Rangemasters and Range OWNERS...why no METAL targets?

[Topgun]

How come so few ranges allow METAL targets? They're all you see on American Shooter.

They are so damned FUN that your attendance would probably double.

What particular hazard do they pose? I use a portable spinner and most of the lead is just splattered around the target. As to spinners at a standard range, you can regulate the caliber so as not to destroy your backstop.

A spinning metal target with a .22 is about 20 times more FUN than a paper punched with a .50 AE.

The only "downside" I can see is that (some) RO's would have one less thing to yell about while strutting around looking important.

(This in NO way is intended to apply to the good range officers who are helpful and safety conscious and an ASSET to their range.)

 

[Monkeyleg]

We had an incident last year with a shot that supposedly came from our range (I don't for one second believe it did) and wound up embedded in the kitchen of a house about 1,000 yards away.

The first thing the local PD demanded was range officers on duty at all times. Then they demanded that our club take down the two metal gongs that were hanging at about the 125 yard mark. The chief's reasoning was that there could be a ricochet, and the bullet could end up in a house again. Of course, the ricocheted bullet would have to travel about 150 feet up to clear the treeline and then still have enough energy to go another 600-800 yards to reach a populated area. Not likely.

I suppose that metal targets closer than that could result in some lead flying back, but I haven't heard of that happening at any of the silhouette shoots.

It probably just boils down to liability concerns.

 

[Chipperman]

In addition to the above post, finances play a part.
Metal targets cost money.
Range owners get pretty ticked off when they put out a nice gong (that is supposed to be rated for rounds up to xxx), and along comes Cletus with his .98 caliber Loudenboomer to punch holes in said gong.

 

[geekWithA.45]

I'm not a range owner...

But eagle eye used to have steel plates out at the 10 yard line.

After some complaints about splashback, and the frame being shot to hell, they rebuilt the frame, and limited users to .22lr.

After rebuilding the frame for the third time, they said to heck with it, and took it down.

It was a shame, really....

 

[blades67]

Rio Salado has steel targets and gongs at the 100, 200 and 300 yard lines. The 100 yard gongs get torn up very quickly by the gomers. More than one .50 BMG rifle owner has been asked to leave for shooting the 100 yard gongs.

 

[swingset]

I think you got the answer - selfish, careless and stupid people tear up metal gongs, or anything else placed downrange and tear the place up.

Gun owners are their own worst enemy.

 

[rayra]

Topgun, I'm guessing you never got a piece of lead spall ricochet back and hit you?
Said reasons about destruction of expensive targets, too.

(though I have to say, there is an outdoor range by me that uses quite a few metal targets. It's nice & fun)

 

[Sheldon]

I went to the Oak Tree Gun Club in Newhall, Ca. and their pistol range is all steel. It looks like a giant shooting gallery. Seems like most of the stuff is so heavily built my loads were not moving them much. It was fun for a while and then the novelty wore off. They have 2 bays with falling plate racks setups with timers to see how fast you can knock 5 plates down. I think the racks are setup at 10 yards or so. They have a chart there that you can list how fast you are....honor system. Mike Dautlon (of Steel Challenge fame) had a time of 2.35 secs. or so. I don't know if that was from the draw or low ready though.

Here is a shot of the steel setup.

B]Here is a shot of the plate rack setup:[/B]

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[Matt1911]

Sheldon,
Man!that looks fun!

 

[TonyB]

Over the summer at IDPA(outdoors) we did lots of steel shooting...you definatly get blow back...just enough to get your attention tho no blood or real pain.......in MY range(back yard) I have an old oxygen tank at about 40 yards...makes a great PING when you hit it............

 

[El Tejon]

Top, must be regional. We're heavy on steel here. All the cowboy stuff (cacti, steer's head, cowboys, etc), the steel plate ranges, the steel bowling pins, the gongs, the steel critter range, etc.

Only problem we've had was a hilljack shot one of the pistol plates with a .308 (yes, a .308). It was unclear what type of banjo music was playing while he did it and whether or not he was wearing shoes--I suspect no shoes. Fined, scolded and ordered to pay restitution.

Danger is rics and attendant liability issues. Certain distance one must maintain.

 

[AJ Dual]

Monkeyleg, what ever came of that incedent?

From what I recall of your original post, it was very unlikely the round even came from that range. Wasn't the bullet track upward inside the "victim's" home, and the bullet would have had to have been descending to clear a rise between the range to the house to actually strike it?

I seem to recall that the owner may have even taken a potshot at his own home in an effort to get the range closed, or at least it was a random shot from property outside the range?

Were you ever able to make any headway with the police on those issues?

 

[The Reaper]

I'm the Chairman and Chief RSO on my local outdoor range. We do not have a manned range BTW. Here is our reasoning for not using steel.

Lead abatement. It would greatly increase the amount of range we would have to scrape and replace to perform lead abatement. A very costly thing to do BTW.

Idiots. People shooting the steel with loads the targets aren't meant to handle. i.e. moving the pistol targets to the rifle range etc.

Expense and maintenance costs. The shooters currently shoot up everything down range. They would be shooting up all the supports and such versus even hitting the steel. Too much cost involved for maintenance.

Richochet. Closely related to idiots, who would improperly set up the targets and cause a round to leave the range. We have some neighbors who would close us down in a heartbeat if they could. Blowback is a minor issue to me, but others have big concerns about it, given it could possibly hit someone else on our firing line.

Personally, I like shooting steel, but it is just a big headache to our range operations. I am working on getting an IDPA club setup on our range, and we may do some steel for IDPA stages.

Shoot safe, shoot often, have fun.
Scott

 

[Sunray]

If a shot went into a house 1,000 yards away, it did not get bounced there by a steel plate. Simple physics will tell you that. Sadly, most cop chiefs are just simple and have an anti-firearm agenda given them by their mayors etc, that says close as many ranges as possible. No ranges means the public has no place or reason to own firearms.
When 2nd Chance was still running, they had to stop the rifle events after a miracle bullet that flew towards the back stop, rose 50 plus feet then came back down to enter a window some mile behind the range.
The problem with steel plate targets is the boneheads that know nothing about steel and shot any calibre at it. Unsurpervised ranges are usually the worst. Even at private club ranges the boneheads who do this think that because they pay membership fees they can do anything they want. They're also the ones who are first to show up to shoot but last to stay and help clrean up.

 

[keyhole]

We have steels at our range, but have pulled a lot of them, due to them being shot to pieces. Enjoyed by all who come out, and sad than a few try to destroy them. Like said before, IDIOTS!

Also have had a couple of incidents involving frags comeing back, and hitting other shooters. I tell everyone to make sure you wear glasses, ( yes, some have to be told), and that it is a dangerous sport, and that sometimes you can get stung. Other than that, have fun!


www.bonecreekgunclub.com

 

[BerettaNut92]

Holy crap. where is Newhall? The only Newhall I've heard of is that one in that Arlo Guthrie song about Alice and her restaurant. Or was that Whitehall?

I think splashing back, steel targets can be picky about spitting back certain types of ammo it doesn't like.

 

[Monkeyleg]

Andrew, they had experts come in and look the situation over. They said there was no way the shot came from our range.

However, our club doesn't own the land. Mr. Schultz died a few years back and his daughter now owns it, and is trying to sell it. And the city is threatening to lean on her to not renew our lease.

So, if the chief says "jump," we ask how high.

 

[Topgun]

Yep, I've been hit by backsplatter

but not at 25 yards. It just seems to me that a restriction to .22 rimfire and a plate bullet trap would answer the problem.

Might even make lead collection easier. The old closed indoor range we had locally had an angled plate behind the targets and the lead just piled up there.

As to IDIOTS, when you charge for use of the range, have a computer and enter the driver license # with a policy of "any stupid crap and you are removed from ANY further use."

Easy to index in the simplest database.

Just some ideas. I would sure like to see some ideas developed to make ranges more fun and eliminate the S***heads.