Range encounters that bug you

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myFRAGisFUBAR

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So today I went out to the local range with my new sig m400 and 120 rounds of tula .223 to break her in. Upon arriving I see another shooter sighting in a red dot sight on the same gun with his kids. We both set up on the 100 yard range and have at it. After 60 rounds each we walk down to see how we did. I had a baseball size group with irons and he missed every time using a red dot. Clearly upset he begins to say "I was a marksman in the army and never got to use a sight like this. I cant believe this 350 dollar sight is this bad."(the guy is maybe 35 and weighs 300+) I suggest he walk his target out starting at 25 yards and that's where the fun began.

He sets his target up at 25 amd fires away again missing every shot. His kids start to laugh and he asks me to give it a go. I gladly help him using MY ammo so he can enjoy shooting a sighted gun. Within 8 shots it was spot on so I pust it back to 50 yards. Another 5 rounds and again it gets spot on.(He is tickled to death that its working) We push it back to 75 yards and on shot number 2 my tula ammo showed its colors and jammed in the barrel. Instantly the guy starts rolling his eyes at me an says nice ammo. Looks at the box that my ammo came in and rolled his eyes saying" that's why you jammed my gun. You shot 223 in my 5.56 chamber. The army said never do that. Hope you can fix that." Using my cleaning rod I pop it out with little effort and hand him his gun. He says thanks ill take it from here. Aftera few rounds he sees he is missing and he tells me to use his ammo to zero in the sight. I again help him and we left it zeroed at 75 yards. His kids begin to plink golfball sized targets with ease. He goes to shoot his last 10 rounds and can harldy pull off hitting the cardboard the targets are stapled to. He mumbles about trying to sight it in another day and leaves. Would anyone else have felt agrivated in my situation? Kinda killed my range day after that.:fire:

Basically just had to vent a little and thought someoneight enjoy a story. I live when people claim things that likely aren't true when their accuracy fails them. Anyone else out there need to vent? I love a good story.
 
Sounds like the typical person I see at the public range nowadays. It seems EVERYONE was a "sniper" in the army, yet few can hold a pattern much less a group at 50 yards. I would be a little more hesitant to assist someone like that as he apparently knows NOTHING about firearms or common courtesy.
 
I've only shot a red dot once, but it seemed pretty intuitive and a lot of fun. Once you, OP, sites it in, how did he miss so badly?


Sent from my iPhone
 
He said he was told by army buddies that you didn't need a forward sight. He was under the assumption that wherever the dot was would be your exact point of impact no matter how you held the gun. He never tries to hold the gun level...ever lol. Just point and shoot.:rolleyes:
 
Army told him not to fire .223 in his 5.56mm?

Obviously he's never served a day in his life.
 
stressed said:
Army told him not to fire .223 in his 5.56mm?

Obviously he's never served a day in his life.
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Yeah I went to correct him and inform him it is the other way around but didn't bother. His army training would have been superior to my knowledge.

On a side note, his 350 dollar scope had to have been less than 40 bucks. It had no marking of any kind and you could almost see a secong dot above the center one. Told me it was for his airsoft gun hahahaha.:scrutiny:
 
By the guy just saying that I could tell he never served, not just because he had it the wrong way, although that obviously gives it away as well. Also, "marksmen" was the lowest shooting proficiency, just the standard to pass. Sharpshooter, then expert superseded it.

I actually called a guy out at the local gun range in front of his friends and everybody there who was wearing an "Iraq Veteran" hat, who's demeanor I could tell was no veteran, and my GF pointed out to me he was convicted of multiple felony convictions, and tried to fondle her when she was a teenager, knew he was on probation and knew he had no place being even near a firearm.

I made him take the hat off in front of everyone and throw it in the trash. I was pretty upset.
 
I posted this a few years back in a similar thread. I was heartened to see a business professional (tailored shirt with cuff links, monte blanc pen, BMW 750, I assumed lawyer or such like) on an informal shooting outing with a scout troop.

They set up in the bay to my right, and out of a stainless case, he takes out a desert eagle .50 AE. He loads a mag and sets it on the table, and explains the features of the slide-locked weapon to the troop, all the while having the muzzle pointed at me. It's empty and slide locked, so I let it go. Besides, he's obviously a busy professional taking some time to shoot with some kids.

He then inserts the mag, drops the slide, takes a shot, and sets the gun on the table with his finger IN THE TRIGGER GAURD, cocked, loaded, AND POINTING AT ME.

I leaned over, and using my finger I nudged the weapon so that the muzzle was down range. I WAS NOT trying to embarrass the guy, but a few in the troop chuckled at him, and he got a little red faced. He talked to the boys a while, and a few stepped up to try it while he loaded 4 or 5 mags.

He asked me if I wanted to try it, and, still being a bit annoyed at his carelessness, I sat down and emptied every one of those loaded mags. Great shooter, that gun. Softer than expected.
 
stressed said:
By the guy just saying that I could tell he never served, not just because he had it the wrong way, although that obviously gives it away as well. Also, "marksmen" was the lowest shooting proficiency, just the standard to pass. Sharpshooter, then expert superseded it.

I actually called a guy out at the local gun range in front of his friends and everybody there who was wearing an "Iraq Veteran" hat, who's demeanor I could tell was no veteran, and my GF pointed out to me he was convicted of multiple felony convictions, and tried to fondle her when she was a teenager, knew he was on probation and knew he had no place being even near a firearm.

I made him take the hat off in front of everyone and throw it in the trash. I was pretty upset.
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Good for you!
 
myFRAGisFUBAR said:
He said he was told by army buddies that you didn't need a forward sight. He was under the assumption that wherever the dot was would be your exact point of impact no matter how you held the gun. He never tries to hold the gun level...ever lol. Just point and shoot.:rolleyes:
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I'm a little confused.......

I've never used the front sight with a Red Dot either. The advantage with a Red Dot over irons or a regular scope is that you do not need to have your eye aligned with the sight tube, or sight axis, and eye relief is no longer an issue. You can be looking through the sight from a position that would be useless for iron sights, or for a telescope, and still you can use the aiming reticle successfully. Once they are sighted in, they are, pretty much, point and shoot. Another advantage of the Red Dot when used in certain platforms, is the capabilty of having the use of both irons and the Red Dot. But each is a separate sight, you do not use them both at the same time. When using the electronic sight, you would typically look just over the top of the iron sights, such that the electronic sighting reticle appears to float above the iron sights. Again, the apparent position of the electronic reticle within the sighting window is of no consequence and it depends on the position of your eye. Once zeroed, the reflex dot can be at the very bottom, the extreme left, right, or top of the viewing area and it still represents your proper aiming point.
 
The said shooter never took off his front sight so I just had it zeroed to line up with his front sight. I explained the same saying you don't need a front sight and he just gave an oh ok sort of blank stare. I did as you said and lined the up the dot just over the front sight.

Sorry for the confusion. I shpuld have explained that a little better.:eek:
 
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Range encounters that bug you? A guy let his kids run around a hot range, with every lane in use. Most of us had to stop firing a few times. The guy just kept shooting his 12 gauge from the hip, in a pistol lane, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. This was a public range but, obviously, there was no range officer.
 
Yep, the range seems to attract a lot of snipers that some how just can't hit the broad side of a barn.

The one I remember the most is the guy who wouldn't stop talking to me about his years of experience in the military as a sharp shooter, how many "charlies" he killed in action, how his 1911 is like an extension of his arm, so on, and so forth. So when he finally stopped rambling, and started shooting, he some how managed to shoot him self in the foot with his 1911 while he was slapping a magazine in it. And if it hadn't been for the fact that it involved an AD into a human foot, I'm almost certain I would have laughed.

GS
 
Sounds like the typical person I see at the public range nowadays. It seems EVERYONE was a "sniper" in the army, yet few can hold a pattern much less a group at 50 yards. I would be a little more hesitant to assist someone like that as he apparently knows NOTHING about firearms or common courtesy.
Click to expand...

I once met a guy that claimed to be a Marine sniper. I could smell the BS from a mile away and so I began telling him about my 6 years in the Navy Rangers and actually got to train with green seals during WW-nam. He sat there and nodded to everything I said.

Oh and by the way, never served in my life. Diabetes is a pain.
 
buck460XVR said:
I'm a little confused.......

I've never used the front sight with a Red Dot either. The advantage with a Red Dot over irons or a regular scope is that you do not need to have your eye aligned with the sight tube, or sight axis, and eye relief is no longer an issue. You can be looking through the sight from a position that would be useless for iron sights, or for a telescope, and still you can use the aiming reticle successfully. Once they are sighted in, they are, pretty much, point and shoot. Another advantage of the Red Dot when used in certain platforms, is the capabilty of having the use of both irons and the Red Dot. But each is a separate sight, you do not use them both at the same time. When using the electronic sight, you would typically look just over the top of the iron sights, such that the electronic sighting reticle appears to float above the iron sights. Again, the apparent position of the electronic reticle within the sighting window is of no consequence and it depends on the position of your eye. Once zeroed, the reflex dot can be at the very bottom, the extreme left, right, or top of the viewing area and it still represents your proper aiming point.
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This.

The advantage of a red dot sight system is that it's just a dot. Maybe you're confusing it with having a set of iron sights co-witnessing the dot? This would be meant as a backup (dead batteries or broken glass) and the two systems and their respective components operate independently of one another. Sure, you could maybe get a red dot to move close enough to the front sight post to be able to line them up, but if you were to take the front sight out of the picture, point of impact is unaffected.

I think I know why he was missing his target! ;)
 
Sounds like the typical person I see at the public range nowadays. It seems EVERYONE was a "sniper" in the army, yet few can hold a pattern much less a group at 50 yards.
Click to expand...

True statement.

I love the fact that his kids could use it, but he couldn't :D

Rant away, guy is obviously a d-nozzle.

One thing I have noticed with helping others and their "finicky" firearms ( to them) is that when I ask "what are you seeing / what is it doing" that they don't like, I'm often able to help them fix simple things- like sight picture perception, believable functional operation ( you can't "Fan" most revolvers... without a lot of hand and gun wear ) or simple shooting posture. Sometimes it does pay ( usually or them- not for you ) to step back and put yourself in their crooked shoe, so you know what you have to fix.

Never let a chance to inform or enlighten pass you by. Try whatever you can to make every encounter end positively, not negatively. But hey- I know thats hard when someones 14 year old GF is sweeping you with a loaded shottie, or brass is pining off your car :D

We have a more "informal" shooting pit situation here in Oregon than other states as well. I've ran into quite a few ... interesting .... Types. But I get a lot of free brass that way :D
 
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Range encounters that bug you

When I go to my outdoor range I try real hard to only shoot with friends I am comfortable shooting with. If I encounter another shooter having a problem I generally wait for them to seek help, seldom do I volunteer. I never offer my ammunition be it my own loads or factory fodder. Just on the off chance something goes wrong I don't want to be holding a gun belonging to someone else.

What really does annoy me is when someone post their targets and every five min wants a cease fire so they can wander downrange to see where their rounds are hitting. Buy a spotting scope! That being my main pet peeve on the range.

Ron
 
What annoys me at the range:
When you go downrange during a mutually declared cease fire to place or retrieve targets at the 100 or 200 bunker, turn around, and see back at the firing line there is a guy leaning over his rifle tinkering with something.
 
I once showed a guy up (unintentionally) at the range in a situation similar to the op's. I show up to the range and a guy was there with his brand new ar15 with a 24" stainless barrel and a huge cheap scope on it. He could barely shoot a tennis ball sized group at 50 yds. I pulled out my $200 Remington 597 and shot quarters at 50 and about 2-3" at 100.
I just stayed to myself watched the entertainment unfold till he left frustrated. I chucke at people who think superior equipment makes up for traing:rolleyes:

Worst encounter was with a gentleman (or so I thought) who told me I needed to stock up on guns and ammo so I can protect my supplies from several races of people other than white when crap hits the fan. It made me uncomfortable so I packed up and left. I have no need to talk to someone like that while they have loaded guns within hands reach.:scrutiny:
 
Fathers friend got a band new MP-15/22. He was shooting it at like 20 yrds.

Asked me if I wanted to shoot it said sure, backed target out to 100yds and was popping 3" groups.

This is the same guy that spends $3000 on a Daniel Defense AR-15 and Eotech, etc fancy stuff. -- Shoots it at 15 yds.

He has more money than sense.
 
When I was a Correctional Officer, I worked with a guy that claimed he was a Navy Seal. Being young, Naive, and 19, I didn't know better.

When I left there to join the Army, I got a letter from a buddy there. He was busted out. He never made it through Basic Training.

Flash forward 15 years or so, and I'm at the range. Some guy wearing a Boonie hat and telling everybody what their doing wrong and claims to be a vet is fronted out for being a fraud. Older gentleman in his late 60's I think.

Their everywhere.
 
I don't concern myself with other people's drama or war stories. I am always friendly and approachable at the range. I realize that plenty of shooters you see at a range are novice shooters at best. With that in mind I have two pet peeves.

1. Fingers outside the trigger guard until the weapon is pointed down range and you're going to fire.

2. Sweeping the barrel in a unsafe direction.

Lately I've learned to keep an eye out for a younger new gun owner who brings his girlfriend to shoot and he has failed to spend a few minutes covering basic safety rules. We find this out when the girlfriend shoots a few rounds then steps back and sweeps the firing line with a hot weapon and her finger on the trigger.:cool:
 
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