YOUR biggest range goof

[W Turner]

During an IDPA match at an indoor range, there was a course of fire that ended with you prone under a table engaging two targets and facing 180 degrees away from the others waiting to shoot. At the end of your particular turn, you unloaded and showed clear before scooting back, sitting up to a kneeling position, dropping the hammer and holstering your weapon.

When I finished my string of fire, I followed the range command to unload and show clear then promptly dropped the hammer and holstered. This was while still lying on my stomach with everyone behind me. I covered every single person who was waiting to shoot. The SO's eyes almost bugged out of his head and let me know in no uncertain terms that what I did was not ok. He chose not to DQ me although I would not have argued if he had.

To this day, I still get shivers down my spine when I think about it.

W

 

[benEzra]

I was 18 and had never been to a formal shooting range before. A cold range was called, and I unwittingly left my mini-14 with a round in the chamber, safety on, magazine inserted, on the sandbags pointed downrange. I thought about it as soon as I was downrange, but the RSO had noticed it immediately when I left the bench, and safed the rifle for me. I got back, and the rifle was canted on the bags, with the magazine out and the chambered round lying on the table. He didn't say anything, though I'm sure he would have if I had done it again; he knew I was a noob, and was being tactful. I have never made that mistake again.

 

[Bart Noir]

Worst one? That would be two days ago, at my first ever action shooting competition, just a few guys having fun in a safe way. Each firing position was for only 6 shots, since my buddy was using his .41 Magnum.

So I ended up with 7 rounds in a magazine for my 1911, when it should have been 6. Either I did it or my buddy did, since he loaded a mag for me. We will never know.

I fired 6, dropped the magazine, moved to the next firing point, loaded another magazine and realized that the slide was not locked back. I had a very brief moment of thinking “this gun has never malf’ed, not ever” and then cycled the slide. Out popped a live round, and I thought I had only fired 5 at the previous firing point.

Was told differently at the end and it cost me some time on my stage. So I didn’t ND that round while moving with a loaded and cocked 1911 with the safety off. But I have no idea of where my trigger finger was while I was moving and don’t know how close I came to an ND. That is a bit sobering.

Bart Noir

 

[Feanaro]

Showed up to a shooting match without my ammo box. I had 3 full magazines and managed to wrangle some more from a kind stranger, thankfully.

Dropped a revolver on the floor of a gunshop/range. Had too many things in my hands.

 

[MikeH]

I hit the target carrier once while practicing double-tap. Have slowed down since then.

Other goofs are not having called ahead before driving an hour to find out that the range isn't open.

 

[RH822]

SHOOTERS. PLACE YOUR WEAPON IN THE SEMI-AUTOMATIC MODE! SHOOTERS, COMMENCE FIRING! BERRRP(full auto)...Private, what the *&#@# is your major malfunction? Sorry Drill Sargent, I guess I'm stupid. Did lots of push-ups for that one.

RH

 

[ArmedBear]

the RSO had noticed it immediately when I left the bench, and safed the rifle for me. I got back, and the rifle was canted on the bags, with the magazine out and the chambered round lying on the table. He didn't say anything, though I'm sure he would have if I had done it again; he knew I was a noob, and was being tactful.

That has to be the first and last time that has ever happened.

The "The RSO...didn't say anything...and was being tactful" part.

 

[whitetiger7654]

Fell asleep at the bench.

Woke up to racous laughter from everybody on the whole line, and the RO's withering glare.

It was just such a nice day, with the wind nicely blowing, me all suited up and plugs and muff on... I just wanted to close my eyes for a little bit..

zzzz
_____

That is the funniest thing I have read in a while. Thanks for posting.

 

[Charles W Webb]

One time when I went shooting with my dad we forgot the ear protection, thought no worries it's a .22 mag shouldn't be that loud. Fired the first round out of the revolver and decided to swap back to the lr cylinder.


Then another time I decided to pull both triggers on my dads Stoeger side by side wich I loaded with 3 inch mag 00 buck. After firing I was looking straight up into the sky. Not really a goof but not smart either.


Same day at same spot in desert my brother loads the Stoeger with birdshot and pulls both triggers.........only he held it loosely unshouldered(Like you would with a pistol grip).....No idea how he managed to turn around soo fast and grab the shotgun as it flipped out of his hand and behind him before it hit the ground


Oh and I almost hit submit on here after typing bird**** instead of birdshot

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

I Committed a safety infraction when I was nineteen in basic training (cannot remember what it was, it was '81). The Drill Sergeant planted both legs right over me and grabbed my steel pot by the front of my brim and picked me up by the head from the prone position while my ankles were still on the ground. Great way to open up the ears.

 

[Nameless_Hobo]

First time shooting my uncle's AK. First time shooting a gun with a pistol grip, actually.
I Didn't realize how much easier it was to fire with my hand on a pistol grip. Put my finger on the trigger and was pulling it up to my shoulder when...sent a round downrange pulling it up to my shoulder.

Went right below the target, not that big of a deal, but it was stupid to shoot when I wasn't prepared.

 

[bill larry]

This wasn't at a range, and it was at least 10 years ago on Thanksgiving Day, back when I was still in my teens...

We have a family tradition of shooting skeet after dinner on Thanksgiving, and the whole extended family was out in the front yard of my aunt's large spread shooting and BSing.

One of my much older cousins was working the skeet thrower, and I was standing kind of behind him with my dads over and under shotgun. I was just holding the gun, it was loaded, and the safety was on.

Well, the gun slipped from my grasp and I made a grab for it as it went down. This shotgun had a tang safety on top of the wrist: left was the bottom, middel the safe, and right was the top barrel. When I grabbed it, I not only pushed the safety off, but I pulled the trigger as well. The gun was pointed almost straight up at my face, and I was about two feet behind my cousin.

That was enough for everybody, me included.

 

[mek42]

My very own: You don't really need your muffs to keep score for trap since you're not shooting and at least 5 feet behind the shooters, right?

Not me but my responsibility nonetheless: Not ensuring that my wife failed to shoot the range marker sign 2 feet above the target at the indoor range. My wife, who happens to be sitting next to me just in time to see me type this post is giving me all sorts of grief about this one. Hehehe!

 

[SaMx]

I don't know if I've told this story here before, so I'll keep it short.

Let's just say that when the mag tube of a Marlin 60 is fully loaded, and you don't lock it closed before you let go, it will launch forward about 10-15 feet

 

[68'chevelle]

Shooting at someone else's target.

 

[Rey B]

Drove 45 minutes to the range with three guns two of them have trigger locks and the keys are at home. So four people share one pistol. Not nearly as much fun.

 

[GRB]

My worst range goof was having another shooter point a .22 rifle at me three times while he was teaching his kids without my chewing his head off, and without my moving to a new spot after the first one. Of course a range officer did chew him out three times, but I sure should have moved at least by the 2nd time, ad probably after the 1st.

All the best,
Glenn B

 

[K3]

Forgetting all kinds of gear.

Spotting scope? At home.

Tripod for chronograph? Looks like I'll be setting it on the ground and shooting from the prone.

Ammo. Hehe.

Ear protection? The range rents earmuffs for $2.

 

[larry_minn]

Lets see. Night time after a informal shoot. Small fire with hotdogs. One member of group (Deputy) wants a line of bullet holes in his old truck that he is going to make a farm only truck. He wants to park it at station with line of bullet holes like it got shot with a full auto.
He marks where its (safe) to shoot truck and not hit anything (vital)
My turn comes and I happen to (know) this one mag had two rds in it. We had some safety still going. Those who had any beer were excluded and a RO was with each shooter/range called hot/show clear/holster/range cold etc.
Anyway I fired my two and slide ran forward. It was a softball load (1911) and that was not uncommon so I didn't think anything of it. I removed mag/manually locked slide back (and tilted it so RO could verify clear) he gave the "clear, slide" (for me to drop slide) "Hammer and holster" (instruction to dry fire and then holster gun.)
Well I pointed (not aimed) it at next spot on truck and gun went BOOM not click. (I did mention it was dark and only a fire 30' behind us?) So a flashlight was gotten. Actually the RO was more embarrassed then I was. (I was happy gun was pointed in safe direction)

 

[Drusagas]

Sigh...

I suppose my biggest range goof is having not been to one yet...well, pistol range that is, which is what I want to get to.

 

[XD Fan]

Not wear ear protection when shooting an XD 45. That hapened only once.

Anothertime my hand slipped while loading a magazine and the corner of the mag cut my hand. I bled all over.

 

[scout26]

SHOOTERS. PLACE YOUR WEAPON IN THE SEMI-AUTOMATIC MODE! SHOOTERS, COMMENCE FIRING! BERRRP(full auto)...Private, what the *&#@# is your major malfunction? Sorry Drill Sargent, I guess I'm stupid. Did lots of push-ups for that one.

Actually what our Drill Sergeant said was "Rotate your selector lever from SAFE to SEMI-AUTOMATIC". So about 12 of us trainees went SAFE-SEMI-AUTO. COMMEMCE FIRE..... BERRRRPPPPP. Even pleading with the Senior Drill ("Why did you fire fully automatic ??" "Drill Sergeant, Drill Sergeant X told us to rotate our selector levers from SAFE to SEMI to AUTOMATIC and that's what I did, SAFE - SEMI- AUTO.), Even though we could tell that he knew we were right as he had heard the command also that did not get us out of push-ups, crab-walks and variety of other fun events he choose to inflict upon us. But I'd betg anything that Drill Sergeant X got a world class butt chewing later.

Interestingly the only time the Drills ever said AUTOMATIC again was when they meant "AUTOMATIC", as they never said SEMI-AUTOMATIC again, only SEMI.......and Drill Sergeant X never was on a range again during our cycle.

 

[evan price]

Had a "new" sks slamfire an entire load at one sitting at an outdoor range. They still have the holes in the sunshade over that position as it started to climb and I just held on...(Cosmo in the firing pin channel....I know now!)

 

[RyanM]

I ripped my pants wide open, ducking under the thing instead of walking around, to get to my target. Good thing the only other person there was my dad.

 

[280PLUS]

Bigest goof on our range? Old Bill, great guy but what an obtuse sense of humor!

Actually, Navy Bootcamp, Orlando 1975, I remember it well...

I had managed to qualify for additional training with the 1911 / .45 and had been going to the range at night for 2 weeks when it was time to qualify or get kicked out. I had finally gotten to where I could shoot a real nice slowfire so it was on to timed / rapid. My first timed target was a disaster with the beat up old POS they had me shooting so the old Master Chief Gunners Mate in charge goes over to the gun cabinet and pulls out this beautiful stainless steel, pearl handled .45 and says, "Here, try it with this." So I take it over to my port, load it up and, as we were taught, started taking the "slack" out of the trigger at bench rest. As soon as I touched that trigger the thing went "BOOM!!" and I popped one off into the floor. The master Chief comes over and says, "Did you DRY FIRE that gun before loading?" "Uh, No Master Chief." I figure life as I know it is now over, I'm a boot with like 6 weeks in the Navy and I'm already in trouble with a Master Chief. A Master Chief is like right up there with God when you're a boot. He says, "Always dry fire a gun before loading it for the first time." walked away and didn't say another word about it. Yes, I was relieved. I also learned a valuable lesson while I was at it.

BTW, shot a 98 timed and a 100 rapid with it, coupled to my 100 slow fire I got the "E" pin that day.