Gun club etiquette

Standard practice at HSC is to leave your iron on the table; shooters addressing targets can go down range, but shooters that are not heading down range need to leave their iron on the table and they need to back away from the table.
If you don't wish to leave your iron I would guess you could holster it, but it can't be in your hand. You can holster a gun anywhere in the club.
Anyone handling a gun while people are down range is a club violation. This rule is very serious and if anyone mistakenly violates this rule other members quickly inform them on the spot, before the shooters ever get down range to the targets.
HSC doesn't have many rules, but the one outlined above is the most important and the members do a great job policing the range.
Each club could be different, but Harvard Sportsman's Club takes this very seriously.
 
At my range, during the target shuffle, the ROs and anyone not going down range do a pretty good job of correcting folks who forget the rules about being behind the yellow line during cease fire and start fiddling with guns, mags or ammo. I have reminded folks I've seen forget and I too have been corrected. And I'm glad.
 
I just KNOW that regardless of the circumstances, anybody whose firearm gets stolen is going to be HAMMERED by Ms Coakley. Willfully, Relentlessly, and Gleefully.

Salem - you sound a bit paranoid. As others have said, during a cease fire, if anyone approaches a firearm, whether to fondle it or to steal it, people will JUMP ALL OVER you. Its a serious voolation and is taken seriously at all clubs.

With all that said, I need to ask. Do you shoot at a public range, or a club? If you shoot at a public range, then maybe you aren't paranoid. I've never shot at a public range, other than during matches. I've heard of too much unsafe gun handling at public ranges. I like clubs or sand pits. But thats just me.

Don
 
Everyone hates RO's for some reason, but at my club they watch your shit when you're down range. That plus it's normally good practice to go to the range in pairs, for safety reasons in addition to watching your gear when one person hangs targets.

99% of people I've met on the range are awesome people, but as a general rule I don't trust anyone until I really know them well.
 
I noticed a majority of you are talking about leaving your firearms when there are other shooters around. What about if you're on the 300 yd range and it's just you? 25-100 yd ranges even? Are you really going to leave your firearm or firearms unattended?
 
I can't remember the last time I went to the range with only one rifle. So unless I'm going to sling up three or four rifles and mexican carry a couple of pistols to go downrange, I've got to trust my fellow man.
Yup, maybe I could use one of those wheel carts to bring stuff back and forth. The only time I bring a gun downrange, is the range at my house if its snowy cause I don't have a dry spot to leave it. At regular ranges I don't want others fondling their guns while I'm swapping targets so I'm going to return the favor for them. Is the paranoia that thick around here?
 
I've always left mine on the table (mags to the side on rifles with them), the action open, and I try to leave it so the barrel is not pointing where people will be walking.

At my range, there are a good amount of Fudds. The first time I brought my wife, I was in the middle of taking my AR out of it's case when one of the Fudds (about 15 spots down from me in the rifle range flipped on the red light (range cold) and immediately yelled down to me (it was only him, another Fudd down near him and me/my wife at the time) "We don't handle weapons here when the range is cold!!". I say "That's fine, just wait until I can put it down before you go cold". He and the other guy mutter to themselves and I leave put my AR on the rack behind me.

Fast forward to 20 minutes later. We've all been shooting. I flip the light to go cold and verbally check with them... they are fine with going cold. I go downrange post up a new target and turn around to come back to my station. I see these 2 clowns playing with one of the guys black powder gun. One guy was showing it off the the other guy and they were playing with it and swinging it around pointing at everything without thinking. I yell, "HEY! The range is cold! We don't play with our weapons when the range is cold". They both give me a stupid look and quickly pack up their gear. I hear them muttering about 'kids' and their 'Army guns' as they leave... BTW - I was 38 at the time and they were at least in their 60's. So I guess I'm a stupid kid to them b/c I have an AR? There are many variations of gun club etiquette.

I generally shoot in the backyard now and am going to set up a handgun range this spring and a 100 and 150 yd rifle range. The Fudds can have their range. Nobody is going to grab my gear in the backyard.
 
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I noticed a majority of you are talking about leaving your firearms when there are other shooters around. What about if you're on the 300 yd range and it's just you? 25-100 yd ranges even? Are you really going to leave your firearm or firearms unattended?

I'll put a trigger lock on it because I am willing to take the very small chance it will be stolen, but I am not willing to take any chance someone will still my gun rights for life. MA paranoia at its finest.
 
Interesting thread. I tend to leave my stuff on the table, but I'm usually alone at the range. If I was concerned due to a lot of extra people there, I might throw the stuff in the car trunk (15 feet behind me) before heading downrange if it's a long way.

One add-on question that I'm picking up on here: I get not touching weapons during a cold range, but people aren't touching mags either? It seems like when the range is cold would be a good time to reload mags (with the gun open and not close). Just curious what others do since it's not explicitly laid out in my club rules and seems a fairly common practice.
 
Many (most?) ranges require you to step back from the table during a cease-fire. Provided you grabbed your mags and ammo and stepped back from the table, the clubs that I've been to allow loading mags during a cease-fire.
 
there was a theft @ MRA of a gun left on the firing line. the perp was a cop.

there was ONE other recently but i can't remember what club. this i'd say the chances of getting your gat stolen are pretty slim, assuming you're in MA.

for physical harm, i haven't heard of any murders or shootings, just suicides in MA.

any other states want to chime in on thefts / shootings / suicides at the ranges? sounds like you just have trust issues, which is fine... bring a friend. have him pull guard duty and you change the targets... again, usually when the line goes cold, the majority of the people walk down range together anyway. [laugh]

Oh hell no! It should read "bring a friend. Have HIM change the targets while you sit and admire your weaponry"![laugh]
 
I am generally all by myself when I go to the range near me on weekdays, but I have thought before about this, and have had an uneasy feeling about the fact that I may be between 50 and 100 yds. away while my rifles are laying on the bench, usually with mags, or at least an ammo box nearby. For me, it was more about fearing getting shot by one of my own rifles, with theft being secondary. I do always have my EDC on me, so I could return fire, but honestly, I am not "Wyatt Earpish" enough to do much against any of my rifles at that range with a handgun, so I'd be screwed anyway. Having a deserted range during the day is awesome in one way, but if something bad like that were to happen, no one would find you for hours. I do appreciate the freedom to run tactical type drills, though, which would be difficult, if not impossible to do on other ranges.
 
I'll put a trigger lock on it because I am willing to take the very small chance it will be stolen, but I am not willing to take any chance someone will still my gun rights for life. MA paranoia at its finest.
Not sure if I'm taking it the wrong way or not, but are you saying I'm being paranoid by what I asked?
 
I think I saw that thread....too funny. I'm torn on that town because I love music and have seen some sick shows there but yah, I think a rubber band gun would cause a riot there! Awesome place to indulge my other passion which is Vinyl records
 
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