unspoken range rules...

[htxred]

what are some rules at a shooting range that are unspoken but should be followed regardless due to common courtesy?..

i think controlled shooting. one shouldnt go in and let it rip, even if they are trying to waste ammo. it scares the other new shooters and it just draws the wrong kind of attention.

one should never, ever, pick up someone else's gun, without verbally asking for permission. .. i mean c'mon......

dont sneak up behind shooters, especially while they are shooting!

and if you notice some of your casings are being ejected into someone else's bare neck or face, move, stop, say something at least...

[nedmoore]

Didn't you go shoot today? Tell us what really happened?

[NcongruNt]

what are some rules at a shooting range that are unspoken but should be followed regardless due to common courtesy?..

i think controlled shooting. one shouldnt go in and let it rip, even if they are trying to waste ammo. it scares the other new shooters and it just draws the wrong kind of attention.

one should never, ever, pick up someone else's gun, without verbally asking for permission. .. i mean c'mon......

dont sneak up behind shooters, especially while they are shooting!

and if you notice some of your casings are being ejected into someone else's bare neck or face, move, stop, say something at least...

Obviously, controlled shooting is subjective. I've seen video on youtube of a fella drawing a single action revolver and making 5 precise shots on 5 separate targets in 0.88 seconds. http://youtube.com/watch?v=pN-Tm9HSKdg
While I agree that there are people who just do uncontrolled bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang unloads of clips with no real control of where the shots are going, other people are capable of much better results at half second intervals. If by "letting it rip" you mean uncontrolled rapid fire, I agree. I like to frequent ranges that allow rapid fire as long as shots are controlled and the place isn't crowded.

Your second point should be a given. Don't mess with other people's guns without permission.

I wish more people followed your third point. I've had someone come up on my 4:30 about 3 lanes over and 15 feet behind me and start shooting his target. I believe I stopped shooting and left immediately after that. I think we discussed this particular incident on another thread several months back. That range is no longer my regular place, and the shooters at my current range (Lone Star Gun Range in Lockhart) seem to be a much more conscientious bunch.

I actually had to subject someone to my casings during my CHL class. We were advised to bring hats for the range test for the purpose of deflecting brass, and the fellow next to me didn't heed that advice. I was shooting my PA-63, which has VERY positive ejection - cases usually end up at 4:00, 15 feet away or so. The instructor wouldn't let us change lanes once we started, so the guy next to me ended up with half a dozen 9.2mm crescent-shaped cuts in his forehead where the lips of the cases hit him squarely. Otherwise, yes - I follow this rule, especially when shooting the PA-63.

Another I would like to add is this:

Don't take your sweet time inspecting your target when people are waiting to shoot. I once had a guy (in fact, I believe the same one that opened fire on his target while at my 4:30) sit there looking at his target that was littered with holes all over the place (no grouping whatsoever) while my friends and I were standing there waiting to shoot. He appeared to be counting them, scratching his head, muttering to himself, then recounting. Eventually he taped up his target excruciatingly slowly, looked at it some more, then finally walked back behind the line. We stood there a good 20 minutes before we could start shooting again. This was on a 25yd handgun range, so there was no real walk time to figure into that wait.

[nedmoore]

I agree with everything you said except for the "letting it rip" part. What is wrong with rapid firing? After all, in a real life threat that a weapon has to be drawn and god forbid fired, you shoot to neutralize. Not one or two rounds, but your whole magazine. What is wrong with doing that at in a controlled environment, such as a range? Personally, I could care less if less if I am "scaring" other shooters. YOU ARE AT A SHOOTING RANGE! Butch up. My GOD, is there any place left where MEN CAN BE MEN? I am so sick of being afraid of offending other people..........................

[boomerang]

i think controlled shooting. one shouldnt go in and let it rip, even if they are trying to waste ammo. it scares the other new shooters and it just draws the wrong kind of attention.

Yes. Definitely keep all the shots in small groups instead of spraying them all over the place. It's good when you can shoot small groups fast, but don't shoot faster than you can get good hits.

and if you notice some of your casings are being ejected into someone else's bare neck or face, move, stop, say something at least...

Depends who was there first. If they were there first I'm careful where my brass lands, but if I'm there first they should be careful where they stand.

[locknload]

I agree with everything you said except for the "letting it rip" part. What is wrong with rapid firing? After all, in a real life threat that a weapon has to be drawn and god forbid fired, you shoot to neutralize. Not one or two rounds, but your whole magazine. What is wrong with doing that at in a controlled environment, such as a range? Personally, I could care less if less if I am "scaring" other shooters. YOU ARE AT A SHOOTING RANGE! Butch up. My GOD, is there any place left where MEN CAN BE MEN? I am so sick of being afraid of offending other people..........................

I have decided to drop the whole PC thing, and that is what this offending/being offended thing is all about. Political Correctness is all about lying to ourselves and being lied to, so others can manipulate us by feigning being offended. Therefore, tell yourself and others the truth, do what is right, and if someone gets offended ... that's their problem ... not yours! As long as we do and say the truth, we should not be guilted into shame, and that is where all of this has led. It just takes tooo much energy to read other folks' minds, so we know if we are offending them, so we can stop doing or not do whatever it is that we think "might" offend them. See how manipulated we have become?

So, Man/Woman up! Do what is right! Say the truth! Don't take on the guilt that belongs to others! Let the other folks worry about themselves! Let your YES be "Yes," and your NO be "No!" Political correctness HAS to come to an end, or we will lose this country.

Having given birth twice, I can tell you that a little brass down the blouse, though it may burn and blister a bit, is not fatal; nor is it as painful as birthing, and it will NOT kill you! So, fire away! If you were there first and someone chooses to remain where your brass is falling, that's their stupidity! Common sense should tell them to move back and wait until you are finished. If you walk up to the line and start showering another with your brass, you deserve the blessing out you're about to get! Make a better arrangement, shake hands, and come out friends. That's all that is needed.

If others don't like your rapid firing, teach them how to do it, too. Show them how much fun it is, and let them know that is what they will most likely really do, if they do have to shoot at a BG. So, they'd better try it in a controlled environment, rather than spray bullets all over the place, when the real deal happens. IMHO.

[HankB]

Aside from obvious safety issues, you DON'T mess with other people's stuff without their permission. Some years ago, back when I was in college, I was at an indoor rifle range with a couple of buddies, when a short little middle-aged guy in a leather coat took it upon himself to PICK UP OUR BRASS and stuff it in his pockets.

He didn't ask, we all reloaded . . .

A couple of us told him it wasn't his . . . he got mouthy, so we advised him he was NOT leaving until he emptied his pockets of ALL our brass he was trying to steal. To make a long story short . . . we DID get our brass back.

. . . I actually had to subject someone to my casings during my CHL class. We were advised to bring hats for the range test for the purpose of deflecting brass, and the fellow next to me didn't heed that advice. I was shooting my PA-63, which has VERY positive ejection - cases usually end up at 4:00, 15 feet away or so. The instructor wouldn't let us change lanes once we started, so the guy next to me ended up with half a dozen 9.2mm crescent-shaped cuts in his forehead where the lips of the cases hit him squarely.

What instructor? Granted, the guy should have had a hat . . . I've been hit on many occasions by flying brass . . . annoying, but no big deal.

But if I were being injured on the firing line, this situation would NOT have endured.

[nuparadigm]

This hasn't happened to me, but I have seen it happen to others:

Open disparagement of another person's choice in firearms.

I believe that is the epitome of snobbery when a S&W 646 shooter informs the shooter of a Rossi that he or she should have purchased a firearm of better quality; that one gets what one pays for. The critical person's assumptions concerning the person being criticized are truly breathtaking. We have enough trouble getting new folks into our sport/avocation/vocation without doofi creating class distinctions which are embarrassing to all but themselves.

[bdickens]

This hasn't happened to me, but I have seen it happen to others:

Open disparagement of another person's choice in firearms.

I believe that is the epitome of snobbery when a S&W 646 shooter informs the shooter of a Rossi that he or show should have purchased a firearm of better quality; that one gets what one pays for. The critical person's assumptions concerning the person being criticized are truly breathtaking. We have enough trouble getting new folks into our sport/avocation/vocation without doofi creating class distinctions which are embarrassing to all but themselves.

I second that wholehearedly! Someone who can only afford a cheapie has no less right to have that, and to protect himself with it. A BG who ges shot with a Rossi or a Jennings is just as shot as if it is with a S&W or a Les Baer. Poor people have more of a need than anyone. I think we need more inexpensive guns in the world so thiose with the greatest need and the least means have a beter chance of defensing thamselves.

[HankB]

This hasn't happened to me, but I have seen it happen to others:

Open disparagement of another person's choice in firearms.

I believe that is the epitome of snobbery when a S&W 646 shooter informs the shooter of a Rossi that he or she should have purchased a firearm of better quality; that one gets what one pays for. The critical person's assumptions concerning the person being criticized are truly breathtaking. We have enough trouble getting new folks into our sport/avocation/vocation without doofi creating class distinctions which are embarrassing to all but themselves.

I avoid badmouthing another person's choice of firearm (unless it belongs to a buddy, which is another story ) simply because on the very next shot, in full view of the person I belittled, I would fully expect something to go wrong with my firearm.

That's the way karma works.

[Skiprr]

Open disparagement of another person's choice in firearms.

A corollary: If a stranger asks you a question about your firearm or shooting, be polite and take a second of your time to answer. Or at least tell him you'll be happy to talk with him after the next break.

If there's been a break in the shooting (target change, new shooters coming to the line, whatever), take a moment to look left and right to make sure everyone has their ears on. If someone in the lane next to you asks his shootin' buddy a question, it won't hurt you to take a 10 second delay before you start blastin'. Of course, a protracted discussion of the American electorate system doesn't count. After a reasonable amount of time, signal them, point to your ear muffs, then fire at will.

Report potentially dangerous gun handling to the Range Officer. That's his job, not yours. Don't try to intervene directly unless there is an immediate threat to you. But just as you stay on the street, be aware! I've had far more guns pointed at me at the range than in "real" life. If the RO is ineffectual, go the manager/owner.

Don't litter. Leave the bay as you found it...or better. Don't leave any trash lying about; and police your brass, if applicable at that particular range.

People who operate shooting ranges ain't making a killing of it. I don't know anyone who became a millionaire from operating a shooting range. They may exist; I just don't know 'em. Most people who run a range do it primarily because of a love of shooting. So next time you're there, take a moment to thank them. Thank them for providing you a place to shoot, and for supporting RKBA and the NRA. For city dwellers--the vast majority of the population--a shooting range is the only place we can get trigger time. We owe all range owners a big debt of gratitude.



P.S. Don't shoot the target hangers or runners at Shiloh!

[Ranger+P+]

Easy fix for all your problems listed:

Move to the country, outside city limits, take some land, bush-hog it, berm it up, build some target backers, and let her rip. Thats living! You wont have to worry about any Yahoo's.

I pity city dwellers--no offense. Having to pay to shoot your guns and then have to put up with Waterheads. Not for me.


by the way, I have some land for sale--perfect for your own private range. Forum members get a discount of course.

[Skiprr]

by the way, I have some land for sale--perfect for your own private range. Forum members get a discount of course.

Interested in no fewer than 20 acres.

But intersested.

I'll still echo my previous post, because 90% of us live in a metropolitan area. We got what we got.

Thank goodness for the Sanford family and Shiloh!

[WarHawk-AVG]

Ditto on the land...shoot me a PM

[KD5NRH]

by the way, I have some land for sale--perfect for your own private range. Forum members get a discount of course.

I could stand to bulk up my 10 acres a bit, but I bet the shipping charges on land are way too much for my budget.