (class 3 range) with finger on trigger while they cackled away to their chums.

Never again.

rabid wombat said:

https://patch.com/texas/houston/gun-range-employee-indicted-hot-wells-shooting

Click to expand...

That was a bad deal there for sure and irresponsible so called gunsmith. I grew up shooting there in the 60s when the original owners were there. Dallas and her daughter Sheryl could shoot with the best of them. The grand kids took over several years back and it went way down hill. I quit shooting there when they told me I could not shoot my scoped 44mag on the 50 yd range.

We had a local gun shop with a indoor range built behind it. They had steel plates to deflect the rounds like they were supposed to but would only allow low power rifle & pistol rounds. When they sold the shop the new owners let any thing be fired & someone had to be firing armor piercing ammo because rounds suddenly flew through the bicycle shop's showroom behind them. The gun shop was shut down & never opened again.