You Can't Be Serious.

[onelastshot]

We've all had experiences over the years with new gun owners that show up at camp with a new rifle that he's never shot, only been bore sighted, or the ones who want to shoot at 1000 yards because the shop owner told him that the new latest and greatest rifle he had to buy could shoot that distance right out of the box. What's your story of "You can't be serious" that you've experienced at camp or at the rifle range?

 

[Uncle Grinch]

My son used to work at a local gun store and each year just before deer season customers would come in and buy the combo rifle it’s often offered on sale. Quite a few would opt for the 7mm Mag or 300 Win Mag. My son said they had quite a few buyers who returned them a few weeks later wanting something that didn’t kick as bad.

 

[1K6BRA]

True story, guy years ago, came into my friends gun shop with a rifle. I believe the day before our Pennsylvania deer season. Barrel was not marked as to cartridge. Friend told him you will have to get your barrel checked first to see what it is.Guy responded with just give me a box of 30–06 shells that should be good enough. Friend told him to go elsewhere for them. I remind myself constantly that we are the greatest nation on the face of the Earth ever and I still believe that. (I also believe firmly that the numbers are dwindling rapidly) Filled with the best of the brightest. And I still believe that. And I still think to myself what must it be like elsewhere?

 

[Alguapo]

I would go to the range to do the final sight in before the hunt. They had a sight in service there that many would use. I always enjoyed the stories the guy had of the people that used the service. the two best were of the guy that had the scope in backwards , but he best was of the guy that had his scope on with duct tape.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

There is a C_____S/B___P__S__P close enough that their work shows up occasionally. Usually shooter fit off or loose screws. One guy had a "long range hunting rifle" that he put a new scope on. He couldn't figure(20 rounds) out why he wasn't hitting the target at 100 yards, "because the old scope was right on". Had him stop and put up a BIG piece of cardboard I had with.

 

[JEFFPPC]

True story, guy years ago, came into my friends gun shop with a rifle. I believe the day before our Pennsylvania deer season. Barrel was not marked as to cartridge. Friend told him you will have to get your barrel checked first to see what it is.Guy responded with just give me a box of 30–06 shells that should be good enough. Friend told him to go elsewhere for them. I remind myself constantly that we are the greatest nation on the face of the Earth ever and I still believe that. (I also believe firmly that the numbers are dwindling rapidly) Filled with the best of the brightest. And I still believe that. And I still think to myself what must it be like elsewhere?

Given our education system our best and brightest have been lagging far behind for several generations. Our schools have more important agendas than education. Main focus is indoctrination.

 

[Lee in Texas]

Not at a range, but years ago, a guy in the national Guard said my full custom 1000yard benchrest rifle was a waste of money. He wanted me to make a bet that he could outshoot me with a factory .30-30.

 

[K22]

After 50+ years of range shooting and hunting I have so many that it's hard to zero in on one. I think I have seen just about everything imaginable from the ugly to the bad to the really bad.

There is a real need for basic safety, marksmanship, and technical training / education when it comes to the shooting sports. I would like to see the NRA take more of a leadership role in this endeavor. Also, clubs can play a more significant role.

If the sport is to survive the trending political environment, this training / education is critical.

 

[FNSafari]

We've all had experiences over the years with new gun owners that show up at camp with a new rifle that he's never shot, only been bore sighted, or the ones who want to shoot at 1000 yards because the shop owner told him that the new latest and greatest rifle he had to buy could shoot that distance right out of the box. What's your story of "You can't be serious" that you've experienced at camp or at the rifle range?

People who have been hunting all their lives and have NO clue how to adjust iron sights or a scope on their rifle...none!

Our club used to put on a sight in day late October. Last year no one showed up.

 

[Krogen]

We run hunter sight-in at my club. Now and then, somebody shows up with the scope mounted 90 deg off. They wonder why the U/D adjustment goes left and right . . . . And of course, the L/R goes up and down. One of them showed up with a Ruger 77 where the rear ring is taller than the front one. As you may have guessed by now, the tall ring was in front and the short one in the rear. The rifle shot really, really low . . . .

 

[Monte F]

Was doing a service call on a boiler at a horse ranch and got to talking with the ranch manager about 1000 yd. F-class matches. He promptly picks up a red Solo cup and tells me he can put 5 shots in a row into it at 1000 yds. I told him we hold 1000 yd. matches twice a month and he should come out, he replied he was too busy with work to come out. So I guess we will never know if he is some kind of super shooter and should be in the record books.

 

[dbduff]

My gunsmith speaks of those that would like their rifles cleaned and sighted in, brought to him on the afternoon of the day before opening season. He becomes more than a bit irritable just telling the tale, repeatably!

 

[Albany Mountain]

One guy we took hunting was a brand new hunter. We sat around the campfire that night prior to opening day and he said he was going to get ready for tomorrow. We watched as he loaded up his bolt action with shells and slammed one into the chamber and set the rifle aside. As we instructed him not to chamber a round until he needed it, he told us that there is no way to close the bolt without putting a round into the chamber. We taught him how. Two days later, he puts his rifle into his ford bronco along side him in the drivers seat. As he set it down, he pulled the trigger and puts one through the bell housing. I was sitting right along side in the passenger seat. After everything settled down and we realized what happened, the words were flowing briskly and we finished hunting with him right then and there. We told him to take us home after unloading his gun.

 

[linebaugh]

Go to any public range for a day. You will have stories to tell. Elmer Fudd looks intelligent compared to half the guys you will see there.

 

[Dgd6mm]

Go to any public range for a day. You will have stories to tell. Elmer Fudd looks intelligent compared to half the guys you will see there.

Dang that's funny, but TRUE.

 

[swd]

A guy, turns out to be a doctor, brings a crudely sporterized Enfield in to have me install a muzzle brake. The bolt had been opened up and the barrel rechambered to 300 H&H. He then asks me what’s the best ammo to shoot at 1000 yards because he wants to shoot an elk at 1K. I told him he had the wrong rifle. He doesn’t want to hear it. Turns out he was a bow hunter and had never shot anything past about 45 yards. He had little experience with guns and other than shooting an elk at 1K had absolutely no interest in rifle hunting or guns. He had been watching tv shows about LR hunting and thought it was cool and wanted to do it just once. I made the mistake of telling him I shot 1000 yard F Class and knew a good bit about LR shooting so he called me and stopped by the shop constantly sometimes several times a day trying to get info for about ballistics and all sorts of the things but never was willing to buy or put together a legit rifle or learn to load. After about a month I finally just stopped taking his calls and told the guys at the counter to tell him I wasn’t in.

 

[swd]

About a month ago I was at the range, there was a guy with his scope turned around backwards trying to look through the front objective bell. True story.

Years ago I had guy call wanting me to check his scope he had just mounted. He said the windage turret moved the bullet up and down and elevation turret moved Rt/Lft. I asked if the scope was mounted 90 off, he said no he thought the scope turrets were mis marked. He dropped it off. I turned the scoped 90deg, bore sighted it and charged him a $45 stupid fee. Edit, he also didn’t seem to notice the scope had been rotated, lol

 

[Doug Casner]

My Dad had a firearms license when I was a kid. This time of the year he sold alot of rifles. We had a 100 yd. range so we got to set some of them up. Guy bought a 270 and scope took it out to the range shot 3 times hit the box twice said that looks pretty good to me. Dad said fine. Went hunting. Doug

 

[Ranger188]

Had a guy on a forum years ago when long range shooting was getting popular.
Some of us were shooting out to 1000 yds. on steel.
He said thats BS nobody can shoot that far.

I'm sure everyone has "that" friend that want you to get a load, sight in his rifle or shotgun, then
he wants to go out one day a year and go hunting.

 

[onelastshot]

Deer season, opening day. Two guys I hunt with brought along a friend without my permission. I was sitting in the passenger seat of my truck at 5:00am with the three of them standing around me as we discussed where everyone would sit. The new guy stepped forward towards me to grab a paper towel from the dashboard with his rifle pointed between my legs. Just as I started to say something about pointing the rifle at me the rifle goes off, fortunately missing my leg but putting a bullet in the middle of the floorboard between my feet. When everyone stopped yelling I looked at the three of them and said sorry, today's hunt has been canceled. As they were leaving I grabbed the guy who had brought him and advised him that his buddy was not welcome on the property ever again, that he was on probation for bringing such an idiot and if I ever saw his friend again, I'd shoot him. Ten years later I still have the truck and the hole is still there. For the past 5-6 years, I've opted to hunt alone. There are too many people who don't take practice and safety seriously. I grew tired worrying about the new guy in camp.