Negative Range Experience Today

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celem

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I live in a fairly rural area but, despite that, there are few, as in virtually none, places to shoot outdoors. I have a friend with a farm that has offered let me shoot there but I don't want to abuse the relationship and I generally do not shoot there. Besides, the farm is quite a distance from me. The nearest outdoor ranges are over an hour's drive away, so I don't much shoot there either. As a result, I shoot my 1858 Remington 5.5" Pietta revolver at a local indoor range. It is the only indoor range that will allow black powder (including Pyrodex or T7) in the county or, for that matter, any of the surrounding counties. The range is only about 5 miles from my house and I shoot my 1858 Remington pistol with TripleSeven, on average, twice a week and smokeless pistols, in competition, once a week.

I am careful to keep the smoke down range so as to no annoy other shooters. I select the last row, next to a wall, so that I'll only have a shooter on one side (usually a buddy) and I point a huge floor fan directly at me, set to high, which rapidly blows my smoke down range keeping the shooter's area smoke free.

I have never had any complaints before today. Today, after I had been shooting for a while a group came in with a couple of women who shot human profile targets at very close range - for self defense training, I assume. Anyway, I was reloading when they started and didn't notice that they had moved the fan to blow on them instead of me. When I fired off my next six rounds I said "What the XXXX!" The smoke stayed around me and filled the front of the range - none was blown down range. It even bothered me. One of the women went and complained to the range officer that she was pregnant and couldn't tolerate the smoke. Fortunately, the range officer's only action was to open doors to clear the smoke and corrected the fan to blow towards me. I only fired off 6 more rounds and left. While I don't expect this single incident to cause the range to ban black powder, they may if the incident is repeated a few more times.

In the future, when I bring my BP pistol I think that I'll also bring my Ruger MKI .22 pistol and there are any women present of child bearing age I will just shoot the 22.
 
Why would they shoot when pregnant? I thought that the noise could have an impact on the unborn child's hearing? At least one range I know of has that posted.
 
Shooting while pregnant

I don't know about the noise but there is the issue of lead dust. She told the Range Officer that she had her doctor's approval to shoot so long as the range was well ventilated. The range has massive filtered ventilation - so much so that it is VERY hard to open the doors due to the suction. Despite the ventilation, no machine is perfect and the lead presence has to be much higher than most anywhere else. If my wife were pregnant I wouldn't want her in a room filled with lead dust no matter how good the ventilation was.
 
Sheesh. She's shooting while pregnant and she's worried about YOU? LOL.

Just let it blow over you, like smoke! :)
 
Celeb, we have a similar problem. There is limited places to shoot where I live. (Prattville,Al). The closest range is about 50 miles from me. If there are any closer I have yet to find one. I understand a new indoor range opened in Montgomery but I have not been able to get by there to see about BP.

Not having somewhere to shoot close by takes some of my motivation away to go shoot. Hopefully I can find a closer spot in the very near future
 
1858 Remington video at the range

FYI - before the pregnant the lady arrived, while at the range today I shot a 31 second video of my 1858 Remington being fired. I aimed using the screen on the back of the camera. I was rather surprised that I even hit the target while aiming in the way. Anyway, I captured the moment and you can see a little bit of the range and the smoke created by one 44 caliber shot of TrippleSeven powder.

http://youtu.be/BoLsJuaB7ag
 
RandyRay41 said:
Celeb, we have a similar problem. There is limited places to shoot where I live. (Prattville,Al). The closest range is about 50 miles from me. If there are any closer I have yet to find one. Hopefully I can find a closer spot in the very near future
Click to expand...

Just a thought .. There is probably an isolated area on the river bank (Alabama River) that is not in a city limit where firearms restrictions wouldn't be in force. Find it and shoot into the bank. I know there are plenty of spots like that on the river towards Selma. If nothing else, find a spot by boat from the river.
Keep your shots into the bank below the high-water mark and you should be strictly legal.
 
I do have a boat and the nearest boat ramp to me is less than a mile away. I have thought about finding place on river to shoot just not sure about the legality of just pulling up somewhere and shooting and shooting from boat could cause problem with game warden if he thought I was hunting
 
"I am careful to keep the smoke down range"

So the owners let the customers breathe all that nasty smoke? Have they never heard of exhaust fans??

Where is the EPA when you need them? :evil:
 
Ventilation is good

re "I am careful to keep the smoke down range" - So the owners let the customers breathe all that nasty smoke? Have they never heard of exhaust fans?? Where is the EPA when you need them?

As I said back in post #3, - "The range has massive filtered ventilation - so much so that it is VERY hard to open the doors due to the suction." The problem is that black powder, even TrippleSeven produces so much more smoke than does smokeless powder, which, of course isn't totally smokeless.
 
Of course, all that smoke is just the VISIBLE portion of the exhausted gases. Smokeless powders may not have a ton of visible smoke, but they STILL produce an immense cloud of exhaust gases that aren't as easily seen, if at all.

A pregnant lady, regardless of the concerns with respect to toxic fumes, really hadn't ought to be at a gun range with all those loud noises, in my opinion. The developing baby can STILL be adversely affected by the loud noises.

Also...are there any rules with respect to altering any portion of the range ventilation without approval? I should think that changing the position of any fans would fall under that, whether by yourself or someone else.
 
Been in "red neck" Alabama all my life. I am still fairly new to BP shooting. Just amazes me there aren't more people around this area who shoot BP.

Maybe I need to open a range. Nice thought but financial resources would not allow at this point in time.
 
RetiredUSNChief - re "Also...are there any rules with respect to altering any portion of the range ventilation without approval? I should think that changing the position of any fans would fall under that, whether by yourself or someone else."

The main ventilation is permanently built into the far walls, sucking air out of the range, through filters and then to the outside. The fan that I turn towards me is there specifically for the customers to use - mostly to keep cool on hot days.
 
Ah! Gotcha!

I guess I would have done my best to explain what happened and why I had the fan set the way it was to begin with.

Might help with the situation, might now...the best you can do is try and see how people react.
 
In a properly designed ventilation system you should have as much air coming in behind the firing line as you are sucking out the opposite end. If they are pulling exhaust air out without bringing in an equivalent amount of make up air they are peeing on a forest fire.
 
RandyRay, If the nearest indoor gun range is 50 miles away I think you have an opportunity waiting to be taken. It seems you have a 50 mile radius of people that need a gun range complete with an indoor range for the smokeless and a sheltered outdoor range for the Blackpowder crowd. Tongue in cheek of course it's not that easy but the way to success is find a need and fill it.
 
What? You are surprised when American women seem self-centered and think everything is all about them selves? Where have you been living these past 20+ years? When some (not all) women enter the range, everything revolves around them and their needs. How many American princesses does it take to screw in a light bulb? Only one: she holds onto the bulb and the world revolves around her!

You appear to be a cad and a troglodyte. You need to go to sensitivity training ASAP. Alternatively, always ask any lady on the range if your shooting might bother her, and desist if she says it would. Imagine shooting smelly black powder! Almost as bad as lighting up a cigar! Have you no manners, sir?

I have had the same results at two local indoor ranges with even guys complaining despite excellent air movement/ventilation. On the other hand, my lady loves to shoot black powder (1858 Remmy) at the local indoor pistol range, and no one complains or gives her a hard time. Kinda' makes you wonder---
 
I live in a fairly rural area but, despite that, there are few, as in virtually none, places to shoot outdoors.
Click to expand...
Are there no WMA outdoor target ranges near you? I'm kind of supprised as there are two of them relativly near my location in N. AL.
 
I know there used to be one north of Prattville in the national forest but it might be close to 40-50 miles away.
I used to be on a lease near Selma and there really wasn't a need for a range as everyone shot on either their land or a neighbor's. People are very friendly in rural Alabama and all you need to do is ask after explaining the situation. They may not let you hunt but most will let you shoot if there is a safe place.
Good folks.
 
There is a fair amount of lead in the lead styphanate(?) primers the smokeless lady is shooting. So smoleless smoke is probably as bad as yours if not worse. I've shot just about every BP substitute and will admit that 777 smells worse than real BP and smokes more.
 
I would of just agreed and taken a break or maybe get out your rimfire.

Ive noticed semi-auto shooters are usually there tops of an hour and they are out of ammo.

The only problem i have when shooting BP is i cant see where i hit till after the smoke clears. I have to stop and look at my shot or i have no idea where it hits the smoke is that thick.

BP does have a different smell but at the gun range i go to ive smelt some smokless poweres that smell bad as well. Some i like some smell rotten

I feel sorry for the unborn baby.
 
So they shifted YOUR fan so that it was blowing on them (and not pushing your smoke out) and you are the problem?

I don't think there would have been a problem at all if they'd kept your fingers off your stuff.
 
Not that it matters, but I think her doctor was probably concerned about noise and lead poisoning and didn't even think of powder smoke. If black powder smoke were toxic, I am afraid I and many friends would have been gone a long time ago.

Jim
 
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