Eye protection and hats..

[henschman]

I will wear a hat and sunglasses/shooting glasses when I'm at the range, but I usually take the glasses off to shoot, at least with a rifle.

With glasses, you end up looking through the top part of the lens, which for me is usually the part that touches your forehead and gets all grimy from sweat. Also, I've had the rim of the glasses interfere with sight picture. Not to mention that shooting glasses frequently get scratches in them, and so do not provide as clear a picture as I get without them. I also do not like sunglasses for shooting because the tint makes the front sight appear dimmer, which makes it harder to focus my eye on it while keeping it on target.

I know I could get some nicer glasses that don't scratch easily, have a wider field of view, stay off the forehead, and are not tinted; but I also believe in practicing with the rifle in the same way that I would use it if I actually have to take care of business with it. In a serious life or death situation, I would probably not put on my safety glasses. Plus if you don't have glasses, there is nothing for brass to get stuck in!

 

[suzukisam]

henschman-

I used to think just like you. I never hardly ever shot with eye wear. until I had to have a $6,000.00 surgery this november when a tiny, and I mean tiny piece or brass came off a case and went through my cornea! I never even felt it. After about three days I could tell something was wrong. I still have six stitches in my eye! I now wear them to hunt also. spend the money on quality eye wear. I could have lost an eye and over what 50.00 bucks for a top notch pair. I could have gotten a lot of good safety gear for what I spent on the surgery!

 

[RAT807]

Hot brass is not the only thing to be concerned about while shooting. I've had casings split on more than one outing at the range. The ammo was supplied by the range and must have been defective even though it was new ammo. If it were not for my safety glasses and hat, i would have injured my eyes and forehead from all of the crap that hit my face. I was knocked off the shooting line and had to restart that section of the POST test, (timed event) after i cleaned off my nose and cleared the water from my eyes. As others have said, I too have had to next shooter on the line, bounce casings off my hat, shirt and land in numerous places, none were pleasant.

 

[JMtoolman]

brass

I was at a range with my son one time a couple of years ago. While he was shooting I sat on a chair behind him to watch. A young couple was shooting in the left lane next to me, and her husband was explaining how to safely handle and shoot a 40 cal pistol. She was rather well endowed with a real low cut neckline top on. On about the third shot, it went right down you know where. I was trying to keep a stright face and not laugh, while she was doing a dance with both hands down the front of the dress. Her husband quickly grabbed the pistol out of her hands and kept it safely pointed down range. He looked at me trying to stifle a laugh, and just shrugged his sholders. I thing that was the last shot for her that day. The Toolman.