Mosin Nagant for ACCURACY(it can happen)

[Josh Smith]

I don't have to go to to a public range unless I want to shoot further than 100 yards. Ditto for archery.

I find that, sometimes, I appreciate the camaraderie. This is especially true with archery, but the gun range out back of Bass and Bucks is excellent for getting to know folks.

One of my best shooting experiences was a feller who bought his first compact 1911 in the store while I was there. He was a slightly older feller, a 'Nam vet.

We went out back to run some rounds through the pistols -- my full sized 1911, and his new Officer's size.

I also had occasion to teach a bit about the laser, though I'm not really trained to teach; just had a few combat classes. I'm also not a fan of the laser, but can use it. He was probably a better shot than I was, but wasn't up on the gadgetry and had older eyes.

Together, we had him hitting the target like he used to in his younger days. We figured it out.

On the archery range, there are folks of all walks with anything from traditional bows to high-end modern compounds. (Me? I'm in the middle. After I picked archery back up after half a lifetime, I found an Oregon bow that I'd lusted after as a teenager but couldn't dream of affording. I shoot it and find it very accurate! It's not modern and only does 210fps with 340 spine uncut arrows with 125 grain field points, but it's plenty fast enough for me.) I find that I learn from both the traditional and compound guys, and since the range is attached to a pro shop with knowledgeable folks, I generally prefer it. All the help I received had me splitting arrows at 30 yards at times. Not a huge achievement for some, it's something I'm proud of.

Sometimes I can find cops shooting at the public range. One was obviously a sniper in training and had maybe a 3"-5" group at 100 yards with the 'scoped Remmy 700. I had fun outshooting him with my Mosin-Nagant. (I shoot 'scoped rifles and maybe could have helped him a bit; was tempted, but he had his own entourage who looked like they might have been training him. They were standoffish, so I figured they didn't want to be bothered. Did talk with them afterward, though. Nice folks.)

Some of my best experiences have occurred at the public range. I've yet to see any dumbassery take place there. Granted, I don't go often, but folks generally seem quite polite.

Regards,

Josh

[skizzums]

I go to a public probably about once a moth, when I don't feel like taking the hike out to the before mentioned "boonies"(about 20min from the city). it's an outdoor range, and I have always had a good time, and usually every time I am letting someone try out my firearms. especially women, because I have some girly guns. I have never had a bad experience with another shooter, even if they are new and need a little direction(usually in terms of when NOT to touch their gun and where NOT to point it), they are never rude.

I have the same experience when I am out in the woods, I go to a public land area where other people shoot. I usually am letting other people try my firearms, and they are never rude, and sometimes need some pointers. the venue doesn't seem to change anything.

[Josh Smith]

You know, I think my best time shooting was at a public range.

Feller shows up with his late grandfather's M1 Garand. He had no clue how to use it.

The gun store had a couple Garand clips and some .30-06 Garand ammo. We went out back and I showed this kid (maybe 20, fresh out of the Army) how to load and shoot his grandfather's rifle.

Having used the M16 and its variants, he didn't know the old guns well.

Never have I seen such pure joy on the face of anyone.

Josh

[44 AMP]

he didn't know the old guns well.

I saw a case where a young police officer recovered a revolver during a traffic stop. He had to call in his SGT (an older fellow) because he didn't know (or understand) how to unload the revolver! (apparently, his firearms awareness began and ended with his duty weapons).

Here's a simple rule for shooting tracers, unless the area you are shooing in is fully covered with a couple of feet of snow, ALWAYS have bare minimum fire fighting equipment with you!!! A shovel, at the very least. And, while shooting into the mud pit wasn't a bad idea, its not totally safe, either. Tracer could hit a rock in the mud, and go flying off to start a fire somewhere else.

And, as to safety in the boonies, its a sad fact that any place within an easy commute of an urban area could be as bad as that "bad part of town" we all worry about.

Platt & Matix, the bankrobbing killers who were killed in the FBI Miami shoot out, were known to prowl the Everglades, looking for plinkers and casual shooters, whom they would chat up, shoot with, then kill, taking their guns and car. They did it more than once. One of the people the left for dead in the swamp survived, and was able to give the info to the cops.

Total strangers in the wild are still total strangers. CCW isn't just for city streets anymore...