Do you help guys/gals out at the range or keep to your self .

M

Metal god

New member
For me I'm a helper . I like to walk the line and either watch and learn or help and teach . Yes I do realize I don't really know that much but at times It kinda blows my mind how little others know . Yet there they are with there $ 5k rigs .

I'm that guy that brings all the tools I may need and a few more just because I really don't know enough to know what I need . There fore I'm often letting others use my tools while at the range . There has been days that I was at the range for 8 hours but only did about 4 hours of shooting . Reason being , I was helping or learning from others .

By helping out and just being nice I've shot some very nice guns as of late that I could have only dreamed of shooting .

Now to the point of the thread . I was Just walking the line and noticed a shooter using a bolt action rifle flip the bolt up very aggressively then slam it back down then up again . Clearly the bolt was stuck . Just before I started over to ask what was going on . The shooter grabbed a cleaning rod , shoved it down the bore muzzle first to pop the case out :confused: . Well at times that could need to be done so I let it go and moved on . I stopped a few lanes away from them and was talking to another shooter . I then noticed the other shooter out of the corner of my eye do that whole routine again , not once but 2 out of every 3 shots fired . :eek:

They were doing this in a way that appeared that this was the norm for them and the rifle and was a non issue for them . They were shooting hand loads and from a far seemed to have some experience with shooting .

I never did go up to them and ask why they were having to do that all the time . My thought was they were shooting way to hot of loads and that was causing the sticky bolt/case sticking . It's been bothering me though , the one time I really should have stuck my nose in to somebody else's business and tell them that was likely unsafe , I didn't . Maybe it was something less dangerous then hot loads but I still feel I should have said something .

So are you a helpy helperson or keep to your self ? what would you have done ?
 
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I'm a helper when asked, or if I see something very wrong,
like someone having extraction problems.

That guy using a rod to extract, I would have asked if that
was typical for that rifle, or was the extractor bad.

The only time I wish I had not helped, was when I was asked
to shoot a rifle because the owner wasn't hitting paper. It was
an ultra light high power, and I suspected it would bite, so I
tucked it in tight, touched her off, and hit one inch from the X.
I handed the rifle back and told the guy he was flinching.

I packed up my gear and went home and iced down my shoulder...
 
Well the guy who runs my range is kind of a jerk. Maybe it's because I'm not part of the good old boys club. So I don't go out of my way to help him. I will help other people at the range if they need it. Has scored me some ammo before too. But I try not to be nosy.

That said, safety concerns will definitely warrant a stern address from me.
 
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It is really annoying when people try to "help" you when you don't ask them to, so I tend not to do it much. I don't mind when people ask me stuff or strike up a conversation with me, but it seems a little rude to just give advice out to people who didn't ask for it, even if their 5 yd groupings look like they're shooting shotshell. They probably won't listen anyway. If there is something that is interfering with safety on the range, I would have no problems correcting them though.
 
There's one guy at our public range, he's there almost every time I go out, and he sets up on position #1, the far end of the range. Nice guy, quiet, and brings a half-dozen rifles. I had watched him for several months quietly going about his business, firing rifles, always different rifles, and one day I noticed him having problems, so I wandered down the line, not to pester him, but to just make sure he was okay. After he got his problem sorted out, he noticed me and I introduced myself. Turns out, this guy is a very prolific gunsmith locally and I had never met him. All those rifles he's shooting are customer rifles and he's either trying to diagnose a problem or making sure that he's fixed a problem.

Nowadays when I go to the public range, if he's there I acknowledge him by name. Just a simple greeting. I try not to pester him, but if I have a problem I'll wander down the line and get his opinion. Not everyone having problems at the line needs help. Sometimes, especially in my friend's case, he's probably forgotten more about rifles than I'll ever know.
 
I'm a helper..

I'm a helper, but I'm a talker first! I've found you kinda have to judge what people do and don't want help with. Sometimes they don't want to talk at all. Or they are nice enough to talk, but don't want advice. I'm with you.. I've shot some pretty awesome guns just because I struck up a conversation with someone. I usually have a plethora of tools with me also.

Now if its something downright unsafe, it's a good idea to at least tell them. Maybe they'll thumb their nose at you, but maybe they'll say "Thanks! I'm still learning!"

Nothing to spend time worrying about, but I'm thinking you probably should have said something to the guy you mentioned. I hope I would have said something if I saw it.
 
Unsafe? Talk to the RSO if he doesn't see it first, and have him do the talking...

Advice, as said above...I might just start a conversation and then try to casually interject some if I really think I can be of help.

When we're at the 1000 yard range, it's obviously all "serious" shooters, so there's generally a lot of conversation, sharing ideas, loads, etc.
Most are more than happy to talk (brag :)) about their stick.
 
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I'll always give a fellow range user a friendly nod/hello, since I'm not a loner, and will readily respond if/when asked for assistance/opinion - but I would never intrude or impose myself on another shooter's business, unless the shooter was exhibiting unsafe behavior/activity that would affect anyone other themselves.

Most times, though, I'm the only person on the range - since I'm retired & go whenever.




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I'm a helper. I bring tools and extras that can fix many jobs. My main shooting passion is traditional muzzle loaders. I bring many ram rods, really sturdy range rods, to help with many tasks. I even have a lot of tools. However, in recent years I have found many people reject help and advice. They seem to know better than the experienced people around them. Bad safety practices I report to the range officer.
 
Being an RO there are two ways to deal with this & I go for the "helpfull RSO with all the tools", one rather than the "Range Nazi" approach.

Usually I stay out of the way unless I see something unsafe being done that puts other shooters at risk.

My theory is that if someone wants help they will ask for it. If I see someone obviously struggling with a problem, but not being a safety concern I let them try to solve it before offering help.

I'm constantly amazed by the people who rush in to a situation, frequently offering incorrect advice that has not been asked for, & then getting "shirty" when they are rebuffed, even if its done politely.
 
It depends on what range I am shooting. There is a range two hours from my house where everybody knows everybody. Everybody knows each other's guns. There are spare parts on hand and folks go out for dinner after shooting.

There is a range 20 minutes from my house where people get this scared "oh no, a stranger is talking to me" look. It is a rare thing to encounter a person or a group at this range with whom any dialog can be exchanged.
 
I go to the range to shoot. I'll help out if someone asks but mostly just mind my own business. I'm not interested in talking to the guy trolling behind the firing line just looking to strike up a conversation. That's the guy that will usually start complaining about politics or gun control.

Many folks at the range I frequent know their stuff but they are mostly like me...they keep quiet and just do their shooting. The folks dishing out their unsolicited advice get ignored for the most part. A lot of them are full of malarkey and I'm experienced enough to know it.

But don't take it personally that I don't want to chat.....I'm there for one reason and that doesn't involve flapping my gums.....but a sure way to get ignored is to start yakking about something that you read on the internet.....
 
I rarely have the opportunity as I shoot on my own land or, if at the public range, in groups that tend to isolate my attention. I try to be helpful to strangers when asked, but curb my enthusiasm when it comes to inserting myself, uninvited, into a stranger's shoot. Believing I have thus established some bitching rights, I can be a bit short with uninvited "experts."

Heading off safety issues is, to me, required, not being "helpful." Doing so needs diplomacy tailored to the situation. After all, doing so makes me one of those uninvited "experts."
 
I always enjoy talking to people at my local range. As far as helping others, I've been asked to spot for people sometimes (when they can't see their holes in the target) and I always have tons of orange peel targets and foam ear plugs in my bag I'm happy to give out if anyone needs them.

As for approaching someone who is having hardware problems from firing hot loads, I steer clear. One day I took my girlfriend to the range, a gentleman next to us shooting some handloads in his rifle had one stick so hard he tapped the bolt open with a hammer, then proceeded to load and shoot another one! At that point I moved myself and my GF another bench down away from him. I didn't want to make any suggestions. If someone doesn't understand the danger of shooting loads that are exhibiting dangerous pressure signs; best to just give them a wide berth.
 
I belong to a private gun club. I only go to the range when I'm sure can shoot by myself - keeps the entire experience hassle-free. I don't bother anyone else, and they don't bother me.
 
You just have to make a judgment call. Some people will listen, some will not.

I see a lot of people like buckhorn. If they come in to our club range and see one or two shooters on a field with 7 benchrests, ample space for standing or prone with rifle or precision pistol, and two action pistol bays, they will turn around and leave.
Why?
Don't want to give away their secret techniques of marksmanship mastery?
Don't want to show they do not shoot as well as they talk?
Fear that I and a colleague or student are Platt and Matich, ready to murder them for their guns and car?
 
Don't take it personal, Jim. I won't turn around if there are people at the range, but I do feel more comfortable when I'm alone. If anything, that way I don't have to make sure everyone else at the range is being safe. I live in a college town and there are a lot of bozos doing crazy things with $100 rifles. I have plenty of hundred dollar rifles myself - but geez some people need to learn how to be safe.
 
It depends on the other person to tell you truth because I'm a very engaging/outgoing person and I'd be more than happy to help anyone who needs it. I've had people approach me with a "hey buddy, mind if I show you something" and it was much appreciated. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way.
 
You just have to make a judgment call. Some people will listen, some will not.

I see a lot of people like buckhorn. If they come in to our club range and see one or two shooters on a field with 7 benchrests, ample space for standing or prone with rifle or precision pistol, and two action pistol bays, they will turn around and leave.
Why?
Don't want to give away their secret techniques of marksmanship mastery?
Don't want to show they do not shoot as well as they talk?
Fear that I and a colleague or student are Platt and Matich, ready to murder them for their guns and car?
Click to expand...

Why? Because if I want to go change targets, go retrieve a target etc. I don't want to have to coordinate the entire procedure with a "cold range" calls etc.

Don't want to worry about bothering people with my rifles that have muzzle brakes.

Don't want to fight with people about who's brass is on the ground.


Etc., etc., etc.

For me, shooting is a solitary pursuit. If I want to setup a chronograph - that's what I want to do without coordinating it with other people.

The remainder of your screed is an attempt to put people down and mock them because they don't conform to your preconceptions...open your mind and learn a little tolerance of other people.
 
I guess I don't mind when someone wants to talk about events or things when I'm at the range; unless I'm loading a black powder muzzleloader --- because the proper protocol is not to talk to a person while he is in the process of loading a muzzleloader --- no explanation required.

I also wouldn't want to strike-up a conversation with someone who is getting ready to take a shot; unless it might be a safety violation. I also wouldn't want to sound like a loudmouth at the range; unless I'm calling the range hot or cold.

Still...I don't seem to mind when one of the RSO's comes up behind me when I'm shooting a metallic spinner target offhand at 100 yards with my 22 rifle or pistol --- when he says --- "I don't hear your spinner clanging" or "I still didn't hear anything." --- LOL
 
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