Incident at the range - Page 2

Lt. Skrumpledonk Ret · April 2, 2014, 04:12 PM

Whenever I've got a group of people shooting my guns; we do it one gun at a time and I'm standing right behind the shooter. If your range charges you by the hour then that complicates it.

Obambulate · April 2, 2014, 04:31 PM

I think the biggest lesson is about spreading yourself too thin. You had a lot on your plate, and that's when gun safety becomes lax just from having too many things to think about. A smaller group might have been less hectic for you.

405FileFound · April 2, 2014, 08:14 PM

It seems there are similar stories to tell of close calls; it's a frustrating experience. Last time I go to the range with a large group. Quadpod88... the employee at the range got theatrical with his fake death with eyes rolling back in his head, quivering knees, etc. All of your points are taken.

MarkT66 · April 3, 2014, 05:35 AM

Lesson learned. Thanks for passing it along. My experience at public ranges has been that they are typically crowded and less safe than private ranges. You should try to find a good club nearby and become a member.

Khromo · April 5, 2014, 02:51 PM

e.

wayneinFL · April 5, 2014, 09:41 PM

Quote:

He pretended to take a round in the stomach and said "Make..sure...the gun is..unloaded...when you turn... it in..Sir.." and slumped across the counter all dramatically.

LMAO. This is my kind of guy.

**Aguila Blanca** · April 6, 2014, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 405FileFound

the employee at the range got theatrical with his fake death with eyes rolling back in his head, quivering knees, etc.

So he chose to make his point through humor rather than just chewing you out like a Marine drill sergeant. To me that sounds like he did you a favor. Obviously, you took the incident to heart. Would you have taken it equally to heart if he had just reamed you out, or would you have gotten so angry at him that you missed the message?

johnwilliamson062 · April 6, 2014, 05:02 PM

Quote:

It was the only safety violation Ive ever had in all my years of shooting...

I seriously doubt it. The belief your safety record is perfect leads me to believe your safety procedures aren't perfect. If that was really your only safety infraction ever you would likely be the safest shooter on this forum.

My safety practices at current are at least above average, but I definitely had some learning experiences along the way.

In Ohio you can take the NRA basic pistol course with a 4 hour legal addendum or the Ohio OPOTA pistol cert course for a CCW. I have taken both and one of the many reasons I like the OPOTA course more is clearing different types of firearms is covered. Not in depth, but it is covered.

I also agreed the employee handled it very well. A safety violation is one of the few things I would permit someone to get up in my face about without judging them harshly or reacting negatively(at the moment it occurred). It has never happened, but I wouldn't blame someone for yelling at me if I were handling a firearm during a ceasefire, muzzled someone, etc.

For instruction, maximum two shooters per trusted experienced instructor IMO.

405FileFound · April 6, 2014, 09:41 PM

I wrote: "It was the only safety violation Ive ever had in all my years of shooting..."
You wrote: "I seriously doubt it. The belief your safety record is perfect leads me to believe your safety procedures aren't perfect. If that was really your only safety infraction ever you would likely be the safest shooter on this forum."

johnwilliamson062, I'm not sure why my claim of having a solid safety record seems far fetched. A couple of times in basic training I briefly pointed my M-16 the wrong way when departing the firing line. Nothing a quick geometry calculation in my head (or a barking DS) didn't solve. After 4 yrs I ETSd in late 2000 and the handful of times at the qualification and live fire ranges went without a hitch.
I didnt fire a weapon again til 2004, and in 10 years since then, Ive been to various static, 1-way indoor ranges about 17-18 times without incident. Ive gone alone or with 1 to 3 people max, until this past visit. Apart from one time having to hit the ground, gun in hand, when a retracting target mount oversped and flew off its rail towards my face, ive always gone to the line, unboxed, fired, boxed up the rock, and left. Following common sense and range rules isnt hard to do.
I'm not saying I'm some steely-eyed master of safety, but I've always practiced basic safe habits when shooting. But to be sure something like my error last visit never happens again, i'll won't go with a large group where distractions can complicate things. Also, if I ever think about shooting on a dynamic 3-D range, i'll take up some official training, just as you stated in your post. On the static 1-way range, I feel my fundamentals are in order, just as they are for the handful of guys in this message board that revealed they had an incident.
With that said, below is an excerpt from an email to me from a member on a different firearms forum:

Haha, it [the trigger on his revolver] was scary light. The first time I went to the range I got ready to shoot, pulled the hammer back, put my finger in the trigger guard and !!BLAM!! Almost crapped my drawers. Surprised the hell out of me, I had just nudged it trying to place my finger on the trigger and it went off.

So there you see... Sh [i T] can and will happen.

Model12Win · April 6, 2014, 10:01 PM

We all make a mistake now and then that could result in a dangerous situation.

A couple months ago I ran to town and left a pot of boiling water on the stove (to raise the humidity) but I forgot and when I came home, I could smell burning and I look over to the stove and I kid you not there was the post but it was glowing bright orange! All the solder had melted off the bottom of the pan and the thing was ruined.

It's all a learning process, don't feel bad. At least next time you will be sure to check.

KBP75 · April 11, 2014, 02:24 PM

I remember an incident I had with my .22 rifle over 40 years ago that will forever be in my mind. I took my "empty" rifle out of the closet and opened up the bolt and a live .22 round ejected out. This rifle had a removable magazine, which was stored in a different location but a live round must have stuck in the chamber after the last time I used it. To this day, I always double check the action(receiver and magazine) to make sure the firearm is unloaded and store my guns with the safety on, or action opened. Always assume every firearm is loaded until you open the action and look for yourself.

dgludwig · April 13, 2014, 03:29 PM

I appreciate the candid admission of carelessness from 405FileFound. It's a good reminder that to "err is human". I also appreciate the Range Officer's due diligence in finding the errant round in the magazine (better there than in the chamber, I suppose).
When it comes to shooting at the range, I subscribe to the old adage "Three's a crowd"...Too many shooters add up to too many distractions in my experience.

April 2, 2014, 08:14 PM	#28
405FileFound Member Join Date: April 13, 2012 Posts: 41	thanks everyone and quadpod It seems there are similar stories to tell of close calls; it's a frustrating experience. Last time I go to the range with a large group. Quadpod88... the employee at the range got theatrical with his fake death with eyes rolling back in his head, quivering knees, etc. All of your points are taken.

April 5, 2014, 02:51 PM	#30
Khromo Member Join Date: January 16, 2014 Posts: 15	e. Last edited by Khromo; April 6, 2014 at 05:28 PM.

April 6, 2014, 09:41 PM	#34
405FileFound Member Join Date: April 13, 2012 Posts: 41	regarding my safety record I wrote: "It was the only safety violation Ive ever had in all my years of shooting..." You wrote: "I seriously doubt it. The belief your safety record is perfect leads me to believe your safety procedures aren't perfect. If that was really your only safety infraction ever you would likely be the safest shooter on this forum." johnwilliamson062, I'm not sure why my claim of having a solid safety record seems far fetched. A couple of times in basic training I briefly pointed my M-16 the wrong way when departing the firing line. Nothing a quick geometry calculation in my head (or a barking DS) didn't solve. After 4 yrs I ETSd in late 2000 and the handful of times at the qualification and live fire ranges went without a hitch. I didnt fire a weapon again til 2004, and in 10 years since then, Ive been to various static, 1-way indoor ranges about 17-18 times without incident. Ive gone alone or with 1 to 3 people max, until this past visit. Apart from one time having to hit the ground, gun in hand, when a retracting target mount oversped and flew off its rail towards my face, ive always gone to the line, unboxed, fired, boxed up the rock, and left. Following common sense and range rules isnt hard to do. I'm not saying I'm some steely-eyed master of safety, but I've always practiced basic safe habits when shooting. But to be sure something like my error last visit never happens again, i'll won't go with a large group where distractions can complicate things. Also, if I ever think about shooting on a dynamic 3-D range, i'll take up some official training, just as you stated in your post. On the static 1-way range, I feel my fundamentals are in order, just as they are for the handful of guys in this message board that revealed they had an incident. With that said, below is an excerpt from an email to me from a member on a different firearms forum: Haha, it [the trigger on his revolver] was scary light. The first time I went to the range I got ready to shoot, pulled the hammer back, put my finger in the trigger guard and !!BLAM!! Almost crapped my drawers. Surprised the hell out of me, I had just nudged it trying to place my finger on the trigger and it went off. So there you see... Sh [i T] can and will happen.

April 11, 2014, 02:24 PM	#36
KBP75 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2010 Posts: 316	Firearm safety I remember an incident I had with my .22 rifle over 40 years ago that will forever be in my mind. I took my "empty" rifle out of the closet and opened up the bolt and a live .22 round ejected out. This rifle had a removable magazine, which was stored in a different location but a live round must have stuck in the chamber after the last time I used it. To this day, I always double check the action(receiver and magazine) to make sure the firearm is unloaded and store my guns with the safety on, or action opened. Always assume every firearm is loaded until you open the action and look for yourself.

April 13, 2014, 03:29 PM	#37
dgludwig Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2005 Location: North central Ohio Posts: 7,486	I appreciate the candid admission of carelessness from 405FileFound. It's a good reminder that to "err is human". I also appreciate the Range Officer's due diligence in finding the errant round in the magazine (better there than in the chamber, I suppose). When it comes to shooting at the range, I subscribe to the old adage "Three's a crowd"...Too many shooters add up to too many distractions in my experience. __________________ ONLY AN ARMED PEOPLE CAN BE TRULY FREE ; ONLY AN UNARMED PEOPLE CAN EVER BE ENSLAVED ...Aristotle NRA Benefactor Life Member

April 2, 2014, 04:12 PM	#26
Lt. Skrumpledonk Ret Senior Member Join Date: May 30, 2012 Location: Oh, Jesus. Posts: 226	Whenever I've got a group of people shooting my guns; we do it one gun at a time and I'm standing right behind the shooter. If your range charges you by the hour then that complicates it.

April 2, 2014, 04:31 PM	#27
Obambulate Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2011 Posts: 582	I think the biggest lesson is about spreading yourself too thin. You had a lot on your plate, and that's when gun safety becomes lax just from having too many things to think about. A smaller group might have been less hectic for you.

April 3, 2014, 05:35 AM	#29
MarkT66 Junior Member Join Date: March 18, 2013 Posts: 2	Lesson learned. Thanks for passing it along. My experience at public ranges has been that they are typically crowded and less safe than private ranges. You should try to find a good club nearby and become a member.

April 6, 2014, 10:01 PM	#35
Model12Win Junior member Join Date: October 20, 2012 Posts: 5,854	We all make a mistake now and then that could result in a dangerous situation. A couple months ago I ran to town and left a pot of boiling water on the stove (to raise the humidity) but I forgot and when I came home, I could smell burning and I look over to the stove and I kid you not there was the post but it was glowing bright orange! All the solder had melted off the bottom of the pan and the thing was ruined. It's all a learning process, don't feel bad. At least next time you will be sure to check.