Sight-In Days at Gun Club -- Whoa...

[1911nut]

Hunter sight-in days at my range, guy brought a new big magnum , set it up, first shot scoped him so bad he left bloodied to the hospital for stitches.
His buddy wanted to help him out so he sat at the bench, loaded up the big gun and at the first shot the scope hit him so hard it broke right off the rifle. The RO helping him caught the scope just before it hit the ground.

 

[1911nut]

My favorite sight-in days story : young guy showed up with a new 300 Win mag, he picked up bullets at the local gun shop on the way to the range. Yep bullets, a box of 100 Hornady 180g interlocks. Not cartridges, just bullets.

 

[DShortt]

My favorite sight-in days story : young guy showed up with a new 300 Win mag, he picked up bullets at the local gun shop on the way to the range. Yep bullets, a box of 100 Hornady 180g interlocks. Not cartridges, just bullets.

He probably got EXACTLY what he asked for.

 

[6MMsteve]

I use to help a Gunsmith Bill Hadley sight in rifles brought to him, we had a 100 yd range on the back of the farm with 5 benches and a great place to shoot very large hill behind target and a partial cave where we shot so much...but the rifles went from 243 to 300 whby mags. I finally started using a sissy bag my shoulder would be black from the mule kicks from those featherlight rifles

 

[c3d4b2]

Mom answered no, and that started a conversation that led to finding out she is clearly left eye dominate and probably left handed. Mom just always thought her kid was uncoordinated.

I had the same experience with my daughter. I thought she was right handed untill she started shooting. Did a quick check and found out she was left eye dominate. She shoots left handed, everything else is right handed?

We never figured out why she preferred her right hand. We thought maybe she watched us, but the lady that watched her and did crafts with her was left handed.

From then on the first activity teaching a new shooter was to check eye dominance.

 

[K22]

Love these threads. That way the gun haters and anti hunters don’t have to do their own data collection.

That is true but the posts on here are also a true reflection of the sad state of ignorance of a lot of gun owners I see at the range, especially this time of the year.

My two chief observations and complaints are that many I encounter at the range can't understand that you don't handle a firearm when someone is down range or point a firearm in an unsafe location on the range. This is despite the rules being clearly posted at these ranges.

 

[jelenko]

That is true but the posts on here are also a true reflection of the sad state of ignorance of a lot of gun owners I see at the range, especially this time of the year.

My two chief observations and complaints are that many I encounter at the range can't understand that you don't handle a firearm when someone is down range or point a firearm in an unsafe location on the range. This is despite the rules being clearly posted at these ranges.

I've come to believe it's due to the images on the TV and in the movies.
Handling guns is just so casual. I've seen handguns used to point at another person to make some point while they are talking - just like they would be if they were using, say, a pencil.

 

[RCE1]

Or know how to zero a scope or a set of iron sights. God bless 'em though, they are shooters albeit occasionally, gun owners and hopefully support their local clubs with ranges and the NRA!

I was at the range and an older guy arrived with a very young woman, dressed in matching western wear were trying to get on paper at 100 with their matched set of Accuracy International .338 Lapua rifles.

It was pretty comical.

I offered to let them use my collimator to get bore sighted and was informed these were the finest, most accurate rifles in the world and were sighted in at the gunshop where they were purchased by someone who was a REAL expert. When I then suggested they get on paper at 25 yards, I was informed these guns were for LONG RANGE shooting.

They never did get on paper and left in a huff in their Range Rover, heading back to the gunshop to return the obviously defective rifles.

 

[Uncle Bruce]

Had a neighbor who was a banker. Was a self proclaimed gun guru. Went to a private range to zero his new deer rifle. After a box and a half, he went back to the local gun store to buy more bullets. Complained that the scope would not hold a zero. Scope was mounted 90 degrees off!

I had to do that on purpose on a Sako with very low rings. It was the only way to load the magazine

 

[Cecil S.]

My Butt cheeks get tight at any indoor range. But I just signed up Mamma and I as members at a local range as this is all we have at the moment. Strangers with loaded guns uuuggghhhh.

 

[D the D]

The regulars at the local public range are cool and safe. It's just the yahoos that come once a year.
The younger regulars are often interested in my older rifles and pistols and know I'll let them shoot a C96, Garand, M14 clone, Gew 88, K43, Trapdoor, or whatever I have that day. They'll probably never get another chance and always want pictures. These tend to be guys in their 20s from man-buns to inner city gansta looking guys. They're all nice and courteous.
They also come for advice or help with their various tacticool ARs as the part time, like there twice a week, RSO told them the old white guy was a Marine armorer a hundred years ago. I carry a range rod (stuck brass seams to be common in 300 BO?) and have given numerous classes in taking down and cleaning AR bolts and such. Just taught another old guy how to remove and replace the bolt in in Austrian M95 easily the other day. Cold and Hot and "ears on" is always called down the line and agreed to by everyone before it happens. No handling with people downrange.
Commenting on the people who shoot once a year and tear the place up is just that, no whining, nor needing lectures.

 

[snert]

I personally avoid placing myself in situations where I believe wearing a ballistic vest is prudent. Had enough of that a long time ago and no desire to voluntarily repeat such experiences.
Having said that, I am in awe of those that do make such choices.
'A man's GOT to know his limitations.'
Anyway, I avoid places where over-confident and uneducated firearms owners tend to arrive in significant numbers. Just not my calling or perceived obligation.

I lean that way as well. To clarify, I generally don't go to the range this time of year. Because I am in the habit of wearing my vest whenever I am around anyone with a handgun, I just do it. It's not BECAUSE I plan on helping, but rather because a co-worker once decided not to wear his one day and was subsequently paralyzed in an inadvertant discharge. I have six or seven old vests and a new one too, so tossing one on under my shirt is just habit. It did stop a bounce back .40 once. It zipped across my papers on a clipboard, cutting 1/3 of the top page off, and hit me about 1/2 inch down from the throat. It bounced off. It would have likely bruised me only, maybe a cut from the jacket. But it taught me that it just makes sense to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
I do affirm your plan, however. Avoiding doing stupid things, at stupid times, around stupid people is NOT stupid.

 

[jelenko]

get on paper at 25 yards, I was informed these guns were for LONG RANGE shooting.

Nothing to do but shake your head.

And a fine 338 Lapua for the lady - just what she was always hoping for.

 

[jxb]

Had a neighbor who was a banker. Was a self proclaimed gun guru. Went to a private range to zero his new deer rifle. After a box and a half, he went back to the local gun store to buy more bullets. Complained that the scope would not hold a zero. Scope was mounted 90 degrees off!

I'm thinking this is the real reason vendors starting putting parallax knob on the left side, lol

 

[DiffEQ]

I was at the FMC range in Green River WY, where a few bays have a 12' barrier between them for the length of the range. I'm checking my targets at 500 when I hear the sonic crack of bullets directly overhead, coming over the wall from the next bay. I pull my targets and head back. When I get there, it's a father attempting to teach his boys how to shoot. I tell him they're shooting over the barrier. He didn't care. I left.

Both of my clubs (approx 6,000 members and 2,000 members respectively) did or do sight in days and I'd like to think that both clubs are incredibly safe in their general protocols. My larger club stopped a couple years ago and I'm not sure exactly why but I've helped in the past and it's always an adventure. One thing about both clubs is they do/did a 1:1 ratio so there's always an experienced shooter with every sight in person. While not a perfect system, and totally reliant on a strong turn out of volunteers to keep it from going slowly, it's made sure that everyone who comes gets any help they need to improve in some way and to be fair a very small group of people resent being helped and leave as others have said. At both clubs, the firearm and ammo is checked for matching because it's amazing how many mis-matched combos show up. I'd like to believe that most of the people who've shown up leave safer and more competent shooters in some capacity.

My larger club is where I run the 600yd program and since the time that they stopped sight in days I've seen an increase of "can I sight in my hunting rifle at 600yds". To be fair most of the people who show have a gun and are capable of shoot a roughly MOA group. I'm not a hunter so I can't weigh in on people who want to know their gun can take a shot if the opportunity arrises but I think Eric Cortina has done a good job of that with his Ethical Hunter Challenge series of videos with quite a few not so surprising results.

I didn't know they stopped sight-in weekends, but I only show up at the club after 7 on weekdays.
When they show up to your 600yd nights, do you suggest they come back the third Saturday?

 

[Turkeytider]

I don't mind that the majority of them have no idea how to sight in a hunting rifle but what really alarms me is the blatant safety rules violations.

I will be happy once deer season starts, and those guys are in the field because "sight in" days before deer season is the most dangerous time at the ranges where I shoot.

I would wager that at least 90% of us older ( Boomer ) guys learned safe use, handling, and maintenance of firearms from our fathers, or perhaps an uncle. In most cases, those lessons almost become a part of our DNA. When I first started quail hunting with Daddy, I was probably 9 or 10. He would say time and again, when the dog pointed, “ Get up even with me. Don’t ever be behind when the dog points. “ Of course, that was to keep me from shooting somebody when the birds flushed. Fast forward almost 20 years. I’m stationed in Missouri with the Army and taking guys quail hunting who had never been and who had little, if any, shooting experience. What am I saying to them? “ Get up even with me. Never be behind with the dog on point. “ He’s been gone since ’84. I can still hear his voice. I’m 76 and I still miss him.

 

[Charlie-NY]

I just came back from a NC whitetail hunt. We had 12 guys in the camp. Outside there are a few picnic tables with attached benches. In the corner, there is a vertical rifle rack. Every morning & evening the guys would muster up with their guns and gear outside while they waited for their guide. Every single day and evening I would see guns with closed actions lying on the tables with the muzzles pointed in any/every direction. I couldn't help but think how easy it would be for an accidental discharge that could hit someone. The "guides" never said a word to anyone about the placement or condition of the rifles.

 

[jelenko]

I just came back from a NC whitetail hunt. We had 12 guys in the camp. Outside there are a few picnic tables with attached benches. In the corner, there is a vertical rifle rack. Every morning & evening the guys would muster up with their guns and gear outside while they waited for their guide. Every single day and evening I would see guns with closed actions lying on the tables with the muzzles pointed in any/every direction. I couldn't help but think how easy it would be for an accidental discharge that could hit someone. The "guides" never said a word to anyone about the placement or condition of the rifles.

I guarantee some of those rifles still had a round in the chamber.

 

[chop house]

My two chief observations and complaints are that many I encounter at the range can't understand that you don't handle a firearm when someone is down range or point a firearm in an unsafe location on the range. This is despite the rules being clearly posted at these ranges.

Exactly my chief complaint.

Was at a commercial well regulated range in socal many years back. Bench to our right had either a jam or misfire. Shooter swung entirely to his Left to look over his shoulder and get instructions from his buddy, covering my buddies head from about 3 feet. I yelled, my Buddy ducked and I dove over the control fence behind the line.

The offender was truly baffled, puzzled look, and was like, whatttttt? No habla....

 

[chop house]

I have never seen so many guys that don't know how to shoot from a bench since last year

Many get their firearm training watching movies, it appears.