Being a Range Bully?

T

TheKlawMan

Moderator
Last time I shot trap a couple of guys asked to join me and my regular shooting partner. I pointed out that they shouldn't be shooting the #5 high brass loads. The largest shot allowed at that range is 7.5. That made my partner uncomfortable and they went aead and shot for a couple of minutes until range staff spotted them.

The week before I looked about to see what a guy was doing that joined me on the trap line and saw that he was loading up the magazine of his pump and while standing back off of the firing line. I explained the one round in the gun rule and that it should be empty unless he is in a shooter's box.

I am very softspoken and polite with these guys, but should I simply keep my mouth shut?
 
No. You are polite and have manners.

Keep up the good work!

Many range goers need a swift kick in the butt.
 
^ No

There are people who take an attitute of "the hell with the rules", and "I didn't break any rules if I didn't get caught right?"

A new indoor range opened by me that allowed shotguns. People were showing up with their shotguns and Taurus Judges and instead of patterning their weapons in starting close and moving their targets out, they'd run the targets all the way to the back wall and start blasting away. Well, it's a little difficult to move your target in closer after you've blown the target holder all to hell and jammed the target mover.

Owner got sick of it so now it's no shot - only single projectiles, either slugs or bullets.

Even though the club by me is expensive ($575 to start), if an idiot or scofflaw joins a club and misbehaves - he's gone. So I think for the most part joining a club means not having to put up with people who do stupid things. But it comes at a premium price...
 
You done good. No sense in getting into a fight, but people need to be informed of infractions and dangerous behavior at a firing range.
 
I also politely and with as much tact as possible point out low-level deviations from range policies. I also try to be polite when I see more serious problems that break the basic rules of safety, but I can get less polite if I'm blown off. I do my best not to be a jerk, though, and let the RO handle it or leave if they aren't taking the hint.
 
Range safety is everyone's job, the life you save may be your own. And, it was heavy field loads (that went too far) that closed down our club.
 
This is just another reason I don't spend a lot of time at clubs or ranges...

Having the luxury of private land to shoot keeps me from 'scolding' the discourteous among us...Because, I surely would do the same as the OP...

Keep up the good work!
 
Range safety is everyone's job, the life you save may be your own. And, it was heavy field loads (that went too far) that closed down our club.
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BINGO!

This is just another reason I don't spend a lot of time at clubs or ranges...
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I don't personally have the land, let alone the $100K to set up my own sporting clays course, so to the clubs I go.

We get those same folks here as well, they only time they show up is the day before they go hunting, and they think they can act the same way that they will the next day in the field.

Correction done nicely makes them humble, act like a hard-a$$ and they will stiffen in resistance

Good job Klawman
 
No, you did the right thing....its everyone's responsibility to explain the rules if someone is violating them....and frankly some guys just don't know.

Its all in how you approach them ...but I suspect you did it well.
 
No, your fine. Just always be polite...

I'm all for safety even if I don't agree with some rules. Had a guy be a jerk once to me, 3 years later i still remember and I'm still annoyed. Not for what, but how...
 
You will catch more flys with honey. Most people will generally respond to a polite reminder. If you feel you're not reaching them, you still have the other options.
 
Most folks are reasonable and violations are because they're ignorant of the rules. The only problem I've had was with a non-member who claimed he'd not had enough to drink to make him an unsafe shooter. Our club's policy on alcohol was: Take your first drink after your last shot. I've known others who chose to leave the club rather than comply with the rules. They didn't want to use ear and eye protection; but, they weren't a problem.
 
Okay. I guess I handled things well enough. Before a friendly member of range staff had mildly scolded me for not pointing out another guy not on my squad who was loading his magazine on the trap line. He said they can't catch everything and he recounted how one guy blew a window out of a car in the parking lot when he took an "unloaded" gun out of its case.

The thing I din't like about the guys with the hunting loads was they tried telling me that they weren't high brass loads. I really think they didn't know the difference since they showed me the box and they were clearly not target loads.
 
Good job. Sometimes people don't know the rules and a friendly reminder is needed. I went Skeet shooting one day and did not know all the rules of their club though I have done a lot of shooting, Trap and Sporting Clays. I kew enough to only load at the line, but they kindly reminded me to UNLOAD also at the line before I let the next shooter step-up. I asked why, they told me a fellow hit two birds with one shot and still had a live round in the gun when he turned and accidentally fired into the ground!

After that explanation I understood!

I was yelled at once at a club for shooting high brass also. I was given a bunch of reloads from a friend, I knew the rules, only 7 1/2 or 8 was allowed, I had #8 in these reloads. Line was called cold, was told to unload and show the RO what I had. After he saw it he said I was good to go. I threw those shells out once I was done though!

They too had a problem with neighbors and almost had their club shut down. They have to be VERY strict with the laods people are shooting.
 
Klawman,

You did the right thing... I had a couple of guys try to pull the same stuff on me trying to tell me the loads weren't high base..
 
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Weatherby...they may have been the same guys. These were nice enough guys who probably didn't understand the problem with the depth of the shot fall area, even though I suspect they knew they weren't supposed to have those loads and wanted to practice with what they would using to hunt. The one guy even had a black web belt with high brass shells prominently displayed all around his waste, which is why I don't think he understood the difference between target loads and hunting loads, else he wouldn't have been wearng that belt.

Have you shot any more straights?
 
I am very softspoken and polite with these guys, but should I simply keep my mouth shut?
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Nope, always point out safety infractions. After being hit with a ricochet or fragment at my club's pistol range, I stay aware of what others around me are doing and I don't put up with folks breaking the rules or being unsafe.

Safety is everyone's responsibly. I used to be reluctant to approach other members about violations, not wanting to be "that guy", but it's amazing how quick a ricochet to the neck will change your attitude.

If someone won't bother to learn the rules, can't/won't follow them, or simply thinks the rules don't apply to them, they don't need to be on a shooting range.
 
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