Black Powder at the range...

[red96ta]

I've shot guns my whole life but always jumped in my car and went into the National Forest to shoot. I've only been to the range once and that was to qualify to carry exposed as an armed guard and didn't particularly like it too well as the concussion of the other shooters was VERY distracting and the guy next to me was ejecting shells into my head.

but I digress...

With the price of gas, I can't really run up to the mountains to go shooting so I broke down and joined the local sportsman's assn. with full use of their range. Today was the second time I've been to a range and rediscovered the reasons why I'm not particularly fond of it. How long do you think it will take for me to get used to shooting in a range?

On a related note, I ended up shooting 24 rounds...enough to gum the gun up and loosen every screw in the thing. Afterwards, I came home, cleaned it up and opened up the rear sight with a file. I'll get it all figured out...right now, I'll aim at center mass and cut the target's ear off every time

[pghrich]

Hello, it helps to wear ear plugs under your ear muffs [keeps the noise down], be nice there are a lot of good people that go to ranges, say hello and goodbye and soon you will get use to it, what are you shooting??? pghrich

[Doc Hoy]

I am one of the relatively few among us who is with you on the range experience.

I don't like shooting with others around me but in my case it is for all the wrong reasons and also in my case it has severely slowed my learning progress.

I was in the Navy for 26 years and must have been on a pistol or rifle range a hundred times during those years.

I experienced every level of shooter from those who were exceedingly good at the range to those who would have been dangerous even if you never gave them any bullets.

I came to value the solice of shooting alone because of the things I saw happening even when the range was under the control of a very capabale rangemaster.

I know very well that my experience with military ranges operated to provide basic familiarity fire is vastly different from the ranges at which everyone there was shooting because they wanted to.

I finally found a place to shoot alone and for me it is about a 25 minute drive which is very doable.

Occassionally someone else will be present and if you check my previous posts, you will see that it is generally a negative experience. SKs on full auto just to hear the noise. No policing of the spent brass. Shooting bottles and then leaving the broken glass all over the place.

In the end I believe that the controlled environment of CAS or clubs or at the range is valid, valuable and enjoyable. It is just something I don't care to do.

[4runnerman]

I go to the range in the wee hours of the morning or i take a day off of work to go. Sometimes i do have the range to myself ( not to often ). It is sweet to have it all to yourself for a while. As for getting used to it?, Never let someone else shooting bother me. Stay focused on what you are doing and forget the rest. Now and then i get a 300 or so shooting along side me,but just time your shots after his. As stated in the other post,Most of the people there are very good people. They are not different than you. Just wanting some range time. I can't count how many friends ( and i stress friends ) i have made in the last 3 years shooting out there. Once you meet and talk to hem it is like shooting with friends

Doc Hoy-- your reason are just for sure. Those people at the range i go to don't last long. Sign at the gate say's No Bottles,no,ect ect. If you see someone doing this tell them to stop. If they do not.We write down liscense plate number,One call to local Sherriff and that person has dissapeared from the range. Once every 3 months we police the range and pull down old targets and wood and such. It's a community range so getting people to help is easy. EVerytime i go set up targets i pick up the trash ones on way back to bench.

[Doc Hoy]

I agree with everything you have said.