Rude jerk at the range today

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I've never had a problem wih people swipeing my brass at the 2 ranges that I go to. When I shoot my 45 autos I use brass with a disstinctive head stamp so there's no mistaking which brass is mine. If there's someone else shooting 45 auto and I'll pick up his brass by mistake I give them back to them. If he says " keep it" all's fine and good. Now I understand that there is some brass that is VERY expensive and the shooter wants it back to reload,but are you willing to get into an altercation over a piece of brass? If most of the reloadeer here are anything like me we have more brass than we'll ever know what to do with. I hate losing brass more than you can imagine and over the years I've worked on being less OCD about it.
This is no joke at one ttime I had 25,000 9 mm cases thanks to the local Coast Guard that used our range a couple of times a year to qualify.
 
OMG people would you please stop saying things like, " he might be armed and snap and shoot me"?!?!! For God's sake we of all people should know being armed and being a MURDERER are two totally different things. ANYONE you talk to could be armed, do you walk around at all times in fear that if you look at someone the wrong way they might murder you? Are you afraid that if someone makes you mad you will just kill them? This is the ANTIS way of talking. We are more civil and I think we can talk about disagreeing with someone without it going straight to murder. We are talking about a rude knucklehead making off with a couple bucks of our brass. I'm not afraid to talk to someone or disagree with them off the range or on it because I know I'm not going to murder him for some brass nor do I transfer an irrational fear to them they will murder me. When you guys walk downrange to hang a target do you lock up all your weapons in your car? Why not? Some guy could just pick up your guns and shoot you! Do you have someone stand armed security while you shoot? You might hit a guys target by accident and he could kill you! I know I'm getting a little overboard but really folks. If we can't deal with each other civilly even in a few disagreements why would we expect people outside of our circles to trust us with guns either. I think we are letting their paranoia creep into our way of thinking here.

If I don't like the guy taking my brass I'll tell him. Will I shoot him over it, NO. I wouldn't even beat him up over it though I'm pretty capable in that department too. If he is bound and determined to have it he is going to take it. If it burns me up that bad about it I'll call the cops. That is what civil people like us do. If the guy was prone to murder me then the brass or what I say to him is irrelevant anyhow. Why would he kill me for a few bucks in brass instead of the hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of weapons I have with me? Or the $30,000 car I drove there? The whole thing just doesn't make sense to me.
 
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Jon, I agree with you in almost all of your points there, except that NO, folks are NOT leaving firearms lying around unattended these days. There have indeed been enough folks killed at ranges when the lone stranger on the line with them picks up their guns, kills them, and leaves.

That happened here recently in PA. And, if you remember your history, that's how the famous Platt and Maddox picked up some of their weapons.
 
OMG people would you please stop saying things like, " he might be armed and snap and shoot me"?!?!! For God's sake we of all people should know being armed and being a MURDERER are two totally different things. ANYONE you talk to could be armed, do you walk around at all times in fear that if you look at someone the wrong way they might murder you? Are you afraid that if someone makes you mad you will just kill them? This is the ANTIS way of talking. We are more civil and I think we can talk about disagreeing with someone without it going straight to murder. We are talking about a rude knucklehead making off with a couple bucks of our brass. I'm not afraid to talk to someone or disagree with them off the range or on it because I know I'm not going to murder him for some brass nor do I transfer an irrational fear to them they will murder me. When you guys walk downrange to hang a target do you lock up all your weapons in your car? Why not? Some guy could just pick up your guns and shoot you! Do you have someone stand armed security while you shoot? You might hit a guys target by accident and he could kill you! I know I'm getting a little overboard but really folks. If we can't deal with each other civilly even in a few disagreements why would we expect people outside of our circles to trust us with guns either. I think we are letting their paranoia creep into our way of thinking here.
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Well I think you can agree there are a lot of weird people out there. This dudes behavior was a bit off, and he seemed somewhat aggressive in his attitude, (that is the feeling I get from the op anyhow). It does not matter if it is on the rang or not but that would get my spiddy senses tingling. We don't know if this guy is just a regular guy or some nut, so no matter what one should be cautious about this situation. Most people I run into on the range are perfectly pleasant nice people. This instance is not that case. On a range or not this should be dealt with delicately, or it may escalate. I feel that since the ops family was present he made a wiser choice then I likely would have and took the high road.
 
At just under 6'5 and has a flat dead eyed stare that would pull up a bull someone would have to dislike life to try to pull that sort of thing on my guy.
 
brass catcher.....I was shooting at a range a few years ago that had the "If it hits the floor it belongs to the range" rule. Made my own brass catcher for shooting my kimber, and other than some dirty looks from some of the staff, I nevr had an issue.
Now as to the OP, I think you did the right thing. Life is short and somethings are not worth the elevated bloodpressure....
 
I misread your name as Mr_Dragon and thought you were talking about yourself. Substantially less irritating post after this revelation
 
The behavior presented is about on par with someone talking to oneself - ignoring social norms on this level is odd enough for me to avoid that person. A "pissing" contest at this point in my life, over a few dollars, is certainly not worth 1) my time, or 2) my health or life, or 3) a conversation with the cops or 4) hiring a lawyer.

I've accomplished enough in my life to not have something to 'prove' to anyone.
 
Sour Experience

I used to go this range a while back; it was when I first got into firearms. The last three times I had gone there the range was totally devoid of any customers, and while the the owner was bit up-tight and curt with me I still had a lot of fun.

On fourth time I went there were five people at the benches. This time the Owner came out with me, to check-up on everything I guess, he had never done that before so it took me bit off-guard. Anyway, I got my rifle my out and set my targets and ammo on the bench. One of the customers asked the Owner to accompany him downrange to appraise his groups at the 100 yard mark and decide whether they were respectable.

I sat my ammunition away form the rifle and laid it down with action open and pointed it towards a series of dirt mounds there were to the right of the range; everyone moved behind the the shooting line.

He was about 25 yards down when I leaned over the line to grab my targets. I didn't know how long it would take for him walk all the way down range, shoot-the-breeze with this guy and walk all the way back. As soon as I leaned over to grab my targets he happens to turn and see me. He was furious and called me out by first name to get way from the table, and he paced to the bench like he was about to fight me. I naturally apologized and explained that I just wanted my targets, he snatched them from my hands and angrily says to ask him next time, and to never get close to the table, especially when he's down range. Now needless to say I was very embarrassed and it soured the rest of my shooting session and experiences at that range. I went there a couple more times until he went private. He was, and probably still is, the only range 100 yard outdoor rifle range near to me. (Over forty miles away, god the things I do for firearms.:p)


Now I'm sure some might be inclined to agree with the Owner; that there was, and is, no excuse to get near the bench, or cross the shooting line and normally I would agree with them, but personally, I felt the owner just didn't like me. I was young, just a year and a half out of high school, and had long unkempt curly hair, and I was from the city, so maybe he made some fallacious judgments based on those observations that I would be irresponsible or something.


Anyway...I just can't help not to say it, what a jerk.:neener:
 
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ColtPythonElite said:
Cool story, bro....but what's it got to do with brass theives?
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Nothing, lol. :uhoh:

Never dealt with brass thieves, but had my fair share experiences with range jerks, just wanted to share some.

Of course, I'm always scouring my in-door range for brass, and always asking people if I can take it.
 
Bulletark47,

Looking back on it I'm sure you wished you'd have just waited to grab your targets. However from the information you provided I can tell you that the owner of a busy range that has a lock on the business and charges a fee to use the range should actually furnish inexpensive spotting scopes for each station. He certainly had no business walking downrange to evaluate another customer's target unless a cease-fire had been called and everyone else was also downrange changing or putting up targets.

If he is rude to you he'll be rude to others and perhaps someone else will be providing some competition in the near future.

Regards,

TB
 
I've had similar range experiences with brass thieves. They usually like to make up their own rules such as "if it hits the ground, it's up for grabs".

That's when I usually smile at them and say "I hope you enjoying reloading aluminum cases" and start shooting some blazer.

I've always carried (cocked and locked) when I go to the range. I'm leaving thousands of dollars of my weapons out in the open, and there have been a few fruitcakes known to frequent ranges that I go to.

As a rule these days, I only attend private ranges unless I have no other options.
 
but are you willing to get into an altercation over a piece of brass?
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I might just have an accidental discharge in the direction of my brass....I'm "that" careless.
 
I might just have an accidental discharge in the direction of my brass....I'm "that" careless.
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Ha ha! Hooo hoo, boy, that is sure a good one! Haaa yeah... might accidentally shoot the ground near another range patron. Yup!

This is like the shooting trespassers theme we keep coming back to. Someone might commit a minor faux pas, bit of rudeness, or even a misdemeanor legal violation that I don't like, so I'll just go ahead and escalate to recklessness, endangerment, assault, or shoot, why not? Maybe manslaughter.

If this is a cute idea of a joke, that's not welcome here at THR.

If this is your idea of a proper way to solve a social problem? YOU are not welcome here at THR.

----

And we're done with this. If the question isn't answered well enough by now, throwing more absurd suggestions at it isn't going to help.
 
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