I thought I’d share a funny story from range. Been lurker here for years but never felt the need to join in. Plenty of experts around so why waste your time with my opinion? But this I feel is worth sharing. Its long, but is worth it. This is a story of 6 hours at my local public range.Our local range has recently gone from free to needing to have a state pass. It’s been fairly successful in keeping away the crazies, so I had gotten lax in my range awareness. Not so good an idea as it turns out.
On this particular day it started off with the guy (hence known as hillbilly) and his wife next to me having taken 4 of the provided target stands for their one lane. I do’t use these, so no biggie to me. Well, sure enough a gentleman shows up with his kid and he decides directly to my right is a great place to be. When cold gets called he walks out and sees these 4 target stands, ask the woman at the firing bench if she was using it and she says “yes, we are using both of those stands.” He says ok and walks back to the 100 yard line and starts to pick up a target stand and her husband yell’s back at him to leave those alone because they are using both of those also. Luckily the guy was able to find an open stand from 5 lanes down to use. When he gets back to the line it seems he left his targets in car, but hillbilly and his wife didn’t want to wait to go hot again for the 3 minutes it would take him. I ignored their grumbling and told the guy go ahead and get it, it may be awhile before we go cold again. As soon as he walks away, leaving his 10yr old kid alone none the less, the hillbilly starts loudly complaining about what an ass that guy was trying to steal his stands and he didn’t even bring a target. Being an old Marine, I quickly told him that maybe if he wasn’t taking every f*&king stand on the range he wouldn’t have had to try and take it… Wasn’t well received, but we agreed to disagree. After my kind act of defending this guy’s actions he proceeds to pick up his weapon during a cold range, load it and then hands it to his kid. After the initial shock of it I inform him that range rules state no manipulation of weapons while we are cold, if he’s not going down range then hang out by rear benches. He apologizes and acts good rest of day. So far, so good.
10 minutes later 2 Russian guys show up. One speaks English, the other not so much. But the guy has 3 hk’s. A sl8 and 2 416’s none the less. Nice stuff. On the very next cold I walk down range to put up new stick on targets. While walking back (at about the 30rd line) the young guy not only has rifle in hand he’s got a mag in and chambering the rifle that is now pointed at me. I stop moving, yell up to his line to please put the weapon down, can’t touch it with peeps down range. Young guy looks at me like I’m crazy (no English) older guy tells him to put it down apparently because he does and I continue to walk back to my line. I’m pretty pissed at this point but trying to be gentleman like, since we are all armed. On the next cold I’m walking back in, same MF is has now shouldered the rifle and is looking through the scope at people downrange beside his target, mag in. This time I’m not so nice. I yell to him something along the lines of “If you don’t put that f’ing weapon down I am getting my glock and we are going to discuss what it feels like to have a loaded weapon pointed at you”. That’s basically what was said. I’m kinda pissed so it may have had more bad words than that. Range master hears the commotion. Comes over and start yelling what’s going on and stuff. This is the same range master that one day threatened to kick me off the range because I was cleaning my 700 bolt, in my hands not in the rifle, while sitting at bench. This same range master acts like this is no big deal and ask them to re-read the range rules and not to touch weapons. Being very mad I left my station walked 30 yards away behind firing line and smoked about 5 cigarettes before I could join the normal world.
And finally about an hour later guy comes in with wife and kids. He’s carrying an SKS with all kinds of tacticool stuff so I was pretty sure this was going to be interesting. He sets up, no problem and seems at least quazi sane so whatever… While they are setting up they put up a pistol target about 3 yards out. This is a rifle range with the berm at 120 yards. No way are they hitting berm, but what do I know right? Not my business. Well. Him and his son start shooting the rifle. I’m hearing “sniper” and half moa and all kinds of stuff. I peer over being nozy through my scope and if he has broken less than 4 inches I’ll suck my own… well you get it. So I giggle. But while I’m looking I see grass go flying up in front of my face. Seems the daughter was now up to some pistol shooting and 3 yards as taxing her accuracy. Actually, to be fair she was just flinching so bad that she couldn’t hit the 2ft by 2ft target. She did manage to break up his pvc stand though. Good , F*&k him I thought. At this point I have ceased shooting because I dont trust them not to hit me. I thought it best to watch. Mom steps up, shes as bad as daughter. Once again, being the nice guy, I explain to her that the range requires that impact touch berm first due to ricochets, and that maybe if she sat down and shot from the bench she could do that safely. She says thanks and tries it out. Impact now on berm, I’m a genius. But they are hitting kinda close to my pvc stand 3 lanes over. I figure since she’s kinda squared away I would finish my last 7 reloads and call it a day. No sooner did I get my NPA then I see a splash inch from my stand. I think wow, that was close. Then BOOM, I see white pvc go flying from the right side of my stand. WTF. I cant see the plastic on ground so I’m thinking maybe I imagined that shit. But next shot it happens again on the other arm. OMFG seriously? Rounds stop going bang and I look over. It’s the dad shooting pistol. Sigh. Excuse me sir, your rounds are impacting on my lane and you just hit my target stand… Twice.. He proceed to tell me, angrily I might add, “Well, you told us to sit down and shoot so what the fu*& you expect me to do about it?” So now Marine Sergeant is full bloom. I’m laying prone behind my 700 (thankfully) so I roll to my side and say “First, I didn’t tell you to do shit. I informed you that you weren’t following range rules and how you might be able to become compliant. Secondly, what I EXPECT you to do is sit down, STFU and stop firing until you can arrange your shit so it’s not hitting other peoples targets”. He was stunned, but at least he stfu and stopped firing. Range cold came 2 minutes later. On the way back in he comes up to me and starts to be officer friendly. Says “hey man, I see what your sayin and why it was going across our lane to yours. I fixed it, hell my daughter was hitting my stand too.” I wasn’t in friend mood anymore so I gave him my final rant of “well maybe shes shooting your target because instead of giving her instruction, LIKE YOU SHOULD BE BECAUSE SHE CANT F*&KING SHOOT, your playing sniper wannabe grab ass with that POS SKS. If you trained her then at least your target stand would still be viable. PS, f*&k off”. Grabbed my stuff and left. It took about 20 miles of the trip back home to start laughing about it. This is a week later so its funny as hell to me now. But I needed to get it off my chest. Wifey didn’t see the amount of hilarity I did so I figured y’all might.
On this particular day it started off with the guy (hence known as hillbilly) and his wife next to me having taken 4 of the provided target stands for their one lane. I do’t use these, so no biggie to me. Well, sure enough a gentleman shows up with his kid and he decides directly to my right is a great place to be. When cold gets called he walks out and sees these 4 target stands, ask the woman at the firing bench if she was using it and she says “yes, we are using both of those stands.” He says ok and walks back to the 100 yard line and starts to pick up a target stand and her husband yell’s back at him to leave those alone because they are using both of those also. Luckily the guy was able to find an open stand from 5 lanes down to use. When he gets back to the line it seems he left his targets in car, but hillbilly and his wife didn’t want to wait to go hot again for the 3 minutes it would take him. I ignored their grumbling and told the guy go ahead and get it, it may be awhile before we go cold again. As soon as he walks away, leaving his 10yr old kid alone none the less, the hillbilly starts loudly complaining about what an ass that guy was trying to steal his stands and he didn’t even bring a target. Being an old Marine, I quickly told him that maybe if he wasn’t taking every f*&king stand on the range he wouldn’t have had to try and take it… Wasn’t well received, but we agreed to disagree. After my kind act of defending this guy’s actions he proceeds to pick up his weapon during a cold range, load it and then hands it to his kid. After the initial shock of it I inform him that range rules state no manipulation of weapons while we are cold, if he’s not going down range then hang out by rear benches. He apologizes and acts good rest of day. So far, so good.
10 minutes later 2 Russian guys show up. One speaks English, the other not so much. But the guy has 3 hk’s. A sl8 and 2 416’s none the less. Nice stuff. On the very next cold I walk down range to put up new stick on targets. While walking back (at about the 30rd line) the young guy not only has rifle in hand he’s got a mag in and chambering the rifle that is now pointed at me. I stop moving, yell up to his line to please put the weapon down, can’t touch it with peeps down range. Young guy looks at me like I’m crazy (no English) older guy tells him to put it down apparently because he does and I continue to walk back to my line. I’m pretty pissed at this point but trying to be gentleman like, since we are all armed. On the next cold I’m walking back in, same MF is has now shouldered the rifle and is looking through the scope at people downrange beside his target, mag in. This time I’m not so nice. I yell to him something along the lines of “If you don’t put that f’ing weapon down I am getting my glock and we are going to discuss what it feels like to have a loaded weapon pointed at you”. That’s basically what was said. I’m kinda pissed so it may have had more bad words than that. Range master hears the commotion. Comes over and start yelling what’s going on and stuff. This is the same range master that one day threatened to kick me off the range because I was cleaning my 700 bolt, in my hands not in the rifle, while sitting at bench. This same range master acts like this is no big deal and ask them to re-read the range rules and not to touch weapons. Being very mad I left my station walked 30 yards away behind firing line and smoked about 5 cigarettes before I could join the normal world.
And finally about an hour later guy comes in with wife and kids. He’s carrying an SKS with all kinds of tacticool stuff so I was pretty sure this was going to be interesting. He sets up, no problem and seems at least quazi sane so whatever… While they are setting up they put up a pistol target about 3 yards out. This is a rifle range with the berm at 120 yards. No way are they hitting berm, but what do I know right? Not my business. Well. Him and his son start shooting the rifle. I’m hearing “sniper” and half moa and all kinds of stuff. I peer over being nozy through my scope and if he has broken less than 4 inches I’ll suck my own… well you get it. So I giggle. But while I’m looking I see grass go flying up in front of my face. Seems the daughter was now up to some pistol shooting and 3 yards as taxing her accuracy. Actually, to be fair she was just flinching so bad that she couldn’t hit the 2ft by 2ft target. She did manage to break up his pvc stand though. Good , F*&k him I thought. At this point I have ceased shooting because I dont trust them not to hit me. I thought it best to watch. Mom steps up, shes as bad as daughter. Once again, being the nice guy, I explain to her that the range requires that impact touch berm first due to ricochets, and that maybe if she sat down and shot from the bench she could do that safely. She says thanks and tries it out. Impact now on berm, I’m a genius. But they are hitting kinda close to my pvc stand 3 lanes over. I figure since she’s kinda squared away I would finish my last 7 reloads and call it a day. No sooner did I get my NPA then I see a splash inch from my stand. I think wow, that was close. Then BOOM, I see white pvc go flying from the right side of my stand. WTF. I cant see the plastic on ground so I’m thinking maybe I imagined that shit. But next shot it happens again on the other arm. OMFG seriously? Rounds stop going bang and I look over. It’s the dad shooting pistol. Sigh. Excuse me sir, your rounds are impacting on my lane and you just hit my target stand… Twice.. He proceed to tell me, angrily I might add, “Well, you told us to sit down and shoot so what the fu*& you expect me to do about it?” So now Marine Sergeant is full bloom. I’m laying prone behind my 700 (thankfully) so I roll to my side and say “First, I didn’t tell you to do shit. I informed you that you weren’t following range rules and how you might be able to become compliant. Secondly, what I EXPECT you to do is sit down, STFU and stop firing until you can arrange your shit so it’s not hitting other peoples targets”. He was stunned, but at least he stfu and stopped firing. Range cold came 2 minutes later. On the way back in he comes up to me and starts to be officer friendly. Says “hey man, I see what your sayin and why it was going across our lane to yours. I fixed it, hell my daughter was hitting my stand too.” I wasn’t in friend mood anymore so I gave him my final rant of “well maybe shes shooting your target because instead of giving her instruction, LIKE YOU SHOULD BE BECAUSE SHE CANT F*&KING SHOOT, your playing sniper wannabe grab ass with that POS SKS. If you trained her then at least your target stand would still be viable. PS, f*&k off”. Grabbed my stuff and left. It took about 20 miles of the trip back home to start laughing about it. This is a week later so its funny as hell to me now. But I needed to get it off my chest. Wifey didn’t see the amount of hilarity I did so I figured y’all might.
