Interesting Range Rules?

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kd7nqb

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So, I recently read the thread dealing with the One round per magazine range rule, which I had never heard of prior to that. Then today I called a range in my area that I had never been to and the mentioned that they only rent guns if you bring in a firearm to shoot with. The officer (The range is a public range run by the Sheriffs department) did not really elaberate on the policy. I have heard of this policy for when a person goes in their by themselves without a firearm and wishes to rent but never a total prohibition.

The reason this becomes an issue is that for a variety of reasons I dont own handguns yet. Namely because I am under 21. I brought up the issue of me being under 21 and he said if I brough in a pistol that he could still sell me ammo since I am keeping the ammo on premises.

Also the man mentioned that they only allow one gun per lane at each time. Personally this seems to be an issue because one of the things I do now is rent multiple guns in the same caliber so I can compare them over the course of a box or 2 of ammo.

Anybody else had experinces like this?


In contrast here is how the range I normally shoot at goes.

If your 21or over you can shoot any of the rental guns or bring your own

Under 21 MEMBERS can bring an over 21 guest and shoot with them

Any members can bring a guest under 21 but over 14 to shoot.
 
The rule about only renting a gun to you if you brought your own may be an effort to curb the (apparently rising) number of suicides that have been occuring at ranges, using a rented gun. The logic being that if you wanted to commit suicide, you would have done so by now with your own gun.

As to the other rules you mention, who knows.

One of the ranges here has a rule about only one shot every three seconds on the rifle range. I guess this is an effort to keep rounds from going over the berm, but it sure is annoying, and they have no such rule on the pistol range. That range isn't much for practicing double taps with a carbine.

Any range that has a "one round per mag" rule, I simply wouldn't shoot at. Hell, you can't even tell if your gun is functioning properly at a range like that.
 
Range rules are not standard, and I know of no proposed or suggested standard. The rules are usually "ad hoc", which is fancy Latin meaning "to the thing." In this case, it means they made up the range rule for the future handling of a condition that got them in trouble. Example: an outdoor range might ban tracer bullets after the grass caught on fire, or ban rapid fire after somebody sprayed the target area and wrecked the target holders.

Once in place, range rules become sacred, even after everyone has forgotten why they existed in the first place. Add range officers who are overbearing, arrogant and nasty, especially those who have a "cop" attitude (or are cops), and a range can become very unfriendly. The really bad side, is that it may often be the only place to shoot for many of us.

Jim
 
We went to a range a couple weeks ago that had the one round rule. We noticed that we were the only ones following this rule. Oddly enough, we were the only two that were not members. The other ten shooters were.
 
i brought a machine gun to a range once. asked if there were any special rules. guy says, "subgun caliber only, and please don't shoot the f*ck*n' ceiling."

i like this place a lot.
 
The place where I shoot is pretty, no make hat VERY casual about shooting. rules. There is no on-duty RO. Its pretty much up to the folks shooting to police themselves, which works out pretty well.

Their 2 main rules are:
Clean up your brass before you leave.
No shooting glass.

Of course, the standard safety rules are posted everywhere, but with no RO on duty, there's really no one to enforce anything, so if you want to juggle loaded pistols (3 is pretty easy but 4 is tough) or try to balance your rifle on your nose (its not as easy as it sounds), or use your kids as a target holder (oh come on, they're only .22s, and besides, I'm a pretty good shot) there's no one there to stop you. This has its ups and downs. There are no Range Nazis there to hassle you about petty bulls**t, but if an idiot shows up doing stupid s**t, you have no recourse other than to call him an idiot and leave.

Disclaimer: The stunts mentioned above are shown only for humorous illustration and do not reflect the policies of my gun glub or my own personal practices.... usually :D
 
If you are sitting next to someone who irritates you on a plane or train....

1. Quietly and calmly open up your laptop case.
2. Remove your laptop.
3. Turn it on.
4. Make sure the guy who won't leave you alone can see the screen.
5. Open your web browser.
6. Close your eyes and tilt your head up to the sky.
7. Then hit this link: http://www.thecleverest.com/countdown.swf
Click to expand...

Now that's funny. But it seems to me that this would fall along the same lines as simply saying "bomb" on a plane and would get you into a helluva lot of trouble.

But it's still funny.:D


On topic: I'm glad I live in a rural area with a wide open public range and TONS of public land to go shooting on if I get annoyed with folks at the range. Using your kids as a target stand, indeed.:D
 
Using your kids as a target stand, indeed. :D
Click to expand...
They're tough. They can handle it. Sometimes the ER nurses start asking questions but we just tell them that they fell off their bikes.

Seriously though, I know what you mean about living in the country. The range I shoot at is only a few miles from my house. If I want to go out into the woods and shoot, there are all kinds of places there. The range is just the most convenient. All the threads about crime, not letting your neighbors know you have guns, and all the other 'urban' issues, are mostly lost on me.
 
I have been to ranges

That say no more than 1 round per second, but one at a time? Am I understanding this right? To you load one round in the mag, drop the slide, BANG, drop the mag, load one round, etc..?
 
We have the "slow fire, controlled fire" rule.

It's basically garbage, but there are a LOT of yahoos in there. Guys shooting AKs from the hip, hitting the floor, the cieling, the walls, not the target.
Trick is, be the only member on your bay, then you can shoot the way you want to, work on reloads, shots from the draw, etc.
Steve
 
I guess at a busy range, that gets its share of gangsta and other idiot shooters, I can see the need for some rules regarding rates of fire and such. But there are legitimate uses for more than 1 round in the mag and 'rapid' fire.

2 of the stages in high power competition are rapid fire, 10 rounds in 60 or 70 seconds. You load a mag of 2 rounds, fire it, then load a mag of 8 rounds and fire it, in 60 seconds for sitting and 70 seconds for prone. Practicing for matches requires a lot more than just sighting in your rifle from a bench one shot at a time, as many ranges seem to only allow.

That's the main reason that I'll never shoot at a PA Game Commission range again. The range Nazi at the local PGC range hassled me about shooting too fast and having more than 3 rounds loaded at once. He proceeded to lecture me on how there's no reason to load more than 3 rounds in a gun at a time. I suggested that perhaps he should get to 'know' himself in the biblical sense, packed up my stuff and left.
 
We went to a range a couple weeks ago that had the one round rule. We noticed that we were the only ones following this rule. Oddly enough, we were the only two that were not members. The other ten shooters were.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure I know the range you are referring to. (Kenmore?)
The "one round" rule only applies to non-members on the rifle range as the RO doesn't know you from Adam's Off Ox. Members have already been "vetted" and are allowed to "multi-load". Just pony up the membership dues, get approved by the range committee and you too will be allowed to load more than one round at a time. The pistol range doesn't have this rule, but does enforce the "1 per second" rule. The pistol range may require you to take instruction from the RM if you can’t keep your shots on paper.
One of the reasons for all of this is that this range is very conscious of rounds “escaping” the facility. There has been a big push to close them down by the new housing developments that have moved into the neighborhood.
 
I'm happy that my range has a common-sense approach to the rules. Some of these rules are ridiculous...one round per magazine!?!? We just have the typical...no rapid fires, but double-taps with a pause are OK. Bring as many guns as you want. Bring as many shooters as you want but you they may group you a specific way to allow more customers to shoot. No idea about rental gun policy. I've been going there for about a year, have bought 4 guns from them and attended their CHL class so I'd imagine they'd deem me OK if I just popped in empty handed and wanted to rent a gun for a few dozen rounds. This is a good learning experience though...learning what to look for in ranges.
 
The rule about only renting a gun to you if you brought your own may be an effort to curb the (apparently rising) number of suicides that have been occuring at ranges, using a rented gun. The logic being that if you wanted to commit suicide, you would have done so by now with your own gun
Click to expand...

that doesnt make any sense it only takes one gun to committ suicide, never herd of any one using multiple guns :neener:
 
that doesnt make any sense it only takes one gun to committ suicide, never herd of any one using multiple guns
Click to expand...

I do believe thats the whole point of the rule.
 
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