Spray and pray.....drives me nuts.

[ZeSpectre]

If they aren't endangering you then I'd say try to enjoy your own shooting and don't worry so much about how they choose to blow money.

Not too long ago I was at an outdoor range with a friend of mine, we'd been there for about an hour already and were getting ready to leave so just for the heck of it I loaded both of my SIG pistols and went out to the line to do a just-for-the-fun-of-it "Hollywood" blitz (two guns simultaneously).

Had my fun (everything was at least on the target paper though it looked like a shotgun blast hit it ) and was walking back to the table and my friend told me how a guy who had just arrived had made a snide remark about "mall ninja idiots". My friend said "nah, he's just blowin' off steam before we go home, he usually shoots like this (and showed him some of the good targets we'd shot previously).

I've also had times where I've just "blazed away" through a few magazines because I'm checking function or trying to break in a new gun.

Now I'm not saying that is what those other shooters were doing but you never know.

 

[CZ223]

When at the range

I often end up "shooting the bull" more than shooting the bullseye. What I mean is that spend more time talking to other shooters, especially younger ones who are obviously inexperienced, than I do actually shooting. I often offer my help whether it asked for or not if I see someone doing something "wrong". Remember, right and wrong are subjective terms and just because they don't do things the way you do does not neccisarily mean that that they are wrong. Often my advice is well received and sometimes it is not. If it is not well received then I will generally mind my own business unless it is CLEARLY a matter of safety. I have seen several demostrations of realy stupid behavior at the range to the point of actually having to yell at someone to get there attention to let them know what they were doing wrong. Both times this involved people shooting while others were down range.

As for people shooting rapid fire while you are trying to make one holers at 100 yards,it can be a little distracting. I shoot both ways. I love my target rifles but lately I have been practicing drawing from concealment and engaging bad guy targets rapidly and repetedly. If someone is on the range I move to the far end so as not disturb them. I did have one guy ask me to leave the rifle range and go to one of the pistol ranges to practice. I politely said that I would just as soon as I took down all the target frames that he was shooting at. He asked why I would do that and I told him that since I built ALL the target boards by myself including the ones he was shooting on I thought it was only fair since I had never seen him do any work at the club. He thanked me for my work and appologized and we both went back to shooting.

 

[Pax Jordana]

Best range moment ever.. dad and I were packing up to leave when a pair of asian fellows, also father and son, show up with a conspicuous cardboard box and a grocery bag FULL of ammo.. the guy introduces himself and says.. "can you show me to shoot kalashnikov?"

Gun owners are a lot like cigar/pipe smokers - we're marginalized just enough that we start to feel a little bit like a club. Somebody told this guy that guns are a lot of fun, and he had himself some, safely (I assume).

Sure, it can be annoying. The guy slow-firing a scoped .44 mag at the next table can be annoying too, even if you do respect the heck out of him, it gets tough to concentrate.

I totally second the idea that you should ask to see the gun and then put the best group you can on their target.. it's bound to elicit a "dang, how do I do THAT" response.

As far as bad handling goes, just remind the guy of the rules. Don't be the range officer if you're not the range officer - better to simply, ah, remind him of your mutual commitment to safety.

Especially if you're back in the woods somewhere, "....or someone could get hurt" while looking them in the eye can be effective. Remember, statistically shooting's safer than badminton, and we got that way by being SAFE!

 

[W.E.G.]

I'm old enough to be called "mature."

I still enjoy a good mag dump whenever the urge strikes.

I can hit the middle of the target too - when I want to.

I even got yelled at by an RSO (at a range where mag-dumping is permitted) - for.... guess what?
MAG-DUMPING. All my shots were well within a 12-inch circle at 25 yards. Oh well. Some people just hate seeing other people having fun. Its not like she (the RSO) was paying for my ammo.

I think she was prejudiced against the rifle.

 

[kwelz]

I sxtill enjoy dumping a lot of lead downrange as fast as possible every once and a while. I have even gotten pretty accurate with Rapid Fire from my handguns. But no it is not how I practice. So just remember that someone doing that may not be a punk or anything else. They may just be looking to have a bit of fun that day.

 

[SGR]

I had a similar, but worse experience last time I was at the range. I was sighting in a new .223 when three guys showed up. Althought the range was empty except for me, they set up shop right next to me. I guys brought all the guns including an AK and .45 pistol. Next thing I know they are blazing away and I felt something hit my shoulder. I looked down, saw blood and something sticking out of my arm! I pulled it out and sure enought it was copper. I walked over and told the morons they had hit me. The moron said" I was trying for a head shot with the .45 and must have shot high and hit the steel bar holding the target up!! I could not beleive it!!!!!!!!!!

 

[grimjaw]

just a bunch of kids havin fun, they will grow out of it. not everyones father teaches them to shoot

Agreed. Would you have preferred that they came to the range handing out Brady literature instead?

jm

 

[TheLastBoyScout]

There is absolutely NOTHING that pisses me off more than old farts trying to regulate on my range time.

My practice is geared to my goals--by the OP's standard I'm probably a horrible shot just like the kids he met. After all, 2 shots 6 inches apart at 7 yards could be damn good shooting... you know, if they followed a draw from the holster, and both landed in the A zone of a silhouette one very quickly after the other.

Slowly aimed, highly precise pistol shots may make a cool target for me to show off, but if that's all I do, I doubt it would do too much for my scores.

By all means, feel free to correct me as the MOMENT I create a dangerous condition... but until then you can feel free to sit down and shut up.

 

[dhoomonyou]

What range in SW Fla?

 

[strat81]

just a bunch of kids havin fun, they will grow out of it. not everyones father teaches them to shoot

Yup.
My first time at the range by myself was only the second time I had ever fired a gun and the first time I loaded one. There I sat at the line with the instruction manual trying to figure out what to do.

My first target looks like I shot it with #6 shot from 50 yards.

 

[Justin]

Once upon a time I was shooting at my club's range.

About six rows down from me, there was an older gentleman who was shooting a scoped revolver off of the bench at 25 yards.

I was practicing draw and fire drills at eight yards.

After I'd gone through approximately seventy rounds, he sidles over, gives my target the stink-eye, sees that I was hitting what I was shooting at (which, I have no doubt removed the first criticism he was planning to level at me.)

Then he looks down, puts a dismayed face on and says to me "You're sure going to have to pick up a lot of brass!"

I responded that, yes, I was aware of the brass on the ground, but not to worry, as I reload and would police up all the brass.

At this, he kind of shrugged his shoulders and wandered back to his bench.

Quite frankly, as someone who regularly shoots expert-level bullseye scores with an iron-sighted pistol, as well as regularly competes in local IDPA and IPSC matches, I found the whole thing laughable.

 

[Im283]

Personally as long as the youngsters were being safe I would have stopped shooting for a minute and ejoyed the looks on their faces. Sounds to me that at least the guy described in the original post was new. And it is a lot of fun to empty a standard capacity magazine like he did.

I really like the idea of striking up conversation, compliment their pistol and then ask to shoot a couple of rounds.

As long as they are being safe then it is all good.

 

[tnieto2004]

They will run out of money much faster .. and their skills will increase very little .. Either way you win .. I have some buddies who do that every time we go to the range .. They always wonder why others skills are improving ..

 

[outofbattery]

My dad didn't teach me to shoot.In fact,he hated guns and forbid me to have any.I bought my first pistol and rifle because "the clips hold more bullets" than the others that I could afford at the time.I used to burn through a mountain of 3D reloads,really hot Egyptian 9mm dodgy surplus stuff and the cheapest 7.62X39 the LGS had.
10 years later,I'm the chairman of my gun club's range,run our tournaments and teach new shooters.
Everybody has to start somewhere.Had it been me,I'd have asked in a friendly and noncondescending way if they'd have liked a little help with sight alignment and trigger control.

 

[rbernie]

I usually do a series of double-taps into a fist-sized hole, one lane over. When they step back and realize that I shot as fast as they did but with control, they often will try chatting me up about it - giving me the chance to show them hold, target acquisition, sighting, and stance.

Passing along skills is the name of the game. Don't fight 'em - show 'em better.

 

[General Geoff]

Let them have their fun, so long as they're exercising good safety practices.


Eventually they'll realize, slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

 

[silverking]

Yea, I was kinda thinking along the lines of the money thing associated with the learning skills. Unless there's money to burn, these guys could learn in a hurry that their new "fun" thing won't last long. I would also think that such a rapidfire display might just draw the attention of the RSO, who in turn would be watching a little closer to assure the safety of all concerned.
Then again, haven't we all done this at one time or another? I do on ocassion but I shoot on private property.

 

[E5]

Rapid fire is no doubt fun, but someone spraying all over, followed up by saying "awesome dude" is probably going to display a lack of muzzle awareness as he turns to his bro smiling. For those of you telling the original poster to chill, I hope there isn't still one in the pipe when the yahoo next to you does this.

I'm no expert shooter, but I'm safe. I've been lined up in a yahoo's sights before at a range. Not a happy scene.

 

[Officers'Wife]

Hi mjrodney,

I wonder if that's why my Dad was so fanatic about my learning to shoot with a lever action rifle and a revolver before I was even allowed to touch a semi-automatic weapon?

Selena

 

[Hooptie]

I've run into that at my local indoor range, I'm sitting there setting up and carefully shooting, just enjoying myself. When three guys come in sporting nice puffy coats, pants big enough for Fat Albert and flat brimmed sideways hats. All three pull out the exact same Glock, and one complains his ammo won't load. Yeah, putting .40 into a 9mm doesn't work sunshine......Then of the three, only one could shoot worth a darn.

The range owner can't stand when they show up.


Heck there was was scrappy looking white kid there a week ago with a laser sight on his glock (what is it with them and Glocks?) and I was more accurate with my old fixed sight .22mag revolver.

 

[The Deer Hunter]

I don't like it when anyone shows up when I'm shooting at the rifle range, but somehow they always show up just about when I'm ready to shoot...

Having other people there usually is a distraction and takes a chunk of time out of your shooting time, but other people want to shoot too. Sometimes, other people will let you shoot their gun too, btw.

 

[skipjack_1st]

I understand your point if they were just emptying the mag with no real thought to target acquisition. I do know that 90% of my practice is point shooting, most being double taps. I'm not cutting any bulls eyes, (most of the time), but I am hitting good center of mass. So just the fact they they weren't trying to put one shot through the one before it doesn't make it bad.

If gun saftey wasn't an issue, at least they were stimulating the economy!

 

[Hooptie]

Oh, the issue wasn't having others there, though I do love having the range to myself! The issue was the caliber of person and the caliber they had. They all shot like uneducated idiots, they looked like they just pimp limped in out of a gang fight and were loud and obnoxious yelling "yo boy" things to eachother.

The rest of us had a fine time.

 

[tkkr]

Im the same way, I dont like it when other people are around me when I shoot. Thats why I started going into the woods.

 

[brentn]

Sometimes these kinds of people don't want to learn, they just want to point and shoot. Yea its sad because they don't have any skills to speak of, but when your young sometimes this is all they want to do.
I say, as long as they're following the 4 rules, and mind themselves, I'd let them do whatever the hell that they want.