Required to wear cap at gun range.

Y'know, in reading through this, I've never needed a hat for other people's brass--closed shirt, but not a hat.

There have been times on outdoor ranges where it would have been good to have everyone in some 'blaze' color hat, to sort out who was on, ahead, and behind the line.

But, that also brings up the thought of "range hats"; not sure I want the "loaner" hat anywhere near me.

So, if it were visibility, you can get the ASTM "hit me" vests pretty cheap and not have the "I ain't stickin' that on my head" issue. Maybe.

Been some indoor ranges I wanted the combined hard-hat & hearing/vision protection rigs. (And, I've worn flight-deck "cranials" for that reason, too.)

I once drove 40 miles to the Palm Beach Co Police range. ( open to public some weekends) Only to be turned away because of no hat. Luckily someone saw me about to blow up and offered me his extra cap.
Now I keep an old one wadded up in my shooting bag just in case.

I had the brass go right downthe front of my shirt. If I was wearing a ball cap it would have bounced off the bill. Guess what? I don't shoot without wearing a ball cap, ear and eye protection now.

ryanrichmond said:

There was a thread not too long ago where the poster said the range officer told his wife that head shots on targets weren't allowed. Something about shooting the track that the targets run on. I guess I understand their position on that but what if you're 6'9'' and taller than the angle of trajectory that would damage the track?

In the grand scheme of things I guess having to wear a hat isn't a "bad" thing. Is this an outdoor range?

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I thought that rule about headshots at my local range was a bit asinine too, until I was present to see a guy shoot the target hanger down in the lane next to me. Sure, it's a rare happenstance (about as rare as a 6'9" shooter), but some ranges don't want to deal with that stuff. It's an added expense to fix, plus that's one lane that no longer brings in revenue until fixed.

About the ballcap, I once had a shell casing bounce off the lane partition and nail my trigger finger right on the knuckle (what does this have to do with a ballcap?). I shrugged it off, finished the magazine and set down the gun, made sure it was clear, handed the gun off to my father only to notice that my right hand was covered in blood.

Now, considering my luck (YMMV), I wear a cap at indoor ranges so my head (another hard case) doesn't get the same incident, which believe it or not, I've had some shell casings bounce off and hit my head onto my shoulder and burn me on the neck.

So now, I wear a turtleneck, gloves and shoulder pads...

Just kidding, but a cap is a good idea to wear at indoor ranges and while I can't say I'd ever make it mandatory, I would give better consideration to their reasoning if it was instead strongly recommended. Most ranges already make you sign an injury waiver and verify your age anyways, right?

Y'know, in reading through this, I've never needed a hat for other people's brass--closed shirt, but not a hat.

There have been times on outdoor ranges where it would have been good to have everyone in some 'blaze' color hat, to sort out who was on, ahead, and behind the line.

But, that also brings up the thought of "range hats"; not sure I want the "loaner" hat anywhere near me.

So, if it were visibility, you can get the ASTM "hit me" vests pretty cheap and not have the "I ain't stickin' that on my head" issue. Maybe.

Been some indoor ranges I wanted the combined hard-hat & hearing/vision protection rigs. (And, I've worn flight-deck "cranials" for that reason, too.)

Next thing you know they'll require an athletic cup.

Like others, I have had hot brass bounce off the partition and land behind my glasses or down the front of my shirt, tucked of course. After experiencing this, I usually wear a hat when I shoot at an indoor range.

I remember the the first time I got hot brass behind the glasses, . Fortunately, I was able to overcome my reflex reaction well enough to keep the gun pointed down range and set it down with the safety on, before reaching for my glasses, or otherwise something very bad could have happened.

Whether or not there should be a rule can be debated, but I think there is a benefit to wearing a hat, particularly at an indoor range.

Do they ban low cut tops for the ladies as well? Seen some interesting brass related incidents there...

It's too keep the hot brass out of your glasses as a previous poster stated. In an indoor range, it's a much bigger risk due to the empties bouncing off the dividers and coming back at you.

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I've had this happen to me as well. Was shooting my revolver when brass from .40 S&W in the lane next to me came over the partition, and landed behind my glasses, coming to rest on my cheek bone just below my eye. HOT!!! and left a small burn mark. Had the good sense to put the revolver down, and then dislodge the hot brass. Figured it was a 1 in a million type thing.

It's possible someone "lawyerd up" after a similar situation, and now everyone at that range must wear a hat.

Do they ban low cut tops for the ladies as well? Seen some interesting brass related incidents there...

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I've seen the range officer at my local range let ladies with low cut shirts know what can happen, and let them decide on their own if they want to cover up or not.

I have a scar from a piece of hot 10mm brass that got between my eye and glasses.
It seems a little 'big brother-ish', but the eye and ear protection requirements probably seemed that way too back in the day.

Maybe too many bald guys are causing a glare off their shiny heads ...

We have a range that requires all silhouette targets be turned upsidedown due to people shooting the trolly the target runs on. Backwards head shots...

Bottom line?

Their range, their rules. Shoot somewhere else if you don't want to wear a ball cap.

I've experienced, and observed, any number of minor injuries that would have been prevented if a ball cap (or cowboy hat) had been worn, as well as potential injuries which were prevented when a hat was being worn.

Just the other night I had a .45 case bounce off my stetson (from another shooter). I've had my fair share of minor cuts and burns from ejected brass hitting my face and head.

Head gear has become as just about as much a part of my range attire as eye & ear protection.

Then again, I remember when some instructors were a bit disgruntled when they were told to start wearing body armor when qualifying people, and the people qualifying were ordered to wear them (their own, or a range vest).

Having seen the way some public ranges operate, I'll probably continue to wear one of my vests when I eventually start to use a public range again some day.

I couldn't believe this thread, but here they are...

http://www.sharpshootersusa.com/Shooting-Range-Rules.html

It's their range they can do what ever they like.

HAHA i almost fell over laughing when i saw this thread. I knew it was going to be Sharpshooters before I even clicked on it. I asked myself the same question when I went there yesterday! I loved the range but felt like an idiot wearing that little paper cap I had to pay $2 for. There was a Smith and Wesson rep there, and of course he didn't have to wear one when he took my SD40 for a spin and hooked me up with new mags and bought me a box of ammo. I really love the facility

First IDPA shoot I ever participated in required a ball cap. Didn't think that was too unreasonable.
Maybe if I'd been doing it for 15 years and they came up with that rule all of a sudden, I might have a problem with it.

Yeah, well, I was raised where rules were not always a good thing, therefore bend 'em, until they break.

While I understand the reasoning, as shared about brass and other reasons...
I wore/wear cowboy/outback type hats. Yes, it ticks /ticked off some range folks, "not wearing a ball cap", but then again, I did not get/ don't get rain down my neck, nor sunburned ears.

It also seemed/seems the correct Civil Disobedience thing to do, to shoot a single shot rifle, shotgun, or revolver.


Yeah I wear ball caps, usually to tick folks off about their thoughts about wearing ball caps...

I keep telling folks, I was raised right. "grin*

Seriously, I've had hot brass on my face many many times and it's not exactly a major threat to life and limb.

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It's not a major threat to your life. Although, I have seen some shooters at the range take a hot brass down the shirt and carelessly wave the hand holding their firearm around while they are trying to get the brass out of their shirt...Finger on the trigger the whole time. I could see how a minor burn could result in a serious situation for someone else.

Anyway, are there any regulations on the type of hat? Could it be a beanie? Or a cowboy hat... Doo-Rag maybe? Hehehe

I have learned to wear a cap and a close fitting collar. Always like to wear shoes or boots as well.

I shoot revolvers primarily and I have had hot brass down my shirt several times, and bounced off my hat more times than I can count. You can't see what's going on in the adjacent lanes, so how are you gonna know if the guy next to you just tagged himself with brass and now has his gun pointed at your head with his finger on the trigger? I, too have seen the trolley cables shot down. Many have mentioned in this thread that they put their gun down when hit with brass, but most on here are regular shooters. I don't think it is smart to assume that everybody around you on a given day has the same experience level, or is safety-conscious.

That has got to be the most idiotic rule in the books.
I understand some general safety rules but essentially enforcing a dress code or clothing or hair preference is a big difference to enforcing safety.

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Have you ever worked in an industrial area? These are commonly regulated as part of the SAFETY RULES.

Men Without Hats - Safety Dance

Hats, in my experience, interfere with ear cans and make them less effective, even more so than glasses do. I always take my hat off when actually shooting. Yes, I've been beaned by shell casings more than a few times. Some from my own (usually a .45), and some from other shooters (usually someone with an AR15 that has an overzealous ejector). Never had it hurt me. And with the way I wear my sunglasses or shooting glasses, there's no real way anything is getting between them and my face. I'd rather risk the insanely small risk of something happening due to not wearing a hat than the genuine risk of ear damage due to my muffs not fitting properly.

Had some brass bounce off the walls at my range and get caught between my glasses and my forehead (right between my eyes.) Caused a blister and a small scar. I wear hats now.

TMann