boy some people are such idiots

[silverlance]

went to the burro canyon (ca) outdoor moutaintop range, and noticed a few idiotic things. things that even as a newbie to shooting i never would have done.

1. shooting at nothing ("$10 deposit for a target! no thanks" "um, what are you going to shoot at?")

2. shooting 15 different pieces of trash: guy starts digging through trunk for cartons, cans, pieces of paper, to shoot at. continues to shoot at them as they blow across the range.... wonders why he gets yelled at...

3. climbing on top of the 15ft berm to place clay shards and 3" spinners. berm is about 100ft away from line. guy is shocked that his gun sucks because he can't hit them with a 9mm w/ iron sights. wonder how much lead he and his kids inhaled before they were yelled down...

4. "skeet shooting" oranges and apples. surprised that no one is too happy with them when fruit lands 4 feet away from line and guy fires at it. even more surprised that they are yelled at when they try to leave without taking the mess with them...

5. running out to put up targets WHILE THE LANE IS HOT AND PEOPLE ARE FIRING...

I've had unpleasant memories of certain RM (range masters) because when I was younger I often got harassed unfairly - probably because i looked like a kid with an ar15, as well as being the only non-white on the range, so i guess i drew some attention - but after seeing all this crap in ONE DAY of shooting I really wished that one of those crusty jerk RMs I knew when I was a kid were around.. they would have gotten right over there and made it very clear that what these people were doing was stupid and let the entire range know, too... without use of mikes.

Here's a question for you (esp those who are RMs): what should I do the next time I see something like this about to start? I'd hate to see anyone get hurt becomes of dumbarse antics, but even more so because they'd probably try to close my range down...

 

[Number 6]

That's the main reason I stopped going to Burro Canyon and am getting ready to go to Lytle Creek as I write this. I stopped going after I saw some kids trying to shoot skeet with their SKS. The range masters there just don't pay enough attention.

Next time you see such things happen I would try to politely go up to them and to explain what they are doing wrong. If they are unreceptive or are not listening to you, go tell the range master and have them asked to leave. Honestly there is no reason for such unsafe behavior; it would be courtesy for you to try to help them out.

 

[Pilgrim]

I stopped going after I saw some kids trying to shoot skeet with their SKS. The range masters there just don't pay enough attention.

In Kings County, CA, a couple of young men were shooting a SKS out along the irrigation canals, which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Somehow they managed to shoot and kill a man a half mile away. They knew what they had done and took off. They were eventually tracked down. The shooter was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

The owner of the SKS, I can't recall if it was the shooter, was charged with violating the CA 'Assault Weapons Control Act' because the SKS had been converted to take detachable 30 round magazines. After they left the scene of the shooting, he put the original SKS fixed magazine back on the rifle. His buddy 'ratted' him out about the magazine configuration.

Pilgrim

 

[Mauserguy]

That's why I don't go to Buro Canyon anymore.
Mauserguy

 

[Tokugawa]

A perfect example of how Hollywood has trained a generation of unsafe shooters. This is a great success for the anti's.

 

[mustanger98]

1. shooting at nothing ("$10 deposit for a target! no thanks" "um, what are you going to shoot at?")

I sometimes pick out claybirds or rocks on the 100yd berm and bust 'em.

2. shooting 15 different pieces of trash: guy starts digging through trunk for cartons, cans, pieces of paper, to shoot at. continues to shoot at them as they blow across the range.... wonders why he gets yelled at...

I sometimes improvise on targets too. Nothing idiotic about that, unless as you described, they're not tacked to a backboard so they can see what they're doing and not bother others.

3. climbing on top of the 15ft berm to place clay shards and 3" spinners. berm is about 100ft away from line. guy is shocked that his gun sucks because he can't hit them with a 9mm w/ iron sights. wonder how much lead he and his kids inhaled before they were yelled down...

I thought it was common sense that you put your targets in front of your backstop. To place them on top defeats the purpose.

I think that guy don't know how to shoot and don't sound like he'll learn.

4. "skeet shooting" oranges and apples. surprised that no one is too happy with them when fruit lands 4 feet away from line and guy fires at it. even more surprised that they are yelled at when they try to leave without taking the mess with them...

That was dumb.

5. running out to put up targets WHILE THE LANE IS HOT AND PEOPLE ARE FIRING...

Totally unacceptable for a couple of reasons. Nobody wants to get shot and nobody wants to shoot somebody. Not like that, anyway.

but after seeing all this crap in ONE DAY of shooting I really wished that one of those crusty jerk RMs I knew when I was a kid were around.. they would have gotten right over there and made it very clear that what these people were doing was stupid and let the entire range know, too... without use of mikes.

I would have. I know a guy in my local club who would. But at my club, we all serve RO duty- we all have the duty to watch and call on unsafe behavior. If it's somebody we know, just a reminder is sufficient. If it's idiots from elsewhere, more forceful attention may be required.