Re: Gun range rant
When I was looking for a gun club to join, I looked all over the metro area and surrounding counties. Every club around had issues that pissed me off. Most had public range days, which I did not want to deal with. I don't mind going to public ranges if I need to, but they're a hassle. You deal with excessive safety rules made for the lowest common denominator, and that is problematic when you need to do something beyond shooting slowfire from the bench. It broke down like this:
Range 1: 2 year wait list, mandatory work days where you had to RSO several times a year, no silhouette or human-like targets, no rapid fire, shooting only from the firing line, Open to the public a couple days a month and all through hunting season, 200yd max range.
Range 2: no wait list, 600yd rifle range, open to the public once a month and every weekend during hunting season, mandatory RSO work, during public days, must shoot with supervision, must shoot from the firing line only at the specified ranges (cannot move the targets closer), no rapid fire.
Range 3: wait list, shotgun, handgun and archery only, public range days, must shoot from the line only.
I have to drive 50 miles to go to my current club, but it's a great club. The only one that I was able to find that actually allowed me to do what I want. 1000yd rifle range, 200m multi-purpose range, 100yd multi-purpose range, 3x50yd pistol bays, archery, campground, clubhouse, NOT open to the public except during events, no full-auto fire (unfortunately), you can set up targets at any range and shoot from wherever you want as long as you're safe, lots of events (which is fun, but also annoying at times), and generally not busy during the week. We have a 2-guest maximum per member which is strictly enforced. We have no RSOs working- it's all self-policing/self-accountability.
I used to get bothered on occasion by the old guys when I'd be off on my own doing rapid fire shooting drills with movement with my ARs in one of the separate bays. At first they started making comments about questioning the safety of it. I started wearing my tactical body armor with my POLICE patches on it, and I haven't been bothered since.
Only real issue is that there's always some goober that shows up with an AK or SKS and a buddy in tow, and wants to tell me how cool it is. Don't care.
Then, when it comes to public ranges, the indoor ones are always populated by ghetto superstar thuglettes shooting a "trey-five-seven" or "a nine", or Ese's rapid-fire shooting a Ruger 10/22 with a banana magazine. I once tried going up next to them and shooting my 7.5" AR, which is just obnoxiously loud and concussive, to drive them off the range. Nope- they just wanted to talk to me. Didn't ever do that again.