ST911
01-08-12, 00:47
The ballistically inept and those bucking for natural selection remain plentiful these days, and are often found on our shooting ranges.
The other day I ventured out to a local public shooting area to test fire some different loads and shoot my sport-utility bolt against some different scenery. I arrived and found the various backstops packed, due to the unseasonably warm temps. I managed to find a spot with ~50yds, not what I wanted but adequate for some close-in work.
Sharing the opposite end of the ~125yd stretch was a group of late teens. Their verbal skills seemed anchored in "dude", "yo", "bro", and some gibberish I could not ID. Clearly, rural white trash had met urban ghetto and conceived them. We stayed at opposite ends of the range for a time, but were close enough that I could keep an eye on them as I did my work. Electronic ear pro also enabled me to keep track of their conversation, during which they commented on my 16" bolt gun "bro that's a single shot he's shooting, look, he has to do that every time." Then there was the commentary on my ammo can, which apparently holds "2000 rounds of 50". Trying to impress a scantily clad and cheaply tattooed young lady with their prowess, they only seemed to bore her. From time to time, they were also fond of pointing the muzzle of their .22 rifle at their own heads as they reloaded the tubular magazine. Curiously, it took 2-3 of them to do it each time. Thankfully, they left shortly thereafter.
They were replaced by a fellow that came by to scavenge brass. Apparently, he was gathering it for sale by weight as he knew nothing about it, as he preferred the "heavier gray brass" cases. They looked more like steel cases to me. I have no issue with that, as those folks help keep the area clean and make up for the littering of others that leave their brass behind. This guy was short on manners though, as he moved to pick up my strings of 308 cases still laying beside my various pieces of range gear. Ask first, dude. I probably would've given them to you.
For the trifecta, a short time later... A seemingly nice fellow rolled by my position and asked if I minded if he set up down the range and shot the other direction to "sight in" his hunting rifle. I appreciate the asking, and am happy to share space with responsible looking people with good manners. However, where he was headed gave him a flat and clear line of sight consisting of...15-20yds maximum distance. When I asked about that, he said that would be fine as he had printed out a chart from the internet. His .30-06 would stay true to the chart. When asked if that distance would even demonstrate a zero difference, I got a blank look. The internet knows best, I guess. The patterns he was shooting at ~15 yards with what looked to be a typical 3-9x40 scope were mostly on target.
At least no one tried to steal my range bag this trip, nor did I get shot at, stuck in the mud, or asked if I had any ammo to spare.
The other day I ventured out to a local public shooting area to test fire some different loads and shoot my sport-utility bolt against some different scenery. I arrived and found the various backstops packed, due to the unseasonably warm temps. I managed to find a spot with ~50yds, not what I wanted but adequate for some close-in work.
Sharing the opposite end of the ~125yd stretch was a group of late teens. Their verbal skills seemed anchored in "dude", "yo", "bro", and some gibberish I could not ID. Clearly, rural white trash had met urban ghetto and conceived them. We stayed at opposite ends of the range for a time, but were close enough that I could keep an eye on them as I did my work. Electronic ear pro also enabled me to keep track of their conversation, during which they commented on my 16" bolt gun "bro that's a single shot he's shooting, look, he has to do that every time." Then there was the commentary on my ammo can, which apparently holds "2000 rounds of 50". Trying to impress a scantily clad and cheaply tattooed young lady with their prowess, they only seemed to bore her. From time to time, they were also fond of pointing the muzzle of their .22 rifle at their own heads as they reloaded the tubular magazine. Curiously, it took 2-3 of them to do it each time. Thankfully, they left shortly thereafter.
They were replaced by a fellow that came by to scavenge brass. Apparently, he was gathering it for sale by weight as he knew nothing about it, as he preferred the "heavier gray brass" cases. They looked more like steel cases to me. I have no issue with that, as those folks help keep the area clean and make up for the littering of others that leave their brass behind. This guy was short on manners though, as he moved to pick up my strings of 308 cases still laying beside my various pieces of range gear. Ask first, dude. I probably would've given them to you.
For the trifecta, a short time later... A seemingly nice fellow rolled by my position and asked if I minded if he set up down the range and shot the other direction to "sight in" his hunting rifle. I appreciate the asking, and am happy to share space with responsible looking people with good manners. However, where he was headed gave him a flat and clear line of sight consisting of...15-20yds maximum distance. When I asked about that, he said that would be fine as he had printed out a chart from the internet. His .30-06 would stay true to the chart. When asked if that distance would even demonstrate a zero difference, I got a blank look. The internet knows best, I guess. The patterns he was shooting at ~15 yards with what looked to be a typical 3-9x40 scope were mostly on target.
At least no one tried to steal my range bag this trip, nor did I get shot at, stuck in the mud, or asked if I had any ammo to spare.