About lost it at the range!

[Robinhood]

I think I saw that scope on ebay......

[kschilling]

Yes, some people should not own or operate any type of gun. I have to admit, I laughed at a couple of these posts. I'm a NRA Match Director and RSO with over 30 years of range experience in both the military and civilian law enforcement I'm sure I haven't seen it all, but here are a few of mine.

1. When I give the range brief prior to every match I make it a point to "point" to the down range direction and the "not the down" range direction. The looks I get from some shooters still makes me shake my head.

2. I'm working with a couple Active Duty troops introducing them to 500 yard F Class shooting. All is fine until we have projectiles flying over the top of us breaking branches off the trees. All three of us are combat Vets (Army) and it's far from being the first time we've taken fire. Between the three of us, over 70 years of shooting / training experience. The shooting stops. I go over the the range next door, a city police range, and explain my concerns. It turns out they were shooting at a "car target" and the rounds / buckshot skipped off the car and went our direction. I contacted the Chief Range Officer of the department the next day. The car disappeared that day.

3. We had a shooter / member brings his rifle to the range to sight in for deer season. After the second shot, it was clear the shooter was having extraction issues. I walked over and asked if he needed help. It turns out, he was shooting 7mm-08 out of a 7mm Mag. When I explained the difference, he looked lost. His response.... "They're both 7mm, it shouldn't make a difference". He's no longer a member of our club.

4. There was an incident at a range I inspected. A father was showing his son how to shoot his .380 pistol. They finished their session and was preparing to leave the firing line. The father attempted to clear the pistol. He rotated the pistol, pointing it toward the right.... directly in line with the firing line and worked the slide, subsequently pulling the trigger. He forgot to drop the magazine. He shot his son in the stomach. Son survived. Ugly incident.

I could go on forever. The point of issue.... regardless of what type of range, private or public, situational awareness is a must.

See you at the range.....

Ken

[jonbearman]

I had just arrived at a local gunshop/range just moments after they were hosing the blood off the cement floor. I asked the range guy what happened. He said a guy was shooting an Ithaca model 37 pump gun and after shooting 2 rounds the magazine chain fired all the slugs at once blowing the gun apart and destroying the mans hand and arm with schrapnel everywhere. It is horrifying hering all the storys but here is another one. A young lady showed up with her shiny new .308 auto. The range guy watches her load up and figures all is well. He looks the other way for a short while and turns back at the raving beauty and sees her fire one , then rest the barrel under her chin with her finger still on the trigger. He waits till she shoots and goes over to stop her from doing the obvious. He says to her that he doesn't want to have to clean her brain matter and blood off the insulation they had in the ceiling. She says what do you mean. He explains to her resting the gun under her chin with your finger on the trigger is totally unsafe. She obliged but was clearly embarrassed. I can not believe that people do what they do, maybe its television or something that has dumbed down America. Another time I was there we got an all clear so a bunch of us went down to check our targets and I was at a hundred and gunfire erupted at the pistol area which was only 10 tables away. People started screaming for him to stop. He finally did. It turns out he thought we were far enough to the left and in his mind it didn't matter. They asked him to leave and not come back till he learned to be safe.

[nuclabuyer]

I would say the worst people at our range is the police. They not only are terrible with guns but you cant tell them a thing because "I carries one all the time". They tear up more targets then anyone too. They qualify with m16's and they leave all there mess laying around. Then they go down with shotguns and destroy the target stands at like 5 feet. Idiots. One time they paid for there yearly qualifing day. The next day they put a stop check on there payment. They are the biggest crocks around

[seanhagerty]

We had the same issue with LE at one of the ranges i went to years ago, they shoot up everything at close range with shotguns and tear up backers boards

[Steelhead]

We had some bozos shoot up our steel plates in one of the pistol pits with AR's and AK's that the cowboy action shooters use.
Usually the gun club I go to is empty or the people are pretty decent.
I went to a range in Seattle once, that was scary!

[sc1911cwp]

Here's the range I used to shoot at until I had too many close calls. This is a US Forest Range in SC.
* Others shooting into my targets.
* Others walking downrange when it's hot.
* Weapons handling when cold range.
* Leaving trash all around which includes TVs, glass, and everything under the sun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reOdU61GWNI

[bflee]

I guess I am lucky. I have only been to one formal range. The rifle range was 100 yards! I have 200 yards right in my backyard. I can drive 3 miles to my cousins hayfield and shoot 530 strait accross, and 700 if nobody is at the turkey houses. I could still shoot then safely but I just dont like it! Alot of things I used to take for granted.

[acemisser]

the biggest problem we have is the dill hole that shows up and wants to talk all day and never shoots..what an ass..

[hombre243]

This is not funny, but here it goes. I had a couple set up next to me and proceed to set up 12" targets @ the 50 yard berm (first mistake). They needed to borrow my stapler as our range uses plywood backboards. They told me they just bought a new pistol (glock 9mm or a 40) and was going to try it out. I asked if they had experience handling semi handguns. The acted insulted, so I kept doing my thing.

I noticed they came back and didn't say anything. After seeing "blood", I had to investigate. It turns out he held my stapler backwards and he put a staple in his right forehand. It had to have hit one of the bones, or he must have hit a big vein.

Anyway, it was obvious they both were quite embarrassed by this incident. Instantly I said it's time for me to load up and leave. As I started to do so, his wife brought my stapler back while wiping the blood off of it. She thank me and wanted to know if I would assist them on their next visit.

Trying not to laugh, I said sure, just let me know and I will be glad to show both of you how to handle and use your weapon, as long as they listened. To my surprise, they did call and I did help them. They had different attitudes and were very humble. One was a Pharmacist, I don't know the others profession. Obviously it didn't involve shooting a pistol.


PS: I have bought several rifles very cheap at the range because the above. Everyone of them were tac drivers. One person saw me shooting his old rifle at the range and he asked how that piece of junk was shooting. He walked down to set up his target, I told him which target to look at, it only had 3 holes in it. A dime covered all three shots. Not kidding, he walked back and loaded his stuff up and never fired a shot. I haven't seen him since.

I sold my brand new Dick Weber bowling ball to a friend at the bowling alley because I couldn't hit the pins but I did hit my ankle 3 times in one night and it hurt so bad I had to quit. Ball, case and shoes for 15 bucks and a Budweiser. Never looked back...piece of crap bowling ball. :crutch: :becky:

[Twinsen]

Last month I let a fellow shoot my pistol. He muzzle swept me with it loaded. Not fifteen minutes later he yelled at somebody for muzzle sweeping him.

[D.ID]

Last month I let a fellow shoot my pistol. He muzzle swept me with it loaded. Not fifteen minutes later he yelled at somebody for muzzle sweeping him.

Twice in fifteen minutes........... find a new place to shoot before there comes a day that everybody doesn't make it out alive.

[Zeus0311]

All this negativity. Heres something humorous. When I was 17 I skipped on senior skip day and went to sight in my .22. I was the only one there. About an hour in 2 guys come and start shooting at 25 yards with HK MP5s with red dots. I overheard them talking about drugs and got a little nervous. We declared cease fire to check targets. they looked at me and said aren't you supposed to be in school? I said I'm sick. (insert fake cough) they looked at my target and bet me i couldn't do it again at 50 yards. I'll take that bet. We got back they started watching my target with binos. I got bored and started blasting my clothes pins holding my target up.

[Fotheringill]

We all have at least one horror story ending in ......... packed up and left.

1. I have two local outdoor ranges. One has several range officers on duty at any given time, the other has semi conscious R.O.'s at any given time. I went ONCE to the other range, watched what was going on after I paid my fee and before I unpacked and observed barrels going left and right. I never unpacked and never went back.
2. At the "safe" range, I am sitting there at my bench. To my right, a couple in their 50's-60's (my age more or less) come in and the wife sits down and hubby unpacks, out of the Savage shipping box, a brand new .22. He points it my way while unpacking and I ask him to keep the muzzle downrange (politely). He does so and says I shouldn't worry since he is an expert hunter and is showing his wife how to shoot since it is her first time. I have my right eye on him and not my sights since I am wary. He loads the magazine, but jams it so that no more than one round goes in. I ask him to step aside (to not embarrass him in front of his wife) and tell him the round is jammed in backwards and round facing upwards. I still can't figure out that one but wife unjams it herself. He then loads up the ten rounds and tries to insert the magazine. He tries that backwards, as well. By then, I had already informed the R.O. closest to us to keep an eye open. The expert starts shooting and encounters a jam. He swings the muzzle my way and I went over backwards with my ass hitting the ground. I got up after a few choice words about where he could insert the muzzle while unjamming and I start to pack up. R.O. told him to pack up under supervision, go to the office for a full refund and to please not return.

[Boudin]

I was once shooting next to a guy who had a coin in his turret after every shot for about 30 minutes straight. I look over during a break and say... Having a hard time? He says "yea this **** thing is all over the place and none of my adjustments are working". I get up and walk over and notice that he has mounted the scope 90 degrees out of whack to where the windage adjustment is on top. I hated to tell him, because I knew he would be embarrassed, but he was a good sport and laughed it off. I loaned him my hex key set to fix it. He told me he was happy I discovered it before he marched into the gun shop and demanded they take their piece of junk scope back... lol

[Twinsen]

Twice in fifteen minutes........... find a new place to shoot before there comes a day that everybody doesn't make it out alive.

It's rough. They have a good 500 yard range, but you need to "qualify" for it. That requires several acts of God and it will never happen. So I go there and hate it. Public 200 yard range only. All other ranges off limits to everybody except range ownership.

Rio Salado in Arizona in case anybody wants to know which range to avoid.

I am thinking one day I should just start using the range. I'll probably lose my membership doing it, but they are crooks that won't allow members to shoot anyway.

[bigcheese920]

I figured I could share this ridiculousness that happened today.
Went to the local range to shoot the 440 yard target. There was already a high schooler there shooting a "tacticool" AR-10 that had every attachment possible hung on it. I started unpacking my things while he was shooting. He got done with a mag and he let me run down and set up a target. I give him the thumbs up and I take my first shot and am about to put the next shell in when the kid yells "PULL!" I then look over to see him open fire at 4 geese about 50 feet up in the air. As I take cover I hear a siren as a police officer has her gun pulled aiming at the kid. He was arrested for a list of things and his weapon was confiscated... I went home after that.

[sixonetonoffun]

Wow! Seriously? I've seen and done some things from the dumbazzed category... but ho da hey mofo got what he asked for!

[bigcheese920]

This is the first time that anything like that has happened usually the range is pretty good. The only problem that I've encountered there is getting the guys with tactical defense shotguns and ARs off the pistol range but to much of a hassle. It will definitely make me think about going back anytime soon.

[BillPa]

The only problem that I've encountered there is getting the guys with tactical defense shotguns and ARs off the pistol range but to much of a hassle.

We have a couple like that, they think the target backer 2X4 frames are fun to shoot in half on the 15-25 yard ranges. I've already rebuilt them on a Thursday evening work night and they were shot up by Sunday morning. We let be known anyone caught will have a choice, replace the materials and rebuild them on their time and their expense or their membership is kaput.

Bill