Have public ranges always been like this, or am I just getting old?
Missouri has public ranges, a few staffed with RSO's but many more completely unstaffed with safety left to the attendees. There are great private clubs as well. Personally, I don't mind going to an unstaffed public range. They are patrolled by conservation agents. You do "get what you pay for." The vast majority of people are either new or infrequent shooters.
No need to list mag dumps or violation of sensible safety rules - these are going to happen in some way and you have to be both attentive and prepared to leave.
Etiquette issues:
1. Someone wants to go downrange for whatever reason. They ask, "Can I get a clear?" as in clear chambers for a cold range. Everyone does their stuff and gets back behind the line. The question is then asked, "Is everyone clear?" meaning, is everyone back and can we go back to a hot range. But most people don't know what they are saying, so they just yell, "clear?" for cold and "clear?" for hot. If I'm there, I just make sure to say, "the range is hot" or "the range is cold." Otherwise, it's so confusing. There are a few that yell "CLEAR" and start walking downrange. They have greater faith in their range neighbors than I do.
2. At least asking before you pick up someone else's brass. No problem if it it's from a previous shooter or obviously not a caliber that the current shooter is shooting. But I still remember a guy who was a know-it-all in fatigues, without common sense. He spent more time occupying a bench and talking rather than actually shooting. Under "clear," while everyone was downrange, he quickly scoured the range for everyone else's 308 brass, but wouldn't pick up his own! I picked up some of his brass from the FAL he was shooting. It was waaaaaay out of headspace, yielded and scary. I don't wish a ruptured case on anyone, but I just wish he was more considerate and less keyboard commando.
3. Shooting at targets that are not attached to the conservation dept's target board. I don't know about other places, but this is a big deal at the ranges I visit. I am never going to tattletale on someone, but if the conservation officer shows up and sees anyone with a home-made target stand or shooting something on the ground that was brought (i.e. a pumpkin, watermelon, computer monitor, one of those rubber balls/cubes, tannerite, or even clay pigeons on the berm) - it's a ticket. There are some people who genuinely don't know although it is clearly posted. If it is blatant, I will try to warn them in a nice way. A lot of times a group of guys shows up with a watermelon/pumpkin and 250 rounds. I don't really mind because they're gone within 30 minutes.
4. Monopolizing benches. The local public range isn't huge. If a few buddies show up and then take all of the benches at a certain distance, it might be occupied for an hour or two. Then they are just sitting there and talking to each other. That is something that is annoying, especially if people are waiting since all three of those guys could have shared one bench for the amount that they shot.
Finally, I do enjoy the people, families, and new shooters at public ranges. Many people let you see, handle, or even shoot their firearms. I've been going many years and only twice have I felt that I needed to pack up and go to the car or leave due to the attitudes or practices of others.