Going to the range = PITA. Am I the only one?

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JJohnston015

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This may be heresy, but every time I go to the range it's a big ordeal. Get the gun(s) out of the safe, find case(s) for them, dig through the box of holsters and mag carriers for the right ones (all black Kydex, all nearly identical in appearance), load up the ammo box with the right type and quantity of ammo, pack the range bag with ears, eyes, stapler, magazines, etc., load all that up, then realize target board is too shot up to use again, cut another piece of cardboard, dig out the stapler (naturally at the bottom of the bag), staple new carboard and white target paper, repack stapler, load target board & stand, find and load target anchor & hammer. Mentally go over checklist to make sure everything is there, and still forget spotting scope (on the bright side, less junk to pack).

On the way to range, have white target backer tear out staples and blow away. Make U-turn to retrieve it and run over it :fire: while pulling onto the shoulder. On the way home, forget the target is in the back, go through car wash, soak target stand with new cardboard.

Etc. :banghead:

Does anybody else go through this? Have you developed ways to streamline the process?
 
Eh, part of the game. It's what weeds out the gun owners from the gun enthusiasts. Can't stay in shape without exercising. Can't drink a beer without walking to the fridge, getting the bottle/can, and opening it.
 
Yea. Get in truck, drive to dump shoot at rats, tin cans , bottles and other junk. Get back in truck drive home. Guns and ammo stay in truck. It's the simple life.:D
 
Chris Rhines, Justin, and I have gotten ready for the range in less than half an hour. Setup time for targets is neglible. I've found that the key is to train and not plink. This means bring only the guns you want to train with and not everything you own. This cuts down on your ammo and accessories load as well. Also, preload your accessories bag beforehand.
 
Here's what I did to reduce PITA:

1) Move to the country.

2) Set up permanent range approximately 75 yards behind back door.

3) Consolidate shooting equipment in specific range bags or shooter's boxes.

4) Mount said bags and boxes on Honda ATV when I want to shoot.

5) If I DO forget something I either call wife on radio and ask her to bring it to me or putter back to the house on Honda--dang, I'm getting lazy.

:neener
 
Gee, sounds like an awful lot of trouble. Maybe you should take up another hobbie and sell all your PITA guns, at a loss, to MEEEEEEE!!:D :D :D

Seriously, sometimes I get frustrated finding all the various stuff for a range trip too. I can't remember all the times I got to the range only to find that I've left something crucial at home. Luckily I'm only four miles away.
 
I do hate the packing up, etc. for a range trip...and the putting-away afterwards...but I just went shooting Sunday for the first time in almost three months...and bouncing plastic bottles around the backstop at 100 yards with the SAR-1 made it all worthwhile! :)

Now to just keep those happy thoughts during the gun-cleaning process hahaha...
 
My range bag already has hearing & eye protection in there, as well as a host of other useful small stuff. Targets, markers, etc.
Guns are stored in rugs with appropriate magazines. Just grab and go. Other magazines are lying around, but the gunrug itself contains enough .
Kydex and mag carriers I only worry about for competion and CCW guns. Those are always near if not on the gun.
Replacing staples and cardboard is done when cleaning guns, so it is ready to go.
 
Here's how I spent three days last week:

Out of bed 07:10.
Shower, shave etc. - leave bathroom 07:28.
Get dressed. Open safe 07:36, throw guns, ammo, muffs etc. in bag.
Lock front door 07:42, catch bus.
Work. Log off 16:00. Have dinner in company cafeteria.
Catch subway, go to range, spend four hours.
Catch bus home 23:06, in bed past midnight.

During twelve hours at the range, I think I fired a total of 15 (fifteen) rounds. The rest of the time was spent coaching newbies. For free.

PITA? Nah, shooting is fun, why else are we doing it? :D
 
For me, going to the range is a hassle for two reasons

1) cost - $10/hr/person is high, in my opinion. I would buy a membership, but...

2) location - nearest range is 30 miles, and 45-50 minutes, away from where I live. This makes going there something of an ordeal.

All that being said, I still make sure to go at least once a month.

My favorite way to shoot is to head out to my mom's place in Houston - after a two mile hike through swampy forest I can shoot to my heart's content, for free, at my own targets.

I really need to find a swampy forest nearer to where I live, though...
 
I keep two range "bags". Actually locking briefcases. I must look like a yuppie shooter. ;) But it cuts down on the PITA factor.

One briefcase is for pistol shooting. Has all necessary ammo, favorite targets, hearing protection, spare mags for most-often-used pistols, etc.

'Tother briefcase is for rifle shooting. Has all necessary ammo, favorite targets, hearing protection, spare mags, etc. Also CLP and bore snakes in favorite calibers. That way, if WWIII breaks out on the way home, at leasst my bore is clean :D

I still forget something now and then, but its generally when I'm shooting something unusual. Now the routine is...

1) Grab the firerarm(s)
2) Grab the appropriate briefcase
3) Leave.
4) Replenish supplies upon return.
 
If you just leave all your gear in the back of your pick-em-up all the time, then you just need to bring along the firearms!
 
Yeah, I hear ya! I usually pre pack my 22 pistol, but also take house gun. In the few minutes before I leave, I load up ammo and another gun. I pick up targets at the range...they're cheap & I never have to remember to bring'em...
 
I guess I'm lucky in that I live about a 20 minute drive from my outdoors gunclub...$50.00/year and you get a key to the gate(s)!
It's really "spartan", but for $50.00, I'm not complaining.
There are separate pistol and rifle ranges. Pistol lanes have steel-plates that you reset with a rope & you bring your own stand & cardboard/targets if you want. After months of stuffing everything into a range bag(BIG one)and schlepping to and from the doublewide to the truck(sounds like White Trash, eh?), I realized, "why don't I just leave everything but the guns & ammo in the truck? With a locking camper shell and storage areas, I merely pick a gun(or two)with appropriate ammo and off I go.
A couple of my aquaintences refer to me as the Jewish Redneck. :rolleyes: Shalom, Y'all!
 
I keep a packed bag too. I also keep mags and holsters near their perspective guns. All I have to do is grab the guns of the week, appropriate ammo, a bottle of water from the fridge and I'm off. I can have my gear ready for any range session in less time that it takes to find my keys, shoes and jacket.

When I come home, I store all unexpended ammo, repack the bag with targets and anything else depleted during the session then clean and store the guns.
 
I live in the sticks, but due to jerks who post their land, I have to drive about 20 miles to go shooting. Used to only be about half a mile.
My main gripes are as follows.
1) It is cold, and I don't like cold at all. It is hard to shoot decent groups when your forearm keeps freezing to the sandbags.
2) my range membership only costs $10 a year, and I get a key to the rifle range included in that, but the range is only 100 yds. It is safe and doesn't bother anyone, but I would still like to try the rifles out at longer ranges.

haven't been out in about three weeks, so I am gonna have to go again pretty soon.
 
Some folks are just lazy and want everything easy.

I can grab some gear, gun and ammo, put it in the car, drive to the range in about 30 minutes and be shooting in less than an hour.

Because I don't want to find myself fat and lazy I make getting to the range more challenging sometimes. I have, a number of times, packed a gun, some ammo and ear pro into my CamelBak and ridden my Specialized StumpJumper Pro to the range and back. The ride is 41 miles round trip with an average wieght of 30 pounds in the CamelBak including gear and water. My range has targets and stands available, but I'd pull a trailer if I needed to.

It's a hobby, if you don't enjoy it find something else. Or stop whining about it.
 
we usually just grab the guns that we're planning on shooting that day (most of the time just one handgun and 1-2 rifles), toss then in the car along with "the bag" that has all the gear in it along with one ammo can with the ammo for the guns we're shooting that day.
 
Some folks are just lazy and want everything easy.

You mean like hurling insults from the safety and anonymity of the internet?

Or did you mean "name-dropping" so everyone kows how much you spent on your bicycle?

Do this: get cancer, beat it, then win 4 Tours de France, then talk about what a tough customer you are. :rolleyes:
 
The Nearest official range is just shy of 100 miles away, and my tired old engine doesn't like that pass (can you say lots of time in 1st gear?)

needless to say, I usually just go into the woods

NQS
 
I've got a cap on my truck, targets, stands, sandbags stay in the back. Usually just my Wife and I with 2 guns (our Primary IDPA pistoles). One gun case, guns on one side..speedloaders tools and the like on the other. One toolbox with ammo, pasters, staple gun.

One gun case and one small toolbox, load up and go.
 
does anybody use a range checklist?

maybe,one of the more computer literate

could help us with a printable checklist.

it seems i'm always forgetting a thing or two

on my trips:(

[]-ears
[]-eyes
[]-ammo
[]-targets
[]-mags
[]-spotting scope
[]-camera
[]-chrony
[]-etc...

might help w\PITA factor

at least for this clown anyway:neener:

clown
 
I have quite a few mags for each semi auto. The revolvers aren`t any problem. I keep targets and the rifle rest in the truck. Range bag is packed and I load the magazines the night before.

The biggest PITA is the range itself. It`s only a few miles but it`s a state range. 6 rounds for pistol, 3 for rifle, don`t shoot cans or other articles. The pistol range is 25 yards but I like to work close in. You can`t do that with other shooters around, usually rifle shooters trying out their scopes. At least it`s free.
 
I keep the number of guns and items down...

I take a 22LR to warm up with..
then whatever I will want to really practice with
Some targets,
A spotting scope,
And then my Range bag which has my Ammo, cleaning supplies, eye and ear protection as well as some target "patches", and a staple gun.

Thats about it.

After I warm up..I use an extra bench to let cleaning solvents soak in the barrel of my 22 while I am shooting my main rifle.
 
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