Plinking by yourself...

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I shoot alone all the time and I always shoot one hole groups at any distance.
Just ask me.

Biker
 
it's a rare day I don't crack off a few rounds... 75% of the time, I'm solo, but 25%, my GF or a friend is there...

then again, I have a 200 yard range and my front deck has a shooting bench built in...
 
boy keith your just making happier and happier i live in the mountains,lol.where i am at i dont have to worry about none of that
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Strangest "weirdo" incident I ever had was deep in the mountains, hunting with a good friend on a rather large chunk of land his family owns. We were down by a small river that borders their land, so we were in a public "right of way". A couple of spooky acting deliverance types came tromping through. At first they had a bit of the "this here is our world, what're you doin here" attitude, but I think my stainless steel folder Mini-14 got them thinking.

People are everywhere. So are dangerous people.
 
At the public range outside of Tallahassee we've had a few instances of people on 4 wheelers waiting out of sight and come in and rip off firearms when the shooter/s are down range changing targets. I generally carry a rifle down range with me if someone I know is not babysitting the fireing line.
 
well keith i think that whole incident stemed from you were outsiders,probably looked like city slickers and talked with a yankee accent,lol.but when i say mountains i aint meaning hillbilly type mountains i am meaning like frontier days mountains where literaly no one comes to and your closest neighbor is about 10 miles away,so in my area there are no people around just a few hermits i guess is what you would call us.hell i had to drive the man who put the internet thingy in my cabin up to where i park my truck then go up on horse and mule the rest of the way thats how nice it is up here,hell just with in walking distance from my house is a nice huge lake where you can catch the deer and wildlife grazing and drinking it is just real nice and quiet with no people around.sorry to hear you had that experince though i just want you to know all mountain folk aint like that we usually welcome folks as long as we dont get a bad vibe off of em.where was it you went where this happened?
 
where was it you went where this happened?
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The Ozarks. Lotsa nice folks up there, my best friend being one of them. Of course he has a degree and likes to brush his teeth...mostly very good people, but every now and then you meet some who's theme song is "dueling banjos".

Wish I could find a way to live in mountains like you're talking about...being an electronics engineer kind of makes it hard to live way out in the middle of nowhere, which is what I want.

You want deer? My buddy's place is crawling with them. Problem is he sees them from way across the hay fields. He asked me the other day "what rifle do you have that you'd trust to a quarter of mile?"

Anyways, back on topic. Shooting alone is ok, just don't loose sight of situational awareness.
 
be careful but not paranoid

You make a nice target for bad guys if you don't take precautions. A car and a bunch of firearms would be a nice prize, especially if they are not armed until they 'borrow' your firearm from your unlocked car to use against you.

It's good practice to look behind you right and left after each shot or combinations of rapid shots.

Always lock your vehicle.

Always have a loaded magazine on you when you're done shooting. That's when you're most likely to get assaulted because you'll be expected to be empty.

Have a cell phone if possible.

It's best to have ear protection that amplifies low db sounds around you.

Don't walk downrange to check your targets without being armed.

Enjoy the solitude.
 
Sean,I live in SLC an go shooting out in the west desert any time I have the time. I am alone about 70% of the time and I enjoy it. Why? Because I can think about what I am doing. I am not hearing all the "know-it-alls" advice.
I let my family know where I will be and when I will return.

And in referrence to:
Shooting alone on public land tends to bring one into contact with some people who can sometimes strain the definition of "responsible and upright citizens".
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So, these don't exist in the mainstream of city life? I have seen quite a few strange ones,however,most where seen in large cities,sometimes in the government as employees or elected officials.
 
I have seen quite a few strange ones,however,most where seen in large cities,sometimes in the government as employees or elected officials.
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Yeah, but around them you don't get to be as well armed as out shooting in the back country. Oh well...
 
Sean, I think it is good to be cautious. Here in the Portland, OR area we have had at least two instances in the last ten years of plinkers being murdered for their weapons out on US Forest Servie land (old gravel pits).

What is unique about the plinking situation is that:
* you are highly focused down range or cleaning/prepping your guns
* it is a public place so if someone comes up they have as much right ot be there as you
* your shooting makes a lot of noise and advertises someone is out shooting
* since your targets are away from the road, you pretty much have your back to the most dangerous are whenever you check targets.

Besides the cell phone and first aid kit I would consider some other safety measures:

* Don't leave a mess of guns laying around. Take out only what you need for a session and stow the rest out of sight
* Keep a loaded pistol on your belt at all times
* As another poster said, I walk to the targets with my M1 Garand at the ready (I may be shooting a handgun, but I want a rifle with me if it comes to a shoot out)
* Keep alert to what is a around you. I scan the perimeter into the woods periodically, keep an ear open for road noise approaching.

I once was shootig a a USFS gravel pit when a couple of raggedy guys drove up in a beater truck. They did not look like shooters and they fooled around without making any signs of setting up for targets, etc. I decided not to go down range just then, and instead stuffed my 1911 into my waistband, pulled my Garand over within easy reach, made of show of checking chamber on both, and then went about "straightening things up." Just as I was running out of little things to do at the car and had decided to leave instead of hanging around with these yahoos, they scrambled back to their truck and hauled out. I waited a while to make sure they really cleared out, then finished my plinking. I was very alert on the drive out to make sure they were not lurking on any pullouts or side roads.

To this day I do not know if those fellows had anything bad up their sleeves, but I don't have any rational explanation for their behavior either. Most plinkers would be talking about their guns, asking questions about safety or how you're doing. Stay alert, stay armed and stay safe.
 
I shoot by myself, and for some weird reason, it's really scary. I don't know why but it like freaks me out! :confused: I just seem like one of those gun obssessed scary men who turn into serial killers. LOL I do it all the time though, I would just rather have some company and badger my friends' accuracy (because I'm so much better than they are :D )
 
I usually always go by myself. but then the ranges I go to are always occupied. Plus, I always chitchat with all the people around me first so it never feels like I'm alone when I shoot. If I need advice or friendly competition, its usually not to hard to find. I prefer to arrive alone anyway because I can arrive and leave when I want. Same with hunting or fishing. I have the patience of a cat and I hate when my partner wants to move or quite before I'm ready.
 
I once was shootig a a USFS gravel pit when a couple of raggedy guys drove up in a beater truck. They did not look like shooters and they fooled around without making any signs of setting up for targets, etc. I decided not to go down range just then, and instead stuffed my 1911 into my waistband, pulled my Garand over within easy reach, made of show of checking chamber on both, and then went about "straightening things up." Just as I was running out of little things to do at the car and had decided to leave instead of hanging around with these yahoos, they scrambled back to their truck and hauled out. I waited a while to make sure they really cleared out, then finished my plinking. I was very alert on the drive out to make sure they were not lurking on any pullouts or side roads.

To this day I do not know if those fellows had anything bad up their sleeves, but I don't have any rational explanation for their behavior either. Most plinkers would be talking about their guns, asking questions about safety or how you're doing. Stay alert, stay armed and stay safe.
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That was me and my buddy. We wanted to shoot where you were, but didn't want to disturb you. You weren't actually shooting, just messing around with your stuff, so we thought maybe you were about to leave. We considered asking how long you were going to be, but when I reached for the door handle, you grabbed your Garand. So we left. Sorry.
 
I DO have a range in my backyard!:D The 50' high wall of the ravine makes a perfect backstop. Gee, I have a lot of gun nut friends now!:) Can always find someone who wants to come over and shot. But on occasion, I do like to shot alone. A couple days ago I did just that. I see nothing wrong with it IF you practice the 4 safety rules ALWAYS! If you wear amplified ear protection. You can hear anything around you much better than the naked ear. And let someone know where you're at. OK, I did fail that one the other day.

Alone, you are able to practice things that you can't with someone there who wants to shot. I was able to practice holster draws and moving holster draws. I got a lot out of that, and found I can do that amazingly well. :uhoh: Should you ever need to draw your firearm, let's face it, you will be moving at the time and not standing stationary behind a firing line, and that has to be practiced!

So go shot by yourself. Just be more careful!
 
I enjoy shooting alone, especially when testing handloads or sighting in. Sometimes people get impatient when you are taking your time to shoot good groups or adjust sights. When I am shooting with a large group of people, especially folks who I've just met (friends of friends, etc) I am concentrating more on watching muzzles than shooting good groups.

When I am shooting alone, even on my buddy's private land, I carry the firearm I am shooting back and forth to the target stand.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
90% of the time I'm alone. Have phone, try to be careful, stay aware of surroundings, keep loaded gun in holster on hip. Let wife know where I am and anticipated return.
 
I tend to plink by myself fairly reguarly at my uncles house.

If I was out in the middle of nowhere about the only worries I would have is for some reason having a major whoopsie like an overloaded round and the gun blowing up in my face, or someone shooting me while I am down range.

But both are remote enough possibilites to me that they aren't going to stop me.
 
I am there to do 200 rounds slow and controlled into designated targets, chart my improvement, and practice technique
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I don't know if it's possible to suck all of the fun out of shooting, but doing that every time you go sounds pretty close. Don't let it become a chore. There's a time for serious practice and there's a time just to go shoot.

Going out in about to a good sandpit or similar place is good for practicing manipulation drills. You can't do speed reloads at a lot of indoor ranges, for instance. You drop your magazine and it goes skidding off ahead of the firing line. Other ranges don't allow rapid fire, etc. So a lot of times, just going out someplace where no one will bother you is nice.

Shooting by yourself is monumentally less dangerous than going for walks by yourself, going for drives at night by yourself, or any number of more mundane activities. As long as you keep your wits about you, the odds of you hurting yourself while shooting are very very low.

As for plinking in Michigan....at least when I left, it was technically illegal to shoot anywhere but your own land, or on a range, unless during hunting season. The State Police came in and kicked us out of the old sandpit we used to shoot in back home. (They didn't really care, but some tourist complained about the noise.)

It's not really enforced, especially not in the rural places in Northern Michigan, but if you run into an irate DNR officer you could get a ticket. (Or a citation for "poaching" :rolleyes: ).
 
I am lucky I guess. My local indoor range rents full autos (they are a class III dealer stocking for L.E :D ) so rapid fire is A-OK. Heck I even bump fire my AK from time to time there. I dont bump fire it out at my parents place though. Dont want someone to hear what sounds to be machine gun fire, and have a L.E.O come out to investigate.
 
I hesitate to shoot alone when its hours away and not at an official range. The Southern California desert has some wierd people just ask Charlie Manson!

I keep a J frame in my pocket when I do - once had a car with 2 cops inside drive up while I was picking up brass - they actually got out and looked in my open trunk and asked "are all these guns yours?" What a question - What did they think I was going to say "no they belong to the three dead guys behind the rocks" or "no I stole them last night" (just kidding they are mine of course).

I ignored them as much as possible because theres no CCW in Southern California (don't believe the it is a "shall issue" state thats only up north down south its a "why are you asking" "what do you need a gun for" "NO" state) and i figured it was too late to try and take the J frame out of my pocket - that might really escalate things not in my favor if you get my meaning. After they wrote down my license plate # they left but what fun that 10 minutes was.

Backup is better.
 
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