Range gun? Huh!

U

UncleEd

New member
Whenever I bought a pistol or revolver, I never thought of it as "just a
range gun." Yet I see this phrase all the time on forums.

When I buy a handgun, I want it for protection and, yes, for sport.

But "just a range gun?"

Nope.

Depending on weather and clothing, any gun is more than just a range gun.
 
Some buy guns that are impractical for carry or defense use... Or they have other firearms already for defense, so they have others that are just for fun... "Range guns".


I myself have several pistols that are practical and good for defense at home if not carry, but not all of them get used for that, they sit in the safe until range day.


And look at those high end 22lr rifles and pistols used in the Olympics, you can't tell me those are useable for hunting or defense. Some have counter balance arms and weights, trigger pulls that measure in ounces, and they are not robust enough to boot... They are strictly range guns.
 
Well...

I have particular "needs" (and wants, likes, etc) for a carry gun and I also don't like the idea of having a number of different guns for carry. My preference is ONE carry gun and no more than that, if I can help it. I don't hunt much -- not because I'm opposed to it (I very much support it!) I simply was never mentored in hunting and it's not something I intend to get in to at this point. And I definitely do not handgun hunt.

I don't compete, though I find it interesting and I can clearly see the advantages of it, it just doesn't work for me at this juncture.

I don't really collect, though I have ended up with a couple of guns I love & wish to keep but don't really shoot, my focus is absolutely on shooting whatever gun I buy.

So what is left? I've said it before and I mean it -- 90% of the firearms I own are handguns and 95% of those handguns are "range guns." I own them and use them for the select single purpose of enjoyable, informal shooting. I put ridiculously more rounds through handguns than the average gun-owning American. I most likely put far more rounds through handguns than most (not all!) folks even on this forum outside of regular competition handgun shooters. I keep a count tallied and I'm running over 15k a year in each of the past four years. Those bullets are hitting steel plates and punching (hopefully!) small groups on paper, usually paper plates.

I'm not using all those handguns and all that ammunition for any other reason, at least in any significant number.

So yeah, almost every gun I own is a "range gun" and bought very specifically for that purpose.
 
I have considered something like a Hi-point as a car 'doesn't hurt so much if stolen' gun/range gun. Certainly isn't a carry gun or a 'look how nice looking this gun is' gun.

For the most part now, it's a .38 snub in the car. That would I miss.

To your point though, the only time this would be seen is when needed or at the range.
 
Well okay then.

Is your gripe with the use of the term, or with people buying guns just for the range? Were I to buy a self defense pistol, it probably wouldn't be a Ruger Mk III target model with stainless slabside barrel and matte fully adjustable black target sights. But if my goal was to just bring it to the range and have fun with my friends, spouse, or kids, I might not have a problem with that option. Guns can have multiple purposes. That doesn't mean they can't be pressed into other positions, just that there might be other options that are better suited. For instance I am not going to carry a fullsize 2 lb. steel pistol. It makes sense for me to search for something different for carry, but I might like that large, heavy gun for the range or some other purpose like home defense. If people have the disposable income to specialize the intended purposes of their firearms, more power to them.

I put ridiculously more rounds through handguns than the average gun-owning American. I most likely put far more rounds through handguns than most (not all!) folks even on this forum outside of regular competition handgun shooters. I keep a count tallied and I'm running over 15k a year in each of the past four years.
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Be careful of using the word most. On an enthusiast forum you are almost guaranteed to find someone going bigger. What you're describing isn't far from what I shoot and I know people both on and off this forum that do many times more than that (I know competition shooters doing 52k rds a year easy).
 
I can afford to buy guns just to use at the range.

What I can't afford is the time it takes to use them. When I get to the range it's to train. So I find myself in a pretty much "one gun" situation constantly.
 
While most of these qualify as "range guns" they are not "just range guns." The center one, bottom, a Ruger .44 Special is my everyday carry gun. Most of the others are now confined to range use, not so much field use now days.

Each of these have been used in load developement and just plain curiosity over the years.

Bob Wright
 
I have dedicated "range guns".

I don't intend on trying to carry an 8-3/8" S&W around in my pants, although the conversations it might start would be entertaining to say the least. Come to think of it, I do have an 8" Anaconda. :). I have quite a few .22LRs that are absolute tack-drivers and fun as all get-out to shoot, but I do not consider the caliber to be adequate for defense against anything larger than a rabid squirrel.

I also have guns that I purchased solely for defense. I do take these to the range to practice with, but I do not get the same amount of enjoyment of shooting one of my ARs as I do a nice precision rifle. The same can be said of my Glocks or M&Ps, they are not nearly as enjoyable as a Colt/old S&W/old Ruger.

I even have the audacity to have dedicated hunting firearms.
 
Purpose Guns?

I guess I'm confused, nothing new.
Why do some folks leave guns in their vehicles? Trunk rifles, glovebox pistols?
Rotating guns for carry? Sunday go to meeting and BBQ guns?
:confused:
 
I used to shoot USPSA and/or IDPA pistol matches every weekend, sometimes two a week, so I literally never shot any of my guns that weren't suitable for practical pistol competition.
I started shooting 3-gun, just so I could put rounds through some of my other guns. I'd organize Back-Up Gun side stages at matches, so I could shoot my .32s and .380s.
Now, I shoot competition twice a month instead of twice a week, and enjoy some (relatively) quiet time with my "range guns". :)
 
When I opened/began this thread I have to admit I was thinking mostly about
my own lifestyle and the many years in shooting.

While I've bought and sold many guns, I've never really owned many guns at one time, at least not many compared to many other firearms enthusiasts.

Though I've owned for target use center fired guns and .22s, I haven't had any for quite a while.

Right now I could count up the number of firearms I own with my fingers and still have fingers left over.
 
Range gun - firearm I am buying just for target purposes. Non-safe queen that isn't in the carry rotation.

To me any gun I own will see the range but I only carry two in rotation. Kahr CM9 and Glock 26.

Everything else I own are range guns. I currently don't own any safe queens because I have too many "wants" ahead of collectors. Maybe when I retire 25 years from now...
 
Whenever I bought a pistol or revolver, I never thought of it as "just a
range gun." Yet I see this phrase all the time on forums.

When I buy a handgun, I want it for protection and, yes, for sport.

But "just a range gun?"

Nope.

Depending on weather and clothing, any gun is more than just a range gun.
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Cool. I buy guns for those reasons, but I also buy guns strictly for range use. Some incredibly well-built guns (e.g., SIG P210-5 and -6, X-Five/X-Six, Lugers, Lahtis, and so forth) don't really lend themselves to anything but range use in light of other more practical options. Some less well-built guns are nevertheless fun to shoot at the range, even if I would never think of relying on them for other purposes (e.g., Tokarev, CZ 52). I'd hate to pass up the experience of shooting these guns just because I couldn't find a more "practical" use for them. I also buy other rare and unfired guns as collectibles, and I keep them unfired. Since I do actually want to experience shooting those unfired guns, I also generally end up buying a used duplicate to enjoy shooting -- almost invariably as a "range gun." Isn't it nice that we can all choose to buy guns for so many different purposes?
 
When I opened/began this thread I have to admit I was thinking mostly about my own lifestyle and the many years in shooting.
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It's funny how different so many of us are. For my buck, it blows my mind that so many people get rid of a gun for the next one.

Man, I've got to have very specific and valid reasons for wanting to move a gun out, especially considering the amount of time, energy and passion I put in to many of the guns that I chase in the first place.

There's really a number of things I do differently when it comes to guns and shooting than others do. Another one: I find it completely nutty when folks get rid of guns simply to "streamline calibers" and make their ammo hunting easier. :confused: You can have ammo for a gun simply buy purchasing ONE box of the stuff. Buy more if you run out. There's no law that says if you own a .40 S&W, you must also stock 2,000 rounds. But that seems to be the mindset. "I've -got- to get rid of this so I can focus on 9mm and .45! Until I can get rid of the .45!" :p
 
I've got some guns that have -NO- really decent "purpose." Here's an example...

Norinco T-213. 9mm, Chinese copy of a Tokarev. It's fun to shoot and I make & shoot thousands of rounds of 9mm every year. Ergos are not fantastic, the gun has sharp edges. It's fairly accurate, but it's not the gun I'd pick up for a contest or bet. The sights are really small and hard to pick up quickly. The trigger is not bad for what it is. It's interesting and doesn't look like the average handgun.

What is it good for? Goofing around with.
Why did I buy it? It looked neat... and it was a hundred and sixty bucks, tax included.

Does it run? Runs great! Happy with any of 115, 124 grain plated or 125gr lead bullets. Runs all the time and doesn't give feed, firing, extraction or ejection issues ever.

What is it to me?
A range gun! :D
 
Everybody is (allowed to be) different.

I've never considered carrying a 6" revolver, whether for defense or as a sidearm while hunting/walking the woods. Don't own any holsters for them, but do enjoy shooting a 6" Security Six, K22, 686 or GP100 at the range.
 
I guess I am a target of the OP gripe as well. I have one pistol for carry for myself, my wife has one and we have, well, more than that that we shoot at the range.

I might fuss back (gently, though, because the OP is a pretty decent fellow on here) that I find it presumptuous when people write posts that seem to assume that carry and home defense are the only functions of pistols. Some are just plain fun. That is what we are talking about, really - having pistols just because we enjoy them.
 
Have a 1860 Army revolver and a 1851 Army revolver (replicas) each of these are black-powder pistols and definitely designated as "range guns" which are used purely for entertainment. As an active USPSA shooter, have a couple of guns dedicated for competition. As someone who is intent on protecting himself and his family, have a couple of dedicated guns for that specific purpose. Sure that you are familiar with the old adage: "a jack of all trades, a master of none" -- it also applies to firearms. Although any firearm could potentially serve in any role, many are better at specific roles.
 
I have a number of handguns ...that I would never consider "carry guns" ...they're just way too long or too heavy...( and I consider a full sized 1911 with a 5" barrel to be the optimum carry gun ! )..../ but guns that I own that I will never carry include :

a. Freedom Arms single action revolver even in 4 3/4" barrel its 55 oz.. ( large frame, 5 shot, .357 Mag )... I do have a belt holster for it ...

b. S&W model 29 ( .44 Mag ) in an 8 3/8" barrel ..a little too long for a belt holster.../ I have a belt holster for it - but its like trying to draw a carbine...

c. Sig Sauer ..X-Five model ...all stainless, double stack ...about 55 oz with a full mag in it...5" barrel, single action only...mine is in .40 S&W ( 14 + 1 rds) and I have a holster for it as well...its really a "race" gun...not in my hands..:D

---------------------------
but I still enjoy shooting them all at a range ....( I don't hunt much anymore )...and I've given up competition - getting too old and eyes are not good.....

but each of my handguns does not need to fill a specific purpose ...with the exception of being fun to shoot..!
 
All of my guns are range guns except my shotguns. I don't currently have a range to shoot them at. I try to tell myself all of my guns have some other purpose but most of them are just range guns except for two I carry and two that sit ready for HD duty. I have hunting rifles, shotguns, and handguns. I don't hunt. I have SHTF guns. S hasn't HTF so far and hopefully won't. So I think to refer to a gun as "just a range gun" can be an admission of the truth. When I was a kid in my rural area a lot of people left loaded guns in their trucks and these were never stolen as far as I know. These guns were subject to rough treatment and were not pretty usually. There is no way now that I would have a dedicated "truck gun" in these times. Maybe there are areas still where theft or anti-gun paranoia are not a problem but I don't feel like my area is a good place to leave a gun in the truck. Times have changed and I think not for the better.:(
 
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