View Full Version : Interesting Happening at the range
exiledtoIA
05-18-12, 15:09
Thursday I was at the local range to relax.
Got my stuff laid out, waiting for the range to go hot and a young couple, probably in their early 30's take the stall next to me.
They take a brand new revolver out of the box, take a box of ammo out of the plastic bag, open the pack of targets they have and unwrap their brand new earpro.
I will admit that I seriously considered moving. I'm glad I didn't.
They were having problems loading the gun.
And I'm thinking to myself " Oh God, how can anyone mess up loading a revolver?"
They look around in confusion and he comes around the wall and asks if I know anything about guns. So I offer to help if I can.
Bran new Ruger SP101 in .327 Federal Magnum. The clerk at the store who helped them decide on the gun got them a box of ammo for it.
Federal .357 Magnum. Oh so close, but no cigar.
We go into the range house and ask if they have any .327 Federal on hand. They have a couple of boxes that have been gathering dust for a while.
Back out on the range and I walk them thru care and feeding. They both try the gun and are doing OK. i did set their target up fairly close to start them out.
At the next break we talk about why they bought the gun.
They bought a house in the country and have been having problems with wildlife, and they worry about snakes in the garden, etc.
Turns out they were a really nice couple.
I let them try a few of my guns, just so they would have a little more experience.
The 10/22 was a big hit as was the 6920 ( " Is that a machine-gun?").
The BHP and the M&P weren't as popular - too complicated.
I did explain the differences in caliber and made sure they understood what to ask for in the future.
All in all a good day on the range, even if I didn't get to shoot as much as I had planned.
Great story. It's people like you who encourage new gun owners to really enjoy the sport. Not everyone would have taken the time. :cool:
exiledtoIA
05-18-12, 16:37
Like I said, I almost didn't. Newbies on the range make me nervous.
He politely asked for help which put them well above the norm for newbies.
I will be taking a few different pieces with me next thursday so they can try them as well.
Great story. It's people like you who encourage new gun owners to really enjoy the sport. Not everyone would have taken the time. :cool:
A good friend of mine told me a similar story. Except the newbies asked for help inserting the magazine into their brand new Glock. For some reason, the mag wouldn't go all the way in. My friend took one look at it and saw they had loaded the ammo in the magazine backwards! Yep, the bullet was pointed towards the rear of the magazine. Must have tried hard to make that mistake.
Bran new Ruger SP101 in .327 Federal Magnum. The clerk at the store who helped them decide on the gun got them a box of ammo for it. Federal .357 Magnum.
Observed. I have no use for .327 and don't get its existence. It also doesn't pass the Walmart test most places either.
Good on you for helping out.
Slvr Surfr
05-18-12, 23:02
Good on you for helping the new folks out!
exiledtoIA
05-19-12, 13:25
I don't own one either, tho my Lady has been making noises about one. I'm not going to say it's useless, just that it won't do anything my GP100 in .357 Mag. won't do.
If I was just starting out in firearms I might give it a try.
Heck if Ruger would put it in the GP series with a 6" barrel I might try it out.
As for helping out, I try not to interfere. But I can remember when I was just starting to shoot on my own. If more experienced shooters hadn't helped me I would have wasted a lot more time and money on things that weren't worth it.
Observed. I have no use for .327 and don't get its existence. It also doesn't pass the Walmart test most places either.
Good on you for helping out.
Ned Christiansen
05-20-12, 00:00
None of us was born knowing it all (as we most cetainly do now :rolleyes:). That means that at some point between knowing nothing and knowing a lot of the right stuff, we may well have passed through certain bad parts of town, like "stupid", "know-it-all", "believer of anything", and even "unsafe".
When we get a chance to escort a new shooter safely through these dangerous areas, we really ought to, you might just avert a tragedy and it helps us all. Ya done good!
HackerF15E
05-20-12, 08:26
My friend took one look at it and saw they had loaded the ammo in the magazine backwards! Yep, the bullet was pointed towards the rear of the magazine. Must have tried hard to make that mistake.
Maybe they thought their Glock was an H&K?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/BiggBore/badHKbrochuresmall.jpg
exiledtoIA
05-20-12, 10:30
I don't know it all. The difference is that NOW I know enough to know I don't.
They seem like nice enough people and I don't want anyone getting hurt if it can be avoided.
Besides looking back I did some stupid things when I was younger and when I look back now the question is "How the hell did we do that and no one got killed?"
None of us was born knowing it all (as we most cetainly do now :rolleyes:). That means that at some point between knowing nothing and knowing a lot of the right stuff, we may well have passed through certain bad parts of town, like "stupid", "know-it-all", "believer of anything", and even "unsafe".
When we get a chance to escort a new shooter safely through these dangerous areas, we really ought to, you might just avert a tragedy and it helps us all. Ya done good!
None of us was born knowing it all (as we most cetainly do now :rolleyes:). That means that at some point between knowing nothing and knowing a lot of the right stuff, we may well have passed through certain bad parts of town, like "stupid", "know-it-all", "believer of anything", and even "unsafe".
When we get a chance to escort a new shooter safely through these dangerous areas, we really ought to, you might just avert a tragedy and it helps us all. Ya done good!
Very well said sir!!!
exiledtoIA
05-25-12, 11:12
Ok yesterday we had our second meeting at the range.
They had purchased more ammunition ( of the correct caliber )
for their SP101. I was surprised to find out they had also purchased
ammunition to replace what we shot last thursday.
Brought along the GP100, my grandfather's M1, my SW22A1 and the Ruger MK2.
Interesting results.
The wife loves the GP and the 22A1, kind of meh about the M1 and the Ruger.
Hubby was the exact opposite.
They both are good about keeping fingers off the trigger and keeping the muzzle downrange.
We'll see how things turn out.
Good on you for helping them out. Dad started me at a very young age, and I've always been glad of that, but when you start so young, it's easy to forget the times he stood there and helped you hold the rifle up and all that. Then you see someone 30 years old and don't know anything, it's hard to remember what it was like to be 5 or 7 or so and be in that exact same spot. So again, great that you walked them through it.
Maybe I'm crazy, it just seems that there are more new adult shooters out there every day. Folks from 20-30 that didn't grow up around guns, but want to learn to shoot, and don't care if they're going hunting, they wanna be shooters.
I've noticed this more and more at work, and I live in a gun friendly area despite the state. More and more guys come up to me, see the stickers on my toolbox and start wanting to know where to get started. 8 years ago I got funny looks. I shoot on my own land, and truthfully, I don't invite them out because I'm afraid of liability issues, but I always try to help them find someone that will work with them and get them started off right.
Edited for spelling.
A good friend of mine told me a similar story. Except the newbies asked for help inserting the magazine into their brand new Glock. For some reason, the mag wouldn't go all the way in. My friend took one look at it and saw they had loaded the ammo in the magazine backwards! Yep, the bullet was pointed towards the rear of the magazine. Must have tried hard to make that mistake.
Must have had a HK owner show them out to load the mags. We have to remember that mere mortal guns have the ammo the other way. :D
Ok yesterday we had our second meeting at the range.
They had purchased more ammunition ( of the correct caliber )
for their SP101. I was surprised to find out they had also purchased
ammunition to replace what we shot last thursday.
Brought along the GP100, my grandfather's M1, my SW22A1 and the Ruger MK2.
Interesting results.
The wife loves the GP and the 22A1, kind of meh about the M1 and the Ruger.
Hubby was the exact opposite.
They both are good about keeping fingers off the trigger and keeping the muzzle downrange.
We'll see how things turn out.
Good for you, way to help out prospective new shooters.
Maybe they thought their Glock was an H&K?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/BiggBore/badHKbrochuresmall.jpg
You have to like that photo.
And, good on the op for helping out.
Good young people are often hard to find ; Best to help them out whenever possible.. Ron
ThirdWatcher
05-29-12, 02:40
... Newbies on the range make me nervous.
+1 I've reached the point where anyone I don't know at the range makes me nervous.
LowSpeed_HighDrag
06-04-12, 00:05
Good young people are often hard to find ; Best to help them out whenever possible.. Ron
30 is the new young?
I remember being 30. It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away
I used to go to the local indoor range every Wednesday after work with my 1911 with a pile reloaded 45s and S&W 686 with 357 ammo loaded to 38 Special target velocities so I didn't get the 38 length ring build up in the chambers. Taught some of the guys & gals from work to shoot with the 686. It was fun.
Once, there was a good looking couple in their mid to late 20s struggling with a handgun they had rented. After watching them for a few minutes, I asked if they'd like some help. He was of slender build, soft spoken, well groomed, very polite and what the girls would consider "pretty". The gal was a little taller, had long auburn hair, built like an Amazon and drop dead gorgeous. They accepted my help with relief.
I walked them through the basics, got them shooting and handling handguns comfortably and let them try what I had. They were great students and I was really interested in the girl and tried to figure out what their relationship was. I knew they were not married, but there was a certain intimacy between them that clearly was not sexual. It seemed a little strange because he didn't treat her like a date or girlfriend and didn't mind me being close to her. I figured they were brother & sister but couldn't get either one to confirm or deny the relationship. Even that didn't seem right but I couldn't put my finger on why. Nonetheless, I enjoyed their company, we had fun, they liked shooting and I was able to help them along in deciding what handgun they wanted.
At the end of the afternoon before we departed, I gave my name and held out my hand, still trying to figure out if it was ok to make a pass at the girl. He took my hand and watching my face intently said "Thanks for your help. We had a great time. Her name is Katherine and mine is Debbie."
Shock hit me like a physical blow as I realized the were both girls with Debbie dressed like a guy. I struggled to act casual and play it cool as they waved and smiled as I carried my gear out to the car. About half way home, my brain unlocked enough for me to bang my head on the steering wheel for not asking the girls about getting together for another shooting session
Maybe they thought their Glock was an H&K?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/BiggBore/badHKbrochuresmall.jpg
You beat me to it! Classic.
Got my stuff laid out, waiting for the range to go hot and a young couple, probably in their early 30's take the stall next to me.
I'm assuming buy stuff you did not mean the firearm itself while the range was all clear?
You can usually tell the macho guys "teaching" their girlfriend/wift/etc and poeple who have just never had anything explained to them before.
I always try and help out as I believe good firearms education is the best way to prevent accidents that not only cause physical damage but bad PR for firearms owners. Those who oppose our rights will always use that bad PR to legislate against those rights.
exiledtoIA
06-08-12, 13:41
Had another encounter with my newbies yesterday. And they brought a friend along.
While he was setting up she brought the friend over "This is A and she's never benn around guns before, can you teach her how to shoot?"
I bite back my initial reply: I CAN teach anyone to shoot - are they WILLING to learn.
We started with the rules, how to feed and care for each pistol.
She started with a 22LR and was doing acceptably with the BHP by the end of the session.
We also covered the special rules during a range break.
1) Never point the gun at me.
2) If you violate rule 1 you'd better be squeezing the trigger.
3) Use the whole magazine and reload - some of us take alot of killing.
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