Why bring rifles to the line uncased?
- Thread starter Nowhere Man
- Start date
WyleWD
Silver $$ Contributor
+1 ^^^
It all begins at home before you leave for a match. As soon as the rifle is cleared, cleaned, and readied for the next match an ECI could/should be placed in the rifle. I agree that an empty chamber (ECI) should be properly installed before the rifle is cased for transport to the match. If I remember correctly the NRA matches have required use of ECI's for several years now. WD
It all begins at home before you leave for a match. As soon as the rifle is cleared, cleaned, and readied for the next match an ECI could/should be placed in the rifle. I agree that an empty chamber (ECI) should be properly installed before the rifle is cased for transport to the match. If I remember correctly the NRA matches have required use of ECI's for several years now. WD
Tomorrow, at my 200 yard range I will take my cased rifle to the line. At the bench I will place my case with muzzle down range before opening. I will then open the case, open the bolt, insert (ECI) chamber flag, take the rifle out of the case, the whole time with the muzzle pointed down range. I'll open the bipod and set it down. I handle my firearms in and out of the cases. Never, Ever!!!! Do I store a loaded rifle in a case!!! The rules at my local range allow me to do this....
Don Dunlap
Don Dunlap
My magazines are always loaded. No round in the chamber. An empty magazine does not even make a good club. Here in ND you never know when you will have the opportunity to pull your rifle and give some critter hell. Yes it is totally cool to shoot coyotes from almost any road.
To the match thing flags should be enough. I do not like the idea of taking the bolt from a rifle.
I shoot XTC. My magazines are loaded the night before with the two/eight rounds and they go into the shooting stool. I shoot either an M14 or an AR so I do not remove the bolt. The rifle is transported to the match in a safe condition; action open, magazine removed, empty chamber indicator installed and rifle in a case. Once I am at the range, I follow the directions of the match director for moving the rifle, uncasing the rifle, handling the rifle, loading the rifle and firing the rifle.
outasite`08
Gold $$ Contributor
I have shot on lots of ranges with different rules.Bolt out,ECI, uncase gun in safe area and comply with "whatever" rules. I guess I just go with "when in Rome do like the Romans do". Less stress and more enjoyable day.I won`t give you the life is to short stuff,but it fits too. Where did I set my coffee down?
KMart
Gold $$ Contributor
You may not. But, you are not everybody. Having loaded firearms come to the firing line, in a case, and a live round in the chamber, is THE VERY reason our club/range has the rule was changed so that no gun cases are allowed on the firing line. At least now, we have a chance to see if the firearm is in an unsafe condition.
If the club says no Bolts in rifle when you remove them from the vehicle or trailer then those are the rules! If I'm at a public range my bolts are out and when I go down range the bolt to my BOLT goes with me. I've had people come over to your bench to see what you are shooting, when you are down range. That was Chris Kyle's mistake!
Joe Salt
Joe Salt
Local range to me had a similar rule. Cold range, handgun match. Guns must arrive to the firing line unloaded. So, people would handle and unload the gun in their car. Range check-in was done at a currently unused pistol bay, shooting started on the next bay over and so on. I saw this as a risk and mentioned it. "Why don't we have this first bay as the designated safety check "Bunker" area." Keep the gun cased or holstered until you get to the safety check bay and then, keeping the gun pointed down range, you can unload, show clear, insert your flag or whatever condition the gun needs to be in. "Nah, its a non-issue, don't worry about it." Very careless attitude so I didn't go back. Well, 3 weeks later, news hit the facebook of a hole in someones backseat after someone had an ND while handling their gun in the parking lot at this very match...
Personally, I want a designated safe place to handle, load/unload firearms if you are on a cold range. Like USPSA rules require.
The parking lot is not a safe place for such activities. Granted in F-Class or Benchrest i dont think ive heard of anyone ever keeping the gun loaded, but as a general rule of thumb, its best to handle all firearms as if they are loaded and as such always pointed in a safe direction. Restricting the handling of uncased firearms to the firing line or a safety bunker severely reduces the risk of an ND in the parking lot.
Personally, I want a designated safe place to handle, load/unload firearms if you are on a cold range. Like USPSA rules require.
The parking lot is not a safe place for such activities. Granted in F-Class or Benchrest i dont think ive heard of anyone ever keeping the gun loaded, but as a general rule of thumb, its best to handle all firearms as if they are loaded and as such always pointed in a safe direction. Restricting the handling of uncased firearms to the firing line or a safety bunker severely reduces the risk of an ND in the parking lot.
Wow. Just wow. If that works for you then fine. Please do not force your fudd actions on everyone else. Also you do not have enough grease or oil on your bolt. Oh, let me guess you only use your rifle when it is nice out?
With that being said... You must be very dangerous with your firearms if you must remove the bolt. I do not know what you shoot but many BR shooters are unsafe because they think rifles are safe with out a bolt. I could go on and one about firearms safety but there are just two things that will get you 99.9999% of the way there. Muzzle discipline and thinking about what you are doing.
I have been to ranges where someone has left a bolt (whole story) and where someone put the bolt back in and had a ND because of it. What is funny about the ND was he was an older gentleman who shot BR all the time. I have also been to many matches where at least one person left their bolt or BCG at home. These are simply a they were not thinking about what they were doing. At least the ND guy had his rifle pointing in a direction that was safe.
Like I said in an earlier post, I play the game according to the rules at the range. When I go to a new range, the one thing I do before I touch my firearms is know their rules for transporting from vehicle to bench. What ever they want. Safe place staging area or other.....
Lucky Shooter
Gold $$ Contributor
In my opinion----not worth much---we as shooters owe other shooters safety
PLUS the comfort in KNOWING they are safe. Its not a good experience to be wondering
if the other guy is safe----there shouldn't be any questions about safety.
When a guy brings a cased gun to the shooting area, we sometimes don't know what
he'll pull out of his case or how he'll handle it when he pulls it out. Admittedly we might be safe
as long as the gun is in the case but what if some clown shows up with a loaded gun in a case and drops it.
You can probably flip a coin on whether it'll fire when it falls.
The people who make the range rules should think these things out. The BR rule of "bolts out" is a good rule.
Making safety rules is one thing-----adherence and enforcement are also necessary but often neglected. We can't
always depend on "them" to keep us safe-----sometimes we need to exercise the courage to call out safety issues,
whether covered by rules or not.
I think safety is an individual mindset. The buck stops with us.
Shoot'em good, keep'em safe-----not necessarily in this order.
A. Weldy
PLUS the comfort in KNOWING they are safe. Its not a good experience to be wondering
if the other guy is safe----there shouldn't be any questions about safety.
When a guy brings a cased gun to the shooting area, we sometimes don't know what
he'll pull out of his case or how he'll handle it when he pulls it out. Admittedly we might be safe
as long as the gun is in the case but what if some clown shows up with a loaded gun in a case and drops it.
You can probably flip a coin on whether it'll fire when it falls.
The people who make the range rules should think these things out. The BR rule of "bolts out" is a good rule.
Making safety rules is one thing-----adherence and enforcement are also necessary but often neglected. We can't
always depend on "them" to keep us safe-----sometimes we need to exercise the courage to call out safety issues,
whether covered by rules or not.
I think safety is an individual mindset. The buck stops with us.
Shoot'em good, keep'em safe-----not necessarily in this order.
A. Weldy
Kevin57
Gold $$ Contributor
Way too many people with opinions or proceedures that do not really add to safety.
If there is no bolt in a rifle it is safe. If someone wants a flag in a chamber without a bolt...that is just rules overkill and silly.
No bolts in rifles until the rifle is on the line and you are ready to fire. Problem fixed.
If you leave your bolt at home, it's unfortunate, but people leave ammo home too. Don't ask me how I know.
Some ranges have become unpleasant with the rules Nazis. If there is someone who acts in an unsafe way and will not change, get rid of him.
A rules Nazi came unglued this weekend because I stepped in front of "THE RED LINE" to pick up a piece of brass that had fallen off the bench when the range was cold.
I little common sense goes a long way.
Kevin
If there is no bolt in a rifle it is safe. If someone wants a flag in a chamber without a bolt...that is just rules overkill and silly.
No bolts in rifles until the rifle is on the line and you are ready to fire. Problem fixed.
If you leave your bolt at home, it's unfortunate, but people leave ammo home too. Don't ask me how I know.
Some ranges have become unpleasant with the rules Nazis. If there is someone who acts in an unsafe way and will not change, get rid of him.
A rules Nazi came unglued this weekend because I stepped in front of "THE RED LINE" to pick up a piece of brass that had fallen off the bench when the range was cold.
I little common sense goes a long way.
Kevin
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