Whats the worst thing youve left/lost at the range?

A couple of years ago the wife and I went to our favorite club outdoor range about 45 min from home. No one else was there. After she and I shot several pistols, I moved to a rifle lane and practiced with my 300BO. Started off using my Form 1 30 cal suppressor on the 300BO AR, and then removed it from the rifle and sat it aside to cool. Shot for about another hour, and then packed up and left. When I got home, we ate dinner and then I unpacked my gear. I realized, that the suppressor was not in the rifle case. It was dark by then and after 10pm, but we made the trip back and found the suppressor laying right where I laid it to cool. I'm now much more careful about where I put equipment and always do a final walk thru to make sure I didn't leave something. Of course, since the property is protected by video, I had to report my stupidity to the club president.
 
Marked Costa Mesa Armalite AR-18 magazine. And later, a marked Colt 20 round 1960s magazine. Ban era no less so they were like $80 at the time. Just... left them I guess. Improved my processes eventually.

Glock WML, back when it was a pretty reasonable thing. Apparently launched off the end of a shotgun, didn't notice till home.

And... all at a membership only closed range. All had my name on them, I am a member. Lovely that no one even tries to return stuff, just keeps it.


Separately, left a Hardigg field desk chair at another supposedly very nice friendly range that I went to with 100 people I know to one degree or another a few states away. No one ever even responded to my emailed questions to the range if they hold onto it so that's just gone. That also sorta pisses me off.
 
Last edited:
When I was in Basic Training, Fort Ord California, we were supposed to keep our M16's with us all the time. At one range, a fellow trainee left his M16 leaning up against the wall in the communal pit toilet shed. He went back to find it and it was gone. Turns out it was thrown down into the pit toilet, according to one rumor by the DIs. He had to climb down in there to get it out and then he had to clean it...
 
A Glock magazine loader.

It turned out to be a good, cheap, lesson. Now when I leave the range I make damn sure that I open my bag and I physically hold my Malula in my hand and ensure that I have it before I close the bag
 
It wasn't at the range but one of our NCOs lost an M16A1 in the field at my first Duty Station. He also lost a stripe which probably ended his career.

We stayed in the field literally for a month looking for that rifle but we never found it.

CID was absolutely convinced that somebody in his section had disassembled that gun and scattered it all over the tank trail just to get him in trouble.

The odd thing is at the particular position where the M16 came up missing there was a small pond, I would be willing to bet that it wasn't more than 5 ft deep and no one ever thought to drag the pond. Actually, I seem to remember one guy in our unit volunteering to swim the pond to look for it and they wouldn't let him do it.
 
Meeks36 said:
lost the pin that held the cylinder in on a chipa 22. Now it’s just a paperweight. Contacted them multiple times to get a replacement. Even googled one for sale. No luck. Cost more to have one machined then it’s worth.
Click to expand...
And you can't make yourself one from a drill rod, right?
 
Self healing reactive target ball. the heavy solid orange plastic ball that costs a out $40. I hit the dang thing enough until it rolled out of sight, then forgot to go find it and pick it up. I've done this twice!

I gave up buying them after someone else I loaned the last one to did the same thing.
 
I left my bow behind once, got home went to unload the car and “uh-oh”. Drove back and the rest of the people at the club were laughing as I pulled in. Had a friend who left a .45 Derringer at a pay to shoot range once. That was never seen again.
 
Left 4 (thankfully) empty tt-33 mags after test firing at a range in Garland, drove back that afternoon no dice at least at the time they were $12 or so each now the 9mm version run $30+ ouch and at the time I had 8 mags the other 4 were in the carry rig which is why I now have a huge range bag with all sorts of pockets mags/staples/hearing eye protection/etc
lesson learned
 
And its not range-related, but there must be hundreds of cases of police officers handing their pistol up on the hook on the back of the stall door. And then leaving the pistol there when they are done. The belt, I guess, is heavy enough to make it hard to discern that the pistol is gone.

But the final sweep -- police call, if you will, before leaving the area -- is always a good idea, at the range and elsewhere.
 
Last edited:
So far, I have gotten off easy. The only thing I have left behind was the eye piece cover for my Bushnell Camo Stalker spotting scope.

There is a guy at the outdoor range I belong to that actually left behind his Thompson sub machine gun! When he returned, it was no longer there, but there are security cameras, and the staff was able to identify the person that took it and to get it back to the rightful owner. If they hadn't, that guy sure would have had some explaining to do on how he misplaced a fully automatic firearm!
 
That would have to be the top half of a S&W 629 and some personal pride. I still haven't figured out how I managed to double charge a case on my progressive loader. I stopped using Titegroup and went with a higher volume powder. Not a good day. I still have a piece of brass in my cheek. Be safe guys.

 
My jacket a couple times, I also found guns left at the indoor range I shoot at. I turn them in to the front desk . They are usually rental guns that someone just left on the table when they were done. They are not supposed to do that.
Now the range takes your car keys hostage until they get their gun back.
I recently lost a magazine loader but I don't think it was last at the range. I think I put it somewhere so I would know where it was.
 
JmacD said:
I remembered an “almost”thinking about this thread last night. To endeavor to condense the back story, The one “range” I use a lot is on a buddy’s property. (He has steel set up at all the hundreds) I have access to 887 yards just for the asking (and maybe chasing the cows away)and a little help with chores. His reloading room is in the same outbuilding that his shooting bench is in. He gave me space on his reloading bench to put a set of quick change brackets so I can do load development as well. So… one of the last times I was there shooting, I was in the car backing down the drive and realized that the big RIDGID toolbox wasn’t on the back seat… that had all my test data, my press, my 308 die set, calipers, 75 new primed Lapua brass… ya… that was my really close call… I have since made a checklist that I look at before I leave… there is a reason they are In cockpits after all…
Click to expand...
Hey at least it would've been in good hands though!
 
bubbatime said:
Some guy left a scoped Remington 700 bolt action rifle in the lane next to me. I turned it into the range officer, who turned it into the cops.
Click to expand...
Yikes, If I left my super customized Remington 700 at the local range I would hope someone like you would find it and turn it in to the range staff.
 
HighRoadRover said:
When I was in Basic Training, Fort Ord California, we were supposed to keep our M16's with us all the time. At one range, a fellow trainee left his M16 leaning up against the wall in the communal pit toilet shed. He went back to find it and it was gone. Turns out it was thrown down into the pit toilet, according to one rumor by the DIs. He had to climb down in there to get it out and then he had to clean it...
Click to expand...
This is slightly off topic but my dad said one time in his police career, one of the new recruits kept forgetting to check the back seat of his Crown Vic after each shift for contraband and such, so his FTO made him take the back seat out and carry it with him every time they went to eat for lunch!
Edit to clarify, that guy was NOT my dad lol.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
  • Locked
A lost weekend? hardly!
Replies
12
Views
931
P95Carry
P
PRM
  • Locked
Heirloom Lost / Stolen Gun
Replies
6
Views
911
glove
glove
C
  • Locked
Your worst range idiot story
Replies
16
Views
1K
Justin
Justin
N
  • Locked
Jerk at the range
2
Replies
48
Views
3K
Sam1911
S
R
  • Locked
range dufess!!!!!!!!!
Replies
14
Views
1K
Edward429451
E
Back
Top