Scary Range Stories

[dirtd0g]

As I new shooter I thought my biggest issue would be a lack of confidence and looking "stupid" when going to the range on my own. Prior to a few weeks ago I had spent the last year shooting off and on with a friend who is the vice president of a local gun club, a respected instructor in the region, and was an armorer in the service for a decade.

While waiting for a nearby rod and gun club's monthly meeting for new applicants I decided to visit a few placed that had public lane access. I had heard some people talk about how the despise or are wary of larger indoor ranges like this... "Too many new people," one guy said at the shop. "It's scary."

My last visit to a nice indoor range was an experience that bolstered my confidence. Not only was I able to check the "intermediate" box on their form, but I witnessed some interesting habits from (obviously) new shooters around me.

While testing out my new Mosquito I was next to a young man, probably in his 40s, who had rented a Glock 17. As new and impressionable as I am to shooting, I already wanted to correct his stance and grip. He puts a target on the cardboard and pushes it out to 15ft. He fires off all 17 rounds deliberately, taking his time in between shots and he appeared to be aiming.

As he pulls the target in I glance over to see 1 single hole through the left-hand side of the target... Probably 8in from the center. He does this again at 12ft and then 10ft. A staff member asks if he's okay, manages to take a few shots and hit center mass no issue. A short, impromptu lesson ensues and the shooter doesn't seem receptive.

While I'm on the last of my ammunition I push my target out to 25ft and aim for the corners; I wanted to see what kind of groupings my new plinker could achieve with cheap rounds and a dirty barrel. He also pushed his target out to where mine was, shot another 17 rounds.

2 hit his target and 1 grazed mine.

I couldn't have run out of rounds soon enough.

Any of you guys have some disturbing experiences at ranges or situations where you felt unsafe and wanted to step in?

[BarryLee]

I had two shooters on the lane next to me taking turns shooting their individual revolvers. After one would finish she would step back and reload her gun while the other one shot then they would flip. I’m generally pretty tolerant, but had no desire to be shot in the back. So, I went out and asked to be moved to another lane which they did. I watched and he had to go back out a couple of more times as these two young ladies never quite seemed to understand the idea of not sweeping everyone with their loaded guns.

[amd6547]

The indoor range I used to go to became less attractive to me when I noticed the holes in the plastic partitions between the stalls...bullet holes.
For the last several years, I've been a member of a private rifle and pistol club. Everyone is well behaved and friendly. Never seen any unsafe behavior, and each member is their own range officer and fully empowered to notify the club if there were any problems.

[leadcounsel]

Always amazes me how many bullet holes are in the benches, partitions, and ceilings and baffles at gun ranges... each of those bullets has its own little story and you certainly don't want to be around when the next story is told!

[mete]

Handgun silhouette match. RO on the left end of the line , looking down the line . He and others weren't aware that an old guy and grandson had set up a target .They were just to the left of the RO,behind the RO.target out at about 25 yds .
There was a pause in the match as target setters reset the targets .Suddenly there was a BANG !!! The old guy fired at his target .I was watching the RO and saw an expression of fear and surprise on his face .The target setters were looking for foxholes !The old guy was told to leave .He kept repeating "what did I do, what did I do ?"
There are still many who think that Black Powder guns are just toys , despite the wars fought with them.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by dirtd0g

Any of you guys have some disturbing experiences at ranges or situations where you felt unsafe and wanted to step in?

You haven't described anything unsafe. All you've described is a rookie shooter who doesn't know how to aim and squeeze the trigger properly. As long as his bullets were going downrange in the general direction of the targets, he wasn't unsafe -- he was just a poor shot.

There's a difference.

[Rangerrich99]

Off the top of my head . . .

This was many years ago, when I still lived in St. Louis. Went to my regular indoor range to poke some holes in paper men. It was a slow day and there were only three people on the range; a solo man and a couple about six lanes down from him. I was planning on asking for the end lane, but had to wait as a gentleman was asking the counter help about renting a gun.

The man of the couple fired a couple rounds from what appeared to be a large frame .44 mag revolver with at least a 4 inch barrel. The man was on the large side as well, over six feet, and built like an NFL linebacker, so somewhere north of 240 lbs. Then he reloads and hands the gun over to the girl, who's under five and half feet tall and no more than 110 lbs. She steps up and after a moment, pulls the trigger. The recoil throws the gun back towards her face (don't know if it actually made contact, but in the aftermath her face appeared undamaged) and up towards the ceiling. She fell backwards and landed on her seat on the hard concrete floor. Where the gun discharged again at approximately a 45 degree angle into the ceiling.

She got up (for some reason the guy just looked at her instead of helping her up or better yet taking the gun from her still shaking hands), and after some words with her partner, stepped back towards the line.

I told the guy behind the counter what I saw, then proceeded out the door, deciding I could just as well shoot the next day.

Thinking back on that day, it still makes my skin crawl just a little.

[Aguila Blanca]

I'm not an RO at the indoor range where I shoot, but sometimes when they're busy and short-handed some of us regulars help fill in the gaps. The range has a rule against rapid fire.

One Saturday I was just lurking in the range shop upstairs when we heard a string of VERY rapid shots from downstairs. The employees were all occupied, so I asked if they'd like me to have a word with the miscreant. They said yes, so down I went.

It didn't take long to find him, because as I entered the shooting area another string rang out. That wasn't the scary part. The string was fired by a child of maybe ten or eleven years old, certainly no more (but maybe less). Apparently he wasn't tall enough to shoot over the counters, so his genius father had gone out to the viewing area and dragged in a chair for the kid to stand on. The chair was one of those very cheap, lightweight, molded plastic stackable patio chairs. You know -- the ones that collapse if an adult leans back on the rear two legs. The kid was standing on the seat of the chair. The kid was wobbling on the chair, the chair legs were wobbling like limp spaghetti, and the father looked less than happy when I told him to put the chair back where it came from, cease the rapid fire, and if his son couldn't stand on the floor and see over the counter then his son couldn't shoot.

When I told the guys upstairs they asked why I hadn't just thrown them out. (As a volunteer, I didn't think I had that authority.)

[Kimio]

Had a few occassions where things nearly required me needing a new pair of trousers, definitelymore than a few cases of close calls.

Had a gentleman out at the range with his two boys, shooting handguns. One looked to be in high school while the other was perhaps in his first year of Junior High.

The father was going over something with the younger one when the eldest son experienced a jam and was sitting at the bench fiddling with the handgun. I caught a glimpse of this out of the corner of my Eye and turned to see the kid trying to correct the problem with his finger still on the triggee, muzzle pointed down the row of benches and aimed at his father kidneys. Had he inadvertently pulled the trigger again and discharged the round, he likely would have shot his dad and potentially his kid brother.

I practically jumped out of my skin on that one, promptly pushing the muzzle down range.

My reaction at the time was more reflex, and thinking back on it, likely wasn't the best way o could have gone about it, since I startled the younger gentleman (could have accidentally pulled the trigger when I did that)

Fortunately, no one was hurt (besides the father and sons pride perhaps)

[Kframe]

I can't stand it when I see someone switching magazines like this:

1. They push the mag catch and allow the empty to drop to the floor.
2. Then, with the finger still on the trigger they slam in a new mag, then pull the slide so it slams home, still with the finger on the trigger. (I've seen guns go off like this when the slide inertia pulls the guns forward and the trigger is inadvertently pressed.)
3. Then they lean over to pick up the empty mag with their offhand, which usually causes them to sweep people behind or to their side with the cocked & loaded gun with a finger on the trigger.

I'm not a tattle-tail, usually, but this requires an immediate mention to the RO, and if there isn't one, I leave.
I have no desire to verbally confront armed morons.

[98 220 swift]

I would have to say that what the op was talking about does not seem unsafe as all shots where downrange in a safe direction. Just sounds like someone who needs some more practice or possibly some instruction. At least move the target closer

I have seen some bad things happen at a local range ran buy the conservation dept.
Years ago a guy was hanging up his targets at 100 yards when I guy starts shooting at the 50 yard range which is next to the 100 yards with no burm separating them. I don't think the target hanger even knew about it. It was kinda hard to see the 100 yard targets at the time due to the way the range was set up. You had to keep track of where everyone was at. Not the safest(it has been redone to fix that now). The target hangers buddies started yelling at the shooter to stop and told him he should leave now and he did. When the target hanger came back his buddies told him what happened and he said it was not the first time that shooter did that on that day.

Next about a year ago at the same range I was shooting my S&W model 29 at the 25 yard pistol range. The range was pretty busy that day. Range was hot and people was shooting. I even have shot off a few rounds. I had it cocked aiming to take a shot when out of the corner of my eye I see they guy next to me about 10 feet away just start walking towards the targets without saying anything. His girlfriend/wife started yelling at him. He came back kinda sheepishly. I was squeezing the trigger when I saw him. Almost certainly the bullet would not have hit him but I am shure it would have been very loud with full bore mag loads.

Last was the time I was shot while at that range. The rifle range and pistol range is separated buy a berm that was at the time 7-8 feet tall. I was walking to the the trargets on the rifle range. I was the only one shooting on the rifle range. I heard a shot on the pistol range(which is normal it is separated buy a berm. the shooter could not see me) and I felt something hit me in the lower side of my abdomen. I look down and see a bullet rolling around on the ground. I freak out and start looking for blood or hole. No holes just a little blood it gave me a good whelp. The bullet was covered in dirt. I believe his bullet hit another in the backstop and some how threw it over the side berm that was 7-8 feet tall and hit me and I am pretty short at 5'5". I don't know how it was possible but it happened. It was not the shooters fault as the range is designed for it. Actually he never knew he did it. The berms have now been raised between the ranges over 10' now. I still don't know how what happened was possible the bullet had to curve in its trajectory to do this.

I still have the bullet.

[buck460XVR]

My scariest was one day in late-winter when we happened to get a nice warm day. I was at a small Sportsman's club range with a 100 yard berm. I was alone, shooting a variety of handguns, at my own portable bench @ 50 yards, when a car drives up and two guys get out. They had watched me shoot for a few minutes when I noticed one of them only had one gun case in their hand and one box of ammo in the other. I told them I was going to be there a while but would be happy to take a break while they shot their one gun. They thanked me and said no they could wait since it was a new gun and thy didn't want to hurry. Wasn't just a few minute later I heard shots behind me only to turn and see they had set some clay pigeons up on the snowbank plowed for folks to walk to the berm. Directly behind the snowbank only 100 yards away or so is a busy state hi-way. While they were trying to be safe and shooting in a safe direction from me, they were endangering everyone driving on the road. When I said something they just shrugged their shoulders and said they didn't think the 9mm rounds would go that far anyway. When I then asked to see their membership cards, they cussed me, packed up and left. I took a picture of their license plate as they left with my cell phone in case their were any problems later. To this day, I'm sure they think I was the one being an jerk.....

[Rbrt3474]

When I took my CHL class, the woman next to me loaded her 9mm ammunition in her magazine backwards. I didn't even know they'd go in that way. She didn't recognize the problem there... We went up to the line and started shooting at the closest targets per the instructor's directions. We all had to stop while he helped her clear a "jam." Of course, when she had tried to chamber that first round it was a no-go. Instructor laughingly told her "you want the bullet pointed at the bad guy."

Now I know that there was nothing dangerous or scary about that, she was just a very new shooter and after correcting that issue she had no further problems.

The scary part of the story is that she PASSED!

[Kimio]

Rbrt3474

The sad thing is, my step father did that, and he's been shooting rifles apparently for decades. Not much handguns though.

On the up side, at least the lady was there to get training, instead of just getting the gun and then stuffing it in her purse.

[Gunplummer]

Kids. People let small children run wild at the outdoor ranges. I have to pack up and leave. I look at them and the parent says "Its OK, they won't run in front of the line". Some of them are only head high to the shooting tables and running back and forth and between the tables picking up brass. Even worse, they let small kids fire handguns.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by rbrt3474

When I took my CHL class, the woman next to me loaded her 9mm ammunition in her magazine backwards. I didn't even know they'd go in that way. She didn't recognize the problem there... We went up to the line and started shooting at the closest targets per the instructor's directions. We all had to stop while he helped her clear a "jam." Of course, when she had tried to chamber that first round it was a no-go. Instructor laughingly told her "you want the bullet pointed at the bad guy."

Now I know that there was nothing dangerous or scary about that, she was just a very new shooter and after correcting that issue she had no further problems.

The scary part of the story is that she PASSED!

I presume she was shooting an H-K?

[Banger357]

I spent a short few months as a range officer before coming to my senses. It was probably for the best anyway... I kept getting firm talking tos for making up rules. "If you keep shooting that Glock sideways, you'll be asked to leave." "Why?" "Because you look like a tool and you're bringing down the property value".

Legitimately unsafe issues were common too. People not understanding how to clear jams, not understanding protocol for squibs, not familiar with the most very basic firearms guidelines like "Don't have your finger on the trigger when you're not on target ready to shoot" or "Don't talk with your hands if there is a gun in them". Also had conversations like "You need to wear hearing protection". "No it's okay, I never wear earplugs". "You do now, or else you don't shoot here..."

I was afraid of turning gray before 25 if I stuck around any longer so I left to take up bartending.

[4V50 Gary]

Outdoor range in Hayward, CA. The shooter next to me turned around to talk to his friends and in turning, muzzle swept me. I pushed his barrel back downrange and pointed downrange. "Downrange." I then turned to his friends and asked, "Hablo englis?" A teenager did and I asked him to explain to everyone the basic safety rule of muzzle control and how the muzzle should always be pointed downrange.

I didn't stay long after that.

[Shooter 973]

I went to a local indoor range with my youngest son (32) for some winter time shooting. After we had done our shooting, we were leaving i ask if we could handle and inspect a 10/22 suppressed. The range officer took it off the wall and handed it to my son. My son jacked open the action and out flew a live round. Had my son not been trained to inspect the chamber first, well some one could have had a very bad day. The range officer just looked at us and said, "lucky he didn't pull the trigger." Then he realized what he had done and ask us not to say anything or he would lose his job. We left immediatly. and haven't been back.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by 4V50 Gary

Outdoor range in Hayward, CA. The shooter next to me turned around to talk to his friends and in turning, muzzle swept me. I pushed his barrel back downrange and pointed downrange. "Downrange." I then turned to his friends and asked, "Hablo englis?" A teenager did and I asked him to explain to everyone the basic safety rule of muzzle control and how the muzzle should always be pointed downrange.

The language barrier can be a problem. It's a good thing one of their group spoke some English, because some words in Spanish sound the same as in English but don't mean the same.

"Direction" is pretty much the same: "direcion."

Point/aim ==> apuntar

Target ==> blanco [no, not "targeta" -- that means "credit card"]

[Rbrt3474]

I presume she was shooting an H-K?

That is hilarious. Photographer must not have been too familiar with guns

[WyMark]

This was almost 40 years ago in 1975, when I was 18 and in Army basic training, but I still remember it pretty vividly. We had a live fire exercise where we were to run forward to a dirt berm, drop and fire at knock-down targets from over said berm. I did as instructed and was just firing my first round when a muzzle blast from the rear made me flinch. That was immediately followed by another blast and a very loud crash and ringing noise.

The idiot to my right had stopped short of the berm, dropped to a knee and started shooting. It was his second shot that skipped off my steel pot and caused the loud ringing.

I was at the end of the firing line and the drill sergeant on that end had seen it happen and had already disarmed the idiot and was screaming obscenities at him I think. I couldn't hear a word of it but could kind of tell just from the look on his face. He also took my M16 away to prevent possible retaliation, and I have to admit that when I realized what had happened it crossed my mind.

Don't know what ever happened to that guy, but I'd like to think that he still doesn't own any firearms.

[SVO]

A few years back, I was at our local range working on some loads. A guy over several benches from me was practicing his fast draw with a Ruger Blackhawk in 41 Mag. Suddenly there was a bang & a scream from him shooting himself in the calf of his right leg. Turns out he thought he could improve his fast draw by cocking his Blackhawk while still in the holster then drawing it. Luckily, a local OBY-GYN doctor happen to be there at the range and administered first aid while waiting for a ambulance to come.

[dirtd0g]

Great stories, guys!

Keep 'em coming!

And, yes, while the guy who couldn't seem to hit a broadside of a barn next to me wasn't "unsafe"... It was scary to think that he could potential pull his piece out to defend himself and end up shooting everything but his target...

Today I was at an indoor range and the guys next to me were taking turns firing some .40 caliber Glock. The thing was ejecting spent cases in a high arc and a few bounced off my shoulder and head.

Once went RIGHT down my back as it landed between my neck and collar.

[g.willikers]

Arriving at a public outdoor range, there's another fellow at a bench cleaning his bolt action rifle.
With bolt out and a ramrod in the barrel, he seemed about as safe as possible, so I inform him that I'm going downrange to set up a target.
He says ok and off I go.
As I'm on my way, suddenly there's a loud crack and the whizz of a bullet.
The peabrained fool forgot all about me, even though I was clearly in view.
We had words and he left.

Another time I was downrange setting up a target, after cold range had been called,
As we were seperated by five target widths, a previously nice fellow decided it was ok to take a shot, anyway.
He said not to worry, as he was a very good shot.
I retired to my car and waited for him to finish and leave.

They're out there.
Now, I watch for awhile to see if anyone is unsafe before unpacking.