Most embarrassing range moments?

[fiber optic]

My wife shot my Springfield 1911 for the first time over Thanksgiving weekend. She got ready standing a good 20 yards away from the milkjugs I'd set up earlier. I said, "You won't be able to hit it at this distance." Famous last words for sure.

Also the local indoor range typically hangs a lightweight chain from the paper targets, I'm guessing to keep the paper from fluttering. I've shot off so many of those chains it's not even funny.

 

[51Cards]

Ha! They do that to us, now and then!

My ex-girlfriend and I were upstate once, I said, "Here, try this Winchester." It's a Model 71, in .348. I have guns smaller than those cartridges. I told her to aim for a sapling about 30 yards away.

She says, "I don't know about this." Levers a shell in.

Cuts the sapling in half.

I guess she maybe did know about that

 

[Caimlas]

I've got a USP .40 which has been malfunctioning. However, when it started to do so, I was at an indoor range. What would happen is this: last and second to last round in the magazine would result in the magazine dropping free on its on volition on recoil, usually on the floor. Second time it happened it bounced out into the lanes further than I was able to safely/comfortably reach, and I had to call a range master to retrieve it.

 

[mikedavis120]

Um yeah oops...

12 years old first time shooting a large caliber pistol, a desert eagle .500 and i was so sure it wasn't nothin'... My friends dad laughed and said good luck.. at that i proceded to tap tap... on accident, I meant for one shot but the first shot made me smack my own forehead with the gun while the second shot when directly into the lighting. i put it down and said no next time he asked if i wanted to try it. Wait till i'm older thanks.. Never did that agian and since have became very proficient...

Guns are better than prozac.. btw

 

[FireArmFan]

4 years ago was my brothers first year hunting and he was going to be hunting with my dad so my dad decided rather than lugging around his rifle, he would borrow a revolver to carry since he was going to let my brother take the shot anyways. a few weeks before the season opened, we were shooting all our guns to make sure everything was shooting right. my brother was pretty small at the time (just barely 12 and small for his age) i shot the revolver a few times and then my dad let my brother try it. Don't remember who the manufacturer was but it was a rather large revolver in 45-70, had a small scope on it. my brother pulled the trigger and the recoil caused the gun to flip completely out of his hands and fall on the ground. we were at my cabin so their was no one other than us to laugh about it plus it landed on grass so it wasnt damaged.

 

[evan price]

Not really embarassing, more interesting. Lately we have been getting a lot of junk mail from a computer that truncates names that are longer than it's allowed to print.

My wife is wondering why my guns are getting mail for themselves now, we get stuff addressed to "KIMBER PRICE" (Her name is KIMBERly)

 

[silascobb]

Got an Enfield that is malfunctioning where the sear is not engaging the bolt/cocking piece, so upon cycling the action the bolt is not cocked.

Well I was trying to figure out why it wasn't cocking, so I pull back on the cocking piece lever trying to get it cock. My fingers slipped on the cocking piece, and it flew forward. Since the sear wasn't up high enough, the Enfield discharged without any trigger manipulation, nor my hands really on the stock.

Good thing it was pointed downrange (as they always are when I am messing with them).

 

[CannonFodder]

I went to a range with some buddies. They were cool, but the range was lame. I was rather embarrassed that I hadn't tried harder to convince them to come to my range instead.

 

[squinty]

Not sure I want to repeat this...for my concealed carry qualification I was so nervous I neglected to take hearing protection into the range....and DIDN'T notice until I had fired almost 50 rounds. There were 8 other people qualifying with me. No one noticed, I didn't mention it to anybody. Still have some tinnitus.

 

[Winter Borne]

My best friend Joe bought me a 10/22 for my 18th birthday. My very first gun! Such a friend. Now please bear in mind this is a lifetime ago. We took it to an indoor range with his two guns andhad a blast shooting all morning.

The range rented handguns too so I decided to rent a Beretta 92 and bought 100 rounds of 9mm. The range master must have suspected my apprehension becouse he asked twice if I had ever shot a handgun before. I of course said,"sure...lots of times." He then went on to remind me to keep the web of my hand clear of the slide...Well you can guess the rest. Three rounds later I'm back with a bloody right hand and a stupid look on my face.

He was very cool and after getting me some gauze and tape he spent about 40 min with me with and the rest of my ammo. Just thinking about it now some 20 plus years later I feel the old Dohhh!


mk

 

[WinchesterAA]

I rented a thompson SMG from a firing range a while ago. Never held one much less fired one, but I figured it out pretty quickly. Went to the line and dumped 150rds of .45ACP at lightning quick speed with a grin the size of Texas the entire time (and for the next couple of days too!)

anyway, I took the firearm back to the owner of the place with the bolt open (IE ready to fire)

safety on, everything seemed good to go AFAICT.

Not so, guy looks at me funny as I walk up to him, then he quickly checks the chamber and low and behold, I only shot 149rds. Got a nice reeming for that little mishap, but it was just the right amount of a reeming to make me check the chamber every time several times just to make sure, but not lose any interest in that firing range.

 

[FIFTYGUY]

For the record, I've left safeties on/tried to fire unloaded guns/had guns blow up/left critical parts at home/shot over or through backstops/damaged range equipment. More times than I can remember. Considering how infrequently I go shooting, this may be a bad sign...

Only incident worth describing was the time I *left* a round of ammo at the range:

Ever leave on a trip, only to have the sickening feeling that you left the stove/iron/faucet on?
Well, I was in bed the night after a Sunday at the outdoor range, and realized I might have not picked up a dud round that I couldn't get to light off. I got out of bed, checked the range bags and cans, and couldn't find it. I didn't sleep well that night.

I had to get up an hour and a half early Monday morning to drive out to the range and back before I had to go to work (in the opposite direction). :banghead: Just as I had feared, the dud was still sitting there on the bench where I knew I had left it.

"What's the big deal?" Well, I was shooting 20mm Vulcan from my rifle, and I was using empty High-Explosive Incendary projos, complete with inert fuzes. With my luck, one of the other range members would have called the bomb squad to dispose of the thing (especially a round with a dented primer but full of powder). Not good...

 

[jcoiii]

Last week I was doing the yearly qualifying. We had already shot our duty gun course, and I was shooting my off-duty course. My duty gun is a Glock 22, .40cal. My off duty gun is an XD .45 D). I stock a pocket with ammo for the course so I don't have to carry the box. I had managed to leave a single .40 round down in the pocket and then dumped 25 rounds of .45 in that pocket. Well, I was loading my mags for the course and managed to get that .40 round in a magazine. (We're supposed to load magazines without looking, always look at your target, etc, and I was chatting with the RO as well.)

Sure enough, I get to the first stage. bang bang bang bang b.... click. Looks like a FTE so I tap and rack. Nope, still in there. Strip the mag and rack. Nope. Do a field strip and pry the casing loose. And that's when I notice that the casing says 40 s & w. DOH! When the RO started giving me new meanings for the XD, I just told him it stood for "extra dumb"

 

[JMusic]

College championship match, PPC course. Perfect score was a a 300. I and a friend of mine were both expected to win the match since we commonly shot 300 on this course. Deciding factor would be time. Lined up on the 3 yrd line (We were shooting a reduced distance course since it only went out to 25 yds) 12 shots 25 seconds no speed loaders allowed. Ready on the right, ready on the left, ready on the firing line. Fire! Drew my revolver and threw it right through the target. Landed barrel first in the ground and stuck there. I'm looking at my second place trophy as I type this.

Jim

 

[Mr White]

College championship match, PPC course. Perfect score was a a 300. I and a friend of mine were both expected to win the match since we commonly shot 300 on this course. Deciding factor would be time. Lined up on the 3 yrd line (We were shooting a reduced distance course since it only went out to 25 yds) 12 shots 25 seconds no speed loaders allowed. Ready on the right, ready on the left, ready on the firing line. Fire! Drew my revolver and threw it right through the target. Landed barrel first in the ground and stuck there. I'm looking at my second place trophy as I type this.

Jim

Damn, Jim! Besides your friend, the other shooters must have REALLY sucked if you took second by throwing your gun through the target!

 

[BGlaze250]

My story is simply pure ignorance, but it was embarrising, never-the-less.

When I turned 18, I bought a little 10/22 and took it to the range. I had never really fired a firearm before, but I knew the drill and the rules, as I assumed that I would be fire. I loaded up the included mag and began to fire away. Twenty rounds later, I checked out my target, and the bullet holes were fairly consistent, but they were all higher than what I had been aiming for. I kept on shooting, and it kept on happening. Finally, the guy on the bench to my left motioned to me and told me about the 10/22's flip-up back sight. I had no idea that the sight operated so, but once I figured it out, I was fine.

 

[JMusic]

Mr. White two thirds of the class didn't fire. I got a 15 second penalty and we shot again. The class was a mix of people (18-20 year olds for the most part) that ranged from never fired a weapon to people who had served several stays in Nam. It didn't take much to distract some of them. Range officer blew the whistle as soon as I finished the horse shoe toss. He said it was for safety concerns, while he was wiping tears out of his eyes.

Jim

 

[Turkey Creek]

Maybe not embarresing but just one of those "seemed like a good idea at the time, or I just couldn't resist moments"- Shooting in an ARA sanctiond match and actually doing pretty well for me- I take a bead on one of the 25 bulls on the target and low and behold a fly is wandering around on that particular bull- yup, blasted the heck out of the fly and got a zero on the bull-

 

[TonyStarks]

Maybe not that bad but it was for embarrassing for me!
At the local range one day, My brother had bought a brand new Springfield XD-9sc so im telling how to use it and how to shoot it...like im the know it all expert. So i go to take the first shot and i blow the frame that holds the target off the string which slides it back and forth. I turned red and felt like an Dumb#@$ when everyone turned my way.