How to handle stupid comments from the RO

[RJ]

So as some of you know, I am new to shooting, starting in 2013.

I was at my local club public range the other week, and had an odd experience with one of their Range Officers, and was wondering how I could have handled it better.

I arrived around 9:30, and waited till the range was cold to walk my B-8 downrange at the 25 yard line.

When the range went hot, I picked up my VP9, empty, and proceeded to do some dry fires, as I usually do. I try and visually drill the last thing I do at home (dry fire for several days prior) when I get to the range.

Well, I was about five good presses in, when I hear in my electronic muffs behind me, loudly, "Heh, must be one of those silencer guns."

I kind of tuned that out, but then appears next to me one of the Range Officers at my elbow, interrupting me to tell me, "You know, it won't fire like that."

I turned my head, with my VP9 extended, smiled, and said "I understand, thanks."

Well, I was so flustered by a RO making such an idiotic and unwelcome comment, that I could not focus on the rest of my planned course of practice. I shot two strings of 10 at 25 yards, then I packed up my things and left.

My question is, are these kind of comments typical of Range Officers?

Should I have said something back, or to the Rangemaster controlling the range?

Or is this just to be expected, and I should HTFU and get on with life?

Thanks...

[Chris Rhines]

There are stupid comments, and then there are Stupid Comments. This one isn't even in the top twenty I've heard.

It's probably worth mentioning that most shooters don't dry fire, and have no idea that some people use dry fire to practice. Many gun guys still think that dry firing can break your gun.

In general, I'd suggest the 'HTFU and get on with your practice' approach.

[pablo]

And how many times do you think that RO has had to tell people that when they couldn't figure out why there guns weren't BOOM.

He's probably laughing about the idiot that was trying to shoot the empty gun today, that got flustered and ran off when he pointed it out.

[PNWTO]

I've perfected my "no shit, sherlock" stare for such occasions. In my experience ROs are just there to make such remarks and creep on females.

[RJ]

There are stupid comments, and then there are Stupid Comments. This one isn't even in the top twenty I've heard.

It's probably worth mentioning that most shooters don't dry fire, and have no idea that some people use dry fire to practice. Many gun guys still think that dry firing can break your gun.

In general, I'd suggest the 'HTFU and get on with your practice' approach.

Thanks. It did occur to me this might be the case.


I understand that not everyone subscribes to and follows people like Claude Warner's "1,000 Days of Dryfire."

This seems likely to me locally, given the large group over at the 3 yard line. While the pile of brass was impressive, the group sizes on their targets could have been measured in feet. Sigh.

[TGS]

In my experience ROs are just there to make such remarks and creep on females.

Yup.

My girlfriend agrees.

[Dagga Boy]

Guy was trying to be funny.....you didn't think it was. I am more worried about a poor joke disrupting you so bad that you left a live fire session. Live fire is critical and hard to get....I wouldn't have left. Unsafe conditions....bye....Bad joke, soldier on.

[breakingtime91]

Don't take stuff to personal. A lot of people think there hot shit when it comes to guns, don't let the little stuff bother you.

[PNWTO]

Yup.

My girlfriend agrees.

I was having my wife do the "Press Six" from about 5 yards, starting from the high ready. RO comes overs, stares at her ass, then goes on, "he's not letting you learn anything that close up, is he?"

[HopetonBrown]

I'd suggest being less sensitive. That wouldn't even register on my scale of dumb stuff said at a range.