Shotgun Manners

[psyprofessor]

Ok... I bought a lot of ammo...(7 1/2 birdshot) for practice. (00 buckshot for HD) I went to my usual indoor range. After starting to shoot...I was told by the ranger that I should not be using birdshot. (And I could tell that I have annoyed some of the other shooters for shooting birdshot.)

Honestly... I did not know that I was not supposed to use birdshot indoors. I was told that I could only use buckshot or slugs. Well...how was I supposed to know? Other than today...I have only fired 5 rounds in my new SG.

The reason that they gave me was that birdshot was too light and it would recoil...endangering other shooters. I really felt horrible...because safety and courtesy are the two things I prize most while shooting in a gun range.

Besides the "Four Rules"...are there any other courtesy rules that I should be aware of???

 

[single stack]

I've not fired a shotgun at an indoor range so I'm nor acquainted with specific rules.
I do think that the range officer meant ricochet not recoil.


SS

 

[throdgrain]

I've never heard of an indoor range for a shotgun What were you shooting, targets??

 

[oneounceload]

00 Buck has more energy and therefore, more potential for recoil than birdshot....so I guess I am confused about the problem

 

[ReloaderFred]

If shooting at a flat steel plate, then the 00 buck could certainly ricochet back more than birdshot, but indoor ranges don't normally shoot against steel plates placed at 90 degrees to the shooter. They either have slanted steel plates which direct the projectile down to either a sand or water trap, shredded rubber or a snail system, all of which are engineered to work within a certain energy range. The birdshot wouldn't fall within this range and would negate the requisite engineering, thereby resulting in ricochets back to the firing line.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[oneounceload]

???? why would birdshot, if shot into the angled steel plate, ricochet while 00 buck wouldn't???...ALL should be directed down into the sand/water quite easily, guess I''m missing something

 

[Gunfighter123]

First off --- ANY range should have rules posted where they can be seen .

It also never hurts to ask. A local range here does not allow 10MMs to be used but they do allow .44mag and .38 Super !!! Go figure ???

Most indoor ranges do not allow rifles other then .22RF and pistol calibures like 44/40 , .357 etc.

I have shot some indoor shotgun "steel/paper" matches and have not seen any "bounce back" from 00buck.

With a range with angled plate for a backstop -- there could be the chance of the shot hitting the frame that holds the plate armor.

 

[psyprofessor]

This particular range allowed me to shoot my SG on the day that I bought it. I happened to shoot 00 Buckshot on that occasion because that was what they had on stock... (I bought 5 rounds with the SG.)

On this second trip to the range with the SG, I came prepared with birdshot (which Walmart offered at a good price on bulk packs). I figured that this would be an inexpensive way to practice.

On this particular visit to the range, my focus was just on getting the feel of shooting the SG...not so much on hitting bull's eye on the target. (Hence, my choice of birdshot.....and not slugs.)

Much to my surprise... I did something that I was not supposed to do. I wish they had posted the "no birdshot" rule.

 

[shiftyer1]

I am under the impression that you are totally new to shooting, or at least to shotguns. I don't understand the birdshot rule but I think if you enjoy shooting the birdshot you may try to find an outdoor range that offers clay pidgeon shooting. You may find it more enjoyable and it would really hone your shot shooting skills.

 

[rbernie]

I suspect that their rule is more related to the products that they sell and want you to buy moreso than any real safety issues.

Most indoor ranges do not allow shotguns. When my local indoor range test fires shotguns, however, they use birdshot.

 

[Bix]

I've had birdshot ricochet back and tag me (and other shooters around me) in instances where buck would not. Shooting bowling pins is a good example.

Individual birdshot pellets loose energy pretty quickly. Depending on the distance to the backstop, the compostion of the backstop (e.g., rubber facing), and what the pellets have passed through on their way, I can imagine birdshot loosing enough energy to fail to penetrate/spatter and instead ricochet.

One of the ranges I've shot on has a slug/buck only rule because birdshot chews up their target stands. That also seems pretty sensible. In my experience, birdshot is best left to steel and clays.

 

[Fred Fuller]

prof,

If the range rules were't clearly posted or explained to you in advance, then there is nothing at all wrong with your manners. You stopped when asked, that's as good as it gets. That's an issue of range rules, not manners.

I'd strongly suggest you buy yourself a copy of Robert Ruark's book The Old Man And The Boy. It's still in print, even after all these years. It has the best teaching on shotgun etiquette you're likely to find. And it's a great read too. ( http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bo...=The-Old-Man-and-the-Boy/Robert-Chester-Ruark )

hth,

lpl

 

[DaveBeal]

The indoor range I shoot at recently banned all shotshells due to damage to walls, ceiling and target carriers. Slugs are still allowed.

 

[Rshooter]

Believe it or not, we do not have many outdoor ranges around but our indoor range goes all of the way up to 30-06. As far as birdshot, it can tear things up and bounce back when it hits target mounts, etc. If it is not posted though do not worry, you stopped when asked. Most ranges are pretty forgiving unless you are a jerk.

 

[WardenWolf]

Some indoor ranges also use automatic target retrieval systems and augers to clean the floor. Birdshot can get stuck in smaller places and cause some damage to the machinery.

 

[nachosgrande]

At my indoor range, we can shoot anything out of a shotgun as long as it's lead, not steel.

 

[Deadheadted37]

My local indoor range you can shoot birdshot but the ask you to be careful with other shooter in the bays next to you. They say this not for safety reasons, but so you don't pepper their targets.

 

[John Peddie]

Ruark

Lee,

Thanks for that.

I grew up reading Ruark in Field and Stream every month, long before my parents allowed me a BB gun, and he taught me more about firearms manners and safety than anyone since-and that includes professional range instructors.

 

[mswestfall]

It is nice that you are concerned abut other people's needs. I wouldn't worry about it too much if the rule wasn't posted. You can correct it from this point forward.

 

[atblis]

Hmm, I bet when they say "birdshot" they really intend to single out steel shot (which would be more likely to ricochet).

 

[SiNNiK]

Things not to do with birdshot.

I wish someone had been there to tell me not to shoot that rusty ol' 55 gallon drum out in the field with birdshot. At point blank range.

The center of the shot went through, but the peripheral shot came right back at me.

Ow.

 

[Sunray]

Pin and steel plate shoots(7 yards) usually require #2's or bigger. Bird shot will bounce back. Heavier shot loses velocity faster and doesn't go as far, I think. Had a pellet drop on me 20 to 30 yards away from the line while sitting under under a tent roof. No damage of any kind. Got hit on the leg by a spent .45 bullet at Second Chance long ago too. Broke the hide in two places. Made the shooting glasses rule while spectating very clear. Would have caused serious damage to an eye.

 

[spiroxlii]

The two indoor ranges I go to allow shotguns, but one says buck/slugs only, and the other is slugs only. They both allow all common handgun and rifle calibers on the range.

Many people who go to an indoor range with a shotgun are not going with sporting use in mind, so you're likely to see a lot of cylinder-bore shotguns (possibly "tacticool") with 18-20'' barrels. If you fire birdshot out of a shotgun like that, the shot is going to spread rapidly. At an indoor range, you're usually going to be shooting at paper or cardboard targets hanging from target hangers on an electric zip-line type of retrieval system. Plenty of handgun and rifle shooters accidentally peg the target hangers and retrieval equipment, and the range will often charge a small fee to cover the damage. A HD-style or "tacticool" shotgun firing birdshot is almost guaranteed to fire a wide pattern that impact the equipment, the walls, and possibly other peoples' targets downrange.

Oddly enough, the two indoor ranges near me ban birdshot, but they will rent you a fully automatic submachine gun. My first time firing a Thompson submachine gun on full auto, I did destroy a target hanger because I wasn't expecting the muzzle climb. Sure enough, I was charged a small replacement fee for the equipment. Centerfire hits on the range's equipment are probably more damaging than birdshot hits would be, but centerfire hits on the equipment are relatively rare, whereas birdshot would almost be guaranteed to pepper the equipment on a regular basis if it were allowed on the range.

 

[mp510]

I've shot birdshot on indoor ranges. You get A LOT of lead dust from the stuff.