Got some good safety reminders at the range today

Awhile back I found a pair of yellow lensed driving glasses that purported to be made with "bulletproof" polymer.

They made for good shooting glasses - I have yet to challenge the bulletproof quality:rolleyes:
 
gun range hints, advice....

I've been around firearms & the shooting sports since the early 1980s.
Here are a few tips I'd pass on about gun ranges;

1) Use a lane or stall that's 2 or 3 spaces away from other shooters if possible. It's safer & you won't have the loud noises distracting you. I avoid using rental ranges or indoor ranges when it's crowded. You can't account for the skill level(s) or police every active shooter on the range when it's busy.
2) Check your lane or space for trash, loose brass or other small hazards. You don't want to slip on spent cases or trip over something while you're holding a loaded firearm.
3) For indoor ranges, make sure it has proper lighting & ventilation. Smoke, fumes, odors, etc are annoying. They are also health hazards
Years ago, I shot about 500rds of lead reloads with my .38spl revolver. I felt like I smoked a carton of cigarettes. Gross! :(
4) If the range or indoor site has broken equipment, don't use it! I've seen target stands break or fall apart, then shooters keep using it. That's unsafe.

In closing, if you use a rental/general public range, follow the safety rules, clean up your lane when you are done & report any safety hazards-broken equipment.
Clyde
 
Funny you mention glasses.....

First time my dad took me to a shooting range we were sighting in the deer-hunting rifles. As we arrive and get out of the truck, a gentleman is walking toward his vehicle with a gun case and bleeding/bruised right eye. Aparrantly the scope popped him right in the kissa. Learned a good lesson before I even shot my first rifle at the expense of someone else.
 
No glasses that sit on your ears and rest on your nose are going to be bullet proof. Look how thick bullet proof plastic is. If your glasses are not that thick then they will not stop a bullet. Ricochet is probably going to be stopped by just about any plastic lens.
 
i was ricocheted last weak as im loading my mag my left ring finger distal to my finger nail had a chunk fly clean off......it burned sooooo horribly,never thought this was so common, btw peters indoor gun range rosevill mi -did it happen to me because its an old range?

9mm wwb btw
 
Glad I took the time to read this thread, some great reminders in here so I will *bump* it.

I will just add that in normal prescription glasses ONLY the polycarbonate lenses are going to be impact resistant. The newer "high index" plastics will provide no real protection, and worse, old style glass lenses are a disaster waiting to happen.

I plan to get some of the Allen overglasses goggles with wrap around protection for those times when I'm not wearing contacts & using regular shooting glasses. :cool:
 
i was ricocheted last weak as im loading my mag my left ring finger distal to my finger nail had a chunk fly clean off......it burned sooooo horribly,never thought this was so common, btw peters indoor gun range rosevill mi -did it happen to me because its an old range?

It's not real common to get a little splatter back on an indoor range. But there is some steel in the backstops, so it can happen. It doesn't necessarily matter that the range is old, but some indoor range designs are more prone to splatter than others.
 
Eyes & ears...

Many milspec & outdoor gear catalogs-sites now offer eye protection like those used by US troops in SW Asia.
These frames & lenses can take abuse or prevent eye related incidents.
If I had corrected or 20/20 vision, I'd spend the $ to buy a top military/spec ops type lense.

Ear muffs or ear plugs are also worth buying.
It's not macho or cool to shoot w/o hearing protection.

Shooting gloves aren't a bad idea either if you shoot a lot of magnum rounds or large calibers.

Clyde
 
I shot my shotguns as a kid with no hearing protection. Back in the 1960's nobody really thought about it much. We'd go into the woods and shoot all day and not think about it. Now I'm 57 years old and have constant ringing in my ears. I'm pretty sure the shotgun had nothing to do with it.:rolleyes:

As to the "bulletproof" eye wear being used for range use...if it meets the following Ansi code: ANSI Z87.1-2003 High Impact then it is OK for shooting purposes. If it doesn't have that rating then it shouldn't be used, even if the manufacturer says it's bullet proof. Prescription safety frames must be permanently marked with the manufacturer's trademark and "Z87-2" on the front of the frame and on both temples.
 
I use what I was issued. Not the most comfortable stuff but if it's good enough for downrange, it's good enough for the one way range.:D
 
Back
Top