Curious things seen at local gun shop or shooting range

[GJM]

Seems like for the New Year, we ought to keep track of the doozies observed out and about.

Here is my contribution from today. Swung by the LGS, and was there approximately three minutes confirming that had nothing of interest (meaning the new CZ striker). "Knowledgeable" man friend had brought in senior citizen aged female, to evaluate if she was "strong enough" to work the trigger on a J frame. Smart man and smart gun shop worker developed "the test." That test was to see if the woman was strong enough to cock the hammer on the J frame (looked model 36 ish). She was, so they proclaimed it a success, and advised she was strong enough for the J frame. She tested one more J frame, a Body Guard looking model, and announced that hammer was too hard for her to cock. Oh man.

[Clobbersaurus]

Sounds legit.



Edit to add: A few years ago I went into a well known gun store in a major metropolitan area close to me. I was looking for 25 round 10/22 mags and asked the mouth breather at the counter.

Me: Hey, would you have any 25 round 10/22 mags?

Cletus McCleeterson: No way man! The Taliban are using those against our boys overseas. Government is gonna ban them!

I just looked at him in that squinty eyed way that you do when someone says something so colossally stupid that you have no words. I finally mustered enough energy to shake my head and walk out of the store.

I usually buy online these days.

[RevolverRob]

Indoor range. Checking the sight in on my favorite little 9mm AR, because I had the red dot off it a few weeks ago. I've fired five, clearly, not 5.56mm rounds when the guy next me and the RSO grab me in the middle of shooting and yell for me to stop.

Confused, I safey the weapon and keep it pointed downrange.

"This is a pistol caliber range, sir!"

I turn, looking funnily at both men, "Yes gents, I know that. This is a pistol caliber AR. Your man at the counter cleared and checked it before I walked out here."

Both men looking confused, "Uhh...sorry."

To be honest, while I was a tad annoyed, I thanked both men for being conscious of range safety. I prefer safe to sorry any day of the week.

[Doge]

This was a couple days ago when I was sighting in my RDS with S3F barrel. I had my target set at 25 yards away and some sheepderps on the lane next to me were attempting to do "rapid fire".

Long story short they were barely getting their shots on paper at 3 yards, hitting the ground and ceiling, and they fucking smacked my target. I was happy that the RSO talked to them and ruined their conversation on "combat accuracy" and during their backpatting on a hit on paper is a hit to kill.

They left afterwards.

[Sigfan26]

8 years of it. I've tried to wash most of it from my brain with alcohol. I'll try to dredge some up if you want?


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[Doge]

This is also a fun story the day I was buying ammo from my LGS.

It was near closing time and this couple came in. Here is how dialogue goes.

Cletus McCleterson: I know I bought this gun a week ago but I need to sell it. My pitbul got out of it's barricade and killed someone's dog and I know there will be fines.

Gunstore worker: Uhhh let me talk to the manager

Mrs McCleterson: I'm sorry I didn't check the gate

Cletus McCleterson: I need at least $xxx but I see you got a lot of silencer ready guns and I'd like to get one after this bullshit is sorted out

Gunstore worker: Sorry but I can only give you $yyy, your best bet is private sale

Cletus McCleterson: I know and the cable guy said he'd give me $xxx for it and if he doesn't call back by 6pm then he won't buy it and it's 6:30. But I guess I'll have to take $yyy

Gunstore worker: Yeah, I can't give more but I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune

Cletus McCleterson: It's not right! My pitbull has been no trouble and the damn dog he killed was a Chihuahua

Mrs McCleterson: And we ALL know that it was the damn rat dog that instigated the fight! I'm glad it got killed!

Cletus McCleterson *points to me and GunstoreWorker2*: Do you want to buy this for $xxx?

Me and GunstoreWorker2: No Thank You...

*McCletersons take their loss and sell back to the store*

GunstoreWorker2: (To Me) Bruh is this real life?

Me: Yes it is.

[Poconnor]

That sounded like an action figure therapy episode

[SeriousStudent]

That sounded like an action figure therapy episode

Cletus without a pitbull.

Problem solved, problem staying solved.

[Kyle Reese]

Sounds legit.



Edit to add: A few years ago I went into a well known gun store in a major metropolitan area close to me. I was looking for 25 round 10/22 mags and asked the mouth breather at the counter.

Me: Hey, would you have any 25 round 10/22 mags?

Cletus McCleeterson: No way man! The Taliban are using those against our boys overseas. Government is gonna ban them!

I just looked at him in that squinty eyed way that you do when someone says something so colossally stupid that you have no words. I finally mustered enough energy to shake my head and walk out of the store.

I usually buy online these days.

The Taliban & Haqqani Network were wont to use Ruger 10/22's and 25 round mags over there, in lieu of AK's, PKM's & IED's. :(

[Duces Tecum]

I've fired five, clearly, not 5.56mm rounds when the guy next me and the RSO grab me in the middle of shooting and yell for me to stop.

Personally, I'd be very reluctant to grab any non-felonius stranger as he's in the act of shooting. But that's just me.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

1. Taking a NRA course for the Oregon concealed carry permit years ago in an indoor range. One students goes up on the line and shoots down the cable that moves the target. Claims the gun has a curved barrel causing the bullet to fly up there in some hyperbolic trajectory.

2. Go to Cabela's to browse. Guy asks the clerk for a pump action shotgun as just racking will scare the BG away. Then says if that doesn't work, he wants some blanks to make noise and scare him. Clerk recommends he get some rubber buckshot too. I say - NOOOO! They glare at me, so I go away.

3. Shooting at an indoor range, it has a giant metal clunky thing to hold the target. I decide to shoot one handed with my non-dominant hand for practice. The edge of the metal thing extends over the 'forehead' of the B-27. I hit the edge, the round or fragment zips down the target in a shower of sparks, cutting it as cleanly as a samurai movie. The edges catch fire. The other guys on the range - ask :WOW, what kind of round it that!

It would be a great stopper - cuts you in half and sets the halves on fire.

4. Just remembered this. At an IDPA, about 5 guys dressed like they came from the Leave it to Beaver era and sausage sack holsters arrive. They are shepherded by a guy who is a reverend who bosses them around and tries to boss the SO too! He's an expert. One of his guys gets up. He has a semi with an attached light and laser. He draws on the stage and the light/laser combo falls off his gun and starts to strobe like a disco. Never saw them at another match (good!).

[blues]

And people wonder why I only shoot from within the safety of our walk-in closet. :p

[FNFAN]

Tourists from Germany often came in to do sub-gun rentals at the shop I worked in in Vegas. More than once I had to explain that B-27 targets had no association with practicing to shoot at people of any specific race.:confused:

[blues]

Tourists from Germany often came in to do sub-gun rentals at the shop I worked in in Vegas. More than once I had to explain that B-27 targets had no association with practicing to shoot at people of any specific race.:confused:

In Miami, German tourists were the targets. I guess turnabout is fair play.

[SeriousStudent]

Tourists from Germany often came in to do sub-gun rentals at the shop I worked in in Vegas. More than once I had to explain that B-27 targets had no association with practicing to shoot at people of any specific race.:confused:

Those orange folks are especially shifty.

12813

[blues]

Those orange folks are especially shifty.

12813

http://heatst.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/trump-orange.jpg?w=1200&h=630&crop=1&quality=80&strip=info

"I'm not Dutch...I really don't understand your point."

[LOKNLOD]

Story #1:
I was picking something up at Cabela's on Christmas eve. There was a fellow there filling out his 4473 paperwork (looked like he was buying a Sig P238/938?), who "accidentally" says "YES" to the question about misdemeanor domestic violence. He swears it's a mistake, and they get him squared away and he starts over. He then puts in the wrong address, off by a digit or two from his ID. "Well the house has two addresses..." (best I can figure it's a duplex maybe?). Finally gets it fully completed. Submit for background check...DELAYED. Explanation, and he wanders forlorn back into the store. Clerk looks at me, says "yeah I saw that one coming..."


Story #2:
A while back I had a group from church I took to the range. Guy that brings the slightly Tapco'd but genuine Colt AR and insists on wearing his Serpa drop leg AND Serpa belt holster, buys some 5.56 ammo at the range counter. He has to pay 11.99 for the 5.56 because he doesn't shoot .223 in his AR. Cue other guy who wants to buy a box to shoot through my AR, whom I tell "just buy the .223 it will run fine in mine..." Later, there's some confusion about which ammo is in the mag that guy #2 wants to shoot through guy #1's AR. He was seriously worried about someone shooting .223 through his 5.56 AR. I encouraged him it was fine, but he persisted and never could give a reason. I'm sure one of his "navy seal buddies" told him about it.

[Tamara]

The single dumbest thing I've ever seen or hope to see at a public shooting range was when the customer came off the range with the rental MP5 complaining it was jammed. He had it in his hand, at waist level, pointed toward my belly button, with the bolt forward, a mag in the well, and his finger on the trigger.

No, I did not yell at him. You don't want to go startling a fella in those circumstances.


This year?

Well, normally I go to our club or the local indoor range in the morning on weekdays and have the place mostly to myself. I forgot that today was New Year's Day (Observed) and so the joint was jumping with the great unwashed. I popped off my hundred rounds and exited the range with a quickness, just as two guys who smelled like the front three rows of a Cypress Hill concert headed out there to blaze away having apparently blazed up on the way over.

I was going to hang around to shoot the breeze with the staff, but another customer apparently waiting for a lane started field stripping his 226 Legion at the counter with the muzzle pointed at my kidneys. I split then.

[ReverendMeat]

I got to turn away a lot of folks in WI for stinking like weed. I'm surprised that's never happened here in OR.

[Arbninftry]

Elmer Fudd in flannel walks into the LGS, and asks for a holster.

I kindly pointed him to the wall, with Galco, Bianchi, Safariland, Uncle Mikes, etc... I ask him the usual what was he looking for? IWB, OWB, range etc... He started getting real pale. So I asked him what type of gun was it?

He started "umm, umm a pistol!"

Me- "Do you know the brand?"
FUDD-" it is beside my bed in a drawer!"
Me- "Does it look like anything here?

He looks through all the handguns and says " I did not know there was this many types! I guess I need to go look at it. Do you have any Booletts!"
Me- "what caliber?"
By then he is just overwhelmed, by not knowing the caliber of the gun by his bedside. He just turns and walks out.

This happened on more than one occasion. You would not believe how much derp is out there.
There are just as many idiots that go to gun stores, that there are that work in them!

[Tamara]

I got to turn away a lot of folks in WI for stinking like weed. I'm surprised that's never happened here in OR.

I guess the guy at the check-in counter had a cold. :confused:

I used to turn guys away all the time when I was working there: "Dude, I'm not the cops, and I don't care personally, but I have a nose, and you guys have obviously been smoking some dank-ass weed and it's totally against the law for me to (rent you this gun/sell you this ammo/whatever)."

[Sigfan26]

I got to turn away a lot of folks in WI for stinking like weed. I'm surprised that's never happened here in OR.

Happened all the time. Worst one: dude keeps hanging around, acting funny (after being told to leave as we would not serve someone who smells like weed. We call the cops. 2 cruisers, officers cuff and search him. Find a loaded Hi Point 45 and a scale with marijuana residue on it in the individual's possession (along with the fact that this guy was floating around the moon he was so high)... and then the guy leaves in a taxi. Officer stops in and tells us all the stuff they found on him. And then says: I told him, if you're going to the gun range, you can't smoke weed before!.
Us: So, you let him go?
Officer: well, yeah.



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[RevolverRob]

Personally, I'd be very reluctant to grab any non-felonius stranger as he's in the act of shooting. But that's just me.

I fortunately saw it coming out of my peripheral vision. But I was VERY careful in safetying the gun and keeping it down range. I've worked hot ranges at machine gun shoots and the only time I put hands on a person was when training up a new shooter in full auto, in case the muzzle rise got away from them. Otherwise, I would call for a cease fire. In this case it worked out, but I concur, could have been much worse, had I not been aware of the range environment around me.

Everyone was polite and apologized for the interruption in the name of safety.






Happened all the time. Worst one: dude keeps hanging around, acting funny (after being told to leave as we would not serve someone who smells like weed. We call the cops. 2 cruisers, officers cuff and search him. Find a loaded Hi Point 45 and a scale with marijuana residue on it in the individual's possession (along with the fact that this guy was floating around the moon he was so high)... and then the guy leaves in a taxi. Officer stops in and tells us all the stuff they found on him. And then says: I told him, if you're going to the gun range, you can't smoke weed before!.
Us: So, you let him go?
Officer: well, yeah.



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Face - Meet - Palm.

---

Because I have done the majority of my shooting on private ranges/clubs not many horror stories to share. One of the worst was I was at a public outdoor range and Homey G and P with Miss Homey G show up and start popping off rounds with a Ruger P94. They give Miss Homey G a full mag and she starts shooting. Flinching so bad, bullets were barely going downrange. Ten minutes of this and I was outta there. I called a cease fire on the range to clean up my targets and had to LITERALLY yell at Homey G to unload the gun and lay it on the bench. The RSO observed the whole thing and promptly threw them out when Homey G went back to the bench and fiddled with his gun while I was downrange. I'd known that RSO at that point for a few years (he shot in the local club too). And I had never seen him raise his voice in anger. Let alone in the manner he did. He smacked the gun, out of Homey G's hand and bodily removed him from the bench and then the range. Their gear was policed up by RSOs and returned to them in the parking lot, cased and unloaded. Their memberships were revoked.

[oakdalecurtis]

I was preparing to shoot in an HD simulator training scenario, my gun, real bullets. I slid a fully loaded old military magazine in my Kimber .45 and stepped to the line. I thumbed the slide release, Mr. Kimber slammed shut, and I came to the ready. Just as the scenario began to unfold on the screen, the spot welds on the magazine floor plate let go. The floor plate, magazine spring, follower and all 7 rounds went out the bottom of the Kimber, all bouncing around at my feet. I racked the slide to eject the one round still in the chamber, and I remember feeling like I just got a classic lesson in "Murphy's Law", and what can happen when one uses crappy old magazines. I now only use Wilson mags with a crimped bottom. If it can go wrong..........

[GardoneVT]

My range has some amenities. One of them is that a customer carrying concealed need not disarm before entering the premises,so long as their carried gun doesn't exit the holster until they come to the clearing barrel before entering the firing line.

That's how I got to see the wrong end of a Springfield XD Mod 2 .40 3" - when a patron yanked it out of his jacket holster ,which being on his left side meant it was pointed at me during his fumble-fuck withdrawal. Carried condition 3 at that- making me wonder why he even brought the thing to begin with. Psychological comfort?

The previous shift, an older dude checks in his Ruger bolt gun at the clearing barrel. That's when he says he's gonna shoot his .40 Shield and that it's on his hip. I inform him his carry gun has a date with the clearing barrel if he wants to shoot it.

"Naw don't worry it ain't hot".

I tell him it won't be difficult to clear it then ,no? So he pulls the pistol,aims the piece at the barrel,racks the slide -

And a big chunky .40 Smith and Wesson round arcs out of the chamber.

"Oh,how'd that happen?"

In a more positive note, I witnessed the curious and awesome case of a dude who took a girl out on a date to the range. He brought and older Marlin 30-30 and spouted stock drivel about women being unable to handle such a stout round during the check in process.

Which is why I watched with more then a little satisfaction when she ran the target to 25 yards and out shot him with his own heirloom.

:cool:

[Joe in PNG]

Lets see...
-Once, at a Pass Bro, I heard the counter dude extol the virtues of the Judge, complete with the idea that a .410 from a pistol barrel was can't miss cone of hallway clearing death.

-I've lost track of the times I've heard the counter dude give the "All AR's Are Created Equal" spiel

-While talking to an older gent before a casual match, he proceeded to pull his gat from his bag, and point it at my midsection. I very politely removed it from him, and dropped the mag/ opened the slide. Happily, it was unloaded.

-One homie was looking at various short rifle blasters. I, and two other guys tried to convince him that the .45-70 Sharps repo was the better drive by gun.

[MistWolf]

Went to the gunshop to check on a part I'd ordered and was killing time by the optics. Guy comes by asking if I'm looking for an optic. I told him I've got a Remington 40x in 308 I need a good variable for.

He says "What do you want to do with it? If you want to shoot a thousand yards, for example, you need something like a 25-50x."

I told him I was looking for something with a bottom end between 4x and 6x. He gushes over the Sig scopes they've got in stock, pulls one out and hands it to me and smiles proudly. I look at the price tag- $289. I'm not informed on Sig scopes, but I do know that the performance of something in that price range is going to be... disappointing, especially for a 40x.

Without looking through it, I hand it back and said "Not in the price range I'm looking for."

He says "Ah. Looking for something cheaper?"

*FACEPALM*

I ask to look at a 5.5-20x Nightforce. (Nice scope, by the way) I ask if this model has an illuminated reticle. I couldn't find anything that looked like a switch.

He said "I dunno. I'm not really an optics guy"

Is that right...?

[Totem Polar]

Hmmm. This year, more or less G? This last Holiday week, I've been at both the range, and my favorite LGS: everyone at both places was totally cool. So I have nothing to report thus far.


Sadly, however, I am most sure I will be back soon.

[Luke]

On the rare occasion I go to a gun store I actually try and act as dumb as possible. It's very fun, the answers always leave me in a better mood.

[Lester Polfus]

I no longer go to public shooting ranges. I became so hypervigilant I just stopped enjoying it. In part because:

I would go to a local indoor range on late mornings on weekdays and usually have the place to myself, so I felt fairly safe. I went one day, and a guy I knew also happened to be there. I trusted him, so we were having an enjoyable time shooting.

In walks a guy with what was probably a .32 or .380, some sort of small pistol with a hammer. We can't see him very well because of the dividers, but it's clear he's having trouble. In the process of loading a live round goes sailing across the deck. One fired bullet hits the target stand, etc.

Me and my friend both look at each other at the same time, and he says "let's go get lunch." We pack quickly, and have to walk past the third guy on way out.

As we walk past he reaches up to adjust his ear muffs with both hands. Unfortunately, he still has the pistol in his right hand, with the hammer cocked, and HIS FINGER ON THE TRIGGER.

At exactly the same time, me and my friend both say something like "AHHHHH" and reach out toward the guy, and at the exact instant also realize we shouldn't touch him and draw back. We both later admitted we just didn't want to get any brains on us.

He managed to adjust his muffs without killing himself and we left. On the way out we told the single employee, who was supposed to man the register and be RSO at the same time, what was up.

I never went back.

[Cypher]

Ok here’s another one but it isn’t funny, in fact it is the reason I will never shop at Specialty Sports of Colorado Springs ever again.

I took a pistol into their shop to have some work done; when I arrived the smith was working on a hunting rifle in the back. I could clearly see that the bolt had been removed but when I stepped up to the counter he aimed it at me.

Let me be perfectly clear he didn’t accidently point the muzzle randomly in my general direction he aimed the gun at me.

I stepped to the side and told him who I was and that I had spoken to him on the phone. He aimed the rifle at me again and told me “That’s fine, just leave your gun on the counter and I’ll get to it in 5 minutes.”

I stepped off line again and told him the part I needed replaced was in the box and I’d be looking around the store. He again aimed the rifle at me and said “That’s fine I’ll get to it in a minute or two.”

I left the gun and did some looking around and in 10 minutes he found me and told me the repair was complete and told me it was free because he had done some work on that gun previously. I said thanks and left and have never set foot in that store since

[Greg]

Stories like these are why I'm happy to drive 80 miles to shoot in the desert, alone.

[PNWTO]

Stories like these are why I'm happy to drive 80 miles to shoot in the desert, alone.

Yep. My 2017 plan for when I want to shoot a lot will be taking a weekend in the mountains. The first day will be scouting and looking for wood, then camping, then shooting the next day.

[wylie27]

My story comes from Sydney Australia..

I am on the line shooting my .22 on the 50m range by myself when two fully sick bro's set up in the bay next to me...

Guy one is telling guy two that he has been shooting for years and they will get their fully tacticool rifle dialled in...

They setup and I look over and they are shooting a 308. On a 50 metre range.

These guys have shot about 16 rounds and they are all over the place. Then I hear guy one say I have never seen that with a red dot before, let's just dial in the dot on the right. They were seeing two dots!!

They shoot the rest of the box and the guy onexgoes and buys another box.

I lean over and say to guy two, not sure who mounted your red dot but it's on back to front... that why there is two dots.

Guy two laughs and said ohh guy one mounted it...




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[FNFAN]

Ok here’s another one but it isn’t funny, in fact it is the reason I will never shop at Specialty Sports of Colorado Springs ever again.


I was betting the reason was going to be their retail+10% price structure. ;)

[Cypher]

I was betting the reason was going to be their retail+10% price structure. ;)

I remember when they opened. For the longest time they really didn't have any competition and I think it went to their heads.

I don't know if this is allowed but I can highly recommend Family Firearms Sales on Academy and Maizeland ans Stop, Drop and Shop just south of Austin Bluffs on Academy. Both have reasonable prices and knowledgeable staff.

[texasaggie2005]

A few months I goto the local outdoor range for some pistol shooting. As I'm at the 25yd line (which allows pistol and centerfire rifle) two guys get the lanes to either side of me and proceed to unbox two brand new SCAR-17 rifles still in factory packaging. And split a case of Federal Gold Medal Match between them as they mag-dumped as fast as they could load magazines. I had to leave as the concussions from the FSC762 muzzle brakes were causing me physical pain.

[Peally]

I'll echo Lester's post, stories like these make me glad I only shoot when alone or at a controlled match.

People are:

R
E
T
A
R
D
S

:)

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Took my daughter to the indoor range. As we set up, she points to the ceiling right above us. Full of holes. We shake our heads.

[JCS]

My conceal carry instructor recommended frangible rounds for carry. The RIP rounds being his favorite.

[Hambo]

I walked into a store last week and was checking out used revolvers. There was a 2" M&P with a tag that said "S&W Model 33". My only thought was WTF? I ask the dude behind the counter to hand it over, which he does without clearing it. I proceed to check it and understood where the 33 came from. Somebody must have told whoever tagged it that all S&W's have the model number inside the crane, but there wasn't room on the tag for Model 33XXX. :rolleyes:

[Poconnor]

And my wife wonders why I am looking for land to have my own range

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Memories flooding back. I go to Cabela's and they have SW 632 (327 mag) marked as a 22 LR. I tell the young clerk. He gets huffy and says the model 63 is a 22. True and there is a 63-2 which is 22 but this is a 632 (no dash). Older clerk comes by and says the tag comes from corporate distribution. It was still there a few weeks later.

It would have been fun to see some load it with 22 LR. Wonder what would happen?

I go to Sportsman's Warehouse - the clerk is having a loud tantrum. He is telling the customer that he was going to leave his 'ranch' to his daughter but she put up an Obama sign (2008) on her lawn. So, now he is going to disown her forever. Like I care.

[Tamara]

Stories like these are why I'm happy to drive 80 miles to shoot in the desert, alone.

Doing that every weekday would get old fast.

[mtnbkr]

Doing that every weekday would get old fast.

Assuming there's a place to do that. Here in VA, there isn't a publicly accessible place to shoot that isn't a public or private (ie club) range within 200+ miles.

I must be lucky or clueless because I can't recall any particularly derpy shooters at the ranges I frequent (ESS, NRA HQ, and IWLA). Oh, sure, some are obviously newbs, but the range officers at those three ranges are pretty observant. ESS is probably the most permissive, allowing shooters to perform drills and draw from a holster (AIWB allowed after a chat and demo with RO IIRC). IWLA is the least permissive, but they are surrounded by residential neighborhoods and are paranoid about stray bullets and incidents that could cause negative publicity.

So, either we're better than average around here or I'm the derp and folks are talking about me. :)

Chris

[Clusterfrack]

This thread makes me so glad I'm fortunate enough have local ranges where I can practice in my own outdoor bay. Unfortunately even that isn't always enough... Here are four examples of "curious things seen at the range".

1. Brass rat

I was practicing at my home range, in one of the outdoor bays. The bay is ~50’ long and 30’ wide. I had set up 3 USPSA metric targets and was working on shooting into and out of position at 15 yds. I guess I was really in the zone, because my situational awareness was disturbingly low. I didn’t realize anyone was in the bay with me until I heard something behind me. I looked back--there was a guy crouching down right behind me! I backed up and yelled “What the FUCK are you doing???” It was a truly ancient dude picking up my brass and putting it into a sack. He said, “Oh, do you want your brass?” Before I sent him on his way, I made him pour out the contents of the bag, which he argued about because he claimed the brass hadn’t all come from my gun. Note to self: check your 6 more often.

2. Gangbanger’s girlfriend

When I visit a buddy in California, there isn’t a lot of options for shooting. A convenient, but sketchy location is an indoor facility called Targetmasters West. In the evening, especially on weekends, the clientele is typically wannabe gangbangers and their chicks. One time, in the lane next to me and my buddy, a guy was there with a girl in 4” heels and super-tight jeans. He had given her a big .40 Beretta, and was standing behind looking at her ass. The girl had obviously never shot a gun before, and was very nervous. Just as I was about to intervene, she closed her eyes and fired. Then she danced and squealed “I shot it! I shot it!”, and turned--sweeping me and my buddy--and stopped with her finger on the trigger and the gun pointed straight at her guy. I couldn’t help thinking, “please… pull the trigger.” ;)

3. Is it loaded?

This next incident was the last time I’ve been to Targetmasters because it’s just too scary. In two lanes to my left was a large group of older Chinese guys. One guy went to the back of the bays and took a Glock 26 out of a bag (obviously violating safety rules). Since he was pointing the gun in our direction (with finger in the trigger guard), I walked over and calmly put my hand on top of the slide and pointed it downrange. I asked him if the gun was loaded, but his English wasn’t very good. He didn’t like me grabbing his gun, and for some reason, he kept trying to point the gun at me. We ended up having a little grappling match while he was yelling at me in Chinese and his friends were trying to get in on the action. We ended with his gun pinned to the bench. After he finally let go, I discovered that gun was loaded and chambered. We left and informed the ROs (who never seem to pay attention to what’s going on in the bays).

4. I shot the roof

Another story from a different indoor range: Cletus and Billybob were in a lane to my left. They had one of those monster S&W revolvers for killing bears or Godzilla. It was so loud that I gave up trying to shoot and just watched them. After a couple of shots, Cletus was so twitchy that he was visibly shaking. He touched one off prematurely, and a ton of ceiling tile and dust rained down.
Cletus: “FUCK! I shot the roof…”
Billybob: “You idjut. They charge you like $20 every time you do that”
Cletus, looking up at the hundreds of holes in the ceiling: “Huh. They sure must make a lot of money that way.”

[luckyman]

Unfortunately not sure this is all that "curious" based on other posts, but it was recent. Was at my normal indoor range this past Saturday, 12/31. They are equipped to handle 12 gauge shotguns as long as you use 00 or slugs, and some centerfire rifle calibers, although thankfully for my ears not much rifle use.

Anyway, I was working through some "one hand prep and press" practice about half of the way through my session, and a shotgun goes off beside me to my right. That's cool. I step back like I occasionally do to observe everyone to see if I am in danger. Working an 870 are two pretty tough looking Hispanic dudes, which is totally cool. Until I notice that they are working the action by bring the shotgun basically to port arms every time. I E pointing right at my head. Then I look to my left, and there is a guy with apparently a 9mm AR, that has a bipod on it? (don't ask me why), in addition to a Beretta 92. While he is firing the Beretta he has the AR sitting sideways on the table in the bay, on the bipod. IE pointing directly to my head from the other side. I decide it is time to leave post haste. On my way out I pass 2 Japanese guys sharing a lane and a 1911. Every couple of shots the guy firing turns around to talk to his friend, of course waving the 1911 around everywhere.

I tell the counter guy / SO on my way out. Have no idea whether he did anything or not, was too busy vacating the premises. It's usually not that bad where I go. I really should have known better to come right after Christmas, but I had missed shooting 3 weeks out of the last 4 already, and didn't want to make it 4 of 5.

[blues]

Unfortunately not sure this is all that "curious" based on other posts, but it was recent. Was at my normal indoor range this past Saturday, 12/31. They are equipped to handle 12 gauge shotguns as long as you use 00 or slugs, and some centerfire rifle calibers, although thankfully for my ears not much rifle use.

Anyway, I was working through some "one hand prep and press" practice about half of the way through my session, and a shotgun goes off beside me to my right. That's cool. I step back like I occasionally do to observe everyone to see if I am in danger. Working an 870 are two pretty tough looking Hispanic dudes, which is totally cool. Until I notice that they are working the action by bring the shotgun basically to port arms every time. I E pointing right at my head. Then I look to my left, and there is a guy with apparently a 9mm AR, that has a bipod on it? (don't ask me why), in addition to a Beretta 92. While he is firing the Beretta he has the AR sitting sideways on the table in the bay, on the bipod. IE pointing directly to my head from the other side. I decide it is time to leave post haste. On my way out I pass 2 Japanese guys sharing a lane and a 1911. Every couple of shots the guy firing turns around to talk to his friend, of course waving the 1911 around everywhere.

I tell the counter guy / SO on my way out. Have no idea whether he did anything or not, was too busy vacating the premises. It's usually not that bad where I go. I really should have known better to come right after Christmas, but I had missed shooting 3 weeks out of the last 4 already, and didn't want to make it 4 of 5.

The scary takeaway of your frightening tale is that it's a "normal indoor range".

The more I read these stories the happier I am that I never signed up for a membership at the one servicing my area. Going shooting shouldn't turn into a crap shoot as to whether you'll leave the premises in the same condition you arrived.

[luckyman]

The scary takeaway of your frightening tale is that it's a "normal indoor range".

.

Well, the though thing is most of the time it is fine. Probably about 19 out of every 20 times it feels completely safe. But when you go to the range 'most every week, those 1/20 risks mount up over time.

...

If I actually worked at one of these places I would be wearing armor every day.

[Tamara]

This thread makes me so glad I'm fortunate enough have local ranges where I can practice in my own outdoor bay.

It was when the local shooting club here in the city put in the two 25-yd pistol bays that I decided to get a membership. It was to make sure that drawing from the holster and SOTM would remain allowed in the bays that I agreed to serve on the board. If some of the old guard had their way, that would go away.

[alohadoug]

I was working as an RSO at the range on a Military Installation a couple of years ago. It wasn't open to the public, but we had a high number of retirees that would come in on Saturday to use the range. One of the MSG's that I worked with during the week walked over and whispered in my ear "Deliverance behind you is loading that shotgun" Parked behind me (the "parking lot" and the firing line was separated by a fire road) was a guy in a pair of overalls (nothing on underneath) and his son and son's girlfriend (though there was some debate about if it was his sister - 50/50). The son was loading a Browning autoloader. I walked down to point out the unsafe act. The kid (teenager) gives me attitude and dad gets in on the act. Dad takes the shotgun and racks the handle and sure enough out pops a round. He proceeds to beat on the son while waving the still loaded shotgun around. I finally took it from him and told him that if he continued we'd contact the MPs and let them sort it out. He calmed down.
Five minutes later they are all up on the range. I helped the MSG move the table he and his daughter were using down the firing line away from them so they had about a quarter of the line to themselves. I stood between them and the rest of the line while the other RSO covered the far side of the line. They had a couple of Browning shotguns (old and in rough shape) a couple of Hi-Point pistols and the father's "game rifle" a very nice Weatherby in .300. He fired one round down range with it and proceeded to pull the bolt out completely and toss it behind him (into the fire road) while attempting to reload. "F#$% it, we're done." Was his response. I watched them back everything up, pick up the bolt on the way to the car and then drive away.
MSG came up and asked if it was wrong that he was wishing someone would have driven over the bolt.

I miss Southern AZ sometimes.

[Lex Luthier]

This thread makes me so glad I'm fortunate enough have local ranges where I can practice in my own outdoor bay. Unfortunately even that isn't always enough... Here are four examples of "curious things seen at the range".


2. Gangbanger’s girlfriend

When I visit a buddy in California, there isn’t a lot of options for shooting. A convenient, but sketchy location is an indoor facility called Targetmasters West. In the evening, especially on weekends, the clientele is typically wannabe gangbangers and their chicks. One time, in the lane next to me and my buddy, a guy was there with a girl in 4” heels and super-tight jeans. He had given her a big .40 Beretta, and was standing behind looking at her ass. The girl had obviously never shot a gun before, and was very nervous. Just as I was about to intervene, she closed her eyes and fired. Then she danced and squealed “I shot it! I shot it!”, and turned--sweeping me and my buddy--and stopped with her finger on the trigger and the gun pointed straight at her guy. I couldn’t help thinking, “please… pull the trigger.” ;)

3. Is it loaded?

This next incident was the last time I’ve been to Targetmasters because it’s just too scary. In two lanes to my left was a large group of older Chinese guys. One guy went to the back of the bays and took a Glock 26 out of a bag (obviously violating safety rules). Since he was pointing the gun in our direction (with finger in the trigger guard), I walked over and calmly put my hand on top of the slide and pointed it downrange. I asked him if the gun was loaded, but his English wasn’t very good. He didn’t like me grabbing his gun, and for some reason, he kept trying to point the gun at me. We ended up having a little grappling match while he was yelling at me in Chinese and his friends were trying to get in on the action. We ended with his gun pinned to the bench. After he finally let go, I discovered that gun was loaded and chambered. We left and informed the ROs (who never seem to pay attention to what’s going on in the bays).



For a long time, Targetmasters was one of the only local ranges for me. It was like that in 1998, and I last set foot in there in 1999.
I preferred to go up to the private outdoor range at Two Rock in Petaluma, weather be damned. I understand that range is still open. The ROs there were friendly, but quite watchful, and could be heard clearly over volleys of massed Mosin Nagants without the benefit of amplification.

[Hideeho]

The most curious thing at an indoor range was my new model Seecamp 32. Fired three magazines (18 rounds) no problem. On the fourth magazine, 22 round, the pistol fired as intended. The slide then flew forward 4 yards. I would have been ok if it was a last round design feature--hitting a crueller with a high speed metal slide will do the trick. Unfortunately, I had two rounds left. No more Seecamp.

Curious, meaning rare, not so much. In the four years I have been out of LE, I have had more guns pointed at me than the 33 I worked. Lack of muzzle discipline is the norm at public ranges.

[RevolverRob]

And my wife wonders why I am looking for land to have my own range

Fortunately, my wife abhors public ranges almost as much as I do. She was on the range with me when I was approached. And was also decidedly unhappy with the way things happened. On the way home I remember saying to her, "When I finally get a job (professorship). We're buying enough land for me to have a range." Her response, "I thought that was a given?"

And that's why she's a keeper. Makes more money than me AND supports personally owned range.

[Clusterfrack]

For a long time, Targetmasters was one of the only local ranges for me. It was like that in 1998, and I last set foot in there in 1999.
I preferred to go up to the private outdoor range at Two Rock in Petaluma, weather be damned. I understand that range is still open. The ROs there were friendly, but quite watchful, and could be heard clearly over volleys of massed Mosin Nagants without the benefit of amplification.

That sounds much better than Targetbastards. I also used to go to the range at Lake Chabot in the Oakland hills, but that's now closed. I'm so glad I don't live in California.

You post reminds me of another curious range incident. At my local range, one of the ROs noticed a broken fluorescent fixture above one of the benches at the 50/100 yd rifle range. He thought it was odd that the plastic and bulbs were broken, but there was nothing on the ground. So, he stood on the bench and looked into the fixture. Inside was a broken half of a Mosin Nagant receiver.

[HCountyGuy]

1. An amusing screw up of the range guy and my own non-attentative/inexperienced self. I'd barely been into shooting a few months.

Went to the LGS on free rental night and rented a Glock 17 and the necessary ammo to shoot. Or so I thought. Get on the line, load up a mag and rack the slide. Gun has some trouble going into battery, but chambers the round and I squeeze off a shot. Brass doesn't eject, so I rack the slide and try to chamber another round. Slide won't go into battery so I get off the range and bring the issue up to the employee at the counter. Grab the gun, ejects the round and looks at it. Apparently the employee at the counter just prior gave me a box of .40 instead of 9mm. The guy looks at me like I'm stupid, but squares me away with the right ammo.

It's curious that I was able to fire off a round and not severely screw something up.

2. Went shooting last year, just after New Years, at a range local to the wife's family. While we're shooting, in walks some guy and his girlfriend who he's trying to teach to shoot. Guy has a Sig and is shooting with his thumbs crossed, and teaches his girl the same grip. I know what you're waiting for, I was too. But much to my dismay (damn sadist) they both left with no damage to their thumbs.

[El Cid]

A guy I worked with years ago is a fed LEO and went to the local Bass Pro to shoot his agency assigned MP-5. One of the guys behind the counter remembers him and says, "aren't you law enforcement?" Friend affirms and they ask to see his ID. They both look at it and tell him to use lane 3.

One of the guys behind the counter notices he has a long gun bag and wants to see it to make sure it's a pistol caliber weapon. Upon opening the bag the employee exclaims his MP-5 has a barrel less than 16"!! My buddy is like - um, yes it's an agency weapon. Employee keeps telling him that it's illegal and against state law to have that. No explanation from my friend gets through to this clown. He tells my buddy that he's lucky his friend from FDLE isn't there or he'd arest my friend. My buddy laughs and tells the employee, "when he gets here I'll be on lane 3."

And for those unfamiliar, FDLE indicates this took place in Florida. A place where SBR's and all kinds of NFA goodness is VERY common.

[MRW]

Worst thing I ever saw was a father/son combo and a LGS employee touch off a flint lock muzzleloader into a wall.

About 2 years ago I was looking for some .22 ammo when it was still difficult to find some. A local shop outside of town had some so I took my daughter with me just to get out of the house. The .22 ammo was for a range day with her anyway.

We walk in and out of the corner of my eye, I see 3 guys looking at a muzzle loader. The one guy holding it I recognized as an employee. I turn to the counter to ask about the .22 ammo and suddenly hear the boom of the muzzleloader. Luckily the idiots had it basically at port arms and had it pointed at a wall at an angle. The ball hit the wall almost right where it meets the ceiling.

The guy working behind the counter is appropriately pissed and proceeds to forcefully ask the father/son combo why they brought the loaded rifle into the store. The dad's response was it wasn't loaded as they dumped the powder out of the pan. I guess the ball sitting on a load of powder in the barrel didn't qualify as loaded for him.

The employee disappeared quickly. I assumed he would be done at the store. Instead, I went back a few months later and he was still there. In addition, they put up a frame around the hole with an inscription that it was said employee's shooting range or something to that effect.

Once I saw that, I was done with that store. The ONLY silver lining to the whole thing was it gave me a clear talking point with my kid about firearms safety. I had been going over it for weeks before, and it was a solid example of what not to do.

[GJM]

Who would have thunk the FBI goes to Bass Pro Shop to fam with their MP5's.

[BehindBlueI's]

Who would have thunk the FBI goes to Bass Pro Shop to fam with their MP5's.

For reasons that shall not be disclosed, we now have a general order that prohibits using issued weapons for recreational purposes, such as hunting. So...yeah.

[OlongJohnson]

... the father's "game rifle" a very nice Weatherby in .300. He fired one round down range with it and proceeded to pull the bolt out completely and toss it behind him (into the fire road) while attempting to reload.

If the Weatherby was a Vanguard, that's not surprising. The only inherent suck I'm aware of in the Howa is the little screw that holds the bolt stop to the receiver. It's kind of a weak design, and if the bolt is run hard, the shoulder and head can pop off, allowing the bolt to exit the receiver to the rear and leaving the threaded portion of the screw sheared off flush with the receiver for a smith to figure out how to remove. I think it can be re-engineered a bit, but haven't gotten that far yet.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/541573/weatherby-bolt-stop-guide-screw-weatherby-vanguard


2. Went shooting last year, just after New Years, at a range local to the wife's family. While we're shooting, in walks some guy and his girlfriend who he's trying to teach to shoot. Guy has a Sig and is shooting with his thumbs crossed, and teaches his girl the same grip. I know what you're waiting for, I was too. But much to my dismay (damn sadist) they both left with no damage to their thumbs.

I was at the local outdoor public range. On either side of me are people with LCPs, going through magazines with only 3-5 holes appearing in the 7-yard targets. Don't remember whether the rest of this was the same trip. A guy to my left is showing his friend how to shoot an LCP. The friend starts getting ready to shoot with crossed thumbs, and the first guy yells at him to stop. He explains why that's a bad idea, and demonstrates the non-self-injuring way to hold the pistol. About a minute later, the friend has a bloody thumb, and after a couple rounds fired with uncrossed thumbs, decides he should do something about the bleeding. Leaves the line in the direction of the range house. Several minutes later, the range staff appears with a mop and bucket, back tracking the blood trail.

I try to only go to that range when I can have about 1/4 of it to myself.

[Sigfan26]

Creepiest one (before I worked at said range): man goes on range. Is seen (later on CCTV) placing a card on the window. Man then rapidly lays down on cement and ends his life with a 44 magnum under the chin (aimed down range). Owners dad is working the counter and rushes out. Obviously, nothing to do. Sees paper on the window that the man left. It says: "Sorry for the inconvenience "



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[Tamara]

Creepiest one (before I worked at said range)...

A couple years after I moved up to Indiana, I got a call from Gunsmith Bob back at my old place of employment. "Hey, remember that 629 you took in on trade and put in the rental case?"

Something about his tone of voice... "Oh, god, did someone cap themselves with it?"

"Well, no, not successfully, but he sure tried."

In one of life's little ironies, he had been put out on lane 2. Lane 2 being the same lane where a woman successfully did what he only attempted, a few years earlier, using the previous owner's rental Taurus 85.

[Sigfan26]

A couple years after I moved up to Indiana, I got a call from Gunsmith Bob back at my old place of employment. "Hey, remember that 629 you took in on trade and put in the rental case?"

Something about his tone of voice... "Oh, god, did someone cap themselves with it?"

"Well, no, not successfully, but he sure tried."

In one of life's little ironies, he had been put out on lane 2. Lane 2 being the same lane where a woman successfully did what he only attempted, a few years earlier, using the previous owner's rental Taurus 85.

Creepier: I worked 2 suicides. Both on the same lanes and carpet squares. Boss man was cheap, so you can basically, see the chalk outline of both deaths (3 separate carpet square colors)


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[Robinson]

I have three pretty nice and mostly safe ranges near me. A few years ago one of them had a suicide.

Another time at that same range a guy shot his son in the leg with a .22 pistol. An ejected case went down his collar and he freaked out, jerked around with his finger on the trigger and the gun fired. Yes you read that right -- he freaked out over a .22 case going down his shirt.

And range idiocy is why I'm mostly deaf in my left ear.

[Sigfan26]

I have three pretty nice and mostly safe ranges near me. A few years ago one of them had a suicide.

Another time at that same range a guy shot his son in the leg with a .22 pistol. An ejected case went down his collar and he freaked out, jerked around with his finger on the trigger and the gun fired. Yes you read that right -- he freaked out over a .22 case going down his shirt.

And range idiocy is why I'm mostly deaf in my left ear.

8 years of range idiocy is why I love bourbon!


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[Win94ae]

If the Weatherby was a Vanguard, that's not surprising. The only inherent suck I'm aware of in the Howa is the little screw that holds the bolt stop to the receiver. It's kind of a weak design, and if the bolt is run hard, the shoulder and head can pop off, allowing the bolt to exit the receiver to the rear and leaving the threaded portion of the screw sheared off flush with the receiver for a smith to figure out how to remove. I think it can be re-engineered a bit, but haven't gotten that far yet.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/541573/weatherby-bolt-stop-guide-screw-weatherby-vanguard


That is what happened to my Howa 1500, and I don't run the bolt hard. :/


A gun store employee was telling some potential customers that a 22lr bullet can travel a mile and only drop a few inches, so you better be careful! Hey, he sells guns, he is the expert!

[1slow]

Years ago 1980s, Columbia SC, indoor range. Local Secret Service fired an UZI into the fold down shelf/barrier that people put their gear on. 5+ rounds into the vertical forward shelf lip at 40" or so above ground.

[Sigfan26]

Years ago 1980s, Columbia SC, indoor range. Local Secret Service fired an UZI into the fold down shelf/barrier that people put their gear on. 5+ rounds into the vertical forward shelf lip at 40" or so above ground.

They never did that at our range (they were using MP5's). However, we'd ask them (every time, because we knew the answer) what ammo they carried "Sorry, we can't comment on that"... then we'd go and collect empty boxes of Remington 9mm +p+ and Speer Gold Dot. Also, the sawed off Remington shotguns looked bad ass!


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[Kyle Reese]

A guy I worked with years ago is a fed LEO and went to the local Bass Pro to shoot his agency assigned MP-5. One of the guys behind the counter remembers him and says, "aren't you law enforcement?" Friend affirms and they ask to see his ID. They both look at it and tell him to use lane 3.

One of the guys behind the counter notices he has a long gun bag and wants to see it to make sure it's a pistol caliber weapon. Upon opening the bag the employee exclaims his MP-5 has a barrel less than 16"!! My buddy is like - um, yes it's an agency weapon. Employee keeps telling him that it's illegal and against state law to have that. No explanation from my friend gets through to this clown. He tells my buddy that he's lucky his friend from FDLE isn't there or he'd arest my friend. My buddy laughs and tells the employee, "when he gets here I'll be on lane 3."

And for those unfamiliar, FDLE indicates this took place in Florida. A place where SBR's and all kinds of NFA goodness is VERY common.
That would have been an amusing conversation, had the local po-po been summoned.

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[olstyn]

During my wife's carry permit exam, I noticed a couple of guys sharing a lane maybe 2 lanes down from her. The one actually shooting at the time kept turning the gun sideways. Normally I prefer to avoid talking to idiots at the range, but I had to explain to them how I'd really appreciate it if they'd quit pointing guns at my wife. I'm not sure if the message stuck, as we left shortly afterward. I wouldn't be surprised if they were offended and just kept muzzling other people later.

[Shoresy]

In a more positive note, I witnessed the curious and awesome case of a dude who took a girl out on a date to the range. He brought and older Marlin 30-30 and spouted stock drivel about women being unable to handle such a stout round during the check in process.

Which is why I watched with more then a little satisfaction when she ran the target to 25 yards and out shot him with his own heirloom.

:cool:
Shoot, if he can get over his attitude, he's found a keeper.

[Wendell]

...gun shop worker developed "the test." That test was to see if the woman was strong enough to cock the hammer on the J frame (looked model 36 ish). She was, so they proclaimed it a success, and advised she was strong enough for the J frame. She tested one more J frame, a Body Guard looking model, and announced that hammer was too hard for her to cock. Oh man.

She needs a Roland special: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/2880112412/carlsons-universal-hammer-spur-extension-aluminum

[Peally]

Creepiest one (before I worked at said range): man goes on range. Is seen (later on CCTV) placing a card on the window. Man then rapidly lays down on cement and ends his life with a 44 magnum under the chin (aimed down range). Owners dad is working the counter and rushes out. Obviously, nothing to do. Sees paper on the window that the man left. It says: "Sorry for the inconvenience "



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If he was actually sorry he would have done it in a bag, at home, away from a fully public place.

[GardoneVT]

Shoot, if he can get over his attitude, he's found a keeper.

Do not receive this wrong,but I've noted when women pick the guns they'll consistently outshoot their male contemporaries given similar skill level.

Of all the proletariat shooters I've seen cross my ranges doorstep,the ones at the top of my subjective RSO performance scale are all female- and not for the reasons you'd initially assume. Guys bring big guns and brag about caliber and brand. The women bring utilitarian hardware and get to work. No smart man today should decide at face value he can outshoot a female.

One of the coolest sights I noted was a pair of women -one older and one younger- who hit the lanes and did good work with a Glock 19 and a .22. No dudes around to gum up the works with ego and bluster as it were.

Whereas when women come with a mixed group of guys, look out.

Note : there's nothing wrong with taking your girl to the range. I get it ,you want to share your hobbies with your better half. But for the love of John Moses Browning, leave your ego at home. When she shoots better then you don't blame the gun,don't blame the sights, and don't blame it on your latte.

Lastly: if she's not interested stop buying guns for her. Especially if she's rather watch paint dry then shoot. Guns and range time ain't for everyone regardless of gender,but you'd be surprised how many gun crazy guys drag their wives to the range hoping she'll catch the bug. When she's standing in the back updating her Facebook rather then shooting your .40 S&W Whatever, that's a clue.

Rant brought to you by GardoneVT.

[Tamara]

Creepier: I worked 2 suicides. Both on the same lanes and carpet squares. Boss man was cheap, so you can basically, see the chalk outline of both deaths (3 separate carpet square colors)

After the second incident on what we took to calling "The Death Lane", the new owners tore up the carpet and went to rubber matting.

[okie john]

Do not receive this wrong,but I've noted when women pick the guns they'll consistently outshoot their male contemporaries given similar skill level.

Of all the proletariat shooters I've seen cross my ranges doorstep,the ones at the top of my subjective RSO performance scale are all female- and not for the reasons you'd initially assume. Guys bring big guns and brag about caliber and brand. The women bring utilitarian hardware and get to work. No smart man today should decide at face value he can outshoot a female.

One of the coolest sights I noted was a pair of women -one older and one younger- who hit the lanes and did good work with a Glock 19 and a .22. No dudes around to gum up the works with ego and bluster as it were.

Whereas when women come with a mixed group of guys, look out.

Note : there's nothing wrong with taking your girl to the range. I get it ,you want to share your hobbies with your better half. But for the love of John Moses Browning, leave your ego at home. When she shoots better then you don't blame the gun,don't blame the sights, and don't blame it on your latte.

Lastly: if she's not interested stop buying guns for her. Especially if she's rather watch paint dry then shoot. Guns and range time ain't for everyone regardless of gender,but you'd be surprised how many gun crazy guys drag their wives to the range hoping she'll catch the bug. When she's standing in the back updating her Facebook rather then shooting your .40 S&W Whatever, that's a clue.

Rant brought to you by GardoneVT.

Best is when the little lady comes off of the lane with tears in her eyes because the guy she's with is being such a jerk. I quickly learned how to dry the tears, ask a few probing questions, provide a flash session of diagnostic dry-fire and instruction on fundamentals, then send her back out there to outshoot him.


Okie John

[Totem Polar]

Y'all are working overtime to make me hate both guns and the public. I mean, it won't work on the former, and the ship has already sailed on the latter, but dang.


Only one I can add off the top of my head that was sort of bizarre: range employee at a typically *very* squared away range/retail/training facility, gets his hands on a stainless 4 5/8" new vaquero that someone has come in to consign/trade. Range guy starts doing all the tricks, Sammy Davis Junior-style: border shift, road agent, the works. It was like that "Enter the Dragon" scene with Bruce Lee and his extended-chain Nunchaku. Or Leo Gaje Junior with a Balisong. Or a 1930's Burlesque dancer's tassels on crack; real CGI-level stuff. I saw more .45 inch hole looking down the barrel of that Vaq as it flashed around the room than I'd see in an afternoon of looking at a target on lightweight commander range day.

Turns out the old guy used to be a hollywood extra for westerns back in the day. The range gig was a part-time fun retirement deal.

[LtDave]

For reasons that shall not be disclosed, we now have a general order that prohibits using issued weapons for recreational purposes, such as hunting. So...yeah.

I understand that the Secret Service apparently won't let their guys shoot their duty weapons at sanctioned matches either.

[Lost River]

Not a commercial gun range/store, but quite memorable anyways.

Years ago I was an adjunct firearms instructor for the local college LE program, due to also being a state police instructor.

It was a cold day and many of the cadets were whining about the weather, which I have zero tolerance for such nonsense.

The funny part was on a break when a young female cadet approaches me and referring to my Peltor ear pro says:



"Mister xx, are those the ear thingies that take batteries?"

Me "Yes.." :confused:

Female cadet "Ooh, I bet those keep your ears nice and warm!"

For just a few seconds I stared at her in disbelief thinking that surely she must be joking, and not dumb enough to think the electronic ear pro, were actually ear warmers..

Internal monologue: "Shirley you can't be serious"..

But the bright eyes and genuinely happy look on her face confirmed that yes, she was serious.



Finally, I simply replied "Yes, yes they do."

[HCountyGuy]

Remembered some other stuff relevant to this thread:

- LGS near me periodically hosts a "ladies only" intro to firearms class. Several years back after one such session, the business posts up a photo onto FaceBook of two participants from the class. They're facing up range, guns in hand, fingers in the trigger trying to pose like Charlie's Angels. Not sure who thought it was a good idea to post it up, but they got endless flack for the safety violations and promptly took it down. I wish I could find it, I MAY have it saved around here somewhere.

- At the range near my wife's family, I'm there with my sister-in-law teaching her the fundamentals of shooting a handgun. Two lanes over, some guy with a few guns decides to break out an AR pistol. He fires a few rounds, then decides to brace the weapon against his cheek. He fires and predictably gets kicked in the mouth by the gun. I had to turn away so as not to be observed laughing.

[MistWolf]

Not a commercial gun range/store, but quite memorable anyways.

Years ago I was an adjunct firearms instructor for the local college LE program, due to also being a state police instructor.

It was a cold day and many of the cadets were whining about the weather, which I have zero tolerance for such nonsense.

The funny part was on a break when a young female cadet approaches me and referring to my Peltor ear pro says:



"Mister xx, are those the ear thingies that take batteries?"

Me "Yes.." :confused:

Female cadet "Ooh, I bet those keep your ears nice and warm!"

For just a few seconds I stared at her in disbelief thinking that surely she must be joking, and not dumb enough to think the electronic ear pro, were actually ear warmers..

Internal monologue: "Shirley you can't be serious"..

But the bright eyes and genuinely happy look on her face confirmed that yes, she was serious.



Finally, I simply replied "Yes, yes they do."

Hah! I recently got a set of hearing aids (no snide remarks from the Peanut Gallery, you whippersnappers!) from the VA. They have Bluetooth which allows me to connect to my phone. Yesterday, I went outside to shovel the snow while listening to a Bosch detective novel on Audible Books (terrific series). I put ear pros on so I could hear the book over the scraping of the shovel and they worked quite well at keeping my ears warm

[Lost River]

You won't see me laugh about hearing aids!

Due to being on the receiving end of some rockets/mortars and getting my bell rung, I now have one.

I rarely wear the thing, due to living in a windy part of the West, and the subsequent annoying wind noise in the hearing aid.

Bluetooth though huh?

I had no idea.

[Peally]

I'm going to be honest, there's been days where I was on the range and would have been miserable if my Sordins weren't acting as ear warmers. Of course, that cuts the other way in summer ;)

[MistWolf]

You won't see me laugh about hearing aids!

Due to being on the receiving end of some rockets/mortars and getting my bell rung, I now have one.

I rarely wear the thing, due to living in a windy part of the West, and the subsequent annoying wind noise in the hearing aid.

Bluetooth though huh?

I had no idea.

I've been wearing them everyday, all day for the last month. They are pretty comfortable and I can listen to books while working without the boss noticing. I don't like having hearing loss, but I really like the Bluetooth feature.

From what I understand, the Bluetooth feature is new

[The Apprentice]

When I took my CC class the first time everything was good unfortunately some of my paperwork was messed up. I had sat on it for a year or so and couldn't get ahold of him to straighten it out. So I desided I would just suffer through it at the gun store by my range. It was pretty horrible instructor didn't know the matterial, had a full blown tactical retard who when doing the dryfire portion had to be corrected twice about where he needed to be pointing his firearm and then there was the part that sent me over the edge.

So we were going out in groups of 5 to complete the live fire portion there is a little table set up to load up behind the firing line. My group is at the table and there is another group finishing their qualification. Well lady#1 in my group knows lady#2 from the other group so #2 walks up and they start talking about the test and #1 new lcr with lazer grips.
So #2 asks to see the new gun
#1 says sure
#2 is it loaded
#1 no
#2 then proceeds to point said unloaded gun at me at which point I grab her arm and point it in to the dirt unleash a chain of explitives on her take the gun open the cylinder to confirm it is clear before giving it back to the owner. #2 then tells me that there is no reason to yell and use profanity. I'm at a loss and tell her shes got no bussiness around fire arms. Its about this time the instructor comes over and after retelling what happened I get an empty appology from a stuttering fool.

I did manage to keep all but two in the x ring rapid fire at 5 7 10 yards on a b27 because I was still pissed. Leasons learnd don't go to public ranges they will let any mouth breather be an instuctor.

[Shoresy]

Do not receive this wrong,but I've noted when women pick the guns they'll consistently outshoot their male contemporaries given similar skill level.

Of all the proletariat shooters I've seen cross my ranges doorstep,the ones at the top of my subjective RSO performance scale are all female- and not for the reasons you'd initially assume. Guys bring big guns and brag about caliber and brand. The women bring utilitarian hardware and get to work. No smart man today should decide at face value he can outshoot a female.

One of the coolest sights I noted was a pair of women -one older and one younger- who hit the lanes and did good work with a Glock 19 and a .22. No dudes around to gum up the works with ego and bluster as it were.

Whereas when women come with a mixed group of guys, look out.

Note : there's nothing wrong with taking your girl to the range. I get it ,you want to share your hobbies with your better half. But for the love of John Moses Browning, leave your ego at home. When she shoots better then you don't blame the gun,don't blame the sights, and don't blame it on your latte.

Lastly: if she's not interested stop buying guns for her. Especially if she's rather watch paint dry then shoot. Guns and range time ain't for everyone regardless of gender,but you'd be surprised how many gun crazy guys drag their wives to the range hoping she'll catch the bug. When she's standing in the back updating her Facebook rather then shooting your .40 S&W Whatever, that's a clue.

Rant brought to you by GardoneVT.

Wise words.

When my better half outshoots me, I'm just thankful that she enjoys it and is actually (somewhat) good at it. I'll take that over someone who can't shoot 8 days a week.

[SeriousStudent]

Not a commercial gun range/store, but quite memorable anyways.

Years ago I was an adjunct firearms instructor for the local college LE program, due to also being a state police instructor.

It was a cold day and many of the cadets were whining about the weather, which I have zero tolerance for such nonsense.

The funny part was on a break when a young female cadet approaches me and referring to my Peltor ear pro says:



"Mister xx, are those the ear thingies that take batteries?"

Me "Yes.." :confused:

Female cadet "Ooh, I bet those keep your ears nice and warm!"

For just a few seconds I stared at her in disbelief thinking that surely she must be joking, and not dumb enough to think the electronic ear pro, were actually ear warmers..

Internal monologue: "Shirley you can't be serious"..

But the bright eyes and genuinely happy look on her face confirmed that yes, she was serious.



Finally, I simply replied "Yes, yes they do."

Here in Texas, we just smile and say "Well bless her heart."

And I actually like being nearly deaf. It gives me a reasonable alibi to just about every stupid thing around me.

[MistWolf]

My wife insisted that I get hearing aids. She didn't find it amusing when I told her that you get hearing aids from having to listen to assholes at work

[HCountyGuy]

Do not receive this wrong,but I've noted when women pick the guns they'll consistently outshoot their male contemporaries given similar skill level.

Of all the proletariat shooters I've seen cross my ranges doorstep,the ones at the top of my subjective RSO performance scale are all female- and not for the reasons you'd initially assume. Guys bring big guns and brag about caliber and brand. The women bring utilitarian hardware and get to work. No smart man today should decide at face value he can outshoot a female.

One of the coolest sights I noted was a pair of women -one older and one younger- who hit the lanes and did good work with a Glock 19 and a .22. No dudes around to gum up the works with ego and bluster as it were.

Whereas when women come with a mixed group of guys, look out.

Note : there's nothing wrong with taking your girl to the range. I get it ,you want to share your hobbies with your better half. But for the love of John Moses Browning, leave your ego at home. When she shoots better then you don't blame the gun,don't blame the sights, and don't blame it on your latte.

Lastly: if she's not interested stop buying guns for her. Especially if she's rather watch paint dry then shoot. Guns and range time ain't for everyone regardless of gender,but you'd be surprised how many gun crazy guys drag their wives to the range hoping she'll catch the bug. When she's standing in the back updating her Facebook rather then shooting your .40 S&W Whatever, that's a clue.

Rant brought to you by GardoneVT.

My wife is a pretty good shot and has outshot me on more than one occasion.

There's been an instance or two she's related to me being approached by some dipwad while shooting at the range, offering to help her. She always declines and informs them that her husband taught her plenty, and usually outshoots the idiot trying to offer his "expertise".

Stay in your lane gents, especially if your shooting looks like you were having a seizure.

[Lost River]

Do not receive this wrong,but I've noted when women pick the guns they'll consistently outshoot their male contemporaries given similar skill level.

Of all the proletariat shooters I've seen cross my ranges doorstep,the ones at the top of my subjective RSO performance scale are all female- and not for the reasons you'd initially assume. Guys bring big guns and brag about caliber and brand. The women bring utilitarian hardware and get to work. No smart man today should decide at face value he can outshoot a female.

One of the coolest sights I noted was a pair of women -one older and one younger- who hit the lanes and did good work with a Glock 19 and a .22. No dudes around to gum up the works with ego and bluster as it were.

Whereas when women come with a mixed group of guys, look out.

Note : there's nothing wrong with taking your girl to the range. I get it ,you want to share your hobbies with your better half. But for the love of John Moses Browning, leave your ego at home. When she shoots better then you don't blame the gun,don't blame the sights, and don't blame it on your latte.

Lastly: if she's not interested stop buying guns for her. Especially if she's rather watch paint dry then shoot. Guns and range time ain't for everyone regardless of gender,but you'd be surprised how many gun crazy guys drag their wives to the range hoping she'll catch the bug. When she's standing in the back updating her Facebook rather then shooting your .40 S&W Whatever, that's a clue.

Rant brought to you by GardoneVT.


Nothing unusual about that.

For years I taught classes to civilians, including CCW classes.

It did not take long to figure out that to make things go smoother, that husbands and wives, BFs and GFs needed to be seperated, so the male half would quit "teaching" and showing his "little lady" all the stuff he knew.

The vast majority of men seem to think that they are born with the skill sets to be naturally great drivers, incredible in bed, excellent shots and good fighters. Their ego is very much wrapped up/associated with those things.

What I found (along with a shit load of people who teach firearms related classes) is that women (generally speaking) have no ego wrapped up in dealing with firearms.

Once you discover what their preferred learning method is (auditory, kinesthetic, etc) they actually listen, and apply what you teach them. On an average,when dealing with neophytes, by a considerable margin, it has always been easier to teach women than men to shoot.

Plus I truly think that they have better hand eye coordination.

The female only classes I taught were some of the smoothest classes ever.

The WORST students by far were older men who had been shooting for years. Especially from the generation who grew up with, and used revolvers for years before semi autos became prevalent.

They already know everything (except what a sight picture is actually supposed to look like), don't listen, and absolutely CANNOT keep their finger off the trigger, when their guns are no longer pointed at a target. These "experienced" older male shooters were BY FAR, substantially more dangerous than any other group of shooters.

They stand with their gun pointed somewhere other than the target, with their finger on the trigger.
Perform reloads with their finger on the trigger.
Carry on conversations with others, with their finger on the trigger. Etc, etc.

After one incident with a late 70s, early 80s gent named Harold, who when asked to stop shooting, and please join the rest of the class, turned around and began talking to me with his finger on the trigger of his PPK. The hammer was back, and was pointed directly at my chest, at a range of about a foot. After that was resolved, I started calling all older guys who exhibited the same incredible firearms skills "Harold".

[jiminycricket]

I'm sure some of us have before encountered the stereotype of gun owners as being aging, uneducated, bible-thumping, rednecks. Of course most of us know that's BS. Here in Louisville, we only have one indoor gun range for the whole county, and when I worked there, it was nice to see confirmation of that blatant BS.
Louisville is home to some of the largest refugee populations in the US. That coupled with immigrants makes the city fairly diverse. The demographics of our clients at the range were pretty much a slice of the demographics for the whole metro area. I'm talking all walks of life. We would also get many east coast and west coast tourists as well. I took pride in welcoming and instructing anybody that came in who had a good head on their shoulders. Having said all that, one incident made me wonder about the stereotypes of the polish people. Hey, don't get mad; I have a friend who is part polish lol.
I was alone working the front counter checking in guests for the range. Keep in my mind we didn't have a dedicated RSO. So I literally was working alone which wasn't uncommon. It was a Sunday, and Sunday's were always the worst. Our regulars would be lined up at the door as soon I unlocked it in the morning, but they were always great. I knew what they needed, what lanes they preferred, and I could get both bays filled in a snap. They'd leave by noon and there would be a dry spell for about an hour, and then all the weirdest mofos would decide to shoot at the range.
A man in his forties who I recognized came in with his father who I never met before. They wanted a lane together, and they brought their own targets. Not a problem, but the targets were 12" squared. So I gave them a roll of masking tape and told them they'll have to tape their targets onto a larger used target when they get inside the bay. They acknowledged this, and I assigned them a lane. I continued to check in some more clients, so when freed up after a few minutes passed, I decided to check in on the bays.
"Dammit" I thought to myself. The father and son indeed taped their target up, but not onto a used full-sized target. Instead they taped it directly onto the electric target carrier.
So I go in, grab a full-size target, and present it to them. I politely explain the problem to them, and the father just stares at me, then at the target carrier, then me, then the carrier again. When he looks back at me one last time, he squints at me and says in a very thick polish accent, "I think we're fine." I thought to myself, are you f'ing serious? And I told him, "no sir, it's not fine." Fortunately his son came forward and took the used target, and all was well. However, when I checked them out, the father was still giving me a pissy look.

[ragnar_d]

I was once on a range where one RO disarmed another one in the middle of a big range day safety brief because the RO in question, in demonstrating what was not a safe direction, swept about 50 people who were attending said briefing. I couldn't believe my freaking eyes.

[wadavis]

Spent some time as the CRSO at a large outdoor shooting facility. I would rather be beaten than do that again.

[Joe in PNG]

The range back home host matches on the rifle range. The rifle range is typically only open on Saturdays.
Every. Single. Surface was covered with bullet marks. Walls, floor, ceiling- with about one mark every 4 square inches.
It shocks and amazes me every single time.

Then again, I once found a .22lr hole in the side of my target, and 1) I was shooting 9mm 2) there was nobody within 4 lanes of me.

[Olim9]

Was shooting at the range and a guy hosting a "ccw class" to a bunch of beginner shooters started trying to give me unsolicited shooting advice.

Motherfucker has his assistant or whatever run downrange and check targets on a hot range. There weren't much people shooting but still. Christ. He tried to lecture me on muzzle orientation when I didn't even point my gun anywhere but the target. Not too keen on taking either shooting or safety tips from someone such as him.

Oh, and this one time I see someone double up his .454 into the roof. Gotta love weekends.

[byrdland]

I was at an outdoor range in Southern Indiana. I was sighting in a .308 rifle. I had two targets at about 80 and 100 yards. Several guys to my left were taking turns shooting an AK47. I noticed I had more holes in my targets than the rounds I had fired. One guy to my left was hitting the ground in front of the target, putting debris holes in it. Occasionally he would actually hit the fairly large cardboard box the target was taped to. I asked him "Are you shooting my targets, I'm trying to sight in a rifle and can't tell what I'm doing if you put holes in my f....king target". He said "Which one". So, here I am screaming at a guy with an AK47, and about that time a young lady to my right who was being "instructed" by her boyfriend turns around to talk to him, pointing here pistol at me and he is laughing his butt off. I start waving my hands saying "Ma'am NO!" I thought to myself " If I step back 3 paces, maybe they will shoot each other". I left immediately and haven't been back. The smart people who use that range get there at first light and leave before the crowd shows up. (No RO at this place)

[butler coach]

Two quick stories
So here in Pennsylvania the first day of gun deer season is the Monday after thanksgiving, so that means that Friday and Saturday after thanksgiving the “hunters” find their rifles run to Walmart buy a box of shells and get ready. I get the pleasure of going to my inlaws Friday and Saturday so I usually head to the local gun club for the “show”. Now this is very rural Pa. in a town that if most have been there that is because they are lost. Anyway, I go to the club and took the .44 contender to shoot at their steel plates and junk at 200 yards, I am bull-shitting to a nice guy who was doing same thing when “they” showed up. 4 guys in car get out walk out to 25 yard backer, staple target, walk back to firing line, load 4 each out of same box of shells into their leaver action guns, line up and shoot like it’s the civil war. After all guns were empty back in the trunk they go, no cases or anything. We watch as they walk out to a target with NO holes on it at all, out of 16 shots not one hit, they point to some holes in backer and proclaim “I think this is one”. And you guessed it back to the car get in and drive away, time for a straub beer and huntin. Straub beer is the beer that is brewed in town, located in St Marys Pennsylvania.
Story 2
Same town only at gun store. They are the only sporting goods store in town other than Walmart. I go in just to look at used rack can sometimes find some deals to feed my addiction. I walk in start my search when I over hear the statement “this is a really good gun for women” well fuck now I am listening. So women came in because while hiking she saw a black bear a few times. Kind of common in area, but wants a gun just in case. The gun yep double action only .38 spl Taurus. So sales man shows her how to load it, how to just pull the trigger she is sold. Now time for ammo he does do a good job explaining practice ammo vs carry ammo, I was shocked, she states well just give me the good ones because I will not shoot this unless I have to. She pays, show is over so I though, before she leaves she asks sales guy can you load it for me before I leave AND HE DOES!!! Loaded gun into cardboard box and out the door.
I walked around for a few seconds then could not help myself so I ask sales guy “did she have a permit?” He says I don’t know and not my problem. In Pa you have to have a permit for concealed carry, if not it is a felony. Still wonder if she kilt the bear that kilt her, or how the hell she is carrying it.

[Zincwarrior]

I was preparing to shoot in an HD simulator training scenario, my gun, real bullets. I slid a fully loaded old military magazine in my Kimber .45 and stepped to the line. I thumbed the slide release, Mr. Kimber slammed shut, and I came to the ready. Just as the scenario began to unfold on the screen, the spot welds on the magazine floor plate let go. The floor plate, magazine spring, follower and all 7 rounds went out the bottom of the Kimber, all bouncing around at my feet. I racked the slide to eject the one round still in the chamber, and I remember feeling like I just got a classic lesson in "Murphy's Law", and what can happen when one uses crappy old magazines. I now only use Wilson mags with a crimped bottom. If it can go wrong..........

Well I've heard of "dumping ammo" before but you sir, have taken it to a whole other level. :D

[Grey]

http://heatst.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/trump-orange.jpg?w=1200&h=630&crop=1&quality=80&strip=info

"I'm not Dutch...I really don't understand your point."
Dude you made my day!

[blues]

Dude you made my day!

My pleasure. Hope to be able to do it again. :cool:

[Francis]

Waiting in line for a range lane today. The RO, who is not really on the range but behind a glass window on the store side of the range so he can process people on to the range, asks a couple of guys ahead of me if they have any questions before going on to the range with their rentals. One of them replies he has never shot a gun before and needs to know how to operate his pistol (M&P9). RO proceeds to give a machine gun pace explanation of how to check for clear, charge and point a pistol. RO then assigns them a lane in the middle so he can keep an eye on them. I do a quick risk calculation and probably foolishly decide to stay. When it’s my turn the RO grants me my request to take the lane by the far wall. Putting me as far away from them as possible.

[GardoneVT]

Perhaps ive reposted this here earlier, but its a tale worth re-telling anyways.

The word "Kimber" takes on a iconic reverence inside a gun store or range counter. The owner becomes an ascended being, an elevated soul, the way someone driving a BMW made before 2005 feels on the open road. Eyes open, mouths open, and egos bloom.

Its the latter symptom of Kimber ownership i'd come to hate this day. Mr Kimber checks in and shows off his beat up, worn Custom II (Not TLE) which may have had a retail value of $600 tops. In the process of bloviating about stopping power and how the 1911 once killed God rather then Nietzche , his pistol wound up pointed at me sitting on the range desk.

" Sir , could you point your pistol in THE safe direction?"

'Hey man its OK, the guns unloaded, you just saw me clear it'

No hoss. You don't get to waive the 4 rules on my range.

"And?"

**annoyed huff** he picks up the gun and points it just off at me."So, my Kimber 45 is pretty cool man....I hit the target real easy at 7 yards ...."

I take the gun, lock the slide open, and point it at the proper safe direction.

Dude didn't like that. Not at all.

"Whyd you touch my gun again?!"

At this I just glared at him. Unfortunately the anti's frequent rant about guns equating to manhood ring true for some folk............

[Kyle Reese]

Perhaps ive reposted this here earlier, but its a tale worth re-telling anyways.

The word "Kimber" takes on a iconic reverence inside a gun store or range counter. The owner becomes an ascended being, an elevated soul, the way someone driving a BMW made before 2005 feels on the open road. Eyes open, mouths open, and egos bloom.

Its the latter symptom of Kimber ownership i'd come to hate this day. Mr Kimber checks in and shows off his beat up, worn Custom II (Not TLE) which may have had a retail value of $600 tops. In the process of bloviating about stopping power and how the 1911 once killed God rather then Nietzche , his pistol wound up pointed at me sitting on the range desk.

" Sir , could you point your pistol in THE safe direction?"

'Hey man its OK, the guns unloaded, you just saw me clear it'

No hoss. You don't get to waive the 4 rules on my range.

"And?"

**annoyed huff** he picks up the gun and points it just off at me."So, my Kimber 45 is pretty cool man....I hit the target real easy at 7 yards ...."

I take the gun, lock the slide open, and point it at the proper safe direction.

Dude didn't like that. Not at all.

"Whyd you touch my gun again?!"

At this I just glared at him. Unfortunately the anti's frequent rant about guns equating to manhood ring true for some folk............

"I've been around guns muh whole life."

[luckyman]

Two quick stories
So here in Pennsylvania the first day of gun deer season is the Monday after thanksgiving, so that means that Friday and Saturday after thanksgiving the “hunters” find their rifles run to Walmart buy a box of shells and get ready. I get the pleasure of going to my inlaws Friday and Saturday so I usually head to the local gun club for the “show”. Now this is very rural Pa. in a town that if most have been there that is because they are lost. Anyway, I go to the club and took the .44 contender to shoot at their steel plates and junk at 200 yards, I am bull-shitting to a nice guy who was doing same thing when “they” showed up. 4 guys in car get out walk out to 25 yard backer, staple target, walk back to firing line, load 4 each out of same box of shells into their leaver action guns, line up and shoot like it’s the civil war. After all guns were empty back in the trunk they go, no cases or anything. We watch as they walk out to a target with NO holes on it at all, out of 16 shots not one hit, they point to some holes in backer and proclaim “I think this is one”. And you guessed it back to the car get in and drive away, time for a straub beer and huntin. Straub beer is the beer that is brewed in town, located in St Marys Pennsylvania.
Story 2
Same town only at gun store. They are the only sporting goods store in town other than Walmart. I go in just to look at used rack can sometimes find some deals to feed my addiction. I walk in start my search when I over hear the statement “this is a really good gun for women” well fuck now I am listening. So women came in because while hiking she saw a black bear a few times. Kind of common in area, but wants a gun just in case. The gun yep double action only .38 spl Taurus. So sales man shows her how to load it, how to just pull the trigger she is sold. Now time for ammo he does do a good job explaining practice ammo vs carry ammo, I was shocked, she states well just give me the good ones because I will not shoot this unless I have to. She pays, show is over so I though, before she leaves she asks sales guy can you load it for me before I leave AND HE DOES!!! Loaded gun into cardboard box and out the door.
I walked around for a few seconds then could not help myself so I ask sales guy “did she have a permit?” He says I don’t know and not my problem. In Pa you have to have a permit for concealed carry, if not it is a felony. Still wonder if she kilt the bear that kilt her, or how the hell she is carrying it.

Pretty impressive when you go to check out a place on Google Maps and the only other things that show up on your screen are "state game lands #25" and "state game lands #293"

[ReverendMeat]

"I've been around guns muh whole life."

Said right before he tries releasing the locked-back slide on a handgun by pulling the trigger repeatedly.

[farscott]

A couple of (unfortunately) true stories that are the reasons I no longer shoot on ranges open to the public and have a backyard range.

Back when I lived in Kennesaw, GA, my normal Saturday morning routine included a trip to Ed's Gun & Tackle in Marietta. That was where I did my usual weekly practice. I am getting checked into the range when I hear a report that sounds a bit louder than usual and one of the shelves holding the handguns on the back wall rattles. After a few clueless moments, I see that there is a hole in one of the doors that separates the sales floor from the range. Yes, someone launched a round from inside the range into the sales floor. Luckily only the door and shelf were damaged. My practice session, of course, never started as I was sufficiently shook to call it a day.

A few years before the above, I was on the line when I witnessed a Ruger Blackhawk in .41 Magnum come apart. The top half of the frame flew over the shooter's right shoulder and hit the range wall. The shooter was remarkably calm after the fact and mentioned something about that not being the first time that had happened to him. Yes, he loaded his own ammo.

[Doge]

GardoneVT

You might enjoy this.

I'm at the indoor range shooting my 1911 when a derp sees me shooting my 1911.

Thanks to my electronic ear pro I hear this conversation between "Fur years" and the RSO.

Fur Years: what kind of 1911 is that guy shooting real fast?

RSO: oh that's (redacted) he's shooting his Wilson Combat, really sweet gun

Fur Years: *huff* never heard of them, my buddy has a Colt and I got a top of the line Kimber Custom .45




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[1slow]

Kimber and top of the line are not remotely related !

[Doge]

Kimber and top of the line are not remotely related !

They are at big box stores :P


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GardoneVT]

GardoneVT

You might enjoy this.

I'm at the indoor range shooting my 1911 when a derp sees me shooting my 1911.

Thanks to my electronic ear pro I hear this conversation between "Fur years" and the RSO.

Fur Years: what kind of 1911 is that guy shooting real fast?

RSO: oh that's (redacted) he's shooting his Wilson Combat, really sweet gun

Fur Years: *huff* never heard of them, my buddy has a Colt and I got a top of the line Kimber Custom .45




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I confess a variation of this dialogue has happened with me before.

However the ending is a little different.

...."At a range somewhere in the cold wastes of South Dakota..."


I finish my drills for the day, including a 25 yard pass with my practice Beretta.

I re-enter the range lounge and check in area to find two older men deep in discussion. It ends with one of them saying this :

"Aw man real nice shooting ! I can't even hit what I aim at in 7 yards. Whatcha shooting?!"

'Beretta 9mm'

His face scrunched up with a funny look like he's an actor on set of a Guy Ritchie action movie.

"Oh"

I could almost hear the crickets chirp.........

[Poconnor]

I saw an old S&W model 10 ( no model number stamped on frame) that was marked model 26. When I asked they showed me an old gun digest and pointed to the picture. They wanted 2000.00 buckets for it. They went out of business

[HCountyGuy]

Just got back from the range by my in-laws. While working on some accuracy fundamentals (http://pistol-training.com/archives/81) with my sister-in-law, a couple arrives in the lane to our left. As their target reaches their preferred distance, I see a red laser appear and start dancing around on the paper. After a few rounds, which were all over the place, I overhear the husband complaining about he doesn't think the laser is accurate.

I took a step back out of my lane and stared a hole into the back of his head as I contemplated informing him that the laser was likely sighted correctly and he just sucks. I finally just shook my head and returned to instructing my SIL.

[Jim Watson]

My club used to have open range the last few days before deer season to allow nonmembers to sight in. A few:
1. The scope sight mounted to present an "X" reticle instead of "+" .
2. The guy who complained that he needed to adjust to the left but the "L" knob only moved his shots down. You got it, scope mounted at 90 degrees. (Actually I have one like that myself, but that was what it took to keep empties from hitting the knob and bouncing back into the action.)
3. And my favorite, the intrepid woodsmen who showed up at the range late morning of Opening Day because they had already missed their deer.

[Lester Polfus]

2. The guy who complained that he needed to adjust to the left but the "L" knob only moved his shots down. You got it, scope mounted at 90 degrees. (Actually I have one like that myself, but that was what it took to keep empties from hitting the knob and bouncing back into the action.)


A friend of mine in Connecticut got a smoking deal on a Winchester Model 70 with the scope mounted like that. The guy thought it was a POS because he couldn't get it sighted in. The screws on the mount were all pretty loose too.

[BehindBlueI's]

The indoor range I shoot at holds your driver's license on a peg board in the office until you are done with your lane. They showed me a guy's license where he put a piece of tape on the back and wrote "I am a paranoid schitsophrenic and have delusions." (Spelling recreation may be a touch off, but it was definitely misspelled) It was just written with an ink pen. Seemed...odd.

I've also walked in on this conversation:
Clerk: I can't sell you a gun, you reek of weed.
Sum Dood: That ain't weed.
Clerk: Dood, it's weed. I can't sell you a gun.
Sum Dood: *bitch fit about how it's something that's totally not weed but just smells like weed*
Clerk: Detective, what do you think? Does this guy smell like weed to you?
Sum Dood scoots toward the door and disappears.
Clerk: Regular lane?

[ACP230]

The outdoor range I used most sometimes features bear tracks between
the range house and the 25 yard berm. One wet spring there was a puddle to
the left of the same berm with a mallard drake swimming around in it.

[Drang]

The outdoor range I used most sometimes features bear tracks between the range house and the 25 yard berm....
Friend of mine told me they came out of a club meeting and witnessed a cougar taking down an elk.*


(*For the locals, it was Bob Coval, RIP, at the Ravensdale clubhouse.)

[Corey]

Memories flooding back. I go to Cabela's and they have SW 632 (327 mag) marked as a 22 LR. I tell the young clerk. He gets huffy and says the model 63 is a 22. True and there is a 63-2 which is 22 but this is a 632 (no dash). Older clerk comes by and says the tag comes from corporate distribution. It was still there a few weeks later.

It would have been fun to see some load it with 22 LR. Wonder what would happen?

I can promise you this was a BS excuse. I'm a part timer at Cabela's and I regularly print tags. We have never received a single tag from corporate.

[Corey]

I no longer go to public shooting ranges. I became so hypervigilant I just stopped enjoying it. In part because:

I would go to a local indoor range on late mornings on weekdays and usually have the place to myself, so I felt fairly safe. I went one day, and a guy I knew also happened to be there. I trusted him, so we were having an enjoyable time shooting.

In walks a guy with what was probably a .32 or .380, some sort of small pistol with a hammer. We can't see him very well because of the dividers, but it's clear he's having trouble. In the process of loading a live round goes sailing across the deck. One fired bullet hits the target stand, etc.

Me and my friend both look at each other at the same time, and he says "let's go get lunch." We pack quickly, and have to walk past the third guy on way out.

As we walk past he reaches up to adjust his ear muffs with both hands. Unfortunately, he still has the pistol in his right hand, with the hammer cocked, and HIS FINGER ON THE TRIGGER.

At exactly the same time, me and my friend both say something like "AHHHHH" and reach out toward the guy, and at the exact instant also realize we shouldn't touch him and draw back. We both later admitted we just didn't want to get any brains on us.

He managed to adjust his muffs without killing himself and we left. On the way out we told the single employee, who was supposed to man the register and be RSO at the same time, what was up.

I never went back.

Similar story but it happened in the last century.

I was teaching the Arizona CCW class back when that was a brand new thing. The course required a marksmanship test and a judgemental shooting test. For the judgemental shooting test I would take the students out on the range one at a time. I had a simple turning target system with appropriate shoot and no shoot targets. I tell a student who was much older than me out on the line and tell him to load and make ready. After loading his gun, but before decocking, he realizes his hearing protectors are still hanging around his neck so of course he reaches up with both hands to put them on. I did a little duck and cover until he gets the gun pointed downrange again and then the next range command I gave him was unload and show clear. He was a little confused since he hadn't shot yet and so I explained to him, "You failed the judgemental shooting test before it got started."

I explained to him what he had done and he had a shocked look on his face and quietly replied, "Wow, I really fucked up". He was one of those people that could actually learn from a mistake. He surprised me again by telling the others in the class exactly what had happened as a warning to be careful and think before you act. That almost made up for what he had done in my eyes.

I have a few other good ones that happened this century that I will post later. The gun store experiences I have to try to remember, I've used some strong medications to help me forget them.

[RJ]

Just got back from the range by my in-laws. While working on some accuracy fundamentals (http://pistol-training.com/archives/81) with my sister-in-law, a couple arrives in the lane to our left. As their target reaches their preferred distance, I see a red laser appear and start dancing around on the paper. After a few rounds, which were all over the place, I overhear the husband complaining about he doesn't think the laser is accurate.




That happens to me seemingly every range trip.

Guy this last Monday had a laser as he set up at five yards (the minimum distance). Target ended up looking like it was hit by buckshot. It is kinda distracting but it's just part of the fun and games of shooting at the public range. Unless it's safety related, I just get on with trying to accomplish what I came for.

I do get more than a few stares as I run my B8s out to 25 yards. Mind you, I can only maybe get 7 or 8 out of 10 rounds scoring on paper (PR = 83-0X). But it's fairly clear most folks can't comprehend the concept of scoring a target at 75 feet.

What I really enjoy though is being next to the camo-pant rifle dude with 86 things mounted on his AR Rail, and me getting better scores than him with my subcompact pistol. :cool:


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[1911nerd]

It has been a while since I've been to a public range, but today did not disappoint. I was running a bolt .308 but most on the nearby benches seemed to be running ARs. The guy at the next bench over to the left was fairly typical of what you might expect: a no-name AR with a 20x scope set up to shoot at the 50yd line and not just to get on the paper. After banging away with that for a while he pulled out a surplus bolt gun. I couldn't see what it was, but it appeared to be a 9.3x62. Anyway, he'd fuss with the bolt, jam on it hard, and every third round or so partially extract and then toss the loaded round down range. After seeing him repeat this several times, I watched as he finally extracted and ejected a loaded round at my feet. Only problem was, the loaded round was very clearly embedded through the base of a case that had had its case head torn off.

[fixer]

This thread makes me so glad I'm fortunate enough have local ranges where I can practice in my own outdoor bay. Unfortunately even that isn't always enough... Here are four examples of "curious things seen at the range".

1. Brass rat

I was practicing at my home range, in one of the outdoor bays. The bay is ~50’ long and 30’ wide. I had set up 3 USPSA metric targets and was working on shooting into and out of position at 15 yds. I guess I was really in the zone, because my situational awareness was disturbingly low. I didn’t realize anyone was in the bay with me until I heard something behind me. I looked back--there was a guy crouching down right behind me! I backed up and yelled “What the FUCK are you doing???” It was truly ancient dude picking up my brass and putting it into a sack. He said, “Oh, do you want your brass?” Before I sent him on his way, I made him pour out the contents of the bag, which he argued about because he claimed the brass hadn’t all come from my gun. Note to self: check your 6 more often.



Dude...same thing here except, and I kid you freaking not--guy goes right into the line of fire in the middle of my string of shooting.

This is an outdoor range and the brass rats are as common as the lizards out here in the desert. There is no active RO either.

So like you I enquire into the dumbfuckery. I was told that he is just going to pick up some brass. "I'm just gonna pick up this brass here and I'll be done"

I expressed my serious reserve and incredulousness.

He just kept on picking up every single damn brass casing. Completely ignored me. This guys was a real headcase. I backed all the way out of the lane and just watched. Even after he left (45 minutes) I was watching my 6 like a street cop in Compton.

It took 45 minutes for him to leave. I wasn't gonna go hands on. It wasn't worth it but damn what an impudent ass.

I attempted to call the range office but they were closed that day.

This was literally the dumbest thing I've ever seen personally at the range.

On the positive side, I got to practice a real life shoot, no shoot scenario.

[blues]

As I've said before...it sucks when the only safe place to train is inside your walk-in closet.

I try to stay away from public / indoor ranges as much as I possibly can except to qualify annually for LEOSA.

Thankfully, around here there are ample sites on private property to shoot with friends and neighbors.

[Kyle Reese]

Dude...same thing here except, and I kid you freaking not--guy goes right into the line of fire in the middle of my string of shooting.

This is an outdoor range and the brass rats are as common as the lizards out here in the desert. There is no active RO either.

So like you I enquire into the dumbfuckery. I was told that he is just going to pick up some brass. "I'm just gonna pick up this brass here and I'll be done"

I expressed my serious reserve and incredulousness.

He just kept on picking up every single damn brass casing. Completely ignored me. This guys was a real headcase. I backed all the way out of the lane and just watched. Even after he left (45 minutes) I was watching my 6 like a street cop in Compton.

It took 45 minutes for him to leave. I wasn't gonna go hands on. It wasn't worth it but damn what an impudent ass.

I attempted to call the range office but they were closed that day.

This was literally the dumbest thing I've ever seen personally at the range.

On the positive side, I got to practice a real life shoot, no shoot scenario.

I'm shooting nothing but Russian steel-cased 9x19 for practice now, and I wish I still had some of the Danish HMAK 9x19 that I picked up in the mid-00's. Beautiful brass cased ammo, but Berdan primed. Perfect comeuppance for brass thieves.

[Lost River]

The indoor range I shoot at holds your driver's license on a peg board in the office until you are done with your lane. They showed me a guy's license where he put a piece of tape on the back and wrote "I am a paranoid schitsophrenic and have delusions." (Spelling recreation may be a touch off, but it was definitely misspelled) It was just written with an ink pen. Seemed...odd.

I've also walked in on this conversation:
Clerk: I can't sell you a gun, you reek of weed.
Sum Dood: That ain't weed.
Clerk: Dood, it's weed. I can't sell you a gun.
Sum Dood: *bitch fit about how it's something that's totally not weed but just smells like weed*
Clerk: Detective, what do you think? Does this guy smell like weed to you?
Sum Dood scoots toward the door and disappears.
Clerk: Regular lane?



That is actually a smart move by the guy with the mental health problems. Probably knows that eventually he will have a relapse and not be in his right mind. That piece of info on his driver's license may be massively important for a first responder, especially a newer, younger officer who does not have much experience dealing with such folks. The schizophrenic has likely been down the rabbit hole a few times, and is trying to plan ahead.

It is extremely hard to differentiate between paranoid schizophrenia and meth psychosis. Deep into a psychosis, a person suffering may have no way to communicate rationally their personal situation.

I had one older female who had some very serious long term mental health issues, and was extremely violent when suffering from her delusions. She actually believed that people she may encounter were honest to God, Demons.

I was the only person who had had any success with her. She was phenomenally trying on a guy's patience, and probably the single most frustrating person I had dealt with in years. More than a few times we had to physically subdue her, basically hogtie her, so she wouldn't kick windows out of a patrolman's car. We would then take her to the ER, where a nurse or doc would give her a shot of Haldol in her ass. She would even try to urinate on first responders. I think the technical diagnosis by an ER doc friend was "Batshit crazy".

One thing that really worked (sometimes) with her, was that I had a sticky note on my computer at work, and would call her every week after a morning meeting and check on her. This was mostly so she would recognize my voice. During a moment of lucidity, I had her sign a waiver that allowed me to look at her medical records and discuss her condition with her regular docs/therapists.

Believe it or not, I had to get over some barriers with the medical folks in order to convince them that I was actually an advocate for her, and not trying to lock her up, or put charges on her.

One thing I did, and subsequently taught (I used to teach an annual 40 hour CIT crisis intervention team academy) was that I had given "Dorothy" my business card, that she kept tacked up on her fridge. On the back of the card, I had written "Friend/Advocate". This helped sometimes to convince her that I was trying to help, instead of harm her.

Schizophrenics/ schizo affective types can be a phenomenal challenge, and there is often very little reward. That said, I am convinced that every department needs a few experienced officers who are willing to deal with such headaches and learn how to deal with the folks who suffer, the medical community, and the legal aspects. It is a royal pain, and not nearly as glamorous as swat, or other "look at me" specialties. It is also a thinking person's skill set, that requires constant, continuing education.

Dorothy ended up being a rare success story. Working with prosecutors and docs, I ended up making her a ward of the state. In a very brief interim, I ended up being legally in charge of her, which I told everyone involved (including the judge) that I was morally and ethically opposed to an LEO or LE agency filling such a role, as it set a bad precedent, and it was a role better served by a person in the medical community. The problem was that nobody wanted to deal with her. I was told by that same judge that that was exactly why he was making me her interim charge.

Through hurdles we transferred that authority to the state. Start to finish, I want to say that part took a bit over a year. Neither myself or anyone in the prosecutor's office had ever done something like that before, so we had to learn how to do it along the way.

It all finally worked out, and now she has a person who visits her and makes sure she takes her medicines every single day. Before she would get feeling better and stop taking her meds, thus spiraling down the rabbit hole.

We went from dozens of calls a month from/involving "Dorothy" to no calls for over a year and a half.

I was exceptionally relieved to be done with that case.

[okie john]

That is actually a smart move by the guy with the mental health problems. Probably knows that eventually he will have a relapse and not be in his right mind. That piece of info on his driver's license may be massively important for a first responder, especially a newer, younger officer who does not have much experience dealing with such folks. The schizophrenic has likely been down the rabbit hole a few times, and is trying to plan ahead.

It is extremely hard to differentiate between paranoid schizophrenia and meth psychosis. Deep into a psychosis, a person suffering may have no way to communicate rationally their personal situation.

I had one older female who had some very serious long term mental health issues, and was extremely violent when suffering from her delusions. She actually believed that people she may encounter were honest to God, Demons.

I was the only person who had had any success with her. She was phenomenally trying on a guy's patience, and probably the single most frustrating person I had dealt with in years. More than a few times we had to physically subdue her, basically hogtie her, so she wouldn't kick windows out of a patrolman's car. We would then take her to the ER, where a nurse or doc would give her a shot of Haldol in her ass. She would even try to urinate on first responders. I think the technical diagnosis by an ER doc friend was "Batshit crazy".

One thing that really worked (sometimes) with her, was that I had a sticky note on my computer at work, and would call her every week after a morning meeting and check on her. This was mostly so she would recognize my voice. During a moment of lucidity, I had her sign a waiver that allowed me to look at her medical records and discuss her condition with her regular docs/therapists.

Believe it or not, I had to get over some barriers with the medical folks in order to convince them that I was actually an advocate for her, and not trying to lock her up, or put charges on her.

One thing I did, and subsequently taught (I used to teach an annual 40 hour CIT crisis intervention team academy) was that I had given "Dorothy" my business card, that she kept tacked up on her fridge. On the back of the card, I had written "Friend/Advocate". This helped sometimes to convince her that I was trying to help, instead of harm her.

Schizophrenics/ schizo affective types can be a phenomenal challenge, and there is often very little reward. That said, I am convinced that every department needs a few experienced officers who are willing to deal with such headaches and learn how to deal with the folks who suffer, the medical community, and the legal aspects. It is a royal pain, and not nearly as glamorous as swat, or other "look at me" specialties. It is also a thinking person's skill set, that requires constant, continuing education.

Dorothy ended up being a rare success story. Working with prosecutors and docs, I ended up making her a ward of the state. In a very brief interim, I ended up being legally in charge of her, which I told everyone involved (including the judge) that I was morally and ethically opposed to an LEO or LE agency filling such a role, as it set a bad precedent, and it was a role better served by a person in the medical community. The problem was that nobody wanted to deal with her. I was told by that same judge that that was exactly why he was making me her interim charge.

Through hurdles we transferred that authority to the state. Start to finish, I want to say that part took a bit over a year. Neither myself or anyone in the prosecutor's office had ever done something like that before, so we had to learn how to do it along the way.

It all finally worked out, and now she has a person who visits her and makes sure she takes her medicines every single day. Before she would get feeling better and stop taking her meds, thus spiraling down the rabbit hole.

We went from dozens of calls a month from/involving "Dorothy" to no calls for over a year and a half.

I was exceptionally relieved to be done with that case.

You truly did the Lord's work here.


Okie John

[MichaelD]

You truly did the Lord's work here.


Okie John
I second that.

[Clusterfrack]

Dude...same thing here except, and I kid you freaking not--guy goes right into the line of fire in the middle of my string of shooting.

This is an outdoor range and the brass rats are as common as the lizards out here in the desert. There is no active RO either.

So like you I enquire into the dumbfuckery. I was told that he is just going to pick up some brass. "I'm just gonna pick up this brass here and I'll be done"

I expressed my serious reserve and incredulousness.

He just kept on picking up every single damn brass casing. Completely ignored me. This guys was a real headcase. I backed all the way out of the lane and just watched. Even after he left (45 minutes) I was watching my 6 like a street cop in Compton.

It took 45 minutes for him to leave. I wasn't gonna go hands on. It wasn't worth it but damn what an impudent ass.

I attempted to call the range office but they were closed that day.

This was literally the dumbest thing I've ever seen personally at the range.

On the positive side, I got to practice a real life shoot, no shoot scenario.

Unbefuckinglievable. We had a number of similar incidents after mine happened, and the ROs now have a policy that (imagine this) people who are actually shooting have priority over brass collectors. I've had to call the ROs twice to evict brass rats from bays.

[ragnar_d]

Ugh. I fucking hate brass rats. I was RO'ing a squad at a local match down in FL when I probably came closest to stick one into a berm head first.

Typical USPSA local match stuff, help paste when you weren't up to shoot, help paint/reset steel, etc. etc. Everyone was doing their part . . . except for one guy. He must have thought he was on the Super Squad or something. Spent 2-3 shooters getting ready and then 2-3 shooters squaring away his gear after. On top of that, despite my suggestions that he assist his squad mates, he decided he wanted to spend all day picking up brass with his little pickup tool instead of trying to get everyone through and gone (it was July or August . . . there's plenty of motivation to get done fast). Didn't matter what it was, if it hit the ground he scrounged it up . . ..38 Super, .40, 9, .45 . . . into his little bucket it went. Tried to suggest that he help out but why should Mr. I Been Doin' This for Years pay heed to a 25 year old RO.

Then we got to the last stage and as myself and my buddy were getting ready to run the squad through he comes up for a little discussion
Douchebag: "Hey, can I shoot first. I'd like to leave as soon as possible."
*internal record scratch/party stopping moment*
Me: "'Scuse me?"
D:"I was hoping you could put me first so I could shoot and leave."
Me:"I don't think so. Match director gave the RO's direction that everyone on the squad stays to help break down the stage after the match unless they have an urgent need to leave for something. Otherwise,I'm to lose the scoresheet on the way to the shack. I don't think pussing out is a valid reason."
D: *Starts to stammer out a protest*
Me: "Hey, if you had helped out and busted ass like everyone else in the squad did, we'd probably have be done sooner. Sorry for your luck."

Duder sulks off to the corner and I look at my buddy running the scoresheets and just say, "He's DFL."

I just don't get the entitlement attitude of some shooters.


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[Qaz98]

All these stories of muzzle sweeping. I was deployed with the British and they firmly do NOT believe that muzzle awareness is a thing. In the dfac they all walked around with their rifles pointed at you, carried at the waist. And they all had bipods, so they would prop them on the ground, so they aimed up at the kneecaps. I was told it wasn't a big deal since we were condition 3.

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[JAD]

You truly did the Lord's work here.

Matthew 25:40. Hard teaching.

[Lost River]

You truly did the Lord's work here.


Okie John


I genuinely appreciate the Kudos.



I have real empathy for folks with mental illnesses. If they fried the wiring in their brain by being a recreational drug abuser, and ended up with a mental illness, not so much, but many are simply born that way, and they did not ask for it.

Many will self medicate with drugs for various reasons, such as they don't like the "zombie" state that the prescribed drugs make them feel like they are in. I can understand that. They are simply coping as best they can. Many talk about doing pretty much anything to either quiet the voices that are constantly speaking to them, or make them more tolerable.

I have had a couple tell me that the voices constantly say negative things, putting them down, and not being able to "escape" it, causes them to try anything to make it stop. Having a "voice" say brutally negative and hurtful things, criticizing your every move, has to be incredibly difficult to deal with every single day.

There are some exercises that we have first responders do in the 40 hour class, such as wearing headphones for 15 minutes, with voices talking to you, while you try to do basic tasks. It is both enlightening, and phenomenally frustrating. Thinking about how a person who suffers from hearing voices tries to get through "normal" life tasks, like getting your kid's lunches made, taking them to school, etc has to be a living hell.


It gives new perspective to the old adage of "Be nice to people you don't know. You don't know the battles that they may be fighting in their head.".


I think that there are a lot more people suffering from such illnesses than most realize, and many go undiagnosed for years. Odds are that we probably come into contact with these folks on a daily basis, but don't realize it.




Sorry for the thread drift everyone.

[Totem Polar]

Sorry for the thread drift everyone.

Don't be. That's good stuff.

[okie john]

Sorry for the thread drift everyone.

No drift at all, just more P-F richness.


Okie John

[GardoneVT]

Noticed a range patron carrying a Sig SP2022 in a small of back holster with a cocked hammer.

Suppose that's one way to deal with the DA/SA transition.