Range idiots.

[logger3006]

Anybody have any stories about disrespectful people, at the open to the public ranges?


Mine was yesterday at a local range that once was mine and many other respectful people, including some retired Veterans from,the Vietnam and gulf wars favorite place to shoot mid range practice.
Anyway, I took my wife, nephew(14yrs old) his dad and his dads wife.
We got there signed in and went down to the rifle range, there was about 15 people they're all together,like they all came together. The range went cold and I went down to the 100 berm and set up a 3'x5' load workup target with various charge weights written on it. I got back up to the bench and the range went hot. I got my rifle ready and sat down to shoot and when I looked thru my scope it was already shot full of holes. I said something to the gentleman (and I use that term loosely) he said"you shouldn't have put your sh!! behind mine". Well I was at the 100 yard berm and he was a the 50, but he was not at the berm, he had a cardboard target set up well off to the side of the berm.
Then they had a torso style target set up at about 10-15 yards for what I thought was pistol. But they emptied AR and some Russian relics at it and my wife was struck with shrapnel, so that did it for me, we went cold so I could get my target, when I went to retrieve my target, the same group started watching porn on their phone right in front of my wife and nephew, and was loudly commenting in explicit detail. I'm pretty much done with public ranges. I'm checking in to leasing ground to shoot, along with a few people I actually enjoy shooting with.

 

[jimcasey01]

I just this morning made my renewal out and put it in the mailbox for pickup. I feel that it is worth the $160/year to belong to a private club. Definitely helps to keep the problems down. If I go only once per week it works out to $3.07/trip. I typically go 1-3 or sometimes 4 times per week, which brings the cost per trip down. It is worth every penny. Life is too short to have to put up with "the stupid people" while shooting, takes the fun out of it. Good luck. Jim

 

[OIF/OEF]

Cant say I've ever encountered anything that extreme....There is a 100 yard range here maintained by the city for 50.00 a year or something like that. They give you the combination and you go shoot whenever. Im sure everyone else with texting or facebook has the combination but whatever. My very first trip to the range after paying my dues....I get there and there is a truck setup shooting 30 yards BEHIND the shooting benches "picnic tables" so these two guys had the range shut down. I asked them why they were shooting back there and they said they were sighting in they're deer rifles. Ill admit I started slowly laying on the sarcasm about the extra 30 yards and how that could be the make it or brake it deal on a long range which they never caught on to. I respectfully asked how much longer they would be since no one else could use the range and the younger guy laughed and said as long as it takes. Well I figured since they were in there then suuurely they had the gate combination right. So I locked the gate behind me and took off because the rule book stated to leave it locked at all times. I drove to town hall to get a refund and there happened to be a police officer there asking me why I wanted a refund...I explained it to him at which point I hear the radios and officers being dispatched to the range. Not sure if anything ever happened to the guys and don't care really.

These public ranges can get dangerous at times. If you cycle enough people through any given place there will be the 2% or greater number of A&$HOLES that filter through.


Very Respectfully

 

[savagedasher]

The way you handle range idiots Don't hire idiots for range officers. Larry

 

[Corey Schwanz]

I don't shoot at a public club that often but when I do, it sure makes me glad I pay $60/year for a private range membership. As for the story at hand, I'd be sure to tell the Range Master or whoever was in charge about what happening down on the line (if they didn't know already) and make sure to tell them they've lost your business because of it.

 

[Joe Salt]

Yes things are getting out of hand at some ranges! At our 1000 yard club we have people call all the time and just want to come out and shoot 100- 200 yards and try and shoot 1000 with there AR's. Thats all we need are guys shooting that don't have a clue what they are doing. I'm with you keep them private.

Joe Salt

 

[LitLBoy]

Logger
Sent you a PM
That's my home range and will try to get to the bottom of this mess, Yes we have had a lot of problems with Range Slobs. We are trying hard to identify them and need help. Any information that anyone has would be greatly appreciated.
LitLBoy

 

[rvn1968]

The largest public range here in Connecticut is owned by the Lymans and they have been shooting as long as they have been making sights. Any idiot that they catch will never be allowed back.Unfortunatley it is about an hours drive so about 35 years ago I bought enough land to have a 100 meter PRIVATE range.I was visited once by the state police and they saw that I had set it up so that if I missed the berm then I would hit my own house,they knew I would be cautious.Despite the obscene taxes here,I'll stay as long as I can. Tom

 

[hogpatrol]

It's really gotten worse the last few years. Had a guy handling an AR while another was posting targets. When he was called on it, his excuse was "it's not loaded". Personally, I will be glad when this AR/AK/Autoloader fad passes, and believe me, it will.

 

[jonbearman]

I was at a local range owned by a gunshop and this fella set out 2 wind flags(daisy wheels) and set his target and went to the bench. The range went hot and at least 2 idiots started shooting the daisy wheels and he called firing to stop. He asked who shot them and one guy said I did. He tried to explain what they were for and the guy said well anything on this range is fair game. He left and I never saw him again. This is only one incident. One time we were at the 100 yard range putting up new targets and some complete idiot started shooting at the 25 yard range shooting a big bore hand gun and we started screaming at him and he quit. His excuse was we were not in his line of fire. We left for the day.

 

[KMart]

Idiots and other willful violators of range rules don't just go to public ranges. They manage to get on private (club) ranges as well. They sure don't like being called on their screw ups and really don't like it to have to explain themselves in front of a board of directors.

 

[338 Mollett]

My father,a brilliant man,decades ahead of his time,properly used the phrase"stamp out ignorance use a condom!"

 

[Ggmac]

I understand being polite . But I truly believe it is up to us ( the men raised with firearms ,AKA old farts ) to weed out the bad apples so their actions don't ruin it for all .
I'm a retired riflesmith , still keep liability insurance , and do cut some threads and chambers for old friends . Recently at our public range an new shooter ,politely came to me and asked a few smith questions . Well he had just paid way too much for a rebarrel . Headspace Field gauge gets swallowed . Took it back to the smith and he fixed it , not ! It still sswallows the field , new factory ammo separates on firing .
He asked me if I would help . Long story short , I asked who the local smith was and the gentle man he is , did not want to say . As he was leaving , he gave me his business card , he's an attorney , so I kinda understand his being mum on the smith , but I told him , I believe it's up to us to weed out the UNSAFE people doing work . It can be a matter of life or death .
Gary and my $.02

 

[painter]

in Jefferson co ohio two club members were shot and killed by someone looking for what I believe to be the range officers. the news stated that the shooter has mental issues. how can we protect our selves ? a.l.workman

 

[Comrade Terry]

Range idiots can pop up just about anywhere. I ran into a few of them just last week.

The Good Lord must love fools. He sure makes a passel of them.

 

[Steve3]

I have been seeing more range idiots over the past 5+ years. I even dropped my membership to one club because of them. Black rifles are the problem. Well black rifles, cheap ammo and zombie targets. These people give all of us a bad name..

 

[chapstix97]

I go to the range during the week, if raining a little or below 40 degrees I'll go during weekend. It cuts down meetin to many clowns at one place. You got people there just to chew the fat and bs and not listening to range commands. If I wanted that I would have gone to a bar instead

 

[joshb]

I go to the local private range, and still see the occasional gaggle of idiots. I " have a tendency" to voice my concerns. I start with"kindly father" but have moved to "rabid drill sergeant",when it's needed. They can sometimes be trained. Being retired, I go during the week. Seems more of "my kind of people" are there, then.

 

[GerryM]

I could proabely tell you a hundred similar stories about the same thing many would be repeats.
Its always with us people who buy firearms and have little knowledge on the proper was to use them , range ettiquet and range rule braking.
Its disgusting at times , but we are stuck with the situation.
even on private ranges. There's no excuse for bad manners. some people think that they can do what they please and the heck with eyeryone else.

 

[spencerhenry]

i used to be the volunteer range clean up guy at the local public range.
one time i kicked a guy and his girlfriend out, they were at the shotgun range shooting a 22 rifle .... straight towards the 200 yard rifle target. so when someone went to pull their 200 yard target bullets were nearby. his reason to be at the shotgun range and not at an open bench at the rifle range was that it was too loud at the rifle range.

i was once walking back from setting targets and a guy has his bolt rifle on bags pointed down range looking through his scope, all with the bolt closed. i asked him how i looked in his cross hairs, i got the usual, "it isnt loaded".

one day, the range was not hot, there was a guy handling his rifle. he put a round through the roof!

the stories could go on and on!