Range Etiquette question

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A couple weeks ago I was at the range with a friend (I don't know if the fact that he is a first timer matters)
I typically bring out all the rifles I am going to shoot and put them in the rack behind the firing stations, so that all the moving of firearms is done at the same time. Anyway during the first cease fire a father who was shooting and Mini 14 with is son starts talking about my AR-15. Maybe it was the tone or something in the body language of the son or the father (I don't really know) but it seemed like one of them wanted to shoot one. Would it have been rude for me to be like "I was kinda easedropping and heard you talking about my ar-15s ... did you want to shoot it for a little bit?"

Probably better I didn't do it that day... my Oly arms was having feed issues, but I think that was my friend riding the charging handle and not the rifle itself. because normally the Oly Arms doesn't cause problems.
 
What I usually do is this:
"Howdy! Whatcha shootin' today? "
(They tell me, then usually ask about what I've got. Then I can tell if they are interested in my rifle, and then say something like, "yeah, I'm pretty happy with it, wanna put a few rounds through it?"

I only do this if the person is someone that looks trustworthy of course!
 
I don't think you can be faulted for asking someone who is checking out your firearms at the range if they would like to try it. I never pass up an opportunity to fire a differnt firearm if someone makes the offer. You never know, you might make a new friend.
 
For me, it depends on what they've been shooting and how... I tend to notice things like that at ranges...

When I have let people shoot my firearms, they only get a few rounds (ok, so maybe 10 for the SKS) and already have it pointed in the right direction for them where they should be firing it from...

-Colin
 
Hey, nice :)

I do the 'Howdy, what'cha shootin today?' thing too (in the appropriate language).
I almost always get to shoot others' guns.

It is embarrassing though, the times when they express an interest in my Bersa,
but not enough to want to shoot it.
:eek: :eek: :eek:

Wish it wasn't such an inevitability of .22LR or 5.56 here.
I envy you Americans your variety of rifle calibers.
 
whats the worst they could say? 'no thanks'?

i'll offer other shooters to let a few rounds go, and for me, if its my ar or kimber, i'll load up a magazine and expect them to shoot it empty. i've offered many shooters to play with my boomsticks, and thats the key. i OFFER it to them.

thats the proper range etiquette, imho. usually it winds up being a learning experience. sometimes i can answer questions they may have, and sometimes i get a chance to shoot what they have, and they can answer my questions. the coolest experience for me was getting the chance to shoot a black powder .50cal pistol.
running a mag through an uzi was also cool.

the range is where i get some of my best research on what guns i'd like to buy. so far i've discovered that i really like sigs and hi-powers. berettas arent that bad either. discovered over and over again that glocks just arent for me.

when you get the kids that are around 10 and are shooting with their parents, its a good opportunity to give that kid the chance to shoot something that he or she will always remember.
 
No... the worst thing they could say is "Sure, thanks!" followed immediately by "S***! Sorry... I hope you didn't need that leg..."

That's why I watch out how people are shooting before I offer them use of any of mine. I've gotten to shoot quite a few really nice firearms in the process too!

-Colin
 
That's why I watch out how people are shooting before I offer them use of any of mine. I've gotten to shoot quite a few really nice firearms in the process too!
Click to expand...

Amen.

I usually offer people my firearms to shoot after I'm sure that they'd be a safe bet.

-Jim
 
I get a lot of looks but no takers when shooting either my Mossberg 590 with slugs or my turkish mauser with surplus 8mm ammo. Mostly people just pack up and go to the other range about 200 yards down the road... :(
 
I have had many people eyeball my M1A, mostly older veterans who remember their M14's "back in the day", and I'd always offer to let them shoot it. Kids also like my SKS (evil black el-cheapo Drag stock must get 'em ;) ) so if Dad looked like he wasn't a real crank, I'd offer them a stripper clip's worth of ammo, a stripper clip, and show them how to load it up. By that point, Dad wants a chance too, usually.

By all means, offer the kids (or the cute girlfriends :evil: ) a chance to shoot, they like shooting something different, and you usually get a reciprocal offer. I've gotten to shoot Desert Eagles, MN's, Enfields, Garands, M1 Carbines, a T/C Contender in .45-70 ( :what: ) and a tricked out Sako in .338 Lapua Mag (one shot... :( ).
 
I probably give away as much ammo as I shoot when I am at the range. My M1 Garands, carbines, Webleys, SAA Colts, Sharps, and others seem to catch the eye of the younger shooters who are there with Dad. If they get an OK then I load er up, give a short history and safety lesson and let em at it! Dad generally gets a shot or two also!!

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas
 
oneshooter

i dunno, something about your post made me smile :) too bad im far away from texas, id like to see some of those rifles :D
 
By all means, offer the kids (or the cute girlfriends ) a chance to shoot,
Click to expand...

You might want to stay away from cute girlfriends at the range unless you talk to their armed boyfriends first. :neener:

Seriously, I always try to offer kids a chance to shoot my stuff. It's fun to watch their eyes get big when you ask. My favorite was when a kid around 10 or so was shooting a BB firing copy of my P99, and I offered to let him shoot the real thing. That kid floated out of the range a very happy, and changed, little man.
 
Hello,
It depends on the people, but I usually will offer a few rounds if I notice someone checking out my rifle. I guess that I am lucky in my range, because I have never seen anyone do anything unsafe, so I haven't had to worry about getting shot with my own gun.

I think that generally, the people I meet at the range (or on TheHighRoad!) are some of the best folks around.

Gun shows, gun shops... a bit different...

Regards,
Hammerhead
 
If I see (or hear) a stranger talking about one of my guns, I'll be happy to talk about it, and I might even allow someone to fondle it when empty, but SHOOT it? Only myself and friends whom I know I can trust get to shoot my guns.

And since I won't let strangers shoot mine, if I were offered a chance to shoot a stranger's gun I would probably decline. That way he/she can't ask me to reciprocate.

It's partially caution, and partially superstition, I guess. I won't let other people drive my cars, either, not even around the block to try it out. And for that reason I decline offers to try out other people's cars.
 
I once shot beside a dad and two sons who were shooting their .22 rifles and Bearcat revolver. We chatted a little, and the boys were really eyeing my new Mark II 678GC with Ultradot as we shot silhouettes.

When the boys were down setting up the targets, I quietly told the dad that I'd be happy to let the boys shoot my pistol if he was okay with it. I had seen they were a safe bunch.

Dad okayed it, I gave some operation/safety instructions, and the boys enjoyed the heck out of shooting with the red dot. They were very careful and expressed their thanks. I'm glad I did it, It made me feel good, and I hope that it encouraged their healthy interest in shooting sports.

On the other hand, I have had some squirrely folks keep asking about a gun, when it was obvious they wanted to shoot it, and I just played dumb and ignored the hints from those who gave off "stupid" vibes or demonstrated poor gun handling.
 
yup i agree.

I have had a few people oogle my guns, and if they look decent with a gun I let them try a couple rounds. I often take an old one or two to the range with me and these seem to get more stares than the AR or the M1A. The 1886 in 45 90 with the 28 inch barrel just entrances them. The same with a shiloh sharps or a 1885 in 38 55. just seem to draw them in.


We went to a new range once and my friend has a thompson M1 and after getting permission to use a full auto at the range he popped out a couple of magazines and the whole range stopped to look, So many people were asking questions he was not getting much shooting in. I fired a couple of mags full and now everyone was standing around, my buddy looked at young guy and his girl friend and asked the girl if she wanted to try and she just bubbled. He loaded a magazine with 5 rounds and let her try. Next a full mag and she was the envy of every one at the range. I have decided if I am back on the available list again i am buying a class 3. This girl would never have had anything to do with my friend if it weren't for the tommy gun.
 
Offering the supervised use of a firearm to a person who is obviously admiring it or curious about it is well within proper range etiquette (sp?). If you managed to overhear them with your ears on then they werent trying to hard to be secretive. A polite offer would be quite appropriate as long as you take the time to show them how it works and supervise them. The fact that they were already shooting a Mini-14 tells me that handling an AR probably wouldnt be all that difficult for them.
 
I guess it would all depend on who it was and how they were acting. If they are primping me to shoot it, I treat it like a woman fishing for compliments......they just don't get it from me. :scrutiny:

I'm probably more inclined to let someone shoot my assault rifles, and then a few different handguns. I volunteer the assault rifles because it is amazing how many shooters are against them. There are a lot of "hunters" around here that wouldn't have anything to do with them, but I've had a few think about getting one after shooting mine because it was "so much fun". :evil:

Typically, though, I'm more inclined to let a new shooter shoot any of my guns, especially if it helps them decide on their first, or next purchase. I especially like to let younger people shoot my AR-15, AK-47, or SAR-8 (HK-91 clone). It is something they can brag to their buddies about. :D
 
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