Range Assholes: Top 5 Range User Pet Peeves

Access to a good range is — or should be — an essential thing for a gun owners. Unless you own a ranch or have a huge chunk of nature that you can safely shoot, that typically means a commercial business range. A visit to the range should be entertaining, instructive, even therapeutic. Frequently, however, it is not. Usually this is because of a Range Asshole.

Top 5 Range User Pet Peeves

Here's how to be a Range Asshole.

1. Don't pick up your casings and shells.

When it comes to most brass cased ammo people seem to be fairly studious about picking up after themselves. Even if they don't reload it can be given to a friend who does or sold to reloaders. Not everyone is so polite and assiduous however. The largest two offenders for leaving casings all over the ground are surplus shooters and people who shoot .22 lr (when its actually available). The latter case is particularly vexing; .22lr can be a pain in the dick to clean up. We understand that. However if you shoot it, you pick it up. If you're on a concrete slab there is no reason you can use a broom and sweep up after yourself –and this goes for any casing.

Dirty surplus steel cased ammo shooters. You know who you are, carrying your Tapco'ed up SKS to the range. You are the bane of our existence. Because your steel cased ammo isn't reloadable you just leave an entire case's worth of it shot up on the ground for someone else to deal with. WTF? You literally have the easiest casing of all to clean up. You just have to grab a shop magnet on a stick and wave it around a bunch. You can even use one of the ones that has a release on it so you never have to bend over.

You probably don't clean up after your dog when he drops a deuce on the sidewalk either. We hope Mike Pannone punches you in the mouth.

Is it that hard to clean up after yourself?

2. Get in close and shoot right next door, even if the rest of the bay is empty.

Listen, range bays are like urinals. We don't need to shoot right next to each other. When we go to the range the last thing we want is to be continually pelted in the face by casings while you try to sight in your rifle. Not only is it annoying but it ruins our focus, which can mean we don't focus on the fundamentals as much. Know what makes it even better? When you shoot a large caliber rifle or one with an aggressive muzzle brake. As fun as those are (we have one too), a bit of distance between you and the other range users is preferable. The concussive back blast is much more annoying at the sides then it is directly behind the rifle.

You are probably a close talker with bad breath who spits when you talk. Kyle Lamb should give you a good curb stomp.

3. Fire 5 shots and ask everyone to stop shooting so you can check your target.

Unless your range is indoors and has those clothesline target hangers or a communal spotting scope you are going to need to downrange to check your target. We get that. However, there is always be that one guy who needs to constantly call ceasefire so he can amble down there and nod knowingly at the holes in his paper. We get it. You want to see how your firearm is grouping, but the range is kind of like a car. The strongest bladder chooses the stop. Make an effort to come to an accord with the other shooters. Put your weapon down and wait patiently. You can always buy  a spotting scope and get your exercise some other way.

You're likely the dickhead who wants to pause the game constantly so you can go smoke a cigarette or take a phone call. You probably text during movies, too. Here's hoping Craig Douglas puts his thumbs in your eyes.

4. Do your best to shoot up the target stands.

That nice wooden stand down there was carefully assembled by someone. They intentionally left it with a gaping hole in the middle. That's so when you shoot your target the bullets just go right through. Happily, as long as you're directing your rounds through that gaping hole, the target stand will remain functional for a long time. You'll only need to replace the backer material as its shot out — a few staples and it's good as new.

Some people, however, purposely shoot the stand for, well…reasons? Or maybe they fail to consider target placement and put the part they're going to shoot over the actual target frame. Oh, and shooting at the stand with a shotgun or blasting pistol steel with rifle rounds is also a dick move. If your range doesn't have shotgun targets or rifle rated steel then perhaps you should make some yourself and let us keep using what's there.

You're prob'ly the one carving his initials on landmarks and drawing graffiti on the wall of historic locations. What a dick. Pat McNamara should knock out your teeth. 

5. Consider anything downrange a target.

It's down there — why not shoot it, right? This is one thing that never ceases to amaze us. If it is downrange there are people who will shoot at it. If it's a light so that the range can be used at night, it's going to get shot out. If it's lane marking stakes or numbers, they're going to have bullets in them. Hey, idiot. You're there to shoot your target, not the infrastructure or furnishings the range was nice enough to put there to improve your range experience.

This is why we cant have nice things. Bet you eat grapes out of the bag at the grocery store and throw chewing gum into urinals too. Jackass. You deserve to be in a Cory & Erika video.

So, these are a few of the things that infuriate us and make us want to build our own range facility. What about you?

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