Gun snobs

T

Tnglock

New member
So ive been going to a private range that i paid a membership. The folks there have a way about em that their not friendly. I go in do my shooting and follow all safety rules and clean up my mess much better than most. But when i walk in and say to em "Hey how ya doing" They just walk on by. I really dont wanna strike up a conversation with em just being polite but they are bout rude. Ive even introduced myself and shook a few hands. Oh well i guess glocks ,Mossbergs and savages just arent in over at that crowd lol. But i hope they dont think giving me the cold shoulders gonna work cause i paid 2 yrs up front :D
 
Maybe you're a fearsome looking individual, and they are afraid.

Maybe you've just unluckily gone to the range at times when its more sociable members weren't there.

Or else maybe you joined a range without checking out its feel and character first.

In case it's Door # 3, are there any other ranges in the area, and can you get a refund?
 
I go to my ranges to shoot, primarily. When other people are there, sometimes we strike up a conversation, sometimes not. I really don't want to talk to some of them, honestly. Shooters can be an eccentric bunch.

I wouldn't take any of it too personally, if I were you. Join another organization if you are looking for social connections.
 
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Gun snob cure

Walk in with the cheapest Hi Point pistol available. Shoot it well and it will result in great snob-free conversation.
 
I'm a gun snob.....have nothing in common with Glock owners other than we might shoot the same ammo, nothing else to converse about.
 
Dont get me wrong i dont go to the range for a social connection. I just go in shoot pick up and go i was just wondering do any of you see this. But its not like im on a busy street i just try and be polite and greet people. I dont over do it either like walk in behind em and say hello or run over to em its just in passing or waiting.
 
Some people aren't polite. Other people who shot a lot, just can't hear. :cool:

I woouldn't worry about. The longer you're there, and friendly, the more you become one of the old farts.
 
Your choice of guns has nothing to do with it. It is a 35-40 minute drive to the closest range where I shoot. When I get there, I have specific goals in mind. Testing 2-3 different handloads, zeriong 2 rifles, comparing 2 guns performance, because I'm thinking about which one to sell. I'm usually the 1st one there, often putting up my targets before it is light enough to shoot and try to leave before it gets crowded. When I start talking with others I almost never finish doing everything I came to do before the range gets too crowded.

If I'm basically finished, and if there are no other shooters waiting on a spot to shoot I will try to carry on a conversation with others, but most of them are doing the same as me. Trying to finish what they came for and leave so someone else can use their space.
 
I rarely said anything to any of the other shooters at the range where I used to shoot. I used to have a couple of friends who were shooters but they moved away and I gradually lost interest in going. However, I still visit the shop and buy guns there. I've known some of the folks there for twenty years and to their credit, some of the newer employees and managers (the place changed hands a few years ago) are equally nice and interesting. Two things I appreciate in a place like that are clerks that actually try to sell me things, which some people may not like, and a willingness to accommodate me with something oddball that I may be interested in. By that I mean mostly ordering something they don't have on hand. The old owner would even order something for me at my request over the phone without even a deposit. But I don't have too much spare change anymore and I'm not buying so much.

The range is also terribly busy these days, too, compared with the way it used to be.
 
No offense you didn't bring anything all that interesting. Bring something strange to the range and watch what happens. I bring out the tommy gun and I have a line of people wanting to ask questions. Shoot a handgun at the rifle range and out shoot the guys with rifles and see what happens. I get a ton of questions with a T/C scoped pistol with a bipod attached. Shooting it at 200 yards will raise an eyebrow or two.

I haven't found a stuffy range yet. Most want to see what you're shooting but if its another glock they've most likely shot or own one of there own. That is not putting them down just the opposite they are great guns, so good in fact that many people own them. You've done a lot to help yourself but you'll have to keep trying. Change is a slow process and you're the one seeking the change so it requires that you keep up your efforts. Good Luck!:)
 
The outdoor private range I used to belong to was a very friendly place. On the plinking range (mostly machinegun and suppressor range) we used to swap toys regularly, start up conversations, take breaks in shooting just to shoot the breeze.

While I might be a "gun snob" in terms of what I really admire about certain guns (craftsmanship, rarity, uniqueness, history,etc.), I really do not care what other people own or shoot. FWIW, I have a Savage 110 30-06 that is my main hunting rifle. It's a fine shooting machine - and I take just as good care of it as I do my safe queens.

Hey, some gun folks are just introverts. There's a difference between introverts and snots. While I'll go out of my way to be friendly to introverts, I have very little tolerance for snots. Snots sneer and jeer at what other folks are shooting, usually revealing their own ignorance.
 
It is proper for the [available] staff to greet customers as they enter, or at least acknowledge their presence--especially if the customer greets them first.

Many 'local gun stores' have absolutely no customer service ability or standard operating protocol. (I'm looking at a $750 handgun, the LGS salesman is sitting in a chair smoking a cigarette watching the ball game)

:rolleyes:
 
I'll top you on that. I was in FL on business. Had a moment so looked up a likely LGS.

The front parking spaces of the store had a sign: Perverts Parking Only.

Should have been a hint.

The clerk inside was an old toot, sitting on a stool. He was wearing loose shorts and his 'ahem' and 'glands' were hanging out.

Bye, bye. Yuk!
 
I often experience the exact opposite problem,,,

My range (Stillwater Rifle & Pistol Club) is loaded with friendly-chatty folk,,,
The range is rarely ever what I would call crowded,,,
And everyone says Hi and wants to chat.

This is usually okay with me,,,
I like my recreational time to be sociable.

When I do go out with a specific goal in mind,,,
It does seem there is always someone who wants to chat a bit.

I just keep on setting up as we chat,,,
Then say, "Time for your hearing protection." :)

I tell you though,,,
I would rather put up with chatty gun-folk than snooty gun-folk.

Friendly (even though often annoying) is always preferable to snooty. ;)

Besides,,,
The chatty folk often like to let you shoot their guns,,,
That's how I was able to shoot so many different semi's before I bought my CZ-75B.

Aarond

.
 
IMO in general rudeness has grown throughout our country past 10-15 years but I believe we're more aware of it as we take part in our favorite hobbies, when you go to shoot your in a different mood then when you stop for gas and the attendant is rude.:D
 
I joined a good range, everyone has been very friendly, they have great ranges both indoor and out. 50 yd plinking range, 25 and 50 yd outdoor pistol range, 25 yd indoor pistol range, trap field, 100, 200 and 300 yd rifle range, combat range and an archery range all for 80.00 a year. I love it.
I go week days since I am retired and there is only a few others there.
 
I'm a caliber snob, not so much a gun snob but there are brands I don't care for. The best cure for snobery of any kind is information and education so I talk to everyone. You can learn something from everyone at your range whether its what to do or how to do something or what and how not to do something. Everyone I have shot with from our club is very friendly even when we get to talking politics.
 
The folks there have a way about em that their not friendly.
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May I join?

At both ranges of which I've been a member, the other were very friendly. In fact, one of my gripes about them is that they seem less interested in shooting than standing around chatting. One doesn't want to seem aloof, but there is only so much time in any day.
 
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