Range idiots

[Srigs]

It is bad especially this time of year.

I avoid them like a plague and just do my shooting up north in the woods. Them dam deer won't be pointing guns at me

[onebohemian]

Although the customers are obviously at fault when they don't follow the rules, I think 95% of the actual blame lies with Bills. If you don't enforce your own rules with strict consistency, but instead regularly fall back on the excuses that some customers are simply morons or newbies or cops or seasoned shooters or whatever, then this dangerous atmosphere perpetuates. When I'm at North, I'm amazed at how the staff are way more interested in b.s.'ing with each other or waiting on shoppers than monitoring the range. It's often that no one is keeping an eye on the range at all. They may look back once in awhile to check if a lane is open so they can put the next customer on it, but that doesn't cut it. At BPR, the staff have really nothing else to do but run the range. At Bills, the range seems an afterthought to the staff, something that's just operating in the background as they walk around the store to sell guns. Even Bills South is a little better due to the fact the sale items are on a different floor than the range. Bills North ought to have two employees that do nothing but sit on a bar stool outside each range room, monitoring the shooters therein.

[plblark]

There are fights you can win and some it's just best to walk away from....I walked!

How did the letter to their department go?

No, really. We had an issue with a police agency that rented the range where I belong violating some of the safety rules. One take no prisoners letter from the VP and immediate remedial action was taken.

[Drizzle]

I know safety shouldn't take a back seat to convenience, but North is about 20 minutes away, vs 35-45 for Burnsville. I agree with those who say if someone is walking from the back bench with the action open, pointed at the floor, I won't make a big deal about it. The guy with the XD had his meathook around the grip and the action shut. No thanks.

This time of year with guys taking their lunch breaks to sight in for deer isn't a great time for the rest of us, which is what I think the first two guys were doing. Probably they hadn't touched their weapons since last fall. I did say something to one when he shucked his shotgun out against the back wall, but he had the deer in the headlights look when I said, loudly because of the cans 'uncase on the line'.

Oddly enough, Benny, they were scheduled for police training in the other bay just as I was finishing up.

Will I keep going there? Probably. Will I pay more attention to the other shooters? Probably. I just don't have anywhere outside that's convenient to shoot (I know there's clubs, etc-I mean private land). i won't be there again until December anyway. At least deer season will be past.

[hammAR]

Seems that the easiest path would be to avoid the ranges while deer season sight-in is going on, after all it is usually only about two weeks.......
good time to go shopping for another gun, holster, safe, reloading equipment......

[plblark]

I try to reload mags and observe from the back bench EVERY time a new shooter comes in to the line or to shoot. Generally go with someone who will watch while I shoot.

[gimmefuel]

Posted this over on Snipershide, but this happened in early Aug. @ the public range in Superior:

So i went to the range today. Sighted in the new Charger/red dot @ 25yds, went well. Too much wind to be anywhere near acurate @ 50. Anyways, brought the 700/.308 (w/ the JP brake) w/ for *******. Sent a cpl rounds downrange @ 100 when the sound of ghetto base filled the air, yup a mid 80s POS w/ dubs worth more than the car. Out walk 2 of "those" types and about a 10 yr old girl, one of thems daughter I assume. Regardless, they start popping off rounds as fast as they can pull the trigger on their 9/40, I wasnt paying much more attn other than that they were @ the 25yd line w/ a 2 or 3 inch barrel, AND that the little girl was sitting ON the bench slightly forward of the muzzle and her hearing protction was, you guessed it, HER FINGERS(!!!WTF!!!)They werent wearing any either. After about 2 mags (clips, as I overheard them refer to them as) worth I had enough. Walked rifle in hand into the range building and grabbed one of the dozens of pairs of muffs off the wall. I gestured to the girl to come here, gave her the muffs (she thanked me),niether of guys noticed her leave their side. I waked up to the 25yd line to the left/behind them muzzle brake placed(accidentally) about ear level I fired. They both jumped a foot, spun around and looked @ me, both obviously in discomfort. I looked @ them and said "hurts, don't it". Before they could reply I added "Dont EVER bring a little kid here w/o F**KING hearing protection. They're like 12 bux @ walmart or free to borrow in the hut" and walked away. I did feel bad about dropping the f-bomb in front of the kid but oh well. As I was packing up a few mintues later, I noticed both of them coming out of the hut w/ a pair of muffs each.

Srsly, I could really give 2 ******* less if (adult)idiots dont wanna wear hearing protection, but w/ a kid wtf!!!
anyways, theres my rant.... [/RANT]

[Seismic Sam]

Bill's South I just will not go to. Apart from the sloppy gun handling, the range floor i 3' below the shooting positions, so you will lose a lot of brass, and my brass is generally rare and expensive.

Bill's North is better, but with my electronic headphones I can still hear slides snapping shut behind me. I'm generally shooting something 50ish, and mostly my Smith, and I figue it will have to be an awfully lucky shot to kill me with one round at my size, and I've got a Smith 500 in my hand to return fire. I haven't actually said this to anbody yet who's being sloppy with their gun, but I may someday.

[IDPA Shooter]

I do what I can to help the clubs I belong to and the ranges I shoot at, but I don't assist on sight ins. The whole 2 to 10 shot a year sight -in crowd just scares me, so I just avoid it. I will politely correct bad behavior once, the 2nd time I'm not so nice. Pointing guns, well IDPA has me spoiled, strong correction verbally and reported to the range, they leave or I move to another bay.

As some of you know we are the carry trainers for Inrange and most of their staff are NRA RO' that we trained. They watch the range and take action when people are being unsafe. Bullets in the ceiling, bouncing of the walls and floors, or other unsafe practices, unloading behind the line, pointing at people, offend all knowledgeable people. Unless it is really bad, the person gets one warning, they repeat it, they are asked to leave. I know of at least two cases where folks shooting the ceiling or being unresponsive to correction were told to leave and never come back.

I can't really speak to Bills recently since Inrange is closer and I have not been there , other than for IDPA, in the last few years. BTW Inrange charges $18 total for a lane, and the league is fun and $13 a week for 8 weeks. There is a $25 charge to join, but random drawing at league end party has included two and three guns. Not bad when the leagues have well under a 100 folks participating. We are independent trainers and I have non financial interest in the range, but it low pressure 4 range environment where you can concentrate of shooting without worrying who is behind you. They do rent guns and have plenty of quality ammo at decent prices, you may want to give it a try.

[bstrawse]

I hadn't heard of Inrange, but I do get out that way frequently. I'll def stop in and give it a try

b

[ijosef]

Between the poor muzzle control and the brass hounds, I have not been there in a few months.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a "brass hound?" Is it someone who collects your used brass for themselves? Do people really do that without asking?

[mmcnx2]

Yup the brass hounds not only pick up brass in many cases they are icking up your brass while you're still shooting. I had a guy picking up my 38 super nickel before I got 10 rounds fired.

[Bessy]

Yup the brass hounds not only pick up brass in many cases they are icking up your brass while you're still shooting. I had a guy picking up my 38 super nickel before I got 10 rounds fired.

Wow, that's horrible, a good way to counter this is ask them "I've got 20 bucks in my wallet would you like to steal that too?" Sends a very clear message.

This drives me nuts, had a guy grabbing my 5.56 nato cases one time. I politely asked him if he reloaded. "no but I'm thinking about getting into it.", my response "We'll that's great, because I'm thinking about lowering my price on once fired brass from 2$ a piece to 1$ a piece for new re loaders".
Abandoned brass is one thing, but taking brass from folks without asking them, is the same as stealing no if and or buts about it. Some people may not know better, or think that others don't reload. Send a clear message, if at all possible.

[jgalt]

...taking brass from folks without asking them, is the same as stealing no if and or buts about it...

If it helps people get it more clear in their own heads regarding how to deal with this kind of thing - it is not the same as stealing, it is stealing. Just because it doesn't rise to felony levels in terms of $ amounts doesn't mean the offenders are any less guilty.

Think of it this way. The typical way young shoplifters were dealt with when I was growing up (assuming we are talking about a candy bar or two...) at the neighborhood convenience store would be to either call the offender's parents & have them come pick up the kid, or to call the police to have the 'fear of God' put into them. I'm not recommending calling either parents or the police over brass, but making it clear that they are, in no uncertain terms, committing a crime, is absolutely justified.

[tt3]

The guy in the next lane this weekend was a brass hound. He asked if I reloaded and I said "yeah, .45 and .40 (what I was shooting)" he was crawling under the bench to pick up brass, bragging about filling up his coffee can to offset the $15 of the lane. The guys I was with and I were just catching the brass as it came out to keep it from him...

"This one is warm, it must be yours."

Thanks.