idiot at gun range
 

this morning i took my son to an unsupervised rifle range just south of st joesph mo. while there the older gentleman next to us was helping his (i assume) grandson sight his rifle in. with no notice or asking anyone else if the range was clear he walked down range to check his target. not the youngster the grandfather. that being bad enough he had his grandson in tow. this is just a reminder to think about your actions before you put the ones you love in danger. I would have conveyed that same message to him but without saying a word he left the range. sorry but had to vent

He would have gotten a quick lesson on range etiquette if I had been there...:mad:

I see you are from KC MO, which range was it? The only unsupervised one I've been to in KC is up near Platte City (I think it was called pigeon creek). Anyway, when I used to go there I would see my fair share of idiots with weapons (teenagers firing full-auto AK-47's and such) so I quit going. I now pretty much go to Parma Woods in Parkville where it is highly controlled and very safe, much like a military range.

We're all idiots at one time until we learn the rules.

iSnipe

I'm curious... what kind quick lesson on range etiquette would you have given him?

One of the things that is a pet peeve of mine, is parents showing up with no hearing protection for their kids. I just can't stand that.
I always keep some extra foam ones I steal from work, in my case.
At least it offers some protection for them.


I did have a idiot moment at the range once. I released the slide on my 1911 after a magazine change, and had a slam fire. Right over the head of my best friend, who was sitting on the bench.
He slowly looked up with a classic "Oliver Hardy" stare.
Oops. At least the barrel was pointed down range.

.........Wow....Are you serious???

After teaching hunters ed. for more than 15 years, I have noticed that a lot of adults need to take a refresher course in gun handling, or gun safety along with range safety.

That is why I have my own private range.

I've been to many open to the public private ranges and I've seen that and worse. Here's a short list:

Guys at their benches messing with stuff while others are down range.

Guys call the range clear one second and then immediately start walking down.

Guy shoot his ram rod down the range.

Guy pick up something that rolled off the bench towards the targets while the range is hot.

Guys shooting with no hearing protection. (Two shots from my 300 WM and they left)

Tom

You think that's bad, I used to frequent a DNR-owned and managed range that always had someone on staff, and their rules MANDATED that when the range was cleared a ramrod was placed in the barrel of a ML to "prove it was unloaded". I argued with several of the range officers how idiotic it was to mandate placing a large potential projectile in the bore when it did nothing to prove the weapon did not have a live charge in the barrel, but it took over a year to get the rule lifted.

This was the Island Lake range by Kensington Metropark east of Brighton, MI.

Sure, it's a serious question. I'd like to know what kind of quick lesson on range etiquette nchawkeye had in mind to dispense for his fellow shooter. He seemed anxious to share his wisdom; I'm wondering how he would go about it.

why do you ask?

It was a rhetorical question. To me, the answer is quite obvious.... at least the fellow could have been taken aside from his grandson to avoid embarrasment and the error of this ways pointed out to him.

There is no way I'd go to an unsupervised rifle range. I don't even like going to a supervised one. I'll get up my own out on the prairie and be done with it. I have seen things at rifle ranges in the past that boggle the mind.

among other witnessed feats of genious -

errant shots thru the ceiling
fired wrong ammo in rifle
fired rifle while others were down range
fellow was hiding behind target backer when range went hot
fellow sent child to pick up ammo that rolled off front of shooting bench
semi auto gunfight from a person unable to control weapon
semi auto gunfire from the hip
range caught fire due to unburned black powder left out front of the benches

That is the best teaching lesson ever. I've done that to guy's.
:hit:

They sure do learn fast. Especially when shooting in a covered shooting house.

I for one would have called him out on what a DUMB A@@ his was, for not only endangering his own life but that of the child as well.

I guy that I used to work with came to work one Monday all pissing and moaning about the gestapo range master that gave him hell the day before. When the range went clear he opened the action on his lever action 30-30 and placed it on a table behind the shooting line. When he was done changing his target he then proceeded to load the tube magazine while the rifle was still on the table behind the firing line and the range was still clear. He just couldn't see the problem since the action was open. I have never gone shooting with him after hearing this story, safety comes before everything else.

I hear ya on the idiots at the gun range. I went to knob creek, which is near louisville kentucky and the place was great for an hour or two. Then these two idiots with ARs and their whole arsenal of glocks showed up and started shooting across shooting lanes, shooting other peoples targets, walking out during firing . Needless to say, I went, I saw, and I'm stayin my ass away from that place. I usually go to a military range and its much safer.

I shoot on an unsupervised range at my gun club all the time, and have, on only a few occasions, witnessed rules being broken. When that happens, I believe that we all have the responsibility to politely bring the issue up with that person breaking the rules.

For example, I once witnessed people shooting fist sized rocks at 200 yards. I mentioned that is dangerous because bullets ricochet and can end up flying in the wrong direction.... the person said, "I never thought of that... the rocks are a long ways away and I never thought about that happening". If I were a prick, made him feel bad, or did not say anything at all, nothing would have been learned and something bad may have happened later.... Was he unsafe in doing that? Of course. Did he need to be belittled over it? No.

Assuming someone is an idiot IMHO is not correct. Ever had a bad day? Lots of things on your mind from work? Finding out you or a loved on was just diagnosed with cancer or another bad health condition? Many things can cause even the most responsible person to make a split second mistake. Happens on our highways every day.

At the end of they day, we all enjoy our sport, and want everyone to be safe. As hunters and shooters, alienating or being rude to others can only hurt who we are and what we do. Being polite and educating during a "teachable moment" is always good.

Man do I hear ya on that one!
I stopped going there just after they built the new improved range. It was a joke when it came to having a competent range officer on duty. Worse yet was the range at Pontiac Lake recreation area. They had a female range office there that did could not find her arse with both hands ... even if she could have she couldn't have covered it with 12 hands ... a beefy lass to say the least but her worst attribute was her ignorance of firearms and firearms safety. I joined the private Howell Gun Club 12 years ago and it was the best move I ever made.

Wow never knew you guys were in my back yard.

Tom

Whereabouts you hail from in the Mitten state stat?

i like this response. i was thinkin the same thing. right or wrong as the fella was, being a kjnow it all high and mighty doucher is a sure way to get your block knocked off where i come from

lol when im at the range thelast thing everyone is worried about is the range master...cause im makin sure fer me and mine that everyone is followin the rules...the guys who dont like my head up their @$$ figure out real quik what the rules are!!!!!!!!!!

Some of these guys just don't know any better. There should probably be a requirement that you have passed hunter safety, or at least some sort of competency test to show that you know how to be safe with firearms before they let you on the range.

I have a range about 2 miles from here. It is unsupervised and I have never seen much of anything done wrong with the exception of shooting without earplugs. I figure its their ears except when they have kids with them without ear plugs as well. I usually give the kids earplugs. The parents are always thankful although I cant imagine taking a kid anywhere near a range without their ears plugged and muffed.

Now I have seen some **** poor shots and a lot of windy shooters..lol. Some of the example of "marksmanship" is downright hilarious. Seeing guys trying to dial in scopes shooting one round after another without ever letting the barrel cool...the list is endless.. Makes for good entertainment and a boatload of free brass for me.

Seeing guys trying to dial in scopes shooting one round after another without ever letting the barrel cool...the list is endless.. Makes for good entertainment and a boatload of free brass for me.

If the second shot is significantly different from the first, due to a warm barrel, you have a problem hunting. I certainly haven't seen it...

Rochester.

Tom

They guy that can't shoot fast enough is pretty cool. But my favorite is the guy that puts his barrel right on the sand bag. Those guys are the best. Though a close second are the guys that bring their kids to the range so they can watch them shoot the whole time. The kids get bored and roam the range and just end up not liking shooting/hunting.

Tom

lmfao every one says "the guys" when i bet most of the time it has been the story teller them selves.

the good old "i have a friend who" tales crack me up. you klnow its the meat stick whos tellin ya is the "friend"

hmmmmmmmmmm........the pot makes you do strange things:nonono2:

Rochester .. nice town and area... whereabouts near Rochester is there a decent range?

The bald mountain range is between Lapeer Rd and Adams Rd. on Silver Bell. It's pretty decent. If you're ever out my way let me know.

Tom

I know the area, north of the Palace of auburn Hills. Do you enter off of Lapeer, Adams, or Silverbell, or Kern?