What is the range etiquette for this?

[Dashunde]

I'd have probably pepper-sprayed a bit of my own brass when he wasnt looking... its only a matter of time before the rat leaves to find water.

Truth-be-told... I probably wouldnt do anything with my daughter there, not going to put her at risk over spent brass.
Making a point to this guy over a couple bucks worth of brass isnt worth the potential risk to my kid if it got ugly.
Choose your battles with idiot people.

[bbqbob51]

As others have stated, you were way too nice. Plain and simple just tell him to stop picking up your brass or you will call the police as he is stealing from you. Some people are very thick and do not seem to understand a "nuanced" statement that you were saving your brass for reloading.

[kilimanjaro]

I've picked up someone's brass that fell near me, but I take it over to him and give it to him, so I won't be kicking it around my bench or he won't bug me while I'm shooting. If he chooses to leave it laying around when he leaves, then I'll swoop on it, but not until then.

To be frank, the guy is a sneak thief, relying on your goodwill not to be taken to task for it. They prosecute people for stealing a candy bar, maybe it needs to happen to a few of these folks.

[jnichols2]

The ranges I shoot at are much more structured than that one.

Nobody is allowed to pick up any brass than his own.

If you leave your brass in the area it belongs to the range. Nobody else can pick it up.

The range master may ask you if you want your brass. If you say yes, he will not pick it up.

Nobody is allowed in the shooting area without hearing and eye protection.
Maybe it's what we shoot in Texas, but nobody would want to be in the area without hearing protection.

The gentleman you describe would have been ejacted long before he reached your position.

[Chaz88]

The gentleman you describe would have been ejacted long before he reached your position.

Wish that had been the case but it is a small outdoor unsupervised range that is only supposed to be used by members of the Izaak Walton League. My daughter and I were the only people using it.

[Sierra280]

Definitely way too nice to the guy. I would have clearly told him to stop, then taken his whole container.

I've never had anyone that brazen about taking my brass, I have had a couple brass hounds picking up brass at the range while I was shooting, but no where near me. Once they got whatever they were after they noticed I was no longer picking up my brass, so they just watched and waited for me to leave. As I was starting my truck I saw them start scrounging up all the brass I left. Luckily, if anyone else ever wants to shoot my 308 or I just feel like plinkin', I always have a bunch of surplus NATO ammo in my range bag, BERDAN PRIMED

[Mavrick79]

There's no way I would have let this guy take my brass, its mine and that's all there is to it. If the range has a rule or policy stating that the RO is entitled to brass on the ground I would tell them to stick it, its no different than allowing them access to your loaded ammo or anything else you brought to the range, just because its on the ground is total BS.

As reloading is becoming more popular ranges with nonsense rules like this are going to have to change, you must speak up.

[wogpotter]

That would have been a great time to be shooting an M1. It dose not take long to look at that brass if you catch it in the air and you will only do it once. Or at least it only took me once, and a couple weeks for the burn to heal up.

Close I was shooting an FN-FAL. The biggest problem was it ejects to the 2 O'clock position so his kids were actually crossing the firing line to my right to do this.

As for the "If it hits the ground then it's mine" school of thought its very common round here in Western MD. It extends beyond the range as well. We had someone take our neighbors ceramic dog statues, which she has either side of her front door. She called the police & the thief actually said "If they're outside then they're public property"!

[mehavey]

"...his kids were actually crossing the firing line to my right to [pick up the brass]...."

I've been watching this thread w/o making comment.

But the first time that someone crossed that active firing would have been the last.
There would have been a VERY high decibel/VERY short discussion had right there....
and with as much drill Sgt verbal intimidation leading to his embarrasment as I could
render.

At least his kids might remember.

[Bigfatts]

I've run into this a couple times. Once was at a public range up around Ocala Nat'l forest. There was a guy who would sweep up everyone's brass when we went cold. I was shooting .375 and noticed him walkong away from my table as I returned from changing my target. He dropped some brass in his bucket and when I got close I noticed my brass missing from off of the bench. Now I had this fired brass in holders lined up with my other boxes of obvious reloads. No dice, game over, not playing this game. I have 0 tolerance from this kind of behavior. He was sweeping up when I walked over to his bucket and upended it on the ground. He came running over demanding to know what I was doing. I pointed at my bench and said "I think you mistakenly picked up some of my brass, I'm sure you didn't steal it on purpose. Anyways, I need it back." He just watched me pick through his findings until I found all my brass. He stayed away from my bench the rest of the day.

[wogpotter]

Oh trust me I did!
Called a "Cease fire", shut the whole firing line down & gave him the tongue lashing of a lifetime.

His kids weren't even wearing hearing protection, he brought none & when I offered him some foam plugs (I always have a few spares) he refused them so the kids would "get used to the noise when hunting". If you've ever stood slightly to the side & just about level with the combo device (muzzle break) on a .308 when its fired you'll only do that kind of stupid once!

Eventually we had to drive to the ranger station & get a ranger so he could be removed from the range because hearing protection is mandatory. NOT, you notice because he was a major safety problem (the ranger hadn't actually seen that) but because of the "no muffs, no shoot" rule.

[Uncle Buck]

Wow!, you were much more pleasant than I would have been. I am very touchy about my brass.

I would have asked him twice to stop and the third time he would have been .... Well, sorry he interrupted my shooting practice or tried to steal my brass.

I have some .45 Colt brass with a custom head stamp that says "BUCK .45 LONG COLT", and I am not losing anymore of it.

[Nickel Plated]

Perhaps you should have went to his position start picking up brass near his bench, "accidentally" knock one of the guns off the bench onto the floor, take it and walk away. "Hey it's fair game right?"

Just kiiding ,.....maybe.

[FrankenMauser]

"Once it hits the ground it's fair game".

I won't step foot on a range with a policy like that.

And, if it's someone's personal policy, I just get away from them. That way, I can at least see them coming. ...and throw a bunch of .22 LR and steel cases in their bucket, if they start poking around at my feet.

[Dashunde]

I gotta say... while I fully appreciate the principle behind it... I'm wholly disappointed with the number of "I'll give him a tongue lashing" or "I'll take his bucket, or dump it out" types of comments here.
Brass snatching, firing-line fouls, whatever.. it doesn’t matter.
Considering that people at the range are most all armed, this type of boisterous nonsense flies in the face of "an armed society is a polite society", even if the "society" amounts to 4 people in a particular locale, that being a unsupervised range at a conservation area.

I'm disappointed because many are loosing focus on priorities... The brass rat's kids AND the OP's kids were there... is this REALLY the place for a confrontation about $10 worth of brass??
I doubt any of your wives would support your decision to argue with an armed person out in the boonies over a few bucks worth of anything.

I know my wife would surely light me on fire when I came home with our daughter and proudly said "There was this guy at the range stealing brass and I chewed him out, dumped his bucket, and took my brass back!"
That would pretty much kill any trust she had in me to maintain the number-1 priority... keep the kid safe no matter where we go.

Far into the future, when my daughter has her CCW and is my ally instead of my liability my position on this may be different, but until then I say...
Keep your long-term objectives in focus, make it home and nevermind the small stuff.

The OP did the right thing... leave without stirring up trouble with an obvious idiot.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by Dashunde

...this type of boisterous nonsense flies in the face of "an armed society is a polite society", even if the "society" amounts to 4 people in a particular locale,...

Lots of things fly in the face of cliches that come from a sci-fi book about a fictional society where dueling over slights of honor is legal.

I'm not a confrontational type but I most certainly would not have left. I'd have told the guy that it was MY brass and I'd be calling the police and then video taping his actions and license plate number if he continued.

Being polite is not the same thing as being someone's door mat.

[Dashunde]

Your missing the point... you pull out a phone to record his actions, and the looney brass rat might pull out a gun a shoot you and your kid.

Like I said, I understand and agree with the principle of it all, I'm certainly no door mat, just ask my wife!

I'm saying that within the context of the OP, keep the kid safe first, worry about rudeness and brass second.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Right.

I'll take my chances.

[Crankgrinder]

I know its not the same thing, but I read lots of comments like " once it hits the ground its fair game" and I think I also saw "if its outside its public property" one thing id have had to say about one of those is my vehicle is also on public property but I still own it. What I do not own is the land it sits on, that is what is meant by "pubic property". It has nothing to do with ownership of what lands on it. Only ownership of the land itself. I saw someone at my range with one of those pole-grabbers picking up everyones brass. The thing that bothered me about it was that he wasn't even shooting, just filling up a bucket of empty brass. I did not shoot on the range he was doing this at because I save my brass also (and I pick it up when no one else is there). I wondered about this same thing at that time what I might have had to say to that guy if it came to it. Sure hate to have to escalate on what would otherwise be such a small matter at a place where people are trying to shoot.

[SC4006]

I agree with most in that if at first a polite response didn't work, then you should stand your ground and then DEMAND he stop, or have the police called on him if he decides to still take your brass. The fact of the matter is that you purchased that ammo, and that brass is yours, doesn't matter if it hits the floor or not. If you drop your cellphone at the range, does that mean its available for the public to take? no. Same thing with anything you own, doesn't matter how big or small. If you own something and someone takes it without your consent then its theft.

[Dashunde]

Police? These unsupervised ranges are some 30 minutes from most (county) sheriff's departments.
They'll spend more in fuel just getting there than the brass is worth.

I live in a new neighborhood with constant construction. Just this weekend there was a Uhaul van driving around filling up ALL of the (7-8) dumpsters with useless furniture and junk, the cops were called... they never did show up.
Any of you really think the cops will come running over your snatched brass????? Get real.

[SC4006]

Well, I suppose you're right. After thinking about it, it's probably not worth calling the police. If the guy became unruly though that's a different story.

[Chad.C]

I would have beat him up stole his car drive it in a lake then go get my car and leave like nothing happened... But that's just me

Or i would remind him it's bad to steal from a man with a gun

[kostner]

It was your property and that man was stealing it,,,
Etiquette does not apply when dealing with a common thief.

Kick his ass giving your daughter a class on handling rude creeps.

[Justice06RR]

Just leave if that situation happens. I also abhor those types of shooters that have no manners and respect for others.