Feeling Constrained At The Range

[WrongHanded]

A few months ago, my old indoor range shut down. I promptly got a membership at the newer and fancier indoor range to continue my weekly defensive drills. Just 50 rounds, working from the holster, including emergency reload drills and such.

Unfortunately, the new place just isn't as relaxed as the old one. It's OWB only, so no cover garment, no AIWB, no pocket draw. They have to remove the bench for me, because I can't be trusted to do it myself. Nor can I be trusted to take my own brass back from beyond the firing line. Apparently I can't be trusted not to bring armor piercing ammunition in with me either. And as there are more RSOs at the new place, I seem to always have someone over my shoulder checking to see that I'm not about to do something stupid. All this despite having to qualify to even be able to draw and shoot from the holster, and having a special lanyard around my neck to prove it.

But it gets worse. Now instead of entering and saying "Hi!" to a few friendly faces, getting myself into the range and set up to do my drills, I have to jump through hoops. I need to ask for lane time at the front desk and provide some ID. Get buzzed through a door, and then hand over my ID at a second counter, in exchange for a lanyard, and have my ammo checked. If I want to do holster work, I have to tell them then for the special lanyard. Etc, etc. Then go get my ID back, on the way out, go back through the security doors, and so on.

Now, it is what it is. It's not going to change just for lil' old me. But all this hoop jumping and hovering over my shoulder just makes me not want to go to the range. I've actually taken to shooting outdoors the past several weeks, just so that I can do what I want without any hassles. I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't just cancel my membership and spend my time shooting outdoors instead. I won't get to do it every week, but I feel like it'll be more productive when I do. And there's always dry fire practice to fill in the gaps.

I'm just not sure. But what I do know is that I really don't want to go to this new range. I always have to force myself to go, like it's work rather than something to enjoy.

 

[1KPerDay]

Sounds like a hassle to me, and it sounds like you have your answer.

 

[guyfromohio]

Sounds like every modern indoor Public range.

 

[WrongHanded]

Sounds like every modern indoor Public range.

That is pretty sad if it's true.

 

[.38 Special]

The indoor range in my old neighborhood had a bunch of posted rules, meant primarily for the employees to point at while escorting an idiot out the door. Once you had been a member for a while - and demonstrated non-idiocy - you pretty much got to do what you wanted.

The indoor range in my new neighborhood sounds a lot like the one @WrongHanded signed up for: endless rules, intrusive supervision, and the general feeling that you are engaged in some kind of dangerous and nefarious activity. I sometimes "need" to go there - function testing a new load on short time, or something - but I don't enjoy it. For an actual "fun" range trip, I drive a bit out of my way to the local outdoor range, with far fewer hassles.

 

[edwardware]

. . . all this hoop jumping.

I'm with you, it sounds really unpleasant.

But have you met any of the other people who live there, and frequent your range? A solid 10% of them are so thoughtless that they may as well be mental defectives. Either by choice or incapacity, a significant minority of people are useless idiots.

The rules are there to account for the idiots. Sorry.

 

[.38 Special]

That is pretty sad if it's true.

In my experience, it largely is, and is becoming more so with each passing year.

 

[WrongHanded]

I'm with you, it sounds really been unpleasant.

But have you met any of the other people who live there, and frequent your range? A solid 10% of them are so thoughtless that they may as well be mental defectives. Either by choice or incapacity, a significant minority of people are useless idiots.

The rules are there to account for the idiots. Sorry.

Yeah, I know the rules are there to protect everyone from a careless/dangerous few. I get it. I just don't enjoy being treated like I'm one of them, simply because I've actually showed up. Kinda makes me feel like I'm being a burden for using my membership, and that perhaps they'd prefer if I didn't come to shoot at all.

 

[usaral63]

Yep..........BS on steroids. My club range has close to fifteen pages of single spaced 'rules', they've just about discouraged me from using the rifle range entirely due to the 'hovering' aspect and pettyfogging enforcement involving totally unnecessary regulations..............all, all of which came about as a result of ONE member who brought and failed to supervise guests!!!.........Course all have to pay the price for his foolishness and to this day....years later....he remains unknown by name and unpunished!

I too feel as tho I ought to toss it, but I guess I've just got too old to bitchfight the matter so I stay to myself and use what is loosley termed an 'action' range wherein I can at least peacefully test my reloads in my rifle and on occasion dump a couple of mags from my M/2...........but I wonder just how long it'll be before the gripers start on that!.................I feel your pain!

 

[WrongHanded]

In my experience, it largely is, and is becoming more so with each passing year.

That's very unfortunate. Particularly so when they advertise themselves as a tactical training school for defensive courses.

 

[LoonWulf]

But what I do know is that I really don't want to go to this new range

That would make it a hard pass for me unless there was literally no where else to shoot.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

IF they have a steady workforce of regular employees, and-
IF you want to put in the time and money to become a regular customer known for being safety conscious, considerate, and competent, then-
IF you are lucky, they MAY start to relax some of the sillier rules and supervision for you.

My advice, find the most reasonable couple of employees, learn their names, become known to them and learn their schedules- concentrate your efforts on the "Wedsday night guy" or maybe the two dudes who always seem to open on Sundays....... Talk to them about range safety. Buy a couple things from them- they often work on commission. Sweep up your brass and generally tidy up your area so they dont think of you as another jerk who makes more work for them.

Put in the effort, and you will eventually become trusted enough for both parties to relax and you can actually enjoy the place.

 

[borrowedtime69]

With one exception, I don't shoot at established ranges. There's a range run by game & fish up in the mountains that's not too bad, you take care of yourself and the RSO's are good people. It's too expensive to shoot in town at indoor ranges.

I pretty much stick to shooting on public land, SWA's, BLM, National forest. I can shoot what I like, how I like and not be rushed. We can take breaks, switch from rifle to pistol to shotgun without having to pack up and move. It's places like this where I taught my wife, my boys and other folks that wanted to learn to shoot and hunt. Just clean up the brass and hulls, police up your area and go home.

I just wish this was available in every state, I can't imagine living in states that don't have locations to do this.

 

[WrongHanded]

IF they have a steady workforce of regular employees, and-
IF you want to put in the time and money to become a regular customer known for being safety conscious, considerate, and competent, then-
IF you are lucky, they MAY start to relax some of the sillier rules and supervision for you.

My advice, find the most reasonable couple of employees, learn their names, become known to them and learn their schedules- concentrate your efforts on the "Wedsday night guy" or maybe the two dudes who always seem to open on Sundays....... Talk to them about range safety. Buy a couple things from them- they often work on commission. Sweep up your brass and generally tidy up your area so they dont think of you as another jerk who makes more work for them.

Put in the effort, and you will eventually become trusted enough for both parties to relax and you can actually enjoy the place.

This is exactly what I'd hoped to achieve when I first started there. It's just not quite worked out that way so far. These guys seem to be solely RSOs, and not part of the general staff, so no sales. I have talked with several of them about safety and their expectations. Unfortunately there's more than a half dozen of them (possibly 10 or more), and with the opening hours of the facility, I haven't managed to identify any consistency in schedules. I did enquire about some of the holster work rules with the head RSO, and basically got told the owner has set the policy with no wiggle room. So the RSOs don't seem to have any room for judgment calls.

But I appreciate where you're coming from, and it's exactly how I got the freedom I did at my previous range.

 

[SimonRL]

Ranges and ROs have to put up with countless number of experienced gun know-it-alls who are anything but. Sadly that means we all get tarred with that brush. It’s a tough adjustment from what you are used to but it pays to develop a relationship with the ROs and guys who work the range.

 

[Hartkopf]

I’ve found that after you’ve paid your dues for a year at an indoor range and the employees know and trust you, you’ll get that new employee that rides your butt for no good reason like your a teenager. I had this happen when my local range moved the entire weekend shift to my normal day. I didn’t know a single person in the building and I thought they changed ownership. Since they didn’t know me, I got the 20 minutes safety rundown and a few extra rules the other guys had not been enforcing.

 

[The Glockodile]

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/newbies-at-the-range.871282/

"Touché."

 

[armoredman]

Sounds like every modern indoor Public range.

No Arizona indoor range I have ever been to, or worked at, ran like that, but with plenty of competition for customers, they tend to be customer friendly. However, I haven't been to an indoor range in some years since I have a free, city maintained unmonitored range about 4 miles away from me now.

 

[LaneP]

I joined the private range/gun club I currently use in 1988. The upside to a private club is I can often shoot by myself, no one to check in with, just follow the usual posted rules. There are security cameras everywhere though, in the event something happens. I get it, they're petrified of having an incident, getting sued, getting shut down by the town they operate in. I do miss the days when every move we make isn't recorded on a CCTV camera. Similar to most, they don't permit any shooting from a holster draw either.

 

[guyfromohio]

I really don’t mind the rules, to be honest. High-end modern ranges who rent to first-time shooters (a great thing, IMO), need to have these rules. You have no idea how many times I’ve been swept as I see the hands through the seem in the stahl.

The range where I’m a member:

Sign a waiver.
Watch an instruction/safety video….members only once.
Check ammo….no steel core, tracer, steel case, aluminum case
-They are paid for the brass collected and any aluminum or steel in the mix drastically reduces value of the lot
-You can collect anything you want behind the line…..nothing on the range
No draw from holster
No rapid fire which is sometimes heavy-handed as I’ve been scolded for four-shot drills
There is a rifle range and a pistol range….no rifles on the pistol range, but pistol ok everywhere

Living in an urban area and not having my own space, I can live with the rules and restrictions.

There are several other ranges like this in my area. I’m a member at 2 (a less convenient range has clay games, so I maintain that as well) and was a member at another which used to be close to my office. All have the same rules with the exception of the aluminum ban. Litigation drives this.

 

[Hartkopf]

An uptight range is way better than nothing. I would hate to be the owner and I appreciate what the go through to stay in business. But I'm lucky to have just enough fresh air and open spaces not to be babysat.

 

[WrongHanded]

An uptight range is way better than nothing. I would hate to be the owner and I appreciate what the go through to stay in business. But I'm lucky to have just enough fresh air and open spaces not to be babysat.

Agreed. I'm also fortunate to have the outdoor option in the mountains. It's more of a drive, but I'm likely heading out to the mountains on the weekend anyway. That $40 for monthly range fees would certainly help with the cost of gas.

 

[ultra45]

Consider yourself lucky, in that they let you shoot from the Hip. Most indoor, as well as outdoor ranges, that’s a NO NO! I’m an RSO at a measly 5 point indoor range and if we have all five points going, especially with family members rotating in the lanes, it sometimes is a nightmare. Our range doesn’t have the luxury of having one RSO for each lane, just a minimum of 2 with 3, maybe a 4th, who rotates in and out on busy weekends.

The owner of the range is also liability conscious, as he should be. We get a lot of “renters” some shooting for the first time. Can’t tell you how many times we’ve had guns turned on us after the shooter gets hot brass on them or turns with a question, even though they’ve watched the safety video and been warned prior to shooting. Our (RSO’s) have our heads on a swivel and don’t socialize much, if at all when the line is even half full, even with regulars.

We are there to see that you are SAFE and have an enjoyable time shooting. Im a big fan of shooting from the hip and cover (ret. LE), but when you run a public range liability is a big factor, especially in these times.

 

[Zerodefect]

Augment your practice with competition.

 

[guyfromohio]

A few years back, there was a older gentleman in the stahl next to me shooting a Makarov-type handgun. Every so often, it would get hung up. He would turn the gun towards me, holding it sideways to clear it. Over and over. I first joked with him about it….giving a gentle nudge. Then I had to be more firm and polite. Then I packed it up and left, ratting him out to the RO. Not everyone understands safety like we do, but everyone should have the right to shoot. This is one of the reasons I don’t get bent out of shape about the rules.