when at the range why not let a few others shoot your stuff

[Superlite27]

...and the Brady folks say we're heartless criminals.

I have always went to the range, fired my weapons, packed up, and went home. A while back, I was at a range and noticed two guys in the booth next to me who were taking turns shooting a .38 snubbie. While firing, I could overhear one instucting the other. Striking up a conversation, I learned that one had never fired a gun before, and his friend was taking him shooting for the first time. They only had one box of ammo, and one gun. So I pulled a couple of my .45's, and a couple of revolvers out of my bag, layed them out on the bench with a box of ammo each, and offered to let them fire more than just their one gun. The gleam you see in a child's eyes on a Christmas morning filled their eyes! Neither had ever fired an automatic, so I instructed them on how to load and fire my 1911's safely.

Not only was it fun for them, it was also an enjoyable experience for me. The "warm fuzzy feeling" I received was far more valuable than the price of the ammo they burned up. Now, whenever I go to the range, instead of just minding my own business and doing my own thing, I keep an eye out for others who might relish the experience of trying out something new.

I have noticed there are that 1% who are the stereotypical "obnoxious range loudmouths", but the far higher majority are just plain good people. How can the anti-gunners continue to blatantly misrepresent the 99% of the firearms community that I have found to be the finest example of responsible, caring citizens?

The idea that "they" want to take away our guns, while outrageous, isn't the greatest travesty. It's the fact that they smear the reputation of gun owners as "irresponsible, uncaring, gun nuts" when the complete opposite is the case.

 

[Rimmer]

A few years ago, a fellow allowed me to shoot his benchrest rifle with high dollar glass. It was like magic, but it hooked me into getting my own setup.

Walkalong :I was "hooked" in much the same way.

I let folks shoot my stuff all the time, especially if ithere are kids involved. Their smiles (the kids) make me smile.

Yep, that's what happened to me.

Got into buying only accurate firearms. Big glass and I always start from the bench with a new purchase. Tweaking the average performing firearm into an accurate firearm is a challenge and the results are worthwhile.

I always let (almost) anyone at the range shoot what I've brought. Once they see what some basic changes can make they are all full of questions.

I have a tricked 10/22 with 36X Weaver that I always bring whenever I go. Strictly a bench gun. On a hazy day you can see the bullet arc into the target on every shot. The look on their face when they see that is too funny.
That's when the real interesting conversations start.

 

[chuckusaret]

I have several shootguns, but one was a tricked out Mossberg 12 ga 20" breecher barrel Cruiser, with a forend pistol grip, light, folding stock, shell saddle, sling, ghost sights, and heat shield that the younger shooters loved to shoot. When at the range I always allowed the kids to tear up the milk jugs with Wal Mart cheap ammo. I am told it gave them the Rambo feeling
I have since returned it to the original configuration for home defense.

 

[Superlite27]

On a hazy day you can see the bullet arc into the target on every shot.

Could I ask at what distance? I have never noticed such a thing. Of course, I'm probably just not paying close enough attention, it hasn't been hazy enough, or I'm shooting at stuff too close. (Probably the latter.)

 

[DonP]

It's a great tradition at a range to allow someone that has asked about your gun to put a few rounds downrange with it.

Where else could I have swapped two clips in one of my Garands for a chance to shoot a 600 Express double rifle that the guy next to me was sighting in with different handloads! Talk about having a kick - in more ways than one!

 

[Deanimator]

On a hazy day you can see the bullet arc into the target on every shot.

Could I ask at what distance? I have never noticed such a thing. Of course, I'm probably just not paying close enough attention, it hasn't been hazy enough, or I'm shooting at stuff too close. (Probably the latter.)

With a rifle and a spotting scope, it doesn't have to be a "hazy" day.

It's routine for spotters and scorers sitting behind a rifle competitor to call the fall of shot based on the shockwaves in the atmosphere produced by a high velocity rifle bullet. It looks like an oscilloscope trace in mid-air, with one end ending in the POI on the target.

 

[rondog]

My very first trip to my gun club range as a new member, I went to the high-powered rifle range just to check it out. There was a guy there shooting an AR-50, and he gave me three armor-piercing rounds to shoot at a steel plate he had hanging at the 600 yard line. It was awesome!!!

I don't know what kind of scope he had on it, but I hit that plate all three times, and I hadn't fired a rifle in well over 25 years. In fact, my large rifle experience until recently was VERY limited. Only shot my dad's .30-06 a handful of times in my whole life. But, now it's mine, along with an M1 and a Mosin 91/30. And anybody I may encounter that wants to shoot them, can just pull up a seat!

My 11-y.o. grandson has fired every gun I own, except for the Rem. 700/.30-06 and the Mosin. He did very well with the M1, I was impressed!

 

[SoCalShooter]

As a range officer I have had the opportunity to shoot many many new weapons including machine guns and had the opportunity to expend several thousand rounds using them. I let other shooters shoot my guns, gunnies got to stick together and share what we got is the way I see it.

 

[SCMtns]

It's funny how something like this will vary from place to place. I grew up in Texas, on a ranch with the nearest neighbor about a mile away, so obviously we didn't go to ranges that often when we could just go out in the back pasture. But when I moved down to Austin to go to UT, I wound up at Austin area ranges and, as a buddy of mine put it, it's like a big pot-luck at those places. I almost always wound up shooting everybody else's guns, and everybody else wound up shooting mine. It was great.

Now I live in northern California. People here are laid-back, as the stereotype goes, but not because they like you-- they're laid back because they don't care if you live or die, and won't get in your business because they don't want to talk to you in the first place. Avoidance of eye contact is the norm, at the range as much as on the street. In 5 years of living out here and going to different ranges, just last month it just happened for the first time that a guy came over and let me and my girlfriend shoot some of his old blackpowder rifles and revolvers. We offered to let him shoot ours, but he couldn't have been less interested in these artless modern smokeless things. Sure was a nice reminder of how friendly people had been at Texas ranges...

 

[f4t9r]

I always share and enjoy when others return the favor.

 

[wally]

"Shoot yours, shoot mine" exchanges are pretty common at our club.

As had been said, can be dangerous and expensive as you be wanting stuff you previously thought was too expensive

I always enjoy their reactions when I tell them how little I paid for my RIA Tactical or Witness Elite MAtch after they've shot.

--wally.

 

[WoofersInc]

My friend and I were out in the desert at a known shooting spot one day when a car pulled up to the area we were at. There was a family in the car and after watching us shoot for a few minutes the dad got out and came over to ask if it was OK to shoot near us. He had just bought his son a little bolt action 22 and this was the kids first time shooting. We told them no problem. The dad started the kid off and was doing a good job about safety and so on but we could tell he did not have much experiance himself. This went on for a little while and both the kid and the dad kept looking over to check out what we were shooting.
I pulled the dad aside and asked him if he was comfortable letting his son try out a few things, and he said yes. We started the kid out with some 22 pistols and as he got more comfortable let him move up. The look on this kids face as he got to shoot an AK-74 and actually hit what he was aiming at was priceless.
The dad had the most fun with my suppressed HK Tactical.
The dad could not thank us enough for the oppoptunity we had given them and started to offer some money for ammo. We refused to take it and told him that letting someone see how much fun they could have shooting and the joy his son had that day was payment enough. Besides we told him he was going to have to start saving because his son was now permenantly hooked and he was going to need the money for future gun purchases.

 

[offthepaper]

Several times at my range I have seen some old timers checking out my Garand. I always ask them if they would like to shoot it. To date, I have never been turned down on the offer. The grin on their faces is very predictible. Many haven't fired an M1 since the "Big One".

 

[Rimmer]

Superlite27

On a hazy day you can see the bullet arc into the target on every shot.

Could I ask at what distance? I have never noticed such a thing. Of course, I'm probably just not paying close enough attention, it hasn't been hazy enough, or I'm shooting at stuff too close. (Probably the latter.)

50 yards 22/ subsonic target ammo, 1050fps. With a bit of humidity (haze) and a 36X scope the bullet leaves a vapor trail that is easily visable for the last ... just a guess... 10-15 feet before it hits the paper. It's a fraction of a second but no mistaking what you saw. It really is cool to watch it arc in and then see the hole appear in the paper.

 

[CWL]

I have both lent and borrowed firearms at various ranges. Always a good thing to let someone try out a favored shootin-iron.

Seen some 'sketchy' folk too, and would never let them get close to me or my guns.

Depends on how the internal radar is working.

 

[rondog]

I just remembered - my grandson and I went to a machinegun shoot last spring. He had his eye on this one gun, I believe it was a WWI Maxim, and we approached the owner to see how much it rented for. Turns out he didn't rent his guns out, he was just there to shoot them, but he gave Cody approx. 30 rounds through it just because he enjoyed letting kids shoot it!

 

[BADUNAME37]

WoofersInc -

Besides we told him he was going to have to start saving because his son was now permenantly hooked and he was going to need the money for future gun purchases.

Good one!

 

[feedthehogs]

when at the range why not let a few others shoot your stuff

Alls fun and games till somebody chips a nail and the next thing is your getting a process server handing you a lawsuit.

 

[essayons21]

I have an Erfurt Luger that was made in 1918. It is a shooter, and although I rarely shoot it (grip angle is horrible, sights poor, accuracy mediocre, and I don't like getting hit with ejected brass), I almost always bring it and a box of 9mm to the range.

I have lost track of the number of guns I have had the opportunity to try out on the "I'll let you shoot mine if you'll let me shoot yours" basis. Everyone and their brother has handled and shot a 1911, but much fewer have handled or shot an original Luger that has been thru two world wars.

 

[BADUNAME37]

Someone let me sight in an Armalite 50 (Single shot bolt action).

I thought it would kick like a mule, so I was prepared. I found it kicked about like a 270 would kick, perhaps a bit less.

I was running the bullets over my new Chrony and wanted to keep the Chrony a bit of a distance away, as I was afraid the possible gases might do something (but they didn't).

The thing is set for long range shooting, as I had the Leupold ($1,300) scope set on the lowest setting and the gun was still shooting about 2' too high at 200 yards!

Finally, I was able to find a large enough piece of cardboard to shoot at with a dot I put at the bottom so I could measure the distance up the gun is at 200 yds. From that, I was able to run ballistics on the bullet and figure out all the different distances and where to hold to shoot at those distances.

It sure was different, and I'm glad I picked a day when no one was at the range.

Sometimes I don't like prying eyes on my (or other's) guns.

 

[Conqueror]

I let people shoot my stuff all the time. There is nothing quite so magical as the first time someone shoots a suppressed .22 pistol. The shot breaks. They lower the weapon, turn and look at me, grinning like an idiot, and break into hoots of joyous laughter. Then they immediately ask how to get one. It's a great feeling.

 

[IN>IL]

I offer any gun I have to an interested shooter... as long as I have ammo that is!

 

[jaymac]

I shoot mostly military surplus rifles. i will let those interested shoot the rifles as it is letting them handle a piece of history. Helps start interesting conversations.

 

[machinisttx]

If I see honest looking folks looking at my firearms, I offer to let them shoot a few rounds. Guys sometimes show up at group shoots just for the purpose of letting others shoot their MG's/suppressed weapons/other NFA goodies. These are the guys I normally bring an extra box or two of ammo for since they may or may not be having all their ammo shot up.

 

[HB]

, but it was the most fun i ever had

You need to get out more son

When at the range, there is always a few kids with their dads. The dad is generally shooting a deer gun (sometimes the kids gun ), but I always ask if the kid wants to shoot one of my rifles (not a pistol though, it's too easy to sweep other if they are inexperienced). The range should be a fun place for the family and it's great for getting new shooters interested. Nobody in my family really likes guns, so I really appreciated when guys let me try theirs out. Gave me something to blow my money on


HB