silverlance
Member
I should have posted this earlier, but I kept running out of time (as a teacher I have to be in bed by 8:30). someone posted something about "rapid fire" and "clays on berms", so here's my story.
Last Sunday, my gf and I went to an outdoor range in the Los Angeles area (i won't tell which, insurance might be listening). It was great - they sell dogs and chili there, and as a member my gf shoots free. After a few hours of good shooting for both of us we sit down behind the line to chow down.
Mid-bite, she looks over past me and asks, "What are those guys doing?"
I look over and see four scruffy Mexican cow-bangers (no disrespect to mexicans - you kinda have to live in CA to get this but if you do you have an instant mental picture - imagine guys who wear cowboy boots all the time, big belt buckles, hats, .25 autos in their boots, drive big trucks, and do all this while living in the middle of downtown LA... supposedly a lot of them are mexican mafia but i'm sure a lot just act it up) planting clays all over the range.
Having seen it before, I tell the gf, "Eh, they're just shooting clays... kinda hard and a pain the ass to clean up."
She nods, and keeps watching.
The rangemaster comes over and the three of us start a brief chat. He declines free chili.
Then the line is hot and as i put my muffs back on i notice that the CB next to me is wearing cleaning patches for ear protection!! I watch kinda bemused as the guy and his little brother who's probably 12 or so (and also wearing patches for ears) immediately start rapid-blasting away with very nice kel-tec ca su16s. the rounds go all over the place and as the two empty the kid yells, "I win!" apparently they were trying to race to empty.
their ass, not mine, i figure, and after friendly grin to them i turn back to my gf and table and shoulder my sks.
just as the front sight post gets into focus, i decide to try shooting with both eyes open. i do this a lot with the p228, and wanted to see if i could hit black with the heavy yugo.
as the other eye creaks open, i am absolute SHOCKED to spot a head suddenly pop up downrange !!!
i immediate lower the gun to safe and yell out loud like a parade marshal just goosed, "CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE!"
the RO comes running and then all chaos breaks loose as Loudspeakers blare and everybody quickly safes their guns and fall back.
apparently, some idiot decided to plant clays right on top of the far berm, then fell over to the other side. his CB friends didn't notice because there were so many of them and they had gotten caught up in the excitement of mag-racing. after hitting the dirt (and probably getting a lungful of lead dust), the bloke and gotten up, dusted himself off, and climbed back up top just as a hail of bullets went every which way.
the RO proceded to yell the ???? out of him as he stumbled his way back down the berm and of course he got immediately ejected along with his friends / family. the one guy in their family who seemed to know what he was doing was an old mexican gentleman who had missed the idiocy because he had been sweeping brass while the others were monkeying around with the berm.
Bejezus, if I hadn't opened my other eye there's a really good chance I could have put an round right through paper and then through him.
--------------
point of the story:
1. ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS, EVEN AT A RANGE! idiots are everywhere and we who are wise need to look out for them.
3. keep a close count of your party when you are handling firearms. don't leave one behind... or a firearm, either.
4. line cold -> line hot (and vice versa) is a VERY serious time. don't do what i did and distract the RO with chili. one should be helping him keep order instead - and guarding possessions.
...
anyway, that's my story that's loosely related to mindless rapid fire, berm clay-laying, and getting caught up in the moment.
Last Sunday, my gf and I went to an outdoor range in the Los Angeles area (i won't tell which, insurance might be listening). It was great - they sell dogs and chili there, and as a member my gf shoots free. After a few hours of good shooting for both of us we sit down behind the line to chow down.
Mid-bite, she looks over past me and asks, "What are those guys doing?"
I look over and see four scruffy Mexican cow-bangers (no disrespect to mexicans - you kinda have to live in CA to get this but if you do you have an instant mental picture - imagine guys who wear cowboy boots all the time, big belt buckles, hats, .25 autos in their boots, drive big trucks, and do all this while living in the middle of downtown LA... supposedly a lot of them are mexican mafia but i'm sure a lot just act it up) planting clays all over the range.
Having seen it before, I tell the gf, "Eh, they're just shooting clays... kinda hard and a pain the ass to clean up."
She nods, and keeps watching.
The rangemaster comes over and the three of us start a brief chat. He declines free chili.
Then the line is hot and as i put my muffs back on i notice that the CB next to me is wearing cleaning patches for ear protection!! I watch kinda bemused as the guy and his little brother who's probably 12 or so (and also wearing patches for ears) immediately start rapid-blasting away with very nice kel-tec ca su16s. the rounds go all over the place and as the two empty the kid yells, "I win!" apparently they were trying to race to empty.
their ass, not mine, i figure, and after friendly grin to them i turn back to my gf and table and shoulder my sks.
just as the front sight post gets into focus, i decide to try shooting with both eyes open. i do this a lot with the p228, and wanted to see if i could hit black with the heavy yugo.
as the other eye creaks open, i am absolute SHOCKED to spot a head suddenly pop up downrange !!!
i immediate lower the gun to safe and yell out loud like a parade marshal just goosed, "CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE!"
the RO comes running and then all chaos breaks loose as Loudspeakers blare and everybody quickly safes their guns and fall back.
apparently, some idiot decided to plant clays right on top of the far berm, then fell over to the other side. his CB friends didn't notice because there were so many of them and they had gotten caught up in the excitement of mag-racing. after hitting the dirt (and probably getting a lungful of lead dust), the bloke and gotten up, dusted himself off, and climbed back up top just as a hail of bullets went every which way.
the RO proceded to yell the ???? out of him as he stumbled his way back down the berm and of course he got immediately ejected along with his friends / family. the one guy in their family who seemed to know what he was doing was an old mexican gentleman who had missed the idiocy because he had been sweeping brass while the others were monkeying around with the berm.
Bejezus, if I hadn't opened my other eye there's a really good chance I could have put an round right through paper and then through him.
--------------
point of the story:
1. ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS, EVEN AT A RANGE! idiots are everywhere and we who are wise need to look out for them.
3. keep a close count of your party when you are handling firearms. don't leave one behind... or a firearm, either.
4. line cold -> line hot (and vice versa) is a VERY serious time. don't do what i did and distract the RO with chili. one should be helping him keep order instead - and guarding possessions.
...
anyway, that's my story that's loosely related to mindless rapid fire, berm clay-laying, and getting caught up in the moment.