I recently joined a very safe range just south of Albany, Oregon. Very safe with rigid range rules. The rifle range only goes out to 200 yards which is a downer. I'm the only one there with a chronograph in my 10 range travels. I'm the only guy trying to develop loads for my bolt action that I can see. 90% of the shooters are firing off .223 and .308 ARs. Is this a good thing? I suppose anything and anyone to keep the range going and in action is good but I sure wish there were some bench rest shooters around. I'm a beginner and would be fun to watch the pros.
What has happened to the rifle ranges? All ARs now, no chronographs.
- Thread starter Colt Kodiak
- Start date
Let’s see, an AR cost from 400 to 1200, how much does a bench gun cost?
Lots of "newer" shooters today that didn't grow up reading Warren Page and the like. You can buy 1000 rounds of .223 "blasting" ammo for a fraction of the cost that 1000 rounds of benchrest ammo will set you back. A competitive benchrest rifle and scope will go 5 to 6 grand. Why spend hours setting up a chrono and doing ladder tests when you can decimate some bleeding zombie targets with 200 rounds from your AR in minutes and then be off on your next adventure?
I'm not knocking it. I have AR's myself, but the prevailing mindset has changed. Tactical rules. I saw a favorite gun shop in PA refocus from hunting and reloading to tactical in a year. They had to adapt to the market.
I'm not knocking it. I have AR's myself, but the prevailing mindset has changed. Tactical rules. I saw a favorite gun shop in PA refocus from hunting and reloading to tactical in a year. They had to adapt to the market.
It's pretty much the same at my range, except it's mostly rimfire guys and pistol shooters. (not that there's anything wrong with that) I do have one buddy that is serious about precision shooting.
It is nice having someone to bounce ideas off of and to critique your targets and shooting techniques with.
It is nice having someone to bounce ideas off of and to critique your targets and shooting techniques with.
At Shooters where l practice indoor its kinda comical watching the AR guys blasting away @ 7yds... Some @ 10 and 15 even... Venturing to the outdoor range most of the action is on the 25 and 50yd lines. Virtually NONE reload. Great source for 223 brass if you're energetic to pick them up. btw. Have not seen a chroni yet
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ssv1761982
Silver $$ Contributor
You are right! Some of these guys burn more ammo trying to 'sight it in' than I ever thought possible.
I was really amazed when one of the .223 AR guys said he had to have a better muzzle break because the recoil was so bad. I was puzzled for sure.
I was really amazed when one of the .223 AR guys said he had to have a better muzzle break because the recoil was so bad. I was puzzled for sure.
I've had to resort to shooting a high power rifle at an indoor range exactly one time....and that was to get the scopes lined up because I had no where else to do it at the time. There are people shooting rifles at this 25 yard range on a regular basis.....and I mean just blasting away giving high fives and congratulating each other for shooting 5 inch groups at 25 yards...it's loud and obnoxious but it's not against the rules so I can't fault them for going there.....but it sure does seem like a huge waste of ammo....it's their money though.....they can waste (spend) it as they see fit.
That's a fact, but there are not many ranges around. Maybe in Portland which is 50 miles away from me. But, I can do what I want to do "aiming one inch high at 100 yards" for prairie dogs. I'm not a bench rest shooter but I belonged to a range in Las Vegas in the 80's and it seemed everyone was developing loads. Ranges are just different now from back then.
I get tired of the short barrel muzzle breaks going off myself... But to each their own , I have those kind of rifles also and enjoy shooting iron sights M4s when my eyes let's me... Shooting is a dieing sport compared to when I was younger... We have to get everyone we can to participate and bring new and young shooters into it... With out that we will be in trouble... You see ranges shrinking both in yards and in number of them...It's getting bad , I hear of teenagers posting pictures of themselves shooting at gun ranges only to be called into the office or kicked out or be investigated or all three for exercising their rights as an American in a completely legal setting...
So I say as long as their being safe , let them shoot 10 yards with a rifle , let them blast away all they can afford... Plus it gives us something to watch..lol. The gun manufacturers , ammo makers and gun ranges can all use the money... We can use the numbers to help fight off the libtard agenda... Guns are easily demonized , a drunk driver kills someone and who blames the car..? Someone throws a toaster in a bathtub and kills someone , who blames the toaster..? The kicker is if someone even stabs someone everyone says , hey that guy just stabbed that other guy... Yet someone uses a gun it's the guns fault , and their talking idiots into believing that... For the first time EVER London has beaten New York City in murders , they have no guns so now they have banned knives on the street... Point is we need all the new and old shooters we can get to keep our sport alive.. With reloading , alot of people get into it but give up because of the time involved , it's just easier for them to buy factory ammo....
So I say as long as their being safe , let them shoot 10 yards with a rifle , let them blast away all they can afford... Plus it gives us something to watch..lol. The gun manufacturers , ammo makers and gun ranges can all use the money... We can use the numbers to help fight off the libtard agenda... Guns are easily demonized , a drunk driver kills someone and who blames the car..? Someone throws a toaster in a bathtub and kills someone , who blames the toaster..? The kicker is if someone even stabs someone everyone says , hey that guy just stabbed that other guy... Yet someone uses a gun it's the guns fault , and their talking idiots into believing that... For the first time EVER London has beaten New York City in murders , they have no guns so now they have banned knives on the street... Point is we need all the new and old shooters we can get to keep our sport alive.. With reloading , alot of people get into it but give up because of the time involved , it's just easier for them to buy factory ammo....
I work as an RSO at our local...Public...range. See a lot of young bucks, with AR-15's and too much ammo. Scary some times. On the weekend it keeps me busy. Shooting targets too close, shooting into the ground, Hundreds of case left laying on the ground.
On the weekdays the real rifle shooters show up (bolt actions, bench shooters) They say it's too crazy at the range to shoot on the weekends.
On the weekdays the real rifle shooters show up (bolt actions, bench shooters) They say it's too crazy at the range to shoot on the weekends.
AR-15s are the canary in the coal mine, so to speak. Any harmful legislation is going to go after them first. With that in mind, I think it’s a wonderful thing that there’s so many people out shooting them. The more people who aren’t scared of them, the better off we all are.
I say, blast away, young-uns!
I say, blast away, young-uns!
snert
Silver $$ Contributor
I have been shooting at a public range. In several visits I have seen one bolt, one lever. The rest were AR.
i set up a windflag at my last session. Guy walking by first commented on my bolt action custom 6BR, observing a brake and HB. "Geez, that is one of those big calibers"
Then he saw the flag (no dasiy wheel) and talked about how he was glad the surveyors had come to finally fill in the area in front of the targets that is low and gets muddy. 
I walked out to pull targets and he looked at my groups, stared at the several that were nearly one "caliber" hole and said something about me missing the bullseye.
Yup. I was using the bottom left corner of a target paster as my aim point and all five rounds hit three clicks left and three clicks high. Easier that way...keeps the aim point from going away. 
he was proud of his 14 inch bull with 50 rounds in it. Looks like his scope was working for him.
My only issue at the range and AR's is I just want to grab the dang thing outta these guys hands and show them how to REALLY run the thing. i did that as an instructor for ten years. I still don't own one. If I really NEED one, I will pick one off the ground...till then, M1a.
And besides feeling a little nervous every time someone moves a gun or loads it nearby, I am happy they are at least shooting.
i set up a windflag at my last session. Guy walking by first commented on my bolt action custom 6BR, observing a brake and HB. "Geez, that is one of those big calibers"
Then he saw the flag (no dasiy wheel) and talked about how he was glad the surveyors had come to finally fill in the area in front of the targets that is low and gets muddy. I walked out to pull targets and he looked at my groups, stared at the several that were nearly one "caliber" hole and said something about me missing the bullseye.
Yup. I was using the bottom left corner of a target paster as my aim point and all five rounds hit three clicks left and three clicks high. Easier that way...keeps the aim point from going away. he was proud of his 14 inch bull with 50 rounds in it. Looks like his scope was working for him.
My only issue at the range and AR's is I just want to grab the dang thing outta these guys hands and show them how to REALLY run the thing. i did that as an instructor for ten years. I still don't own one. If I really NEED one, I will pick one off the ground...till then, M1a.
And besides feeling a little nervous every time someone moves a gun or loads it nearby, I am happy they are at least shooting.
Yes the short "pistol" ar with the brake is a real pain to be beside. I was out trying to do some testing with a .284 the other day and this guy beside me had a braked ar pistol on a sand bag dumping mag after mag into the target at 50 yards. Rattles the teeth
Even worse are the inconsiderate people who sit to the left of you chunking brass your way.... I built a nice brass catcher so I wouldn't be that guy and it makes it easy to keep my brass... They are very loud though...
I have to say though I am starting to see more bolt guns and reloaders here recently... A nice change..
Dusty Stevens
Shiner
Once they get sick of blasting they usually get interested in better accuracy. Next thing you know they buy a creedmoor and maybe after that start reloading if we’re lucky. Blast away young bucks. Have fun with it.
l shoot IHMSA and practice indoors @25Yards... Sometimes l bring my S&W 460PC to Shooters also. Talk about NOISE, MUZZLE FLASH.. When BAM BAM speaks everybody stops and listens.. That 10 1/2'' ported belches fire, noise in three different direction simultaneously.. 0perating @ 60,000psi+ its a real attention getter...
l think its great all type of firearm/gun people are shooting.. l support each and every shooters' right to exercise their Second Amendment. We are ALL in this together. lt would be GREATER still if we ALL voted together
I certainly know where you are coming from here. The only time I go to the indoor ranges is to start running in rifles on the way back from my gunsmith, and maybe chronograph a few rounds while I'm at it. I have a bit of a laugh to myself when I hear them talking about bringing out the 338 Lap coz they are going to move the target out to 50yds, and blaze away. I can understand the pistol shooters putting 100 rounds down at 25yds, but not the expensive long range tactical rifles and Lap Mags. It gets a little wearing putting up with sarcastic questions about my gear and shake their heads about why I would shoot a single shot rifle with an electric powered bayonet. (magnetospeed)
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