Range population=buying trends

[Apple a Day]

So, there I was at the range today and noticed that the range population pretty much mirrored what I've been hearing about with buying trends.
1)AR's with all the trimmings. Guys with front vertical grips and enormous telescopic sights blasting at 25 yards
2)Guys with youngsters and ladies doing the gesticulations and explanations with .22s on the benches. I've been a little baffled at all of the .22s being sold after the big surge in 'tactical' rifles but it makes sense when you consider all of the folks training family and friends. I look at "the year of the .22" (saw that blurb somewhere) as a beautiful thing.
3) It sounded like a lot of work was getting done over at the shotgun range, too.
4)Range safety officers huddled, shaking their heads, telling stories about the newbs doing odd things.

As for me, I got a little range time in with my middle school daughter. One of the old farts was hanging out over my shoulder... you know, one of those Helpful Guys who likes to give advice. My daughter plunked down with her Davey Crickett, put the first three rounds right on target. Thanks, dude, she knows exactly what she's doing. I looked smug while Helpful Guy wanders off to be helpful elsewhere. Daughter was vaporizing a 2-liter bottle on the 50-meter berm with a stock Ruger Mini-14 after she warmed up with the .22.

I put in a little extra time building my own target stand and filling it with fun targets. See pic. It's good to start 'em with a Shoot-N-See or Dirty Bird target to get the fundamentals down. To keep 'em interested I think it's a good idea to put out some fun target, though. I heard a couple of other folks there commenting that they're going to do something similar the next time they come out.

Did I mention what a beautiful thing it is to see so many families and young folks out at the range?

So, what trends have you noticed at your local range?

 

[Michael R.]

When I went to the range last time, I saw a bunch of AR-15s and all the range officer was talking about was zombies...:banghead:

 

[oneounceload]

A few folks having fun with some full auto toys, otherwise it was slow rifle fire and some of us shooting pistols

One "expert" talking about the knockdown power of various cartridges and how the 40S&W was more powerful than the 10mm........I just smiled and let it go

 

[BUCKrub91]

Last time I went to the range 3 morons were shooting blindly into a berm that had no targets set up on it with ak47's and a vepr with a rifle scope on it.. taking carefully aimed shots at a big pile of dirt... then they got impatient when I asked them to hold theyre fire because id actually like to get set up some targets because I dont like wasting ammo

Then I pulled out my ar15 and they asked me if id let them shoot it and they got offended when I said no -.-... ah the joys of public shooting ranges that dont charge a dime

 

[Agsalaska]

The last time I was at the range the guy next to me was shooting a genuine 1892 in 25-20. I was very very jealous.


Wow that was before Xmas. That's awful. Ive got to get out more.

 

[Gtimothy]

1)AR's with all the trimmings. Guys with front vertical grips and enormous telescopic sights blasting at 25 yards

Hey! I was shooting at the 100 yd target!!!!

 

[Apple a Day]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple a Day
1)AR's with all the trimmings. Guys with front vertical grips and enormous telescopic sights blasting at 25 yards

Hey! I was shooting at the 100 yd target!!!!

I get the whole thing about sighting in a 25 yards and then it hits same POA at 300 yards... the problem with our area is that there aren't any ranges longer than 100 yards. I can't help but be a little amused seeing some dude with a scope that looks like he can read a license plate number from high orbit rapid-firing at a target right in front of him. Hey, if it paints your wagon then have fun with it! Whether you favor that or blackpowder and it gets you out to the range then I'm all for it. Kinda like going to the gym, I figure that if you're there trying then you're learning. I learn something every time I go.
I haven't seen anyone hand his wife/girlfriend a handcannon saying, "Here, honey, try this!" in a long time. Maybe those videos on Youtube have some educational value after all.

 

[redmond]

Was at the range last week and in the lane next to me a dad was teaching his 12-ish daughter to shoot (yes a .22). She did great!!

He was teaching muzzle and trigger discipline, correct stance and grip, etc. Rapt attention by the young Miss. I congratulated him on his instruction and her on her marksmanship.

The only bad thing was that she was out-shooting me. Maybe I should listen to her dad!

 

[Gtimothy]

Old tired eyes...

...I can't help but be a little amused seeing some dude with a scope that looks like he can read a license plate number from high orbit rapid-firing at a target right in front of him. Hey, if it paints your wagon then have fun with it! .

I have a nice Leupold Mark AR scope on my AR because I can't see those teeny tiny .22 holes in paper! When I was young, it wasn't so much of a problem! I use "Shoot N See" reactive targets which help too! Sucks getting old!!!!

 

[ol' scratch]

At the range I shoot at in NW Ohio, I see a lot of milsurps M91/30's mostly. Many Garands too. Some AK's and many .22's. A few AR's. I have the only FAL I have seen at the range.

 

[buck460XVR]

What I see at the range is exactly what I see in the gunshops. A multitude of folks with little or no experience buying guns way beyond their capabilities. Not that this is a bad thing, but an observation. Either those folks will get better with experience and increase the numbers of responsible gun owners or at some time in the near future there will be a multitude of rarely used guns on the market.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Sucks getting old!!!!

Beats the hell out of the alternative

 

[Bojangles7]

The range I go to is full of zombie hunters. During the cease fire, it's fun to go down range (100 yds) and see that my groups with an 80 yr old bolt action military rifle (iron sights of course) are smaller than the guys around me with their $1500 tacticool AR setups w/ scope. Puts a big grin on my face. At least they're helping support the industry we all love so much.

Last time the wife came with me and did awesome with my Marlin 795. She's still a little nervous about jumping up to the larger calibers but we'll get there. No kids to train but I look forward to taking my nephew to the range in a few years.

 

[BamAlmighty]

Honestly... WHY CARE?

As long as they do it safe it really doesn't matter how people do it, as long as they are contributing to the hobby and industry it is all good in my book. While I seriously LOVE shooting my decked out tacticool ARs, I still bring out my Spanish FR8, K31 Swiss, M1 Garand, etc and enjoy shooting them for what they are.

You can definitely tell who the up tight elmer fudds are. You can either adapt to the changing times or just enjoy what you have and stop worrying about other people, because short of joining an exclusive private club there really is nothing you can do about it.

 

[TanklessPro]

The trends at my range are about the same, but that maybe because I shoot at a private club. We did stop accepting new members a few months ago.
I have noticed a lot of AR's being sold back to gun shops. You would think that maybe they are selling back to turn a profit, but the numbers I have heard seemed a little low. I heard the shop offer 400 on a bushmaster optics ready with a scope and flashlight. I don't know what the final price was but the guy took the deal.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Live life by your own standard, and let others life life by theirs. You choose your own method of fun and would probably be pretty miffed if someone scoffed at you for not enjoying the same things they do. So don't turn around and do exactly that to others.

Ever thing that some people don't give a damn about getting the smallest groups? Ever think that you're winning the "smallest groups" competition with those guys with ARs because you're the only one competing? It's easy to be the best and look down at others when you're the only one who cares. It's just as likely that they don't care about tiny groups. "Minute of Man" is plenty accurate enough in some circumstances. Maybe that's what the zombie hunters were going for.

This is the same idea that came up in the thread a week or so ago about how people dress at the range. Stop judging others by your standard. They are not living your life and don't care about what you care about. They dress differently, shoot differently, talk differently, buy different guns, and gauge their own success with a different method. And that's everyone's choice.

Should a "zombie hunter" look down on a cowboy action shooter because he chose a gun that can only hold 6 rounds? Of course not. The cowboy action shooter had different goals than max capacity. He had a different standard of what he wanted and choose a 6-shooter based off that standard. That's his right and the "zombie hunter" would be wrong to scoff because the cowboy action guy didn't live up to his standard.

It goes both ways. The important thing is that they're having fun. In high school, we all used to see how uptight people were over what clothes other kids were wearing or what car they had. Who was part of what group and so. And then we grew up and realized that stuff doesn't matter....


...Or at least we should have.

 

[wyohome]

Live life by your own standard, and let others life life by theirs. You choose your own method of fun and would probably be pretty miffed if someone scoffed at you for not enjoying the same things you do. So don't turn around and do exactly that to others.

I shoot in the desert on BLM land. I am very glad I do not have to put up with either the busy-body types, or those who are SO much better, with their perfectly mannered children and ability to shoot perfect groups...at least on the Internet.

 

[Bobson]

1)AR's with all the trimmings. Guys with front vertical grips and enormous telescopic sights blasting at 25 yards

I was at a local range the other day and saw several guys doing this exact thing; AR15 with a huge scope, 25 yard target.

What's that all about?

 

[Nushif]

What's that all about?

The military has you zero at 25 yards, which supposedly zeroes it at 300 yards, too. Not a rifle guy though, so I'm not 100% sure.

But most people tend to simply laugh it off and throw thinly veiled ridicule at the people doing it, so it looks more highroad. They usually do the same thing with the vertical grip, or my personal favorite, the .45 degree forward grip which is incredibly comfortable, or the proven ACOG or red dot scopes.
Ironically they love shooting their M1s from the prone using iron sights a lot. Because that's way less military doctrine or armchair commando-like.

 

[Bojangles7]

Watch out, the pc police have arrived.

 

[Inebriated]

Watch out, the pc police have arrived.

If being PC means I can respect other people's choices in gear and style of shooting, without being condescending, then call me PC.

 

[chucknbach]

"Minute of Man" is plenty accurate enough in some circumstances. Maybe that's what the zombie hunters were going for.

Minute of zombie head is better! Most people are aware you can down more zombies with less wasted ammo with a well placed zombie head shot.

 

[animator]

Biggest trend I've seen is that the ratio of .223 shooters to .223 reloaders has broadened up by a substantial amount, thus providing me with a virtually endless supply of once-fired .223 brass.

 

[Lex Luthier]

Mostly what Ragnar said.

I like to run through every position that may be called for, though prone is prohibited. When there is a jam, I unjam it in "get er done" style, because in the real bad guy world, that type of rush procedure may be necessary to survive.

I really don't get the .22 cal crowd though. I guess they get to have similar fun and save a lot more on ammo. It's kind of like showing up to a huge guitar jam with a Walmart guitar.

 

[Sig Bill]

To each their own I guess.