Your thoughts on the .50 BMG at a public range...

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BigJerm...

Thank you, that's a POST.

To the point without assinine name calling.

I stated clearly in my very first post, that I fully accept the "give and take" at a public range- including mag dumps next to me...

My question was whether the .50 BMG simply crosses that line of "uncomfortableness" (yup- made up the word).

Fact is, at 180 DB it can, and will, cause hearing damage, even with our usual protective hearing gear which only reduces about 33 db.

I think your example of a range having specific time slots is an accommodation that balances the rights of those that want to shoot, with the safety and relative "comfort" of others that are paying the same fee to shoot.

It was certainly not a coincidence that the only benches left when we got there were next to the .50.

If you .50 shooters want to mis-read this as an affront to your "freedom"- you're just plain wrong. It's about balance between those rights- and the rights of the others nearby.

Again, if you can't keep the conversation civil, just stay out, or I'll ask the mods to shut down the thread.

Nothing against the shooter, he's doing what he's allowed.
 
The public ranges I go to don't allow 50 cal and over firearms except for muzzle loaders, they can be up to 79 cal. It wouldn't bother me really, 50 cal ammo is so expensive it's not like they'll be shooting all day. Infact I've never seen a 50 cal rifle so I think it would be pretty cool to see one being fired. By the way I'm new here nice forum.

Edit: They do allow 50 caliber handguns, but they specifically mentioned the 50 BMG not being allowed.
 
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:D:D

Hey, that's what makes the world go round, right?

'Cept, I had to put my glasses on to see that font size...
 
Tobnpr...you got it man! We're all different people that come from different places and, thankfully, have different views. BUT at the end of the day, we're all out to enjoy the same thing...guns. So it's all good :D. And yes, I agree that the Mondays only thing was a good compromise. I'm just happy that those guys still get to do their thing. And if you're the type of person that can afford a $6k+ firearm & ammo, then I'm sure you'd have no issue taking a Monday afternoon off to go enjoy it. Everyone wins & the range is just as crowded as ever, so I guess no one really saw this policy change as a problem.

Coldbeer...welcome! It's a great place to be. And yessir, the mighty 50 is truly something to behold. Hopefully you can see that big dog bark some day.

J
 
There's people who complain about others shooting black powder arms or semi-autos at public ranges. Some don't like to be around anything louder than a .22LR. Unfortunately, public ranges are just that, public, and they cannot cater to everyone's whims. If there are ranges that are more conducive to a person's peace of mind or specific needs, those are the ranges that should be patronized by that person. I prefer not to shoot at public ranges for various reasons so I travel a bit further and use the millions of acres of public lands available to me to shoot on.

EDIT: By the way, tobnpr, you chose to shoot at one of the few ranges in your area that allows .50 BMG, therefore it seems reasonable that .50 BMG shooters would sometimes shoot there. Seems to me that your discomfort was due to your own choice.
 
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Feeding Frenzy or What.

Anyone experience Ma Deuce in Nam? Still got that whistle in your ear?
I know I do! If the range can't give the fifty some space, they should make them come back during the week, when they can have most ranges to theirself. The guys at my range would make an effort to provide a safe and pleasant environment for everyone, not just the biggest gun. Plunking a fifty down in the middle of the firing line is just inconsiderate, and endangers hearing.
 
I have an idea

How about the range having a designated kaboom end of the line. That way the heavy stuff and the light stuff didnt have to mix.
 
Poster is not alone in this matter.

I personally think that a shooter should always realise what his actions could result in. Same goes for the RO.

When on a range someone opens up with a bigbore like a 50 it will distract other shooters. Shooters which are competing or training. A distraction like that should be avoided.

So what happened with shooter's chivalry?
Why doesn't a RO give the big bore shooter an opportunity to shoot whitout the distraction for the other shooters and is he or she opting for distraction?

Personnaly I respect each and everyone's triggertime. And with that I - as a RO - always make sure that each and everyone can do there thing.
But not at the same time. The 22 mouche shooters get there rangetime as well as the audiovisual enthusiasts.

Questioning these practises is not a matter of being a ant-gunner, but being a civilized gunner.

Let's get a long, folks.
 
I think it is up to the range. If a person does not want to shoot by a 50BMG then go to a range that does not allow a 50BMG.

As far as why a person would pick a 50BMG over a 338? Because they can. If I was offered a choice of a 338 or a 50 I think I would take the 50 as well, but I dont like "tacticool" fire arms. I prefer wood and Laminate and like revolvers and lever actions over Glocks and ARs. I have had people gripe about my 357 magnums at ranges. I try to accommodate people as much as possible but I am not going to stop shooting because some one does not like it.





Once I was at a local indoor range and I was shooting a BFR (Big Revolver) in 45/70. For about 20 min I was the only one at the range. Then a guy came in and parked in the lane next to me. I politly told him that my gun was loud and he chose to ignore me. So I decided to move as far away from him as I could. I started shooting after moving to the other side of the range (its a small range with only 7 lanes). It was clear that the noise of the BFR was making the other guy flinch.

After a while the guy starts giving me dirty looks. He then goes to the range officer. The range officer asks me what I am shooting and I show him and he says that I have to go to a rifle range (out door in the middle of winter) if I am going to shoot a gun that fires rifle bullets.

So instead to going out side I pull out my other hand gun I brought that day. It was a Coonan Classic 357 magnum Automatic. I had cooked up some really hot and light ammo for it. It was 110 grain bullets (light for the caliber) over H110 (a slower powder that is famous for making big fire balls). To quote my self "the gun threw fire like a dragon and screamed like an F15 eagle. It was much louder than the BFR. I fired off 3 full mags in rapid fire (21 rounds).

The guy got the range officer again and the range officer asked to see my gun. After looking at it he asked if he could shoot it and I let him. He fired 1 round and said that it was ok to shoot this gun in the hand gun range. The other guy that kept complaining game me some more dirty looks and then left.

So did I do the wrong thing? I did get as much space from the guy as I could and I verbally warned him of the noise before I fired any rounds.
 
With the exception of one, no public ranges in my area allow any .50 caliber laods Or in the case of magnums in handguns, anything over .44 Magnum. Only muzzleloaders in .50 are allowed and only at certain times. They claim that besides the fact that those more powerful loads can cause hearing damage even with basic hearing protection, and ( this is their claim as well as their Insurance Company's claim, not mine) that muzzle blast , if strong enough can cause minor injury as well. Another decideing factor they claim is the bigger rnds cause lots more damage to the berms and due to the lead projectile being bigger, builds the lead content of the berm quicker which has to be removed and replaced after it reaches a certain level. ( and no I don't know how they figure out how much lead is in a berm at any given time) This is supposedly regulated very heavy by the EPA and it is said to be very expensive to replace the berms. I was told by a range officer at the Game Commision's public range that each berm was over $30 grand to be replaced and re-permitted. The only range that does allow the larger calibers in both rifles and handguns only allows them on Mondays and Wednesdays and in order to be in the shooting area whether shooting or not , you have to sighn a waver and wear ear plugs with muffs as well. And then shooters are spaced two appart which only allows for a certain number of shooters at a time, but I have never seen it full but maybe once. And not saying that I agree with these rules but, there is no Comparison of the Loudness and muzzle blast of a .50 BMG to that of 7mm or .300WM and my .300 has a brake as well.The .50 BMG is Way louder and heavier on the muzzle blast!
 
50BMG's at the range

+1000 wogplotter.

I HATE when people start saying or writing "Ban the Fifties" or "Restrict them to other ranges" not near me, or the range I'm using that day.
That is becoming a Gun Control Freak in my book. Your favorite caliber day will come, once it starts!

I own two 50BMG rifles.
I shoot competitively with them at 1000 yards, and for fun at 1 mile and beyond. This requires special ranges for which I drive 700+ miles to get to, and are only available at certain times.

When developing a target load or for just getting TRIGGER TIME which translates into better accuracy at longer ranges, I must use a range nearby, whether public or private. If I have to pay just like everyone else and am restricted to a certain amount of time, I need to shoot. I will do the Range Officer's job and yell for everyone to cover-up with hearing protection AND eye protection. IF not restricted to a set duration of time, I will back away from my gun when others are nearby, just out of common courtesy to others. If any other shooters are interested in trying a Fifty, I will go to great lengths to make their first Fifty shot a pleasant one. If someone just wants to watch, I tell them to stand DIRECTLY BEHIND the gun, not off to the side where the muzzle break will get them.

What I do dislike is lesser caliber shooters shooting my target just to prove they are better shots. They don't know that I purposely move my sighting point to various spots to verify proper scope function "shooting the box".
I have the ability to put 5 projectiles of 0.510" diameter thru a 1.004" diameter hole at 100 yards without touching the sides of the hole, this on a gun that produces nearly 14,000 ft/lbs of muzzle energy with my 800+ grain target projectiles using 248 grains of powder.

I do dislike shooters not verifying others are covered after the range is shutdown for target changes, or shooting while others are down range.
I have walked up to shooters, that have shot while I was downrange changing targets, asked to look at their guns and then jammed them into the mud or in one case purposely broke a 22 that was used to shoot my target while I was measuring it for group. NOT FUNNY.

We all need to be respectful of others, or we will all lose our privledges.
Think about it, before harming a person, or our 2nd Ammendment Rights, just because of a stupid act or statement.
 
Just to clarify.
I responded to the question asked, & took it no further than that. The OP asked if I thought something & I answered that question. I'm sorry if the OP doesn't like the answer, but it was honest & without rancor.

Now to respond to his insinuation.

I am not a "50 caliber shooter" except for my .50 Hawken black powder. The largest caliber of modern rifle I own is a .308.:rolleyes:
 
This is just a matter of common courtesy.

Ear defenders and plugs are not adequate protection for someone seated a bench or two to the left or right of a .50 BMG rifle.

Shooters of 50's ought to ensure that they do not interfere with other shooters, and range owners need to ensure that everyone gets what they pay for, which is usable range time. If I were on a bench within 50 feet or so of a 50 BMG shooter, I would leave my bench, and sit back and wait. If it were a per-hour range, I'd make sure the range master knew I was taking an (unpaid) time-out. Their obligation is not to provide a "silent" range, but it is their obligation to provide a "usable" one.

We all want to have fun, cooperate to enjoy the sport. Cooperation goes both ways. Good new is that 50 BMG shooters are generally not on the range all day.... :rolleyes:

Personally, mine comes out on weekdays when I know things will be slow, I bench myself at the far end, and I am very concious of other shooters, walking down to them and telling them how manhy rounds I am planning to shoot and for how long, so we all can plan our time to share and share alike.

Willie

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absurd.
Not 20 rounds, but I have been in the concussion area of a 50bmg at less than 5 feet for multiple shot. It didn't break me down to tears. The range it was being fired at was less than 40 yards.
 
50BMG at 25 yards

I have shot at 25 yard range to pressure test and chronograph test new loads, in order to stay away from other shooters.

This is only if approved by rangemaster.

I do not "lead-up" the berms with solid brass projectiles.

I do shoot at base of berm to ensure projectile is "trapped" by berm.

I do my best to work with other shooters, and expect the same from them.
 
"absurd.Not 20 rounds, but I have been in the concussion area of a 50bmg at less than 5 feet for multiple shot. It didn't break me down to tears. The range it was being fired at was less than 40 yards"


Probably reduced velocity handloads, likely not full house "mile-shooters". The muzzle blast at 5 feet to the side from a full house round is enough to cause definate discomfort even to enthusiastic folks who like them.

As`in all things, playing well in the sandbox with others is a skill that we all ought to aspire to.



Willie

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It does make the world go around indeed.

Shoot, if I had a M2 I'd light it up on a public range as long as there wasn't any rules against it :D
 
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