Sunday at the range

H&K Fan · October 29, 1999, 04:56 AM

SWMBO, youngest daughter and I went to the range Sunday. It gave me a chance to try out my spotting scope as well as got us out of the house and away from the telephone. The only real problem with the range we normally frequent is the lack of range ettiquette which is often displayed, anything from firing whether or not others are wearing hearing protection and up to AD with someone downrange checking their targets. Kid you not,I personally saw the last example of that I wish to see. At any event a good time was had by all. If you really want to handicap yourself, break the middle finger of your non-dominant hand like I did. It is amazing how used to grabbing a handle with 2 hands one gets used to. Weather was clear, somewhat breezy and between 55 and 60 degrees. L8R

TheOtherMikey · October 29, 1999, 11:16 AM

I wouldn't go out to that range again on a bet until they install basic range safety rules and the members enforce them on each other.
I belong to a small shooting club near my home with no range safety personell. But, on the first visit and before acceptance as a member, a prospective member must undergo an orientation on all ranges (pistol, rifle, trap) no matter what he/she will shoot. The purpose of the orientation is safety and it is drilled in from the get-go that violations will result in expulsion from the club and denial of use of the facility. Each member is responsible for the safety of not only him/herself but of the other members. It works out well.

Hope this helps, Mikey

H&K Fan · October 29, 1999, 05:19 PM

The problem is it is run by the US Forestry Service and there is no $ for personnel to man the range. Basically I keep a close eye on other people until I see for myself that they know what they are doing. Have learned a fair amount from persons older than myself, especially about WW2 bolt action rifles. 90% of the time every one there knows and uses range safety, the real problem is when folks who don't normally shoot that much show up to sight in their hunting rifles.

George Hill · October 30, 1999, 01:42 AM

What you can do is this...
Print out some simple "RANGE RULES"
and post them there at the range.
Make it big and visible... and laminated.
Hang it where it will be seen entering the range.

This just might help remind those guys who think its a free for all - that its still a gun range.

------------------
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

H&K Fan · October 30, 1999, 02:05 AM

Uh, George - I don't think you quite understand. Some of the folks that use this range basically don't give a ****. They don't come out of the mountains often enough to behave in a civil fashion. It is stretching their idea of accomodation to not use the posts which hold up the target mounting wire for a backdrop to their target. Heaven forbid one should have to use some forethought and bring a suitable clothes pin, etc. to hang targets from. Heck, I have seen Johnson county's finest (deputy sheriffs) stand at the edge of the range and take a leak, then blast away at perp targets from 12 or so feet. Kid you not.As I stated before most of the people using the range are good people, it's just the bad apples that make one wonder. JMHO, YMMV.

George Hill · October 30, 1999, 04:59 AM

I am worried for you guys on that range. Those bad apples can make everyone look like those duffers. Hmmm... You could do a couple things - string clothes pins along the wire for the idjuts to hang the targets on. Paint the posts a color that makes it hard to see against the back ground from the firing line...
Or get extreme with it. Go to the F.S. office and talk to them about it and ask permission to police the range and do the following:
Wear a black cap with RANGE MASTER in white letters and then politly explain that targets get hung from the wire - not stapled to the posts. When you cant be there during peak hours - have another trusted shooter serve as Range Master. Post a nice wood plaque on the trees "Restrooms this way >>>----->" and lead to a area away from the range... Line a little path with stones. You could even go so far as to have a MENS area behind those fir trees, and a WOMENS behind those junipers over there... and have a BEARS some place in the middle, straight ahead. Even a yellow DEER SQUATTING warning sign could be made.
Have a little fun with it - and you can get the Jerks to play along. But People are People. And that means some guys will do what ever the heck they want. For guys like that... There is no solution. You can only get them to not want to go to that range. I will leave that up to you.

------------------
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

JERKY · October 31, 1999, 04:24 PM

I guess its safe to say that firing a few rounds in the air wont run em off.

------------------
TIM : )

H&K Fan · October 31, 1999, 07:21 PM

Hell, no. That's how they settle disputes in the hills. LOL

October 29, 1999, 04:56 AM	#1
H&K Fan Senior Member Join Date: July 16, 1999 Posts: 138	SWMBO, youngest daughter and I went to the range Sunday. It gave me a chance to try out my spotting scope as well as got us out of the house and away from the telephone. The only real problem with the range we normally frequent is the lack of range ettiquette which is often displayed, anything from firing whether or not others are wearing hearing protection and up to AD with someone downrange checking their targets. Kid you not,I personally saw the last example of that I wish to see. At any event a good time was had by all. If you really want to handicap yourself, break the middle finger of your non-dominant hand like I did. It is amazing how used to grabbing a handle with 2 hands one gets used to. Weather was clear, somewhat breezy and between 55 and 60 degrees. L8R

October 29, 1999, 11:16 AM	#2
TheOtherMikey Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 1999 Location: Surprise, Arizona, USA Posts: 171	I wouldn't go out to that range again on a bet until they install basic range safety rules and the members enforce them on each other. I belong to a small shooting club near my home with no range safety personell. But, on the first visit and before acceptance as a member, a prospective member must undergo an orientation on all ranges (pistol, rifle, trap) no matter what he/she will shoot. The purpose of the orientation is safety and it is drilled in from the get-go that violations will result in expulsion from the club and denial of use of the facility. Each member is responsible for the safety of not only him/herself but of the other members. It works out well. Hope this helps, Mikey

October 29, 1999, 05:19 PM	#3
H&K Fan Senior Member Join Date: July 16, 1999 Posts: 138	The problem is it is run by the US Forestry Service and there is no $ for personnel to man the range. Basically I keep a close eye on other people until I see for myself that they know what they are doing. Have learned a fair amount from persons older than myself, especially about WW2 bolt action rifles. 90% of the time every one there knows and uses range safety, the real problem is when folks who don't normally shoot that much show up to sight in their hunting rifles.

October 30, 1999, 01:42 AM	#4
George Hill Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 14, 1998 Location: North Carolina Posts: 11,546	What you can do is this... Print out some simple "RANGE RULES" and post them there at the range. Make it big and visible... and laminated. Hang it where it will be seen entering the range. This just might help remind those guys who think its a free for all - that its still a gun range. ------------------ "A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

October 30, 1999, 02:05 AM	#5
H&K Fan Senior Member Join Date: July 16, 1999 Posts: 138	Uh, George - I don't think you quite understand. Some of the folks that use this range basically don't give a ****. They don't come out of the mountains often enough to behave in a civil fashion. It is stretching their idea of accomodation to not use the posts which hold up the target mounting wire for a backdrop to their target. Heaven forbid one should have to use some forethought and bring a suitable clothes pin, etc. to hang targets from. Heck, I have seen Johnson county's finest (deputy sheriffs) stand at the edge of the range and take a leak, then blast away at perp targets from 12 or so feet. Kid you not.As I stated before most of the people using the range are good people, it's just the bad apples that make one wonder. JMHO, YMMV.

October 30, 1999, 04:59 AM	#6
George Hill Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 14, 1998 Location: North Carolina Posts: 11,546	I am worried for you guys on that range. Those bad apples can make everyone look like those duffers. Hmmm... You could do a couple things - string clothes pins along the wire for the idjuts to hang the targets on. Paint the posts a color that makes it hard to see against the back ground from the firing line... Or get extreme with it. Go to the F.S. office and talk to them about it and ask permission to police the range and do the following: Wear a black cap with RANGE MASTER in white letters and then politly explain that targets get hung from the wire - not stapled to the posts. When you cant be there during peak hours - have another trusted shooter serve as Range Master. Post a nice wood plaque on the trees "Restrooms this way >>>----->" and lead to a area away from the range... Line a little path with stones. You could even go so far as to have a MENS area behind those fir trees, and a WOMENS behind those junipers over there... and have a BEARS some place in the middle, straight ahead. Even a yellow DEER SQUATTING warning sign could be made. Have a little fun with it - and you can get the Jerks to play along. But People are People. And that means some guys will do what ever the heck they want. For guys like that... There is no solution. You can only get them to not want to go to that range. I will leave that up to you. ------------------ "A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

October 31, 1999, 04:24 PM	#7
JERKY Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 1999 Location: GLEN BURNIE MARYLAND USA Posts: 179	I guess its safe to say that firing a few rounds in the air wont run em off. ------------------ TIM : )

October 31, 1999, 07:21 PM	#8
H&K Fan Senior Member Join Date: July 16, 1999 Posts: 138	Hell, no. That's how they settle disputes in the hills. LOL