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

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Start banning guns.

If we are going to start banning guns, start with the 22 rimfires.
They are numerous, don't use ear protection, don't care about other shooters, don't pickup their empty brass, don't use proper targets, don't pickup all the cans and other garbage they use for targets, don't place their targets properly on target holders, don't give a crap about the damage they do, and don't care about our gun rights as most are too ignorant to understand the damage they are doing.

Then we move on to the 224 centerfire rifles that are just too loud and the crack of the supersonic bullet is too damaging to fellow shooters ears at the range, and are too light to be used for deer hunting or other game animals, and when used on varmits, they are too explosive causing major damage to the pelts.

Then we move on to other rifles, 257, 264, 277, 284, 308, 313, 323, 350, 375, 408, 416, 444, 458, 460, 475, and 480.

Where do we stop?

This discussion started about 50BMG rifles, and the gun banners jumped on the bandwagon touting about the rifle being too loud and not usable for normal shootiong condition.

I just reversed the order that the rest of you have started.

YOU SAY:
Ban the 50's as too loud.
Then they are gone.
Then the 480, 475, 460, 458, 444, 416, and 408's are too loud.
Then they are gone.
Then rest are at risk.

Once the gun banning starts, it does not stop.
Ask England.
Ask Austrailia.
Ask Canada about handguns.
Ask any European country.

THINK ABOUT IT - WORK TOGETHER TO SOLVE IN A MANNER AGREEABLE TO ALL.

50 caliber guns shoot on Saturday.
40 caliber guns shoot on Sunday.
30 caliber guns shoot on Monday.
20 caliber guns shoot on Tuesday.
10 caliber guns shoot on Wednesday.
12 gage shotguns shoot on Thursday.
20 gage shotguns shoot on Friday.

I'm sure everyone will be agreeable to this, this way the 50 and 40 caliber and up guys will not be bothering the rest of you.

Has anyone else seen the stupidity of this Thread and where it may lead.
Let's work together to solve the concern without starting the banning process. We are not children on the playground. What we say and type is fodder for the anti's, don't feed them.

Now I wrote things above to purposely stir things up to attempt to show you where this may go. Now don't chop and paste to distort the post as written, and use as fodder for your distorted purposes.
 
oldmanFCSA
amen brother, i am with you 10000000%
you are spot on. i just hope the rest of the posters on this forum will agree with you.
 
Strafer Gott ... affirmative ... if you're going to try to talk to me ... do it from my left side ... I was a M-113A1 driver and in combat we did not use CVC helmets ... we used GI steel pots ... the barrel of a Ma Duce is about 3 feet from your head and the muzzle is about where your head is ... I see your lips moving, are you talking to me?:D
 
If we don't ALL learn to have a bit of consideration for others instead of trying to have our (frequently assumed) "rights" override the rights of others we're all going to lose big time. It's a shared range & a shared experience people lets all just lose a bit of the "ME ABOVE ALL OTHER INFERIORS" attitude before we all lose everything!

Everyone can give a little so there is a compromise (defined as a deal no-one is utterly happy with, but we can all live with).

The topic of adjacent range noise came up at a public range in MD & guess what? Now we all have to shoot through highly irritating lengths of sewer pipe lined with some kind of foam so the noise is reduced. It wouldn't be so bad if the range officials hadn't also bolted the bench legs to the concrete pad, mis-aligning them slightly with the targets at the same time. Now you have to not only shoot through a tube filled with bits of sand & dirt that get thrown in your face, but do it squinting down one side of the pipe.
 
Wow, some of you guys seriously crack me up! The slippery slope arguments made in here are hilarious at best. The OP didn't say anything about banning every gun from the range for any of the numerous reasons you all want to come up with. He asked if one of the more extreme weapons sold to private citizens should or should not be allowed at public ranges.

It's up to the range owners to determine if they will allow .50 rifles to be shot there. Many PUBLIC ranges around me have made the decision to not allow them for one reason or another. I would think that if one chose to allow them they should have their own lane that has more separation from the other lanes.

It also amazes me how many people will call fellow gun enthusiasts Liberal gun banning whack jobs because their opinion differs from theirs!
 
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The 50

Heck just have the guy call Red Jacket they can make a suppressor for the thing and get it down to 118 just watch the TV show to see. LOL They sure do make a big deal out of make stuff that has been around for awhile don't they.
 
Buckhorn is on to something. Almost any physical barrier like a sheet of plywood on a stand will attenuate impulse. Keep it perpendicular to the brake blast ports, and it might help a lot.
 
I mainly shoot prone, and I've actually considered in the past bringing a few cinder blocks with me and stacking them 2 high at a wide angle (think one side of an arrow head) to the brake (Barrett brakes are arrow shaped). That way it's portable and will angle the blast back and away from me and anyone else who happened to be on the other side. Just seemed more of a PITA then it was worth, but after this thread I might just do it after all next time.
 
As you said, "A 'public range' is for the use, and enjoyment, of everyone that pays to shoot there." The guy with the .50 has every right to fire his shoulder cannon, as long as he is not in violation of the posted range rules. It's kinda like going to a buffet and getting yourself a big plate of strawberry ice cream topped with chicken gravy. If the people at the next table over are grossed out, they have the option of moving, or at least not looking, but they don't have the option to dictate what you eat.
 
But Mr. FCSA...

...what if I want to shoot my Garand and my AR on the same day???? :D

Anyway, this seems to be a much bigger deal than it has been made out to be. Does the usage of a .50BMG firearm completely ruin your range experience? Are you limited to one day a week to utilize the range?
 
"I'd also try to talk the range management into constructing a noise shield for a couple of the far-end benches"


Solved this quite neatly with a dozen truck tires: We built a set of wooden posts with parallel fence rails, and essentially made a "tube" out of the truck tires laid side-by-side. Think HUGE suppressor can... stick the muzzle a foot into the tube and blast away. Quiets anything down immensely. I shoot a .22 thru one in my backyard and it's almost silent 20 yards away. Works a charm with the .50 BMG.

I don't know if this had ever been done before, I came up with it myself. Not too many original ideas, but "maybe" on this one. No clue. Just sayin'....

I'm surprised these are not a common range accessory. Cheap, easy, effective, and they kill glare on the scope as well if the light angle is right. Set them up at benchrest height. Kills all of the muzzle blast.


Willie

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I'm with the, if it's a public range who cares. I street drive a 14:1 comp, 750 HP car that's louder than a pack of harleys. People have and do complain how loud it is, and I could care less. I like my rifles like my cars, loud. Just wish I had a place to shoot a .50! :D
 
Almost anybody at a range can be distracting but it is near impossible to have an empty range most places anymore. I can guarantee that a .50 BMG in any lane would be distracting to me. I would have to stop shooting and go watch, looking pleadingly to get to shoot it.:D I do like the idea of working with the range folks to construct one or two baffles of some sort and have an end lane or two for big boomers regardless of caliber.
 
Wow...

I've been around TFL for a few years, and it has been a long time since I've seen childishness and arrogance this prevalent in a thread. And I'm talking about people on both sides of the argument here.

Let's all take a step back shall we.... Talk about this like grown folks.

The Problem
.50 BMG rifles are very loud, the muzzle blast (re-directed by muzzle brakes) is uncomfortable, and impacts many shooters in the immediate vicinity in a negative way.

The Solution
There are many solutions.
- You can move away.
- You can wait a little while. Most people can't tolerate the recoil of a .50BMG indefinitely, so wait until he takes a breather to re-approach the line and fire your shots.
- You can ask the shooter to work with you on a rotating basis. Maybe offer to act as a spotter (positioned directly behind him) while he shoots, and he spot for you while you shoot. You might make a new friend this way, and probably pick up a few pointers to boot.
- If the range is crowded, you could try and facilitate a swap of benches to a distant end table. This helps both the .50BMG shooter and everyone else. He's not as worried about everyone else, everyone else isn't subject to the immediate vicinity of the .50BMG. (I'd only attempt this as a last resort, I'd hate to alienate a shooter just because he can afford to shoot a boomer)

On a public range, or even a private range where you both pay memberships, you both have a right to be there, enjoying the rights of a hobby we all love.
The answer is not to restrict or infringe on either person's time or space.

The answer is to work with other shooters so that we all have an enjoyable experience, not against other shooters just because we don't see the point in what they're shooting/doing.

Always, always, always bring and wear eye protection and ear protection. Even if you only wear single hearing protection, bring extra plugs/muffs so you can double-up quickly and easily. I have a dedicated small bag that has 5-6 sets of electronic and regular ear muffs, 2 dozen or so sets of disposable ear plugs, and 4-5 new-in-box safety glasses. That bag stays clipped onto my bag that holds my sandbags, range tool kit, spotting scope, notepad, and other various range items that I always wind up needing.
 
Some good ideas, but unfortunately there's too much running in circles and too much emotion for grownups. (Hey, fake it; I do.)

Enough for now. Go off and think about it...
 
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