Good day at the range today.

[Cryogaijin]

In preperation for doing some teaching, I went to the range today to sight in my rifles. Despite having issues with my r597 not feeding well, I enjoyed shooting it. (The aluminum magazine is oxidized, and thus rough. It grips the rounds such that having more than 4 in the magazine means they won't feed.)

I was out at Brown's Camp in the Tillamook national forest, which is an unmonitored free to use gravel-pit/range. It was fairly busy, with a decent assortment of firearms being represented.

Next to me a group of 5 20somethings was out (three guys, two girls) with a .45 handgun, and their grandfather's Savage 99 lever action. They were short of hearing protection, so I offered them my spare set of electronic ears, and my emergency earplugs. They started doing typical "overexcited newbie with a firearm" things, so I stepped in and helped out a bit. I showed the girls proper handgun technique, and let everyone in the group fire my Saiga .308. (they fell in love with it.) I also let them fire my armscor m20p .22lr (which they also loved, due to the lack of recoil.)

As they had no experience with lever-action firearms, or indeed any internal box magazine firearm, I had to show them how to load the Savage. After their initial "squee!!" reaction they settled down and were decent at the range, following the rules closely.

They were amazed that I was set up on a pair of sighting targets 100 yards away (all my rifles are scoped) and was consistantly hitting them offhand. I let them each take a shot with my 30-06 hunting rifle, they all chose to aim at my 50 yard target, and each of them actually made a hit, though no bulls-eyes. (they fell in love with the Zeiss scope on my r700)

Now the Brown's camp range has strict rules on cleaning up after oneself. As my targets were simple paper on cardboard boxes, I brought a half lb of tannerite for each cardboard box.

Annoyingly I missed the first shot on my 50 yard target, but hit it on the 2nd. Got first shot hits on both my 100 yard targets, and my mess was cleaned up. All in all a very enjoyable range day.

I will note that every single person out there had to come over and gawk at my saiga .308. Full power .308 ammo from a 16" barrel speaks with authority!

 

[Fremmer]

Well done and good on ya for being friendly with new shooters. .308 semi heck yeah they liked it!

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Awesome! It's hard to beat a great day at the range! Especially when you get a chance to coach some newbies and have someone admire what you have.

After a long time talking about it, it looks like my wife and I will finally be taking our kids to an outdoor shooting range (SC DNR) next week. They're 11, 13, and 14 and excited as can be!

Our 13 year old daughter has called dibs on the shotgun as her first to shoot...Remington 870 12 ga. We plan on videoing their first time and I'm looking forward a very memorable video of her shooting that shotgun. Perhaps it'll end up on youtube...



At any rate, we plan on making it as enjoyable and exciting for them as possible, so I've been saving up a few plastic bottles and cans we can fill with water and shoot as well. Paper targets are fine, but life's so much more exciting when the targets actually react to getting shot!

 

[clg114]

We to have a unmonitored, free to use range in Canyon County, Idaho. It is provided for and maintained by the county. The rules are posted on signs. 60gal. trash bins with lids and wheels are provided. There is a nice cinder block out house and wooden, dirt filled shooting rests of varies heights. I worry about keeping our range. Every time I go shooting, there is trash all over the range and every thing is shot up. Even the outhouse! I have never seen any of this happening ,so I'm guessing it's just a few people doing the damage. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop this? I fear that the county will get tired of it and close the range.

 

[beatledog7]

Thanks for the reminder of what a good idea it is to keep a spare set or two of squeeze-ems in the range bag.

 

[loose noose]

clg114, I can feel for ya, I have the same thing happening at my range. About 18 years ago I built a wooden bench out of 2X4s and 4X4s and put some indoor/outdoor carpeting on the top. The second time I went out there some idiot shot it all up. Needless to say I didn't bother from that time on to build anything permanent out there. Now I take my portable shooting bench, and shooting stand, and steel targets out with me and they all go home with me when I'm done. Every once in awhile a bunch of us get together with our pick-up trucks and clean the place up.

Also that was a heads up helping those newbies out, I'll bet they really appreciated it. I've done that quite a few times out at the range I've just described. I'm hoping there are quite a few of us that would do the same thing.

 

[captmoto]

I had an opposite but positive experience Friday before last at my range. Next to me were a couple of older guys shooting a Colt .45 that he said his father bought in the very early 60's and a shotgun with slugs. I think one guy said he was 73.
He had quite a few questions about my AR and about the 5.56 round. They only stayed through 1 line break so I offered to let him put 1 mag down range. his eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. After he was done he was almost giddy and wanted to pay me for 10 rounds. I of course refused, his reaction to shooting my rifle was thanks enough. I let him take a live round for a little keepsake. I was also able to sight in my 96 Mauser Kimber Sporter in 6.5 Swede and easily reach out to 200 yards to the 12" steel plate. I have been out of shooting for a while so that was the first time I felt like I might once again become competent. I had a great day shooting.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

clg114,

Short of actually catching the culprits, I can't think of a way to actually stop such things. In fact, given the nature of such people, even catching them won't stop it...likely it'll spark a vindictive response.

The best you can do involves a long-term approach, in my opinion. Gatherings of buddies to clean the place up once in a while help. ESPECIALLY if you get the other people at the range with you involved. A little talking and camaraderie on the range while having a good time, followed up by gathering everybody up to "walk the range" in a line, from bench to berm, picking up trash and such.

It gets people involved in the actual cleaning/maintenance efforts and spreads good habits. When more people start doing that, fewer people trash it. If nothing else, it does a better job of cleaning up after a bunch of retards have trashed it, so it doesn't stay looking trashed so long.

Permanent destructive damage to structures is another matter, of course, since actual repairs will cost somebody time and money in the effort. But if the place is otherwise kept clean by the responsbile shooters, perhaps the repairs by the county will last longer on average as a result.

Needless to say, increasing the use of the range by responsible users means less time available for the retards to cause damage...but unless you have the time/resources, and other friends/associates with the same, to invest in more frequent range time, you can't directly affect this. But if the range is kept cleaner for longer times, it becomes more attractive to responsible shooters, which may help.

A combination of a clean range with decent advertising to increase responsible attendance might help.

 

[Al Thompson]

so I stepped in and helped out a bit

Excellent response and another good point encouraging us all to spend some time really learning about our hobby. Regardless of our individual experience (or lack of) level, sometimes you will be the "subject matter expert" on the scene.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I got to help out at the BB Range for the Cub Scout Day Camp this last week. It was a blast! BB Range is always the highlight for scouts and it seems they never get enough time shooting. Usually because their schedule is so tightly packed with activities that they have a really limited time to shoot, not to mention a serious lack of qualified range masters and scout helpers to actually run the range.

Coordinators often don't realize how much time it takes to control and safely cycle so many excited, attention-deficit, short-armed, little youngsters through the BB Range.

But this time we got every scout on the BB Range every day this time, punching holes in paper. I made sure every single one of them punched holes, too...there's nothing more disappointing to a young scout than to miss every shot and to have to walk away with a target devoid of holes. You want to see a smile that will light up a young boy's face and warm your heart, step in and help him hit that target, even if he needs to take an extra shot or two with your help afterwards to do it.


I mentioned earlier that my wife and I will be taking our kids out to an outdoor range this week. This will be their first time shooting "real" guns and they're very excited about it! Heck, I'm probably more excited about taking the kids out shooting than they are, and that's saying something! Ah, the looks on their faces!

Should be some good video memories from this!

 

[packpike]

It is indeed a wonderful sight to see. I took my 6 year old son to a SC-DNR range Friday afternoon to shoot his S&W M&P 15-22. He had shot it once before just randomly at a range that had no targets so this was the first time he had something to shoot at. At the end of the day he walked down range with me and asked, 'Dad are you proud of me?'' I've got to admit it choked me up a little. I of course told him that I'm always proud of him no matter what, but that his shooting was very impressive. He couldn't stop smiling. He brought his 2 targets home for mom to frame. Enjoy these firsts!

 

[Cryogaijin]

The way I see it, if I want to still be able to go out shooting when I'm my father's age, or hopefully my grandfather's age, I need to get as many new shooters into the sport as easily and painlessly as possible.

I find it a bit sad that many rifle/shotgun shooters don't understand how important really pushing a high-recoil gun into your shoulder is, especially for newbies. . .

 

[788Ham]

cig114,

I understand your feelings perfectly, as far as trash being left strung out everywhere! I belong to a private shooting club, nice range for big bore and pistol. On the 200 yard range, on each end is a 10" armor plated gong, orange painted, really neat to see the reactive swinging. Some knot head will invariably shoot these gongs with armor piercing rounds, absolutely ruining them, each and every time they are replaced! A letter goes out each month to members via E-mail, it emphatically asks for names of anyone known to cause this destruction, they will automatically be shown the gate if caught. It just takes from everyones pocket when these are replaced, think they'd catch on, but not so far.....

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

cig114,

I understand your feelings perfectly, as far as trash being left strung out everywhere! I belong to a private shooting club, nice range for big bore and pistol. On the 200 yard range, on each end is a 10" armor plated gong, orange painted, really neat to see the reactive swinging. Some knot head will invariably shoot these gongs with armor piercing rounds, absolutely ruining them, each and every time they are replaced! A letter goes out each month to members via E-mail, it emphatically asks for names of anyone known to cause this destruction, they will automatically be shown the gate if caught. It just takes from everyones pocket when these are replaced, think they'd catch on, but not so far.....

The range should try 1/2 inch thick AR500 steel, then.

They're not likely to punch holes through that very easily...in fact, they're far more likely to tear it loose from its support, and that's only if what they're shooting is powerful enough to do that. (Or they cut through the chain supporting the plate.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi6YL_z1ueM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJdz8iVUtiw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGsXye6Bqe8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c9G4hJv9qM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Aj_2ZmTvo


Buddy of mine at work got me a 12 inch square piece that I'm going to hang across "The Swamp" at a friend's house this summer.

 

[jack44]

I will note that every single person out there had to come over and gawk at my saiga .308. Full power .308 ammo from a 16" barrel speaks with authority!

People did the samething to me when I was shooting my Marlin 45/70 at the range.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I'd gawk, too!

And not be one bit ashamed about it, either!

(I'd try not to actually drool on it, though...)