Things You Don't Want to See at the Range

[KC&97TA]

My worst experiance was ... believe it or not on a USMC range about a year ago running a "hot" tactical pistol range; it was 'one of those days with plently of saftey violations, Range was over, all ammo should have been expended, doing the brass check and visually clearing the line, get through first 3 on the big end no problem, at this point, I'm glad there's no more ammo and I haven't been shot or fraged by a ricoche, get to number four and he's all jacked up, pulls his pistol from the leg holster pointed at my chest, (instantly ask myself "why don't you have your flack on" as he racks the slide a 9mm round pops from the breach, (magazine in still) scares the crap out of him, and chambers another round (remember at this point no one should have any ammo) decocking lever or saftey is off, so the hammer is cocked and this Beretta 9mm is pointed dirrectly at my chest.... Slowly and as calm as I can, I take the pistol from him, drop the mag that has 3 rounds still in it, rack the pistol, clear it.... throw it to the side down into the dirt and began to beat the hell out of this kid in front of the other 63 shooters that we had on the range that day.

Need less to say, I took a pretty heated verbal warning for my actions, I fear 2nd Lt's with guns more than I do Pfc's but that about changed my mind. I think if there hadn't been so many officers on the range that day the Staff NCO's wouldn't have been so agressive at pulling me off of him.

Haven't had too many irritateing experiances at the public ranges, except for those guys with Taurus 9mm that are a replica of the Beretta 92FS, the guys with the cheap 1911's that want to compare thier RIA to my Kimber and the Cali guys with thier "CA legal" AR's wanting to buy 30 round mags from me. (complete violation and grounds for the CA DOJ to kick in my door and take away my black guns) The LEO's at the local ranges are usally pretty good, but then again, I'm usally in there with either my wife who's a competion shooter or with a bunch of other Marines

 

[Boom-stick]

On my local range, it's the ol' boys that are the worse, they really scare me, the newbys still remember the saftey training they had to go through for 6 months.
Couple of months ago I saw an old(ish) guy, using his reloads in a .357 revolver he'd just borrowed from a friend, 4 shots later and no holes in the target he starts looking down the barrel of this loaded gun, sees the bullet stuck down it, places a clean rod down the barrel and puts the other end of the rod against his stomach and starts trying to push the stuck rounds out (didn't work), turns out he'd forgot to load the powder and all 4 bullets were stuck.

Last week, saw another old guy stroll down the range to adjust his target whilst everyone else had just loaded their firearms
When the RO called him back he proceeded to chew-out the RO, saying no-one had ever stopped him doing this in the past

 

[chrisbob]

DISREGARD FOR OTHERS

I BELONG TO A CONSERVATION CLUB I ALSO FREQUENT THE LOCAL STATE SHOOTING RANGE I SEE ALOT OF BROKEN GLASS, METAL OBJECTS, AND OTHER THRASH LEFT BY OTHERS. THERE ARE DUMPSTERS AND CANS RIGHT THERE. I TRY TO PICK IT UP BUT SPEND LESS TIME SHOOTING THAN CLEANING.

 

[billcavazos]

dont want to see

hoghunting - What range is that where the range master is not in control and actually allowing these bozos to go down and see their targets before the shooting session is over? Thats not acceptable at all.

 

[Zen21Tao]

 

[Matthew748]

I had one nutcase decide to start shooting while I and a few others were downrange. Unsafe handing is bad, but shooting while others are downrange is terrible. That is what I don't like to see.

 

[HUZI]

Thankfully the ranges i have been to have very good RO's, though a bloke i know was telling me of one time during a ceasefire some kid was dry-firing directly at him!!

 

[steveracer]

I can't stand these "Tactical AR" guys.

I have an AR-15, and shoot it at the range here pretty often. I have iron sights on mine, and nothing else. I shoot the AFQT targets and score in the low 200s.
There are LOTS of guys who come here and have about ten pounds of ridiculous gadjets hanging off their ARs and shoot at 25m and CANT HIT THE 9-RING!
I see this all the time. I group better with my 1911 at 25m than these guys do with their AR-15s. I'm not that great of a pistol shot, these guys are just really bad. They all wear Blackwater T-shirts, or Bushmaster polos, and have their thigh holsters on with the wondernine of the month with a light attatched to it. They do transition drills all day and it usually takes them longer to transition than it takes me to reload.
My wife shoots with me from time to time, (recovering Anti) and she shoots her pistol better at the same distances than these guys, and they have their instructor's belts rigged with more crap than I even own.
Anybody else think these guys are just total nonsense? The old timers I shoot with will take out their moonclipped wheelgun and put every round in the same hole at 25m, and then get the Garand out and do the same at 150m. I'd rather have the steady old man watching my back then the ammo-wasting kid with the AR and all his "mission essential" crap.

 

[repsychler]

Several years ago when I was still fairly new to shooting I decided to try skeet shooting. A buddy of mine and I went to a local range, and they were having some fort of event. (I think it was to raise money for the local volunteer fire department) There were lots of folks, some barbecue and plenty of beer. I though it was a bit odd but figured that those drinking were done shooting.
Well after having what seemed like every muzzle there pointed at me I put my shotgun up and was about to suggest to my buddy that we leave when some drunk guy starts talking to me. He explains how he was shooting poorly and I think to myself how bad he'd be now that he's drunk, and he ends with "...must be all the beers I've been drinking."

We stopped in the clubhouse to let them know they had a nice place, too bad they let drunks shoot there and then made a hasty retreat.

 

[Legionnaire]

What I don't want to see? Anybody who thinks there is nothing left to learn.

 

[Offwhite]

I don't know if anyone's said it (I only read the 1st page or so) but when these young wanna-be gangstas rent a 9mm & in one hand holds his baggy-ass pants up & the other turns the gun sideways & "pops a cap in da target"

 

[danurve]

The ex-wife glassing me from the bench while I'm downrange placing targets.

 

[SilentStalker]

A 3 year old shooting a .45 caliber handgun. I seen this a few weeks ago at the range. What the hell was this kid's dad thinking? This was this kids first time shooting anything and his dad gives him a .45 to shoot when the kid is 3 years old. Obviously, this did not go to well. Later on his dad seen me shooting my .22 and he came down and asked me if his son could shoot with that since he could not control the .45. My only stipulation was that he could only shoot it with me around. So, a few minutes later this kid is eating up .22 rounds with a big smile on his face LOL. I just remember thinking, "that poor kid," LOL everytime he shot the gun wound up somewhere over his head pointed backwards. Kind of scary in a way. Personally, I think 3 years old is a little too early to be teaching someone how to shoot, but that is just me.

 

[kbeck76]

Things I've seen and don't want to see again:

A young lady attempting to lower the hammer on a Colt SAA shoot the ground about 3 feet in front of the shooting line.

A fellow shoot a 44 Magnum Desert Eagle through his gun case and the bench below.

Young kids running up and down the shooting line. One place I shot regularly there were 4 - 5 kids who would almost catch your brass out of the air and take it to mom and dad.

A range regular walking around with a loaded and closed Model 12 while shooting trap.

Guys walking up behind the line waiting at a skeet station and loading their shotguns.

Guys who walk off a sporting clays station without opening their gun.

Public day at my current range is a zoo. It's one Sundary per month so I avoid it since I don't own body armor and the idiots way outnumber the sane.

 

[yeti]

the one thing I now hate to see at the range....

is the now empty lane, to my left, where my dad always used to shoot from.

 

[mondocomputerman]

yeti,

Sorry to hear that. Welcome to THR!