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Range Report Public Range chaos

Derek200

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Apr 5, 2017
127
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Went to the o lot public range anywhere near me today. Hobbes state park in ROGERS, AR.

I had to ask two different shooters to please not point their pistols at me as they were loading and manipulating the slide. Eventually I left and am wondering how there haven’t been more fatalities there. It is shocking to see people show up and have so many firearms and not know how to handle them.

I am a huge supporter of 2A. But. Sometimes I wonder..... I am losing faith in my fellow man... haha

How do you guys handle the chaos at public ranges? I guess I need to buy some acres.....
 
I personally don’t fully trust people I don’t know. Especially at gun ranges.. When me my fellow brothers trained together, we always had each other’s trust. Not every person was raised like myself and others that were educated at a very young age about firearm safety. I personally have been muzzle swept at a public range before.... not a comforting feeling.
 
My method is usually to go when it's blistering hot or very cold, that deters all but the most determined.
Going in the middle of the week is also a good idea. That worked well in Texas and Arkansas.
I went to the ASC 100 yard range in Houston once when the pre deer season crowd was there in force.
I thought about having t-shirts made up after that " I survived ASC pre deer season " , the roof panels there had more bullet holes in them than the old buildings in Nurnberg from WWII.
 
If it's not too far, you could try Luther Owen's in Berryville. Still a public range and still have dumbasses, but plenty of room to get away from them. Like mentioned above, go during the week or crappy weather has worked best for me
 
When I lived in Arkansas I usually went to the AGFC range in Mayflower.
It only goes to 200 yards but is well maintained and there are no shenanigans allowed, anyone that can't follow the rules were sent packing. Seen a few times that people didn't even make it to the firing line before being sent home.
They have a pretty good 3D archery course as well.
 
I've been flagged at public ranges, seen folks start shooting targets after the range was called cold, had them shoot my targets because they didn't have any of their own, dealt with vultures grabbing my brass off the ground while I was still shooting, you name it.

I figured out pretty quickly that if I showed up at first light (national forest ranges without any sort of range safety officer present) I could usually get in an hour of so before anyone else showed up. If there were other shooters at the range that early it was almost always for the same reason, to avoid safety issues from irresponsible shooters.

I eventually found a private range to join and it's much better.
 
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I live close to Hobbs and have seen some dumb stuff there. I try and go early AM. I don’t have much trouble with the deer rifle guys- they usually shoot 3 rounds at 50 yards and finish. The black rifle kids from neighboring towns who bring 2 buddies are the ones that terrify me. The owner of the rifle is more inclined to show off by burning down mag after mag at his target, and then doesn’t teach any safety to his buddies when he hands the rifle off.

I also had some dickbag come up behind me and talk crap on my rifle. It was my first long range rig- a savage action, 6.5x55 Shilen barrel, and green Choate heavy stock. 3 different colors, but it got me addicted to accuracy rifles. I decided (read: chickened out) not to confront him because the upside of feeling better wasn’t worth getting shot.

Long story short- go early, and don’t be a dick to others.
 
I pay to shoot at a private club. I don't like some of the rules *but* I don't have to deal with bone heads and if someone gets rude, confrontational, abusive, or stupid there are people who will enforce the rules and lock the offenders out.

All in all it's a better deal than taking my chances at the public range.

VooDoo
 
Berryville is about an hour. Mayflower is about 3 hours. I’m in bentonville. Trying to get on the wait list for ROGERS gun club. Their range is 5 minutes from me.

The guy I talked to clearly had not spent a lot of time with his pistol. When the range got called hot he would walk in front of the benches to shoot. The target stand hikes are only every 25 yards. It was sort of comical. But as he walked out he had his pistol in his hand. Finger on trigger and just swinging his arm like he was walking the dog. Then after shooting. Took him a while to get it back in his appendix holster.

That was the worst I have seen it ever. Hah. Oh well.
 
Public ranges are like “bad neighborhoods.” You can get in and out safely, but you’ve got to know your area of operation. What are the slowest days? What keeps other shooters away? Peak times? Which... Bench... Eye contact or no eye contact? And, know when it’s time to leave...
 
Don’t go to Hobb’s. It’s the most unsafe range I have ever seen. Here’s a sampling:

- I got a pistol pointed at me (inadvertently) by some idiot trying to show off his new gun.

- saw a guy walk out to check his target while the range was hot

- saw a lady dual wielding 2 pistols one day and fired a round after she thought they were both empty. Gun was barely pointed down range

- I know a guy who lost most hearing out of one of his ears from some idiot next to him firing a large caliber rifle while the range was cold.

You can’t pay me enough to go out there. Get a membership to the Rogers’ range.
 
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My method is usually to go when it's blistering hot or very cold, that deters all but the most determined.
Going in the middle of the week is also a good idea. That worked well in Texas and Arkansas.
I went to the ASC 100 yard range in Houston once when the pre deer season crowd was there in force.
I thought about having t-shirts made up after that " I survived ASC pre deer season " , the roof panels there had more bullet holes in them than the old buildings in Nurnberg from WWII.
ASC is my home range. I go there often and yeah it gets crowded during holidays and when people are checking zeros at the start of deer season. It’s not bad though. The RO’s do a decent job of keeping people in check.
 
ASC is my home range. I go there often and yeah it gets crowded during holidays and when people are checking zeros at the start of deer season. It’s not bad though. The RO’s do a decent job of keeping people in check.

You can have that dump, I allways stayed on the 300-600 side since most of the clowns around there didn't have much chance or skill beyond the 100 yard line.
Saw some pretty pitiful excuses for marksmen and shooters there that would be ripe targets for the purge.
 
  • I avoid public ranges.
  • When I have to go (tagging along with friends) I keep my head up, stay bright (red hat, etc), and among other things wear armor with rifle plates and the TQ. Seriously: it's probably the most dangerous place I go.
  • Never take off eyes, ears.
  • Try to set a watch. Do not have the whole group I am with go downrange. Someone with a good command voice stays up, with our stuff, and with an eye out for people trying to shoot those downrange.
  • Do not fall into completion bias: If shit is getting too dumb, pack up and leave.
  • Even at my membership only club, I try to go on odd days, first thing in the morning, rainy, cold days to avoid seeing anyone else or dealing with their shenanigans.
  • Anywhere I shoot I have a bit of an IFAK, never am entirely unable to get to a loaded firearm (Silverado mode! but also enough real world stories), and try to make sure I have the mobile phone, and am in coverage so can get help if needed.
  • I often shoot at the club at dusk or dark (night vision, etc) and keep a red strobe in the bag, so I can mark the lane I am in (usually, just magnet it to the back of the vehicle, which is somewhere uprange of me). Should be no one firing randomly in the dark, but I see so much stupidity that why risk it?

I just paid off the house, and the wife agrees in principle we should get some land. Still years off, but it is the long term plan.
 
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You can have that dump, I allways stayed on the 300-600 side since most of the clowns around there didn't have much chance or skill beyond the 100 yard line.
Saw some pretty pitiful excuses for marksmen and shooters there that would be ripe targets for the purge.
Yup. I go early morning or during lunch time when it clears out. I stick to the 300-600 side as well.
 
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My last visit to a range was about 10 years ago and I allowed my membership there to lapse. I was testing reloads for a hunting handgun when I looked to my right and was staring down the barrel of a 1911 where a guy was vigorously trying to rack out a stuck round. The "RO" was standing next to him and calmly saying "keep it pointed down range".

Sometime during the melee I yelled "watch your muzzle" as I backed out of the line of fire and as he successfully ejected a loaded round and rechambered a fresh one. His finger was in the trigger guard the entire time. There were plenty of shooters, heads down, to my left and completely unaware. The RO said quietly "yeah, watch that". I gathered my things and left. RO's and RSO's and $800/year - never went back. I found a farmer who let me shoot on his property until I found some of my own.

I suppose shooting is truly a very safe sport because I have many friends with similar stories including AD's at public and private ranges but no injuries or deaths that I know of personally. I believe it was required to take a gun safety course at my elementary school back in the day - or maybe, I just opted in - but I haven't heard of that being offered in years. My Dad taught me more and earlier but that would be a good start for some of these morons.
 
It happens at private ranges, too. I had a guy next to me banana peal his brake because he launched 308 rounds through it (it was a 223 brake). Fragments were hitting me all over the place. After I was able to stop him from laying down suppressive fire on the paper target at 50 yards, he realized his rifle had an issue . I nick named him Tacticool Tommy. He Had more accessories on this AR10 than I knew it could have.

My favorite was when a fella brought his daughter to the range to show her how to shoot. She was wearing body armor with a tacticool vest and he was teaching her how to shoot "in a real world scenario" (his words). After watching how he could barely hit the berm at 100 yards, and repeated line sweeps, the RO's asked him to leave.

I dropped my membership to that range.
 
the only time i go to the public range is when we have a match and that is not exactly on the public line...honestly if i lived somewhere that the public range was my only option to shoot without hours of travel i would probably stop shooting.
 
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I believe that there should be no infringement of our right to keep and bear arms.... but sometimes that belief is sorely tested when I see some of the dumb asses handling firearms. I know it will be an unpopular belief, but damn if I don't wish there was some way to make sure everyone who handles firearms knew how to do it safely. Used to be it was dad-knowledge passed down... now, not so much.
 
I belong to a private club to avoid that mess but it is an hr from home, so I still frequent a local national forrest range which is 10mi from home. On a nice Sat or Sun it can be a Zoo. One day I was shooting groups with a pristine antique Anschutz 54 Super Match at 50y. In the bay next to me was a nimrod with a short bbl AK47 pistol? Designed to avoid NFA SBR licensing rules. The muzzle blast from that rig was shaking my sight picture. The AK-fool was ripping off one mag dump after the next and then I noticed that the dumkopf was now shooting my tgt. After confronting him and asking him to try to shoot his own tgt he admitted that he did not bring one. I gave him some cardboard and a bulls eye to aim at but I don't think he ever actually hit it. A few min later, he was raining brass down on me and one hit the wooden stock on my rifle dinging it. That was enough. I had to get up and go home. The alternative would likely have earned either jail time or a medal. My fault for being there on a weekend. I have learned that week days are best. If it must be a weekend go very early. The IQ of the shooters goes down as the day wears on. If not early then go very late or when it is raining or snowing or cold as hell. My local public range is not a bad one. Range discipline is usually good and we have not had any recent safety issues but it is a new bunch each time and you must be alert all the time. Not just for idiots but also for criminals who would kill you and steal your guns. A perceived risk if not necessarily real. When I go there I assume that there is at least one bad guy there and while I know some of the regulars, there are also strangers. Most are normal good folk. Occasionally, there are some who raise the hair on my neck.

One weekend I arrived to find two 20 something males dressed in full camo and tactical gear looking all the world like they stepped off the convoy from Mosul. Complete with a SAS style shemagh scarf, shades, combat knife, mag-vest, handgun in the vest holster, etc. They looked like they were about to go on a black op. Very "Cool". They were practicing shooting a IPSC style humanoid tgt with short AR15's tricked out with lasers, red-dot sights, etc. Their tgt might have been 10-15 ft downrange. They would rip of 2 or 3 rds as fast as possible and then do a reload and do 2-3 more. One seemed to be training the other and neither seemed to know what they were doing. Not unsafe per se but just enough off to make me uneasy. Their mannerisms and body language screamed "Gay" but I am not a good judge of this, so I could be wrong.

Their rifles kept jamming and they would clear them and just leave the live rds laying on the ground. They wanted to "train" about 5 ft forward of the firing line and when asked to move back to the firing line by one of the other shooters for safety sake they argued that they could not do what they needed to do from that location. I think somebody remarked that they would have a hard time doing what they needed to do with a hole in their a$$ also. They left for a while at this point, lol. I think I picked up about 25 live .223 rds from the ground along with about 200 empty brass during one of the breaks. When they returned I went home. That was one of the more extreme examples. I never did see them shoot at a tgt further then a few feet away.
 
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We were at a public range in Louisiana.
Only 3 shooters at the 50-200 line.
The r o was behind me, watching my group.
The shooter next to me was raining 223 on top of me for several mags.
Kind of like a hot brass shower.

Cease fire was called by the r o.
I stood up and shook several rounds from inside my shirt and cleared my bolt gun
and set it in the rack.

The r o asked how long I was going to put up with that crap?
I told him as long as I was still breathing.

My son asked if I wanted a fresh target placed on his way down range.
R o lhao asked what was that about.

Was working on shooting with distraction.

I have seen, out of controll, stupid, new without any instruction,
small children running around with hot guns, people turn around with loaded pistols.
Handle firearms with people down range, the list never ends.

I have had to go hands on people with rifles, pistols and shot guns to protect myself and others
till rso could intervine.

Keep your head on a swivel, and Merry Christmas!
 
I shoot alone I hunt alone, I keep to myself call me a loner but people more trouble than their worth ... I have let them hunt my farm in the past and picked up after them many times now the posted signs are up ...Fuckem try and be nice and they shit on you had I stand in the road and point his rifle in my field to look at my beef cows... wtf
 
I shoot alone I hunt alone, I keep to myself call me a loner but people more trouble than their worth ... I have let them hunt my farm in the past and picked up after them many times now the posted signs are up ...Fuckem try and be nice and they shit on you had I stand in the road and point his rifle in my field to look at my beef cows... wtf
But do you “drink alone” like Mr Thorogood?
 
Public ranges are a mecca for people who don't know the first thing about firearms safety. The type of folks that bought a gun with no idea where they would shoot it, they have no intention of getting any instruction, and they have no respect for range protocols or cleanliness. Not everyone at a public range is like that, but most are.

download (1).jpg
 
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Gave it up in 2012 after they took a tumor out of my heart tricuspid valve.... Dr. Said it was probably from my time on duty after 911. Who knows but I'm alive that's what counts .
 
  • I avoid public ranges.
  • When I have to go (tagging along with friends) I keep my head up, stay bright (red hat, etc), and among other things wear armor with rifle plates and the TQ. Seriously: it's probably the most dangerous place I go.
  • Never take off eyes, ears.
  • Try to set a watch. Do not have the whole group I am with go downrange. Someone with a good command voice stays up, with our stuff, and with an eye out for people trying to shoot those downrange.
  • Do not fall into completion bias: If shit is getting too dumb, pack up and leave.
  • Even at my membership only club, I try to go on odd days, first thing in the morning, rainy, cold days to avoid seeing anyone else or dealing with their shenanigans.
  • Anywhere I shoot I have a bit of an IFAK, never am entirely unable to get to a loaded firearm (Silverado mode! but also enough real world stories), and try to make sure I have the mobile phone, and am in coverage so can get help if needed.
  • I often shoot at the club at dusk or dark (night vision, etc) and keep a red strobe in the bag, so I can mark the lane I am in (usually, just magnet it to the back of the vehicle, which is somewhere uprange of me). Should be no one firing randomly in the dark, but I see so much stupidity that why risk it?

I just paid off the house, and the wife agrees in principle we should get some land. Still years off, but it is the long term plan.
What plate carrier are you using? Are the .300 Winchester Magnum rated? Did you put plates in the soft spots in your truck with the red strobe?
 
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the only time i go to the public range is when we have a match and that is not exactly on the public line...honestly if i lived somewhere that the public range was my only option to shoot without hours of travel i would probably stop shooting.
Same here. I really admire the determination of the couple USPSA GM's I know that live in cities and do very little live fire but can still take names at a match.
 
We were picking up our stuff at the range Sunday and the one guy went down range to get his targets. A few of us were standing there talking and we heard the bolt close on the rifle, we turned and the guy was getting ready to pull the trigger with a guy down range. A buddy got him stopped in time but how the fuck do 3 people not see a big white SUV drive down the road after telling everyone that he was going down there.
 
Just found this thread... I lived out in Idaho where the closest range was 30 minutes and that was the only option unless you inherited grandpappys land. I showed up early one day and of course this guy and his dad brought out there new 338 missile launchers ( this range only goes to 550 yards). These guys sit on each side of me and only shoot to 100 yards on paper and decided to make it fun by counting down from 3 and then BOOM! It literally throws my book and Kestrel off the bench. At this point I just stand back shaking my head as they do this till the next cease fire.

This range is also about 30 minutes from Orofino (Nightforce Headquarters) so you see a lot of the employees out there. One thing leads to another and the guys with there Savage 338's start talking about there cheaper Bushnells being the exact same thing as Nightforce and Nightforce is overpriced blah blah blah.

I just laughed and left.
 
I joined a private range about an hour from where I live. It’s a pretty nice facility and really caters to the shooters. It’s seriously 24/7 365. There are no business hours. It has a 1000 yard range along with pistol and carbine bays. Even 360 degree bays.
 
PSA: Hobbs State Park’s public shooting range is closed indefinitely until which point the state can decide whether to fund the repairs that have made it a safety hazard, or to close the range permanently.

I’m local to it, and have seen some of the worst safety issues I’ve ever seen on a public range. It was bad.

Contact for more specific info is Mark Clippinger with Arkansas State Parks. Call the number and ask to be transferred if you need more information. The range is not safe, and it will not be opened again until repairs are made or the trap is replaced, from what I was told.

7063068
 
I joined a private range about two years ago. Only downside is it only goes out to 615 years, but I'm usually the only person at the range. I'll go Friday morning at 0800 or Saturday afternoon and I rarely see more than one other shooter, unless it's close to elk or deer season.
 
As per Google Maps I can shoot just shy of 1800 yards from my 2 hay fields across the next farms 3 hay fields to the tree line, that's just 1 direction. Never go to public land to hunt or shoot. To many careless peeps acting stupid, carefree.