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Dave McC · November 13, 2011, 11:16 PM

Yesterday I was getting ready to coach some fairly new shooters at Range 4 at PGC. This is a wobble trap and popular with casual shotgunners, though the hardcore skeet and trap guys are shunning it.

Then, a 40-ish guy in jeans and camo walked up carrying a Mossberg pump. The action WAS open as it should have been and the muzzle pointed straight up.

That was the good part.

The bad part was I could see a round in the receiver through the ejection port.

Alarms went off in my head and I spoke to the owner, took the Mossberg and removed the shell. The guy was totally embarrased, and apologized to all.

I pulled for his squad and otherwise he was observant of the Four Rules, range rules and procedures. So was everyone else, the close call reminded all of us what can go wrong.

A tragedy averted? Perhaps.

Bad publicity for law abiding gun owners averted? Certainly.

A day at the range and perhaps lives changed for the worse averted?

Possibly.

Let's all observe ourselves and everyone else when shooting, because the life you save.......

November 13, 2011, 11:16 PM	#1
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Safety Is Everyone's Job..... Yesterday I was getting ready to coach some fairly new shooters at Range 4 at PGC. This is a wobble trap and popular with casual shotgunners, though the hardcore skeet and trap guys are shunning it. Then, a 40-ish guy in jeans and camo walked up carrying a Mossberg pump. The action WAS open as it should have been and the muzzle pointed straight up. That was the good part. The bad part was I could see a round in the receiver through the ejection port. Alarms went off in my head and I spoke to the owner, took the Mossberg and removed the shell. The guy was totally embarrased, and apologized to all. I pulled for his squad and otherwise he was observant of the Four Rules, range rules and procedures. So was everyone else, the close call reminded all of us what can go wrong. A tragedy averted? Perhaps. Bad publicity for law abiding gun owners averted? Certainly. A day at the range and perhaps lives changed for the worse averted? Possibly. Let's all observe ourselves and everyone else when shooting, because the life you save.......