Got a new place to shoot.

[Doc Hoy]

Seems like this is becoming a habit with me but I have found a shooting spot within 25 minutes from my house.

Secluded and well backed. Guy us charging me $150 a year for access.

Went down there for a coupla hours today and had a great time.

I must hasten to add though, that I was keenly reminded of why I don't like shooting with others.

While I was there, two guys showed up with some cartridge long arms they were shooting. They were in a field about a hundred yards to my left and we were shooting in opposite directions so there was never any interference.

But to me their shooting habits were out to lunch.

They brought along a case of spray paint cans to use for targets. They set them out in a random pattern and went to town. One of the guys had a .223 "something or other", and a semi auto shotgun. The other guy had a Ruger 10-22, (A rifle I have always liked) and a Mosin Nagant 7.62 carbine which is the first rifle I ever owned. (Gave under twenty dollars to Swear and Send back - Sears and Roebuck - when I was about 15.)

Anyway, after we exchanged pleasantries and agreed on our range setup they departed with their arsenal and their case of spray paint. Pretty soon they let loose with the most god-awful barrage I ever heard. For most of the time they were out there they were firing as fast as they could pull the trigger. They did not have any hearing protection.

Within half an hour they were done, having gone through probably two hundred bucks worth of ammo. Brass and shotshelll empties laying all over the ground. Spraypaint cans, most of them in tact still littering the property.

I cleaned up the brass but when it came to the rest, I wanted to leave some evidence for the owner. He came down when I was leaving and knew full well where I was shooting and where they were shooting.

The only thing that was missing in this feeble excuse for a day at the range was a supply of beer. In my opinion, they did everything else wrong.....Why not get drunk in the process!?

[TripHlx]

I have a good friend who allows me to shoot on his property whenever I choose, he is aware of my good safety habits, so he doesn't mind even if I shoot when he is away. I respect him and appreciate his allowing me to use his property, and so I try to leave the 'shooting area' as clean/cleaner than when I left it. Sounds to me like you came across a couple of bumpkins who just like noise and destruction. I'm all for having fun with my guns, but what you describe is just disrespectful, not to mention wasteful.

[Andy Griffith]

Cleaning up the brass is always a noble thing to do...especially when reloadable.

I do agree that usually it's just a few idiots that always make things bad for the rest of us. As a fellow reloader, I just had to rag about the brass.

[arcticap]

Many shooting clubs have rules that do not allow shooting at paint can targets or leaving that kind of trash behind.
I would rather shoot with a group of people at a shooting club than with those 2 guys at that private range.
When people belong to a club, there's rules and the members have a stake in the property, with consequences if someone gets caught breaking the rules.
At a private range, if the owner doesn't establish rules then there are none.
IMHO it's not as much about whether you're shooting alone or not, it's about the kind of people that your shooting with and whether they choose to follow established rules or not.
At shooting clubs, people tend to follow the rules when other shooters are around or they're risking a complaint being made.
If I don't like the rules at a club then I'm free to leave or to join somewhere else that I like better.
Sometimes there are people at my shooting club who like to fire off bursts of ammo into the berm and that type of shooting doesn't bother me.
They may not like the smoke that I make but we all tolerate what the rules allow, and members usually have a say in the rules which can be discussed at club meetings.
Most of the time the ranges at my shooting clubs are empty or only lightly used.

[arcticap]

I usually go to the outdoor shooting range with one of my sons, and I recently invited a TFL member who lives in my state to go shoot BP revolvers together at my outdoor shooting club.
It was very enjoyable. 2 or 3 other people ended up next to us firing semi-auto pistols which wasn't a problem in any way. Whenever any of us needed to change targets we simply asked permission to have a very short ceasefire.
Everyone was very respectful to each other.
They fired all that they wanted to and so did we.
I really don't mind sharing the range with others.
I also participate in various kinds of organized matches and have never really had any issues to complain about regarding the shooting practices of others.
I have helped a lot of inexperienced youth and ladies fire a shotgun for the very first time at the turkey shoots that my club sponsors that are open to the public. And I've been involved in youth shooting programs too helping kids to learn small bore position shooting.
I try to help people learn to shoot so that it's a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone, which is especially important in a club setting.
I also run NRA International air pistol matches as part of an indoor air pistol league where the match shooters are fairly mellow and mature and there's really never any drama.

[Doc Hoy]

..... The number of people who act as these folks do is small, only a small percentage of the total shooting population.

I started by saying that it was people like this who turned me off from shooting with others but that really isn't quite true.

There are many reasons why I like to shoot alone and avoiding the eccentrics is only one of them.

There are certainly down sides to shooting alone. For one thing I think I would learn three times as fast if I would choose a good club and shoot with some experienced shooters. I looked into clubs but they run $600.00 per year and up around here. If I were to spend that kind of money I would feel as though I would have to go often, not because I enjoy shooting but because I would want to get the most bang for my buck. (Hmmm.....Pretty good analogy.) That is no reason to shoot, it cheapens the idea of shooting. In addition, if something goes wrong and I am injured in such a way as to need help, as a lone shooter, I would definitely be at a disadvantage.

I look at all of the pros and cons and still the balance for me shifts in favor of shooting alone. Today just reminded me of one of the reasons.

Another thing I must correct in my first statement is that I poo pooed their style of shooting. But in the final analysis, it is their money for the ammo, and the weapons. It is their time. Who am I to criticise? They probably thought I was just as weird as I thought they were.

[arcticap]

That's too bad about the high cost to join most shooting clubs. Although most here are probably $300/year or more, there are a few outdoor clubs that charge less than $100/year and this is the spartan type of club that I belong to.
I can live without firing at cans of spray paint myself. I much more prefer shooting at clay pigeons glued to a target board which are biodegradable.
But that's only because my club won't let us shoot at any steel target unless it has been approved as being capable of containing ricochets (enclosed within a frame).
But a swinging bowling pin target is okay.

[OutlawJoseyWales]

There are many pro's and con's about either one.
Safety is certainly one of the reasons to be in a club.
But shooting at a private place lets you shoot at some fun stuff.
Like milk jugs, cookies, and stuffed animals-my personal favorite.
(learned not to shoot glass as a youngster)

I shoot at a local club, only $100 a year and nice folks. However, we get to shoot at paper only. Oh well.

[Doc Hoy]

....There a pretty significant lack of unimproved land. In the city of Chesapeake, it is not legal to shoot within one thousand feet of a house. So to find a club that has a place to shoot close to where people want to shoot is a little difficult and therefore a little expensive.

Only thing I shoot at is paper targets on a PVC pipe target stand. Yesterday I got my target stand twice. It was actually quite funny to watch. It fixes pretty quick and pretty cheap so I can chuckle at it.

[Roaddog]

I am lucky that I can shoot off my porch for a 32 yeard target. A short two mial drive and I'm at my son's house with a 100 and 200 yeadr shooting lains. I do 95% of my shooting by my self. I can't see that changing.

[Doc Hoy]

You members who live in areas where this is possible are truly fortunate.

I would be a much better shot if I could shoot like you do.

[Andy Griffith]

Steel reactive targets are the most fun, followed by things such as bowling pins, balloons, clay targets sitting on a dirt bank and being shot at long range (100-400 yards) with handguns.

Half rotten punk'ns and half-rotten apples and onions are also great targets! Plus, the are biodegradable- and the deer, coons, bears and crows like them- if you are far enough away from homes and farms. The jellowjackets will find the pumpkins and apple pieces if it's warm enough- if you are good enough to shoot a jellowjacket off a piece of apple with a .22 pistol with open sights...you're pretty good.

[Noz]

I'm fortunate to have 240 yards possible on my own range. 'course shooting off of the porch is an option up to 200 yards or so.

[Dragline45]

I shoot at a private outdoor range for $100 a year, and there is nothing better than having the range to myself. I can walk up and check my shots without waiting for a cease fire as often as possible, and I don't have to worry about the kid just learning to shoot sweeping his gun across everyone on the line.

[Doc Hoy]

Precisely!

[idaram]

My grandson and I are truly blessed to have Owyhee County, Idaho 15 minutes away. What I call "The big Empty" is the size of three eastern states with a population of 10,000. You can shoot anywhere, if you DON'T wear a gun people look at you funny!

Best, Andy

[Gaucho Gringo]

When I go shooting anyplace other than a range, I have two tarps with me. A 10' X 12' heavy canvas painters tarp and a plastic tarp of about the same size. The canvas one I shoot on and the plastic one I place under breakable targets. For cleanup after shooting I carefully fold up the tarps and any mess from brass to breakable target debris. When I get home I save the brass in the canvas tarp and the debris in the plastic tarp goes in the garbage. The reason I use the canvas tarp to shoot on is that it is not slippery and hot shell casings will not melt it. Other shooters who see me doing this say why didn't I think of that. Anyway it works well for me and I am not using a lot of time to police my brass and garbage.

[GM2]

I Hunt and shoot on my own property with no one close by to worry about. Before buying the property I hunted there as it belonged to a relative who eventually sold it to me.

[BerdanSS]

unfortunately for me, the only place I have close is my folks place (about 15 minuets away) and it's only 40 yards max due to hills and hollers. Great for pistols, .22s and getting new guns on paper...but not much else.

The public range situation for us in central Indiana is god awful at best. The only two I know of that are closest to my home town is Atterbury FWA (100y max about 45min.) And Crosly down south (200y max about a 2 to 2 1/2 hour ride))

And anyone that has sampled the "new and improved", "safer" Atterbury, is most likely as disappointed as I was on my first trip to the re-opening and every one since then. What I found was the most BEAUTIFULLY done perfect 10 to 100 yard range I have ever seen. And the most UN-SAFE one I've ever visited.

The range control and constant grade school safety speeches are unbearable. And for all the harping and interruption by the range officers.....hearing "The range is now cold..you may proceed down range and check your targets Bla Bla Bla Bla (accompanied by flashing red strobes every ten feet and a eardrum splitting alarm).......shortly followed by...BOOOOM.. After you've started down range is VERY common. Among a host of other problems including the EXTREMELY un-knowledgeable staff. If it's not a single shot break open...they don't know how to operate it or check to see if it's clear.

It happened last time I went (about a year ago) two yutzes had an Olympic "plinker" fresh from the gun shop, and openly admitted it was the first gun they had ever handled and bought it simply because "it looks bad @**". They had their manual on the bench trying to figure out how to load it....and were so clueless about the weapon they had just purchased, they didn't even know where or what the safety was.

Not a word was said to them by the watchful range officers after their "AD" either.... Is it still an AD if you looking down the sights with your finger on the trigger

[joe sixgun]

Hey Doc, I think I've met those same two guys on public land here in MI. They seem to get around. My son and I once picked up over 300 empty shotgun shells and about 150 UNBROKEN clay targets that they left out in a State Game Area. See this crap all the time.

[Doc Hoy]

...I think the approach a fairly widespread.


I freely admit that since my experiences in shooting with other folks around are very very limited I am making a generalization which may be completely unfair.

I have never been to a sanctioned CAS event. I have never shot with others at a club operated range. I will assume that these environments have a way of weeding out the idiots.

I stopped riding bikes in groups for the same reason. The Harley dealer's only criteria for selling bikes is, "Do you have the money?" There is no test for maturity.

This thread could go on a long time with each of us relating our own experience. The conversation has probably outlived its usefulness. It is actually a little painful to read and post. wouldn't bother me in the least if it Gary deleted it.

[mykeal]

wouldn't bother me in the least if it Gary deleted it.

Then why did you start it?

This is nuts. The population is a Gaussian distribution. If we all pattern our actions based on the 3 sigma points we'd never leave our beds.

You're perfectly free to live in a cocoon if you wish, and you're certainly free to voice your opinion regarding other's actions. But in doing so you need to accept that the response you get may not be something you enjoy; if that happens, don't complain.

[Hardcase]

I shoot out around where idaram shoots. And I'm fortunate to be a member of a private club with a fenced, locked outdoor range.

Up in the mountains, there's a gravel pit where my dad and I shoot. It's well off the beaten path and I think that we've only come across one other person shooting there. It gets used, but people are pretty good about keeping it clean.

I've shot at public ranges, both supervised and unsupervised. Some have been fine, others terrible. It's kind of like most things in life.

[Doc Hoy]

Maybe you should think about shifting over to decaf?

[Hardy]

In Spartanburg Cty, Sc there is a public shooting range for free. Only pistols can be shot onWed. They usually have targets set at 30 to 35 ft w/Plastic barrels to set your stuff on. The BP shooters are ususally to left end while others shoot everything that is new. The only problem is hearing the large crack of powerful handguns as exposed to the beautiful thunder of BP. Most are enthralled w/ BP guns but they too will empty hundreds of brass cartidges without wanting to know how to shoot C/B.


WBH