Appropriate range clothing

Status
Not open for further replies.

goldpelican

Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2015
Messages
259
A terrible accident at a local range here in Florida this weekend - a 14yo boy was shot and killed by his father while at the bench behind the firing line when a hot 22LR case bounced off a wall and went down to back of the fathers shirt. The father instinctively reached back to swat at the hot shell with the gun in his hand, and a subsequent ND hit and killed his son.

Which brings me to the point of this post - safe range attire. I've seen an ejected 9mm case go down the front of a t-shirt, and my last range trip saw me peppered with 22 cases that were going over the top of the barrier from the shooter in the next lane - none down the shirt, but could easily have happened.

What do you consider safe range attire? I'll be rethinking wearing my fishing style shirts - they have a looser collar that could easily catch hot brass, and I've seen more than a few people wear sandals here in FL - that's another brass trap for a case to land in your toes.
 
I saw the story. It's a muzzle discipline issue, not a range attire issue.

The man couldn't stand the "pain" of a hot .22 shell down his shirt, and his over reaction got his son killed. His behavior was shameful at the least.

I've taken a lot more pain than a hot piece of brass, many times, and kept my composure.
 
A brimmed/billed hat and closed collar is recommended.

When I take a new shooter to the range, I give them those recommendations but then I also tell them that if some brass does get lodged somewhere uncomfortable that they need to place the gun safely on the shooting bench before dealing with the brass.

Sometimes people just need a little perspective. The worst that's going to happen is a minor burn--that's happened to me once under unusual circumstances--usually it's just some moderate discomfort. Nothing that can be compared to shooting yourself or someone else.
 
I have had hot brass land in some other places than just down my shirt collar. It's not a big deal if safe gun handling is priority 1.
 
it's a terrible situation. i appreciate the thoughtful consideration of events in the search for incremental improvements that can contribute to the prevention of tragic future events. and proper range attire is certainly one of those. but ultimately range attire is relatively insignificant compared to the mental lapse.
 
Inexperience, complacency, and overconfidence are often factors in accidents. I've got no idea which it was here but, at the minimum, it's a reminder of the terrible costs of a failure in safety. My prayers go out for this father and family.
 
Stupid people can be dangerous, there isn't much you can do about it. Muzzle control and situational awareness. If this fool had the proper appreciation for how much damage a gun could do he would have had the balls to deal with a minor burn mark or had the presence of mind to simply put the gun down.

I wear what seems reasonable at a range, but then I've been shooting for many decades and use some common sense about the environment.
 
I can't imagine any case from a pistol getting hot enough to burn. When my friends shoot my Glocks, I frequently catch the cases in my hand. Sure, they're hot but not hot enough to burn. Ejected rifle cases can burn; not pistol cases.

I've had a 9mm case drop between my glasses & eyelid, but I set the gun down before I even felt the pain.

Although this tragedy would be called a "freak" accident, I'd hate to be the father right now.
 
At an outdoor range I wear a long-sleeved turtleneck, a billed cap, a long skirt, and lace-up shoes. Also my safety glasses don't allow anything to fall between my regular glasses and my face.

At my indoor range (which is where I usually shoot) I might wear a regular long-sleeved shirt instead of the turtleneck, no cap, and crocs with socks. This is because I'm shooting a revolver and the lane dividers keep the semi-auto people's brass off me. Last time I went to an outdoor range I caught brass from every single shot of the woman on my left.
 
Only clothing with no exposed skin can prevent burns. But that's not practical. I agree that it is a muzzle discipline issue.
 
Very sad. Brass flies and especially at peak hours the ejection from those in the adjoining lanes can be unpredictable. The past session there was a guy shooting his 1911 and the ejected brass went over the divider and or bounced on the ceiling panel above. These cases dropped down onto my position, head, side of face, shoulder and they are hot enough to be pretty distracting.

I've had brass from my own get caught between my shirt and neck when I have the weapon in firing position. Agree that muzzle control and keeping it pointed down range. We've been drilled enough that unless ready to fire that the finger is not in-on the trigger.

As for clothing, I prefer pants and a reasonably fitted t-shirt. Lace up shoes, etc. I have a hat in the bag that if the shooter next to me is raining brass into the stall that the hat is worn. Glasses are typical safety glass wrap style and there is minimal gap for anything to fall between my eyes.
 
Some experienced instructors recommend:
*Collar-buttoned longsleeve shirt
*ballcap w/visor
*eye pro
*{ear pro of course}

This is all to prevent hot brass from falling onto sensitive skin and distracting their students.

Tragic incident.
 
I had an ejected .22 case land between my forehead and my glasses, that ended up resting on my eye lid, during the rapid fire portion of a .22 league pistol match. I didn't finish that part of the match, but I didn't shoot anybody either.
 
When I was a kid my first 22 was a Browning that is a bottom eject and would dump them right down the sleeve of a long sleeve shirt unless you rotated your arm out to the side.

Still I never flailed around or lost control of the firearm. More than 30 years of welding later and hot stuff doesn't get much of a reaction at all out of me.

The above story is one reason why I don't go to public ranges anymore and an example of why simply teaching people "guns are bad" works about as well as teaching a kid abstinence then having to take care of your grandchild. It's not that they intend to do bad things, they just are just uneducated in the way to do things properly. Not unlike the difference between being ignorant or being stupid, ignorant can be fixed.
 
I was doing a vehicle tactics course and while myself and my buddy were shooting next to each other the brass from his AR15 was hitting my neck and sitting right there. The only thing going through my mind was to stop shooting long enough to pluck them off or keep going since in a real situation I wouldn't be stopping to worry about it but it was just a course. I decided to keep going and got some nice little blisters to show for it but that was it.

We need to not lose that muzzle discipline when we're surprised while shooting. Whether it's hot brass, a hornet stinging you, a snake slithering out of your range bag next to your face or whatever unlikely but actual stuff that happens. I don't know how to describe it or how one would prepare for it. Sounds like this situation is just an accident that happened and it is what it is.
 
@ shaq

I have a .22 case shaped scar on my left arm that proves otherwise. The guy next to me was firing his .22 while I was bench rest shooting. The case rolled across the table and pinned between my arm and the bench. It it burned the first few layers of skin right off and stung like hell.

I am not trying to make excuses for this guy but there are autonomic responses that are not easy to control. Getting a sharp stabbing pain like a burn often triggers an autonomic response. It is the same thing as getting stung by a bee etc.

Having your finger on the trigger while waving a gun around in response to anything is never ok though. I really feel badly for this man. He learned trigger discipline the hard way.
 
@ shaq

I have a .22 case shaped scar on my left arm that proves otherwise. The guy next to me was firing his .22 while I was bench rest shooting. The case rolled across the table and pinned between my arm and the bench. It it burned the first few layers of skin right off and stung like hell.

I am not trying to make excuses for this guy but there are autonomic responses that are not easy to control. Getting a sharp stabbing pain like a burn often triggers an autonomic response. It is the same thing as getting stung by a bee etc.

Having your finger on the trigger while waving a gun around in response to anything is never ok though. I really feel badly for this man. He learned trigger discipline the hard way.
Of course the skin on an arm is not as thick as the skin on a palm. Catching brass out of a pistol is only slightly uncomfortable. And we've all got different skin thicknesses & sensitivities to pain. While driving, I was stung by a bee that came in through my sunroof. When I felt the pain, I was only distracted for a second when I looked at my arm & saw the bee. I didn't lose control of the car or drift into the next lane; I just pulled over & stopped.
I was at an IDPA match & a very obese guy slipped & fell during a moving & shooting stage. He maintained control of his gun during the fall....safe direction (at the sky) & finger off trigger. I think it's all about "focus."
 
I can't imagine any case from a pistol getting hot enough to burn. When my friends shoot my Glocks, I frequently catch the cases in my hand. Sure, they're hot but not hot enough to burn. Ejected rifle cases can burn; not pistol cases.

I've had a 9mm case drop between my glasses & eyelid, but I set the gun down before I even felt the pain.

Although this tragedy would be called a "freak" accident, I'd hate to be the father right now.
22 cases get extremely hot, hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns. On the contrary my 500 magnum cases come out of the cylinder just as cool as they went in. This seems like a freak accident, I wouldn't go placing all the blame on the father. He wasnt catching lukewarm 9mm cases in his hand, he had a piping hot 22 case likely making firm contact with sensitive thin skin on his back. Im no expert, but I bet 22 cases get as hot as they do because of the fast powders used and extremely thin cases which will transfer heat quickly.
 
Last edited:
A tragedy. And - as mentioned many times - preventable

When taking a new shooter to the range I always recommend a brimmed hat/cap, long sleeves, & a collared shirt. (Eye & ear protection for everyone, too). I have a couple of caps available along with extra eye & ear protection if they need it, too.

And I explain the reason for the protection & give the hot brass warning w instruction to keep the muzzle down range. Any inexperienced shooter needs coaching on what to expect.
 
Took my mother in law shooting recently, a case from the man shooting next to her landed on her causing her to flinch and shoot her Bersa .380 up through the roof of the shelter. She was removed from the lane for the day.

You have to remember not everyone is a seasoned experienced shooter, add that to the fact natural reflex reactions are difficult to control in some cases and you can have a recipe for disaster. This is an example of that. Terrible tragedy. That father feels now what most of us cannot fathom.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top