Range Rules

[twarr1]

Well just show up at the range with some of these! The are not paper!!

View attachment 995675

We had a bunch of these, painted up as different characters. And not only did we use them at the range, we left them for the next group to use.

 

[Steve S.]

I live on the outskirts of St. Louis; there are laws, rules, ordinances, regulations, etc - the entire north side of the city is a shooting range and they use live humanoid targets every single day, on the local news every single day and no one wants to talk about it. So here we have discarded the paper target color/ shape nonsense and just use the real thing. It cannot be the rest of the world, it has got to be me.

 

[Waveski]

My club uses various printed staged human images for simulated situation exercises ; very useful for helping with shoot/don't shoot distinctions and decisions. We never use any images of real life individuals. It is a well controlled private club , so things do not get out of hand. I can see where a public range has to have rules , but banning abstract silhouettes is senseless. Does the OP referenced range still allow the launching of projectiles?

Of course , it is incumbent upon all of us to use good judgement and to be responsible.
This :

... I showed up with a Hilary Clinton paper with a bullseye on it. [/QUOTE

is not good , not good at all.

 

[DoubleMag]

I GOTTA AN IDEA...

Let's get EVERYONE at the Range NOT shooting the posts, backboard frames , BUILDINGS , holes thru the ROOF, holes thru the...FLOOR....

Shooting the baffles above the shooting line with and in no particular order; 22LR, pistol bullets. HP rifle rds, SHOTGUN (?) bird shot. Now, think, that's not directly above the shooting line (FYI shooting line deck is solid treated decking for 2.5' X 30'), but just a few feet out...

THEN... worry about what is effectively ''PC'' targets


GOOD GRIEF ! ! !

 

[trackskippy]

I think its just fear and political correctness starting to really take hold and a lot of people are so afraid of being called insensitive, or racist, ect, that we all get to suffer with their fear.

This has been coming for a while now too, and it seems the closer to the city you are, or the range is controlled by some government entity, the worse its been.

I get the feeling insurance also has some impact here too.

Ive belonged to and shot at a lot of different ranges/clubs, and most seem to have some sort of silly rules. Some even to the extreme, like only one round in the gun at a time, shooting only from a bench, etc.

Im lucky enough these days to belong to a club that has no rules other than "being safe", "dont shot the target frames", and "No Tannerite". Other than that, you can do pretty much anything you want, shoot at anything you want, and at whatever you want.

I shoot the silhouette and photo type silhouettes a good bit anymore. No one here has complained, but Ive had people at other ranges give me grief over them. And again, it seemed to be the PC worry of "appearances" thats was the big issue.

And its not just gun ranges that are getting silly. Ive noticed it bleeding over to some of the gun boards as well. Try posting pics of some of those targets, or discussing some different ways of shooting, etc, and watch your posts get modified or removed.

Seems the mantra/agenda of fear is taking hold quite well, and everyone seems to be scared of saying or doing things for fear of being chastised or attacked for having an opinion that might differ from the party line.

This sure isnt the "old" America I grew up in, and its really a shame. Im thinking the frog in the pot is almost done.

 

[mmb617]

I can shoot any type targets I want at the club outdoor range since I'm usually the only one there when I'm shooting.

The indoor range I go to allows me to bring my own targets as long as they are big enough, with big being undefined but the 12x18 ones I usually bring have been allowed. I asked about that strange rule as I did notice that some of the targets they sell are about as big as a door, and was told it's because too many people were hitting the ceiling. I was a little taken aback to hear that as the range only goes out to 25 yds max and most people I see shooting there only run the targets out to 5 yds or so. How do you shoot the ceiling from that distance?

 

[jmorris]

One of those “my place, my rules” things.

IPSC has a non humanoid target created for the same reason. Some people would rather you shoot a stop sign shaped target than one the resembles a block headed cyclops...



A bowling pin isn’t a bad shape for a target either. Kind of like just #5 on the old FBI target.

 

[SunnySlopes]

deleted

 

[DustyGmt]

I can shoot any type targets I want at the club outdoor range since I'm usually the only one there when I'm shooting.

Same here, the way it always was when I was there in past years. Not a very happening spot. It's really just a piece of property with some big dirt mounds and a bunch of pallets for users to stack however they want for target frames. It used to say no steel but when I asked the guy who identified himself as the president of the range, he said I could bring actual steel targets and the "paper only" was to discourage people from shooting microwaves and appliances and stuff. He basically told me to use good judgment and there was no problem. It's gone from the least managed range in the area to being uptight and PC seemingly overnight.

 

[DustyGmt]

People really are stupid though, off in the woods at this range was this older, very expensive steel self resetter, I looked it up when I got home and found that they were about $1500 to buy. It was rotting in the woods and we dug it out in the spring of '19 and it worked beautifully. I had lots of fun using it and by the time summer '19 was over people had come and shot if full of M855 penetrators, peppered with buckshot, etc... it was destroyed. People were shooting it with complete disregard and now it's basically a pile of scrap. It's unfortunate how disrespectful people are to other people's property. I've cleaned up glass many times. The brass only barrel is always filled with trash. I was thinking about contacting the range to ask about volunteering to clean it up and make it run better, make it a better place for all. Maybe somebody else had the same idea and that's how we got "no silhouettes" and the host of other unbelievably silly rules.....

 

[Rembrandt]

Range rules are created as a feeble attempt to correct stupid behavior of a minority.

Our range had encouraged members to bring guests.....until a couple college kids brought their entire dorm floor (about 60 people) to the range and paying members couldn't get in to shoot.

Time college kids using cannons shot golf balls at the target frames and blew the support posts off.

Had some Rambo types disintegrate the target holders two days after volunteers replaced them.

Then there was the time someone shot holes in the Porto-potty outhouse......glad no one was using it at the time.

Not to mention toasters and computers brought to the range as targets.....then left for someone else to dispose of.

 

[JohnKSa]

"No use of paper targets of the silhouette variety, unless you are a uniformed police officer shooting your qualification". ????????????? Is this a thing, can somebody shed any light as to why this would be a problem, at a shooting range? Seriously, it sounds like the stupidest thing I've ever heard but maybe there is a reason, idk.

That's out of the old NRA rules. They forbid any humanoid/silhouette targets except for LE. That's why the Bianchi cup (NRA Action Pistol) is shot on tombstone targets.

 

[FL-NC]

I don't recall ever competing in a single 3 gun, multi-gun, or other type of match that didn't have evil silhouettes of some type made from paper and steel.

 

[JohnKSa]

I don't know if they still have that restriction. I thought they had loosened up a bit on that particular issue, but frankly it's a non-issue to me so I haven't bothered to research it.

 

[CapnMac]

Some people would rather you shoot a stop sign

Well, given the number of perforated stop signs about, apparently that is a "reflexive" target shape.

Mind, I once had an overbearing boss who wanted stuff all the time. So, one day he wanted me to use "all of the fancy graphics I put on your 'puter" to make him targets for his new 'hunting' ranch.

So, I did cut-n-paste of mailboxes as a target. Made sure the flag was 1" square, and made a grid for that, so you got several targets per printed page. Seemed apt, as all the mailboxes on the road out to his 680acres were apparently targets. Was not asked again.

 

[DustyGmt]

I'm worried it's just going to snowball from here... one of the rules is that Full auto is not allowed, nor is "Full auto simulation" through the use of binary or hellfire triggers, etc... next year Full auto simulation could just mean shooting fast, or maybe they add a 5rd mag limit or single shots only, who knows.

I wouldn't be surprised if some fudds ruin the place for everybody, I've heard people give their opinion on "high caps" and people who "mag dump" and there being "no need for it" "waste of ammo". Well I would agree that just dumping a mag is sort of silly, but I can work through a magazine pretty quickly but I'm not just indiscriminately spraying bullets into the berm, If I'm shooting fast it's probably because I've spent the better part of my time there warming up and working up to that speed trying to strike a balance between precision and speed and its fun to push yourself, building up your skill and making fast transitions between targets of different sizes at different ranges. It's just one style of shooting/training and I think the value of it is just lost on people, when I pack up and leave and drive down past the guys at the lower portion of the range (trap range), they all crank their heads around to see who was making all that awful racket..... They probably think I'm a punk who just likes to spray lead. Idk. Seems like guys with our interests are always getting squeezed, persona non grata.

I have more motivation than ever to buy a nice secluded piece of property where I can set up and shoot anyway I damn please.....

 

[trackskippy]

Full auto and rapid fire are restricted at most of the ranges Ive ever shot at, public or private. Both tend to draw unwanted attention and a lot of times, the people doing it, are people that shouldnt be. Is what it is I guess.

As was mentioned, just look at the wall, ceilings, counters/benches, ect, at a lot of those ranges and you can see why they may restrict things. And do you really have to put a sign up telling people not to shoot up the place?

I live out in the country and people here shoot all the time. All you can hope for is, they have some sense about them. Some have nice benches and a backstop, some just shoot into the fields. And knowing some of them pretty well, some of them really shouldnt own a gun at all. But, thats life.

 

[Gone Hiking]

That's pure PC BS. The entire point of defensive practice is to prepare you for an actual engagement. The silhouette-alternative solution is simple and even more realistic, as suggested by a defensive firearms instructor who had performed regular helicopter insertions onto rooftops in the Middle East. Drape an old tee shirt over an appropriately sized piece of cardboard. Add a ball cap at your discretion. Now perform your drill. That small switch-up doesn't sound like much, but it's realistic "enough" to give many a moment of hesitation on an inanimate target.

 

[Reloadron]

I have more motivation than ever to buy a nice secluded piece of property where I can set up and shoot anyway I damn please.....

That is pretty much what it comes down to because then you have your sandbox with your rules. Just make sure you have a decent berm. My sister had 100 sweet acres in West Virginia of bottom land. Enjoyed going down there to shoot and hunt it till she sold it off to a gas company.

Ron

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

I absolutely love being able to shoot at home. And this is what I primarily shoot at.

Its a 66% IPSC target made made from AR500 steel. Basically the same target that I shoot at for IDPA matches ableit a bit smaller.

I shoot at what I want at home and thank God my IDPA club hasn't gone full retard about targets.

 

[DustyGmt]

I shoot at what I want at home and thank God my IDPA club hasn't gone full retard about targets.

I just want to have this dialog in mind while speaking to whoever drafted up all this ostentatious garbage. Lol.

 

[DustyGmt]

What about deer and bear targets, does that equate to practicing and training to take game out of season or?

OK, now I'm just being jerky....

 

[Dibbs]

Don't have much use for silhouette targets around here. The animals we hunt are all smaller. If you can't put a group on a six inch paper plate, at 100 yards, you aren't going to hit much.

 

[DustyGmt]

Don't have much use for silhouette targets around here. The animals we hunt are all smaller. If you can't put a group on a six inch paper plate, at 100 yards, you aren't going to hit much.

I agree in that a silhouette isn't an absolute necessity for practice but they've been a regular fixture in my shooting drills for over a decade. I have hundreds of full size silhouette targets, that I'll make use of elsewhere. It's just kind of the point though. I can practice just as well I think, without. Honestly I shoot paper less and less since gathering up a pretty respectable supply of steel swingers, but when I shoot paper, it's always a silhouette print or cardboard cutout. I'll adapt. Not really a problem.

Putting a 6 inch group together on a paper plate at 100 yards is not my typical shooting scenario, this sounds kind of like a one size fits all generalization. We aren't all setting up with bags and scoped rifles shooting out to 100yds. I appreciate this type of shooting, but typically I have an array of steel and silhouette (man sized) targets set up for whatever sequence of drills or standards I happen to set for myself that day. But I do see the guys who come and do none of that. They set up a paperplate and take it nice and slow and shoot for groups with whatever gun. Not really my thing unless I'm sighting an optic or something like that.....

 

[kwguy]

I just want to have this dialog in mind while speaking to whoever drafted up all this ostentatious garbage. Lol.View attachment 996176