Where has the fun gone

S

Savage32-20

New member
I'm shooting at the state game lands in PA & I've been to this range several times during different hours. The best time I've found to go was during the week (any time of day) or on a Saturday morning. I've found that outside these hours you wind up with the "out-of-staters" coming in with thier AK's and AR's and doing rapid fire (range limit is 3 per clip rifle/6 per clip handgun). Of course every time someone shows up they don't want to wait and call a cease fire to go hang a target (you get maybe 6 rounds between stops). So I've decided to just go when I can assume they won't be around. To me, many of the people that are there on Saturday afternoon and Sunday are people that are very unsafe and i've actually left a few times because I didn't feel comfortable.

On the Flip side of those people - I've met some really nice people during these hours (during the week and early saturday morning) that are very helpful and have lots of advice. Many reloaders and just others doing targets. One gentleman that I've met I can't see the point to his shooting as it would not be fun for me to shoot the way he does. He has a completely bolted down rig that he bolts to the table, then bolts his gun down into this rig so it won't move. He will fire of 1 round and then walk around for 20 minutes and then fire off another one. Yes he makes perfect 1 hole or hole touching targets, but isn't part of the fun seeing how well you can shoot. I mean if I bolt everything down to the table, line up the bullseye with the cross-hairs and just pull the trigger, haven't I taken allot of the fun out of it. Over the course of about 3 hours the one day I saw him fire off a total of about 10-12 rounds.

My question is - would anyone find this fun and enjoyable to shoot in this manner. Or maybe there is a point to this i'm not seeing. Maybe it is just me but I enjoy trying to improve my skills and this seems to take me completely out of the equation.
 
There's a reason why I joined private clubs when I lived in Pennsylvania, and never bothered with the State Game Land shooting ranges.
 
It sounds like he is either developing loads or checking out some work on the rifle, or both. He's letting the barrel cool down between shots, the point of which is to replicate the same conditions from shot-to-shot.

Some of us do get enjoyment out of that. The precision aspect of shooting requires patience, consistency, good record keeping, planning and focus on the task. The path to success is usually marked by many failures, but when it all comes together it can be very satisfying

It is very time consuming, but very rewarding.

After all the shooting from the bench to verify the hardware is as near perfect as he can get, then he will untie it and shoot as he normally would. For some that will be at the bench off bags, but that depends on what he is trying to accomplish and the purpose of the rifle.
 
"would anyone find this fun and enjoyable to shoot in this manner."

When I do that I take other guns to shoot while I wait on the cool down.
 
Or maybe there is a point to this i'm not seeing.
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OP, you should have asked him.

I agree with Bud's explanation to the precision aspect of shooting. I've seen people come to the range with "guns", and I use that term loosely, because the contraption looks more like a robotic-tube that must have weighed 30+ lbs and similar to the pic in the link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benchrest_shooting

To move the point of aim, it takes twists and turns of knobs and even the trigger pull isn't really a trigger pull.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
 
Collecting this or that, Precision shooting v. kill bambi first shot, potato guns or simply turning money into noise, there's something "fun" in this sport for most everyone that wants to find their own little piece of joy.

While that type of shooting sport is not my cup o tea, benchrest shooters are something to admire as they shoot teeny tiny little precise groups over and over and over, as are the guys who bust 25 clay birds all day long.

I mean, that seems like work. What fun is that? ;)
 
It sounds like he's doing exactly what the factorys do when testing for load data. Their barreled receivers are received by a steel and brass system that locks the rifle in solid to an adjustable sled. It doesn't recoil and there's no muzzle jump.
New loads are usually proofed in groups of 100 with 10 on each target. The rifle is not disturbed until the test is over. They do both cold barrel and hot barrel testing.
 
From what I've heard, in order to shoot at a state range in PA one must have a valid PA hunting license or a state shooting range permit. I have no idea if a out of state resident can get either but suspect they can.
 
From what I've heard, in order to shoot at a state range in PA one must have a valid PA hunting license or a state shooting range permit. I have no idea if a out of state resident can get either but suspect they can.
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This is something that did just start this year (requiring a permit for the range or a hunting license). Yes an out of state resident can get either or both. Range permit is $30 and hunting license is $101 (for out of state)

HOWEVER

Many of them don't follow other rules at the range so I doubt they even know/care that this one exists. It would simply be another rule for them to just ignore. Most of the public ranges here are self patrolled (but WCO does stop by from time to time) and of the 20-30 times I've been out there this year I have yet to see a WCO even once.
 
The PA Game Commission is trying to crack down on abuse of the ranges and generally ward off the bad elements that have been causing problems. If you're seeing abuses, give them a call so they know. We've lost several public ranges (e.g. Nockamixon) due to these issues.
 
Hello, Savage32-20. Have you ever heard of a "rail gun"? These are a barreled action mounted on a movable spring counterballanced..some have shock absorbers, platform. The "rail" comes in the form of two precision ground shafts that platform/brl.action rides on. There are benchrest competition's using these shooting machines. The ultimate test for the consistancy of ammunition, by taking the human element out of the picture. it sounds like this fellow is attempting the same thing.
 
Hello, Savage32-20. Have you ever heard of a "rail gun"? These are a barreled action mounted on a movable spring counterballanced..some have shock absorbers, platform. The "rail" comes in the form of two precision ground shafts that platform/brl.action rides on. There are benchrest competition's using these shooting machines. The ultimate test for the consistancy of ammunition, by taking the human element out of the picture. it sounds like this fellow is attempting the same thing.
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I saw the picture posted in the thread - didn't know they existed until that. But I guess I see the point of what he was doing. Seems like a really nice guy and fun to talk to. Just never got up the nerve to ask him what he was doing and why he was doing it that way. Will have to ask next time I see him.
 
Though its not my cup of tea for sure, the shooting sports have all sorts of interesting variables. I dont see the fun in that at all, but then again, he would probably ask what fun could it be for me standing only 21 feet from a target and firing fast strings of fire from a pistol. Its all about what we enjoy, some people love shooting historical firearms, some enjoy hanging lights and lasers on them and practicing speed loads, some people throw on their cowboy hats and spurs and shoot period guns. I just thank the lord and the servicemen and women that I still have the right, for now, to enjoy any aspect of it I like.
 
Update:

I happened to run into this nice gentleman again when I was at the range this week. We got into a long discussion about reloading and how he shoots and why he shoots that way.

1st of the reasons he shoots the way he does is because he has to wait for his eyes to adjust. He told me that the scope bothers his eyes if he looks through it for too long so he must take a time out.

2nd reason was that he does not like the gun to get hot since it will change the accuracy of his scope and always wants it to be as cool as possible for shooting.

The bolt down rig was not there this time and he was only shooting off of sandbags - but we did discuss that and it was more for him to be able to zero in his scope than anything else. Since he would know the gun didn't move while he was waiting for it to cool.


All in all though, he is a very nice person to talk to and remembers me every time I see him there. Nice part was I went early Saturday morning so there were no "range-clowns" to deal with. Just a few guys all out having a good time shooting and being safe while doing it.
 
What I don't understand is why people worry about what someone else, who's not hurting anything, is doing. What difference does it make if you think it's fun or not? HE does. That's all that matters.
 
What I don't understand is why people worry about what someone else, who's not hurting anything, is doing. What difference does it make if you think it's fun or not? HE does. That's all that matters.
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Unless you are shooting on private property then it is the right of every other person on the range to know what you are doing. Personally - when I get to the range I see if I recognize everyone there, if not I'll sit and watch for a while to see how people act. If I'm not comfortable I LEAVE.

A prime example of when I would leave - The guy who shows up with 3 bags of stuff from gander mountain with everything brand new in the box. Pulls the gun out of the brand new box sets it on the table and loads it up. Leaves it propped against the edge of the table and commences walking down range without checking to see if it was all clear.

Maybe I'm nosy - maybe i'm not - But at the end of the day i'll be the guy who makes it home safe! The person in question in this thread was not someone I would leave the range because of, I was just curious about his unique style of shooting. BUT - I do watch EVERYONE who is on the range with me. I watch as cars pull in and leave. Some I talk to and gain more information about reloading and different guns. Others I share information with - But my goal is always the same. Make sure i'm in a safe environment to have fun.
 
I had a neighbor that shot with a rail gun. He was a retired machinest and was into experimenting. He had Parkensons so he could not shoot normally any more but still liked to experiment. He had his own range...interesting guy..even if very opinionated.

You would hear one shot, then 30 min later another shot...this would go on for days...then it would be 5 shots and an hour wait...then 10 shots...then a few days later it would be back to one shot again... I don't know if any of his experiments went anywhere but he did that until he could no longer operate his milling machine because of the Parkensons.
 
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