Gun Culture: Older generation vs. younger generation

[easyg]

Think of it this way, If every chatroom on the internet was enforced with a small gun-toting robot on your monitor, able to be ordered to attack you by anyone you've offended with a verbal spew...

Then I damn sure wouldn't open with a smart remark toward anyone!

 

[jcwit]

The range that I frequent usually consists of old timers in their '70's to young men in their later teens or early 20's. We all get along just fine with very little problems, even when we get the new unknown folks, as long as their safe with their handling ect. theres no problem.

Only real problem I have with the young whipper snappers is they usually can outshoot me-----they don't shake as much as I do---yet!

Regarding the Grumpy Old Men statement, give a thought as to why they might be grumpy old. You watch your shooting go down the tubes compared to what it used to be. Mayhap the slow bench shooting is less painful for the older crowd. Ever have just about any movement hurt to the point you wish you could take more meds but you know you have to drive home? Many many other reasons but I think you see where I'm coming from.

Then you wonder why we're Grumpy Old Men? But we still like to shoot such as it is.

 

[Officers'Wife]

HI Jcwit,

Regarding the Grumpy Old Men statement, give a thought as to why they might be grumpy old. You watch your shooting go down the tubes compared to what it used to be.

Yeah... right... I remember when I was 14 or so my grandfather was showing me the high points of his newly acquired M1 Garand. After two clips that I had the higher score in an attempt to console him I made a comment that at his age his eyes weren't as good as they used to be.

I won't recount the rather humiliating result, only that if it was true he was the worst shot in his squad I rather feel sorry for the Germans they encountered.

 

[Hatterasguy]

I have never had a problem at the range, but frankly I don't give a damn if someone is giving me dirty looks. I'm to busy joking with my friends and having a good time, usualy busting my tacticool buddy's balls about his latest whizz bang AR stick on.


If they don't like me blasting rounds down range with my black rifle, well thats just tough.

 

[jcwit]

If they don't like me blasting rounds down range with my black rifle, well thats just tough.

Well that's a pretty heavy handed statement right there. And would not be likely to gain any friends. Remember you reap that which you sow.

Sounds like its all about "you" and very little about the group at large.

 

[Culwathion]

It's not generational - it's the composition and color of your firearms. I'm still (relatively) young, but because I typically shoot wood 'n' blued the "old guys" and I get along famously, right from the get-go. But I definitely notice the tsk-tsking when someone shows up next door with some fantastic plastic.

 

[Hatterasguy]

Well that's a pretty heavy handed statement right there. And would not be likely to gain any friends. Remember you reap that which you sow.

Sounds like its all about "you" and very little about the group at large.

Well as long as I'm being safe, frankly its tough for them. I'm paying good money to enjoy my sport, I don't complain or care about what they are doing.

Its a free country as long as you are being safe and are within the rules at the range than its not the other peoples business how you shoot.

If they have their deer rifles out and are sighting them in great, good for them, its not my business to tell them what to do. But don't come over and tell me I cannot shoot my FN49 they way I want to when its perfectly safe and not impacting their shooting at all. If I want to double tap and dump mags down range, thats my business not theirs. I'm a big history buff, I love collecting and enjoy shooting military rifles. Military rifles are not deer rifles and are ment to be shot.

People need to lighten up and realize that shooting is a vast sport with many different people from many different walks of life. We also need to remember were all on the same team.

Also I make a lot of friends at the range, anytime someone is shooting something interesting I go and talk to them and offer to swap rifles for a bit. Most gun owners are very eager to talk about what they have. I have met some neat people by going up and talking guns.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

One of them said, "look they got the targets 10 ft away to shoot at with thier machine guns!" I told them "I'll have you know that you can move those targets out 10 more feet and I will still miss them!" We had a good laugh, and they spent the rest of the afternoon shooting with us. Turns out they were just coming down to feel us out.

That's one of the most ways of "feeling someone out" I've ever heard. I wouldn't want to ever shoot with anyone who started a conversation like that, even if they did later claim to be joking.

 

[ljnowell]

That's one of the most ways of "feeling someone out" I've ever heard. I wouldn't want to ever shoot with anyone who started a conversation like that, even if they did later claim to be joking.

Seems a lot of people around here feel this way. I did too, but I am not going to force a confrontation at a Private club that I am a member of, sounds like a good way to get booted. Anyways, by not forcing that kind of confrontation I found out they are both OK guys, and we had a good afternoon of BSing and shooting together. They both owned ARs too, they were just coming down to feel us out.

It was OK with me, because I will not get defensive and argue, especially when guns are involved. I am a self-confident person that is proud of what I am, so I will not lower myself to argue over something as childish as that at a shooting range. If I would have I would have missed out on the afternoon of quality conversation and good times.

Not saying that all people are going to be that way, but thats how these two old guys were. There are lots that may just be jerks to the core, but there are a lot of younger guys that are arrogant little jerks too. It goes both ways.

 

[Byron]

Eassyon, don't let them get to you. They were like that when they were young except they criticized old men..These men are what I call experts: ex=has been,pert=drip. I am 62,have a Purple Heart,CIB and an ARCOM plus being fully disabled from the Nam war(4th Inf Div 11B).I appreciate what you and your friends are doing for us as I like to sleep knowing you and others are on duty. My range is On Target in Murfreesboro,TN.I like talking to young shooters(remember everyone is young to me). I like to talk to the young shooters.They are more up to date than I and it is just nice talking. Thank You again for what you are doing for the nation. Byron

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

"What you are when you grow old is merely a continuation of what you were all along." Forget where I first read that but I think it's 100% true. I have talked to people who have attended high school reunions and are struck by how some people never change. And some people were never taught manners
and never saw the need to pick them up on their own. On another board I visit someone said that one of the things that has contributed to the decline of the shooting sports is when younger people visit a local shooting club and encounter a bunch of grumpy old men with attitudes. There is a nearby gun club I stopped bothering with years ago after I encountered rudeness from a
member. Yes, shouting out the window of your car when you drive away is a coward's way of showing how bad you are. Making smart remarks is not a sign of nervousness or social awkwardness but of a rotten disposition. And some spend their lifetimes envying others without ever thinking that maybe they brought their problems on themselves.

 

[Joe Demko]

Ditch the bionic ears and get regular muffs. They were talking to each other, not to you. They didn't confront you or bitch at you. As I read your story, they didn't bother you at all. Your electronic gadget let you eavesdrop on them and you were owly because you didn't like what you heard. Were they under some obligation to talk nice to each other about you?

 

[punchdrunk]

a new opinion. Well i'll be hornswaggled.

 

[ChCx2744]

Just tune it out. Were they range staff? Do you work for them? Do you have any intimate or family ties with them? If not, who the flying rats toosh cares??? There are more important things/fun things you could and should be doing/focusing on while at the range than worrying about what a couple of tools have to say.

 

[ofitg]

I was at AJI sales in apache junction, they have an awesome selection of military surplus rifles. I was holding a vz24 (which I own myself) and was explaining to my friend why mausers very reliable (CRF, ect.) one of the customers there muttered "Kids like that shouldn't be using rifles"

I live in AJ too. Yeah, there are tons of jerks around here, you really notice it when you're driving around town. A lot of them are gray-hairs, but not all of them.

BTW, I'm a gray-hair

I hope you won't pre-judge me because of the rudeness exhibited by some stupid old fart in AJI Sales, and I won't pre-judge you because some young clown nearly ran me off the road down by the U.S. 60 & Signal Butte.

 

[Walkalong]

I hope you won't pre-judge me because of the rudeness exhibited by some stupid old fart in AJI Sales, and I won't pre-judge you because some young clown nearly ran me off the road down by the U.S. 60 & Signal Butte.

Well said.

 

[huntsman]

Ditch the bionic ears and get regular muffs. They were talking to each other, not to you. They didn't confront you or bitch at you. As I read your story, they didn't bother you at all. Your electronic gadget let you eavesdrop on them and you were owly because you didn't like what you heard. Were they under some obligation to talk nice to each other about you?

Dang new fangled gadgets; kids these days only want to play with toys, back in MY day we didn't worry about hearing protection.

 

[jcwit]

What'd you say, huntsman?

 

[Kingofthehill]

I'm 27 and have shot competitively since i was 11. I'm clean cut, well dressed and wells spoken. I tend to bring a good selection of firearms with me when i shoot and always have something on hand to appeal to just about anyone.

I get spoken down to by older guys all the time. It makes me sick. They try and tell me that im doing X wrong or try X ammo... blah blah blah.

It used to bug me, but i just smile and nod now. If they are being really annoying i smile and point at my targets LOL....

Try not to let it get to you, it's not gonna end anytime soon.

My favorite is when one of the older guys is doing something TOTALLY unsafe and when a younger guy tries to even SUGGEST something they get all huffy and puffy because they know EVERYTHING... geesh...

 

[JoeMal]

I was just talking about this in other thread of mine...this is why I hate going to a busy range I just say away from anyone over 40. It doesn't ever work out, and even when communication can occur, it's still a one-sided conversation.

"Those damn kids and their Glocks and their iPods"

 

[jcwit]

Maybe in certain cases what we have here is old folks "knowing it all" from experience, and young folks "knowing it all" from lack of the same. Putting it this way for lack of a better way of explaining it.

I tried and tried to convey the knowledge of adjusting the parallax of a scope to a younger shooter over a period of weeks to no avail, maybe I just wasn't explaining it correct, who knowes. I finally printed out instructions I found on the net explaining how to do the adjusting. Younger shooter read it and applied it and now shoots one hole groups, which is what he was after. I have no idea if he didn't believe me or if it was my inability to explain it correctly but the printed page won out in the end.

This all reminds me of a story I read one how the little boy thought his dad knew everything. Then as a teenager dad wasn't very smart after all. As a young man in his mid to later 20's dad had aquired all kinds of smarts all of a sudden. Finally in middle age the son only wished he could talk it over one more time with the old man.

Such is life.

 

[huntsman]

What'd you say, huntsman?

Being deaf does have its advantages; plausible deniability with the wife and you don’t hear what others are saying about you.

 

[huntsman]

Try not to let it get to you, it's not gonna end anytime soon.

Sooner than you think, just remember how it feels and treat the next batch of young-uns better.

 

[jcwit]

Very true on both counts, huntsman!

 

[easyg]

Mayhap the slow bench shooting is less painful for the older crowd. Ever have just about any movement hurt to the point you wish you could take more meds but you know you have to drive home? Many many other reasons but I think you see where I'm coming from.

If one needs to take pain meds in order to shoot, I think it might be time to stop shooting, or at least choose a less punishing weapon, like a .22 rifle.