Range Etiquette with .44 magnum
Ed Devinney
I don't think there's too much to do more than asking if your noise bothers
and moving if possible.
I always used to mind the guys with the serious cartridges, and then bought
a 10mm and some full-house Remington 200gr loads. I didn't mind those guys
so much, and took to asking my fellow shooters if the noise bothered them :-).
--
ed devinney pism...@netcom.com
SPAM(tm) is a registered trademark for a pork product
packed only by Geo. A. Hormel & Co.
Bill Giese
<should I bother others with my big bang - snip>
I'm sure the effect of these loads on others is greater at an indoor
range (I only shoot outdoors), but my response to you would still be the
same.
Many times while at the range I've shot next to cannons like these, and
while they definitely affect my shooting, I have no problems at all with
those who shoot them. If it gets too bad, I either move, wait or suffer
through it. By no means would I expect a fellow shooter to modify his
behaviour at the range. If you choose on your own to provide an
occasional break for the benefit of those around you, I'm sure it would be
welcome, but shouldn't be expected.
Fire away...
--
Bill
:
:...... Bill Giese
gi...@netcom.com
Bite Me ATF
#Problem is, I really *enjoyed* firing the heavier .44 mag loads. What's the
#drill here? Do I just ignore the people in nearby lanes, and expect them to
#ignore me, or am I limited to shooting .44 magnums when the range is empty?
at my range, they pretty much keep all the big guns at the far part of the
range. I say dont worry about it, if they have a problem with they should ask
to be moved, this makes life alot simpler, since you might be moving several
times if more than one person has a problem, plus it also alerts the range
staff to keep people away from your end.
But a 44 mag isnt all that bad, try standing next to a .50 cal magnum.
finally, its good fro the other shooters, it might keep them from freaking out
if their on the wrong side of one of these guns and they have to return fire.
thomas
David Basiji
#I recently bought a 4" Smith model 629 .44 magnum (Mountain Gun variation).
#I do all my shooting at a nearby indoor range. Last week, while trying
#different .44 magnum and .44 special loads, it was clear that the heavier
#.44 magnum loads bothered some other shooters, although no one said anything
#specific or suggested that I stop.
#Being a typical rec.gunner, I am nothing if not sensitive to my fellow
#enthusiasts, so I throttled back to .44 specials for the remainder of the
#evening.
In your shoes, I'd find out when the range is emptiest and go then.
You can ask anyone who's there if they mind if you shoot your
.44 Mag. Most people will appreciate the consideration so much that
they'll tell you to go ahead, even if the noise would normally
bother them. If you really want to make a friend, ask them if they'd
like to shoot a few cylinders.
Cheers,
David Basiji
UW Bioengineering
Your Bud Wes
: <should I bother others with my big bang - snip>
: I'm sure the effect of these loads on others is greater at an indoor
: range (I only shoot outdoors), but my response to you would still be the
: same.
I, personally, believe that you should indeed consider other when you
are at the range. I wouldn't even bother taking a 44mag to an indoor
range unless there were very few people, and or, I made sure it OK with
the shooters nearby me. You see, my fiancee goes shooting with me once
a month to retain some level of proficiency with her King Cobra. During
these sessions I make it a point to teach her the basics and good shooting
habits in general, as well as having her practice rapid fire drills. When
I have her concentrate and try to shoot her best groups it is virtually
impossible for her when someone with a hand cannon is in her bay. Now, I
don't mean those of you(and me) that fire the occasional 44mag/hot 357
and give other users plenty of time between your groups. I mean those who
feel like they own the range and have more rights than their shooting
collegues. These people don't care about those around them. They just
break out the old redhawk and fire away with reckless abandon. This sort
of activity is just irresponsible. I occasionally bring my shotgun to
the indoor range for practice. I only use it with the consent of other
shooters, and when the bays aren't full. I always felt that this was a
kind and responsible gesture; one that I was obligated to do because I
was a mature adult, and responsible shooter. Saying that others should
"suffer" when you bring your 44 is just intolerable, and shows little
respect for your fellow shooters. Considering all the safety precautions
you must take at the range(some of which are admittedly second-nature),
you think you could also find the time to show some respect. If you can
neither find the time, are too lazy, or don't care about the other shooters,
you are quite possibly also a dangerous, and unsafe shooter. Lets make
the range safe and enjoyable for everyone, please. This life of ours is
only on lein for 70 or so years barring any fatalities, we should make
the most of it and make it the most for others.
Take care,
Your Bud Wes
C...@vm.urz.uni-heidelberg.de
In article <1...@psyche.win.net>
cbl...@psyche.win.net (Carroll Bloyd) writes:
#.44 magnum and .44 special loads, it was clear that the heavier
#.44 magnum loads bothered some other shooters, although no one said anything
#specific or suggested that I stop.
#...
#drill here? Do I just ignore the people in nearby lanes, and expect them to
#ignore me, or am I limited to shooting .44 magnums when the range is empty?
Well, let me first relate an experience of mine. Once when I was at the range
last year, I tried new .22 ammo in my target pistol (UIT bullseye 25 metres),
specifically shooting for small group size. The guy at my right side, alas,
got his jollies off by blasting away with his .454 Casull. The noise
wasn't even the worst part. The really bad thing was the _pressure
wave_ of hot gases blasting over to me. Needless to say that this
spoiled my efforts to determine my new ammo lot's acuracy potential.
Now, where is the moral ? :-)
First, the shooter at my side thankfully (probably for financial and
physical reasons...) shot only a couple of .454 Casull rounds. So he
did not block the range for a long time. Second, everybody who _is_
on the range lawfully has the right to use it according to range
regulations: the Magnum fan as well as anybody else. Equality.0
Third: the polite thing, in my humble opinion, would be to tell
the other shooters "I would like to fire some XX (insert number)
shots with my .44 Magnum, and should like to inform you beforehand
so that you can finish your ongoing series". This is quite necessary
IMHO, since any serious training will be be interrupted or spoiled
by non-announced sudden artillery fire.
Fourth: those who feel annoyed by the noise can then finish their
series and make a pause, while you can shoot at leisure, and with a
good serene conscience. :-)
Fifth: anybody who would like to shoot a .44 Magnum for longer than
hmmh... half an hour ?... might wish to save for his own range :-).
You don't want to gain a reputation as the dreaded range clearer.
Regards, Alexander Eichener (who was raised on a Feinwerkbau Mod. 65)
c...@vm.urz.uni-heidelberg.de
Eric Williams
: I mean those who
: feel like they own the range and have more rights than their shooting
: collegues. These people don't care about those around them. They just
: break out the old redhawk and fire away with reckless abandon. This sort
: of activity is just irresponsible.
When this happens, I sometimes like to break out the 14" T/C Contender
in .30-30 and warm it up a bit just when they're trying to tighten
their groups. Turnabout is fair play.
--
Eric Williams | wd6...@netcom.com | WD6CMU@WD6CMU.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NOAM
Mark Gibson
In a previous article, wd6...@netcom.com (Eric Williams) says:
#In a previous post, Your Bud Wes (powergrid!kel...@uunet.uu.net) wrote:
#: I mean those who
#: feel like they own the range and have more rights than their shooting
#: collegues. These people don't care about those around them. They just
#: break out the old redhawk and fire away with reckless abandon. This sort
#: of activity is just irresponsible.
#
#When this happens, I sometimes like to break out the 14" T/C Contender
#in .30-30 and warm it up a bit just when they're trying to tighten
#their groups. Turnabout is fair play.
I used to shoot a Desert Eagle .44 Magnum at an indoor range on a regular
basis. I learned to pick a lane as far away from other shooters as possible.
Then if I seemed to be attracting someone's attention, I'd often offer to
let them try out my DE. Many times, people just wanted to take a closer
look at it, but some jumped at the opportunity to put a few rounds through it.
If I noticed a novice shooter or someone teaching young kids to shoot, I'd
avoid firing the DE while they were there. I don't think it was the loud
noise the DE made so much as it was the bright three-foot-long muzzle blast
that people noticed, because the range was dimly lit most of the time. :-)
--
===========================================================================
Mark Gibson | The Bill of Rights: Void Where Prohibited by Law.
gib...@prairienet.org | Gun control is hitting what you're shooting at.
| Vote Walter Williams for President in '96!
JEFF...@aol.com
first time even though I bought it last summer...(well I bought em all
moderator and now I'm trying to learn how to shoot them )
I shot it in an underground basement range of a large gunshop...I was the
only one there and yes I used lots of ear protection...(yes the rangemaster
knew it was 50AE)
The pressure wave was impressive....
They called down from above and asked what in the H#^% was I shooting... :-)
It was apparently shaking the building's floor... :-)
_=__________________-
<(------==(____)-------| Jeffrey L. Jennings MD
|//////______________| <Jeff...@aol.com>
)/ /) / )/
(/ /\.__\_)> "A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded
(/ o / ) sexual and emotional maturity"
(/ / ) * FREUD* General Introduction to Psychoanlysis (1952)
(P7M13 )
(/ __/_) Give S. Brady heartburn - Join the NRA @ 1-800-672-3888
Dillon Pyron
In article <3imram$d...@nntp1.u.washington.edu>, bas...@u.washington.edu (David Basiji) writes:
#cbl...@psyche.win.net (Carroll Bloyd) writes:
##I recently bought a 4" Smith model 629 .44 magnum (Mountain Gun variation).
##I do all my shooting at a nearby indoor range. Last week, while trying
##different .44 magnum and .44 special loads, it was clear that the heavier
##.44 magnum loads bothered some other shooters, although no one said anything
##specific or suggested that I stop.
##Being a typical rec.gunner, I am nothing if not sensitive to my fellow
##enthusiasts, so I throttled back to .44 specials for the remainder of the
##evening.
#
#In your shoes, I'd find out when the range is emptiest and go then.
#You can ask anyone who's there if they mind if you shoot your
#.44 Mag. Most people will appreciate the consideration so much that
#they'll tell you to go ahead, even if the noise would normally
#bother them. If you really want to make a friend, ask them if they'd
#like to shoot a few cylinders.
#
My brother-in-law was shooting his Super Redhawk and his G20 (did someone say
horsepower?) and I was shooting 1/2" groups with my .38Super when a guy on the
other end of the range came by to see what the noise was. Seems it was bothering
him and his .375 :-) pot and kettle thing, I think.
dillon
dillon...@amd.com
PADI AI-54909 USPSA A-26031
The politician who fears my guns should fear my vote, instead.
Brett D. Board
: I recently bought a 4" Smith model 629 .44 magnum (Mountain Gun variation).
: I do all my shooting at a nearby indoor range. Last week, while trying
: different .44 magnum and .44 special loads, it was clear that the heavier
: .44 magnum loads bothered some other shooters, although no one said anything
: specific or suggested that I stop.
I've had other shooters look, but I attributed it to jealousy rather than
bothersome. Shoot the magnum loads and enjoy your range time.
Brett
Dillon Pyron
In article <D4oBy...@serval.net.wsu.edu>, bbo...@beta.tricity.wsu.edu (Brett D. Board) writes:
#Carroll Bloyd (cbl...@psyche.win.net) wrote:
#
#: I recently bought a 4" Smith model 629 .44 magnum (Mountain Gun variation).
#: I do all my shooting at a nearby indoor range. Last week, while trying
#: different .44 magnum and .44 special loads, it was clear that the heavier
#: .44 magnum loads bothered some other shooters, although no one said anything
#: specific or suggested that I stop.
#
#I've had other shooters look, but I attributed it to jealousy rather than
#bothersome. Shoot the magnum loads and enjoy your range time.
I've had people complain when they walk behind me while I shoot my racegun at the
indoor range (something that will happen less often as Spring progresses). Seems
they don't like the muzzle blast from the comp (which completely misses me :-). I
personally try to avoid walking behind someone who is actively shooting. I not
only don't want to distract them, but, should something go horribly wrong, I'd
rather not be there. Any comments on this etiquette?
Jealous? I've turned around and seen three or four people oogling my pistol.
paul milligan
Down at the end of the range someone was shooting some hand-loaded
monster 44 mags. At one point, we both lit one at the same instant.
There was a respectful silence in the range for quite a while !
Later on, he let me shoot some - factory loads barely twitched this 6" Ruger.
His handloads took it vertical !
Can't wait to shoot a .50 AE.
David Lin
#: I do all my shooting at a nearby indoor range. Last week, while trying
#: different .44 magnum and .44 special loads, it was clear that the heavier
#: .44 magnum loads bothered some other shooters, although no one said anything
#: specific or suggested that I stop.
#
#I've had other shooters look, but I attributed it to jealousy rather than
#bothersome. Shoot the magnum loads and enjoy your range time.
I take it as admiration. I always see lots of thumb-ups when I shoot
my .44 Maganum Desert Eagle. :-)
David
--
Beware of sig, its owner, and his Cooper school 499 certificate!
Peter J. Kerrigan
With heavy caliber shooters nearby, it's not the sound from my EARS that
bothers me, but shock to my sinuses that's the killer...
--
Peter J. Kerrigan
p...@mcs.com
Tom Dietrich
wd6...@netcom.com (Eric Williams) writes:
#In a previous post, Your Bud Wes (powergrid!kel...@uunet.uu.net) wrote:
#: I mean those who
#: feel like they own the range and have more rights than their shooting
#: collegues. These people don't care about those around them. They just
#: break out the old redhawk and fire away with reckless abandon. This sort
#: of activity is just irresponsible.
#When this happens, I sometimes like to break out the 14" T/C Contender
#in .30-30 and warm it up a bit just when they're trying to tighten
#their groups. Turnabout is fair play.
Have you guys listened to yourselves? I've been watching this thread,
and at first, it actually made me think "am I really being offensive
and inconsiderate?" I thought about it and found that in my mind, I
was not. Then I asked a couple of friends that I've shot with if using
the Redhawk (factory loads) bothered them. The answer was no. As a
matter of fact, my buddie's Colt .45 sounds very close to my .44 _when
wearing good ear protection_.
Sound at the range is best described as havoc. Everything from .22s to
T/Cs like the one mentioned above. Then they throw in the "exploding"
targets that the range sells. There's _lots_ of noise, and it's all at
different levels and pitches. A big part of shooting is focus, if you
can't focus, you won't be consistant. It's rare to have nothing "out
of the norm" when you're shooting. At a match, is about the only
placeI can think of. In the field, there's no control, you have to pay
attention to everything around you. In a self defense situation,
there's even more, someone is trying to kill. My point is that you
need to be able to shoot with these kinds of distractions going on
around you.
Large bore pistol shooters _do_ have as much right to shoot as
everyone else. If it really bothers you, you could mention it to the
shooter. Or as suggested before, move away. Wear good ear protection
while at the range. If a .44 mag bothers you at the range, with your
ear protection, just wait until you shoot that .38 or 9mm without your
ear protection in your house!
If pulling out the 30-30 chambered T/C is your way of dealing with a
situation that bothers you, you most likely aren't going to be very
effective. It won't affect me. (maybe the first round, but not after
that)
txd
Patrick Casey
# drill here? Do I just ignore the people in nearby lanes, and expect them to
# ignore me, or am I limited to shooting .44 magnums when the range is empty?
Offer the others a chance to shoot yours :-)
Patrick
Sanford E. Walke IV
: Well, I've been at an indoor range with a guy on the other end
: shooting a .44. Eee gad. I had a headache in about 10 rounds. I also
: was getting hit with shards of lead from his bullets. I have to say
: that who am I to tell him not to shoot? He can shoot all he wants and
: I'll have to either not shoot or live with it. My plan is to go ahead
: and buy that Desert Eagle .50 cal. and compete with him :)
If you were getting a headache from his shooting, maybe you need to upgrade
your hearing protection? The indoor range I shoot on is quite small (35
yards, 5 lanes) and I have no trouble sharing it with .223s, .308s, .44s,
.50s, whatever.
-----
Sandy
se...@izzy.net
"Cuius testiculos habes, habes cordia et cerebellum."
I don't speak for anyone but me, and sometimes not even that.
David A. Honig
#different levels and pitches. A big part of shooting is focus, if you
#can't focus, you won't be consistant. It's rare to have nothing "out
I was wondering if anyone would bring this up. Personally I consider the
distracting noise to be an opportunity to test my "focus" or at least
ability to not be bugged by field-realistic noise.
My favorite load was a black powder .44 ball that set off a car alarm,
outside, repeatedly.
--
David A. Honig
Janet Reno is a destructive device.
Eric Williams
: wd6...@netcom.com (Eric Williams) writes:
: #When this happens, I sometimes like to break out the 14" T/C Contender
: #in .30-30 and warm it up a bit just when they're trying to tighten
: #their groups. Turnabout is fair play.
: If pulling out the 30-30 chambered T/C is your way of dealing with a
: situation that bothers you, you most likely aren't going to be very
: effective. It won't affect me. (maybe the first round, but not after
: that)
Well, then let's just say that the .30-30 became more appropriate for
the environment. The muzzle blast from the heavy artillery creates a
noticable wobble in the sights on my light .22.
I had the above situation occur just last weekend: three guys showed up
and were blasting away with happy abandon on various large bore
revolvers and a Desert Eagle on the bench next to me while I had the
.22 out. I switched barrels to the .30-30 and fairly quickly fired off
9 rounds, complete with impressive fireball. This got their attention
and they slowed down long enough to ask a couple of questions about it,
but what really impressed them was that, at 25 yards, I could cover all
9 holes with a quarter. (7 of them I could cover with a dime. I
*love* that barrel!) I don't know if there's any connection, but they
packed up and left at the end of that firing period. (I suspect they
had a minimum amount of shooting time available to them, leading to a
large volume of noisy firing in a short period of time.)
John Garrett
" In article <D4oBy...@serval.net.wsu.edu>, bbo...@beta.tricity.wsu.edu (Brett D. Board) says:
" #" #: I recently bought a 4" Smith model 629 .44 magnum (Mountain Gun variation).
" #: I do all my shooting at a nearby indoor range. Last week, while trying
" #: different .44 magnum and .44 special loads, it was clear that the heavier
" #: .44 magnum loads bothered some other shooters, although no one said anything
" #: specific or suggested that I stop.
" #
" #I've had other shooters look, but I attributed it to jealousy rather than
" #bothersome. Shoot the magnum loads and enjoy your range time.
" #
" #Brett
"
"
" Well, I've been at an indoor range with a guy on the other end
" shooting a .44. Eee gad. I had a headache in about 10 rounds. I also
" was getting hit with shards of lead from his bullets. I have to say
If you stay _behind_ the firing line you shouldn't get shot so often.
Sometimes it just eggs people on when you're downrange, ducking targets
|-O
A. Lloyd
This range has four pistol ranges about 25 yds. wide separated by berms,
with no range officers and no target retrievers, so common practice is to
ask others shooting in your area to clear the line when you want to go
downrange. A group a kids (teens or maybe college age) were shooting
.22's in the same range, so I asked them if I could go downrange. They
said "sure", and I waited for them to put their weapons on the bench, me
being something of a stickler for gun safety. When they didn't, I
informed them that it was common range etiquette to not handle your weapon
when people are down range, and waited some more (this is not the first
time that I have had to do this). One of them tried to assure me that his
pistol was not loaded. Once again, I informed him that "I don't care if
it's loaded or not, I don't want it pointed at my back!" He laid his
weapon down on the bench, and I proceeded to go down range to set up
targets, while they whispered who knows what to each other. Most of them
did not have ear protection (or eye protection) and when I began firing my
new .44 magnum, they all moved to another range. I had no regrets, and
felt much safer with them somewhere else. In my opinion, it is their
responsibility to follow gun safety guidelines, including wearing ear and
eye protection, especially when around other shooters at a public range.
If they choose not to, they can go somewhere else, or go deaf.
- Alan
//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
\\ A. Lloyd al...@corona.med.utah.edu //
// \\
\\ "Reckless hell, I hit just where I was aimin'! //
// - Bubba (Shenandoah) \\
\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
Dillon Pyron
In article <E69MlmPA...@World.std.com>, jgar...@world.std.com (John Garrett) writes:
#In article <3j070q$2...@xring.cs.umd.edu>, Brian Brooking wrote:
#" In article <D4oBy...@serval.net.wsu.edu>, bbo...@beta.tricity.wsu.edu (Brett D. Board) says:
#" #
#" #Carroll Bloyd (cbl...@psyche.win.net) wrote:
#" #
#" #: I recently bought a 4" Smith model 629 .44 magnum (Mountain Gun variation).
#" #: different .44 magnum and .44 special loads, it was clear that the heavier
#" #: .44 magnum loads bothered some other shooters, although no one said anything
#" #: specific or suggested that I stop.
#" #
#" #I've had other shooters look, but I attributed it to jealousy rather than
#" #
#" #Brett
#"
#"
#" Well, I've been at an indoor range with a guy on the other end
#" shooting a .44. Eee gad. I had a headache in about 10 rounds. I also
#" was getting hit with shards of lead from his bullets. I have to say
#
#If you stay _behind_ the firing line you shouldn't get shot so often.
#Sometimes it just eggs people on when you're downrange, ducking targets
#|-O
Sounds like the guy who said he was a "down range performance evaluator for TOW
missles". ie, tank commander :-)
Seriously, if the pistol is spitting lead, you are too close. If you're getting
splatter from the downrange end, complain to the management. The trap may just
be too close for high performance rounds. But I'd also worry about the high-V
loads in .40S&W.
dillon
dillon...@amd.com
PADI AI-54909 USPSA A-26031
"You don't expect me to talk"
"No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die"
"Oh"
P3303
lovers pay twice as much for ammo, and sometimes 3-4 times for the gun,
and have to shoot twice as often just to get effecient with the gun. If
I'm gonna pay to drive out to the range, and spend my time to get there,
and pay by the hour, then I'm gonna shoot my 44s when I feel the need.
I'm not gonna tap your shoulder and ask for your permission. If your
stupid to buy the $.50 foam inserts (you get what you paid for) then tough
shit pal. If you think that you have more rights and I need to seek
permission from everyone on the range to shoot my hand cannon get off it.
Were all pro-gun, don't act like the assholes in DC and cry that I must be
prejudice and discriminate towards my neighbor because I'm shooting a 44
and he or she is shoot a .22. Hell I sometime get to an outdoor range
and get to sit next to some guy shooting a .300 win mag. But I have just
as much fun and I'm not gonna ask him to stop because my .44 isn't as loud
or it's almost knocking with wind out of me.. get off it.