Range Day Some Good Some Bad

[pharmer]

So I've had the last 3 days off work because of shingles. Supposed to be a bad thing. Except for a quarter sized rash under my right boob and a "phantom" pain like I've been shot in that spot, not a bad thing. I had planned to take today off for a shooting anyway to shoot with friends anyway, a good thing. Pack out 2 AR's (for function testing only) trusty 12 ga Turk pump and a bunch of revolvers from .22 to .44 mag, pistols 9mm and .45. 10 o'clock and it's hot already, a bad thing. Drive 30 miles away from civilization, abandon my "lightweight" truck, transfer to 4WD's. Sign says "remove your trash" at the gate, a good thing. Get to the range, typical blasted trash dump on the other side of 10 miles of 3 ft deep sugar sand, a bad thing. Break out weapons and "different levels" of gun handling/ muzzle discipline makes things "interesting." M
"Me built" AR's burn through 3 mags each, not a bobble, a very good thing. Unable to sight in due to poor planning, a bad thing. Blasting already present trash with said AR's, 12 ga w/ #4 buck and .44 mag, a good thing. Buddy breaks out AR 10 and half way through 2nd mag KABOOM, case failure blows rounds and guts out bottom of said magazine in a huge cloud of smoke, an extraordinarily bad thing. Guy doesn't bat an eye, loads up fresh mag (after careful inspection) and rips through 2 more 20 rounders without a hitch, a very good thing. Friend of a friend cracks a beer on the firing line, a very bad thing. Heat overcomes group quickly soon and suggestion to pack it in (even though half my guns and ammo are unshot) a good thing.
A couple points:
6 guys, nobody has a drop of oil/Breakfree/Crisco. That Mac 10 ain't running today even though I thoughtfully brought insect repellent, SPF 30, first aid supplies, drinks and energy bars.
Next point; if you get that "far out" bring drinks and energy bars if your ride breaks. It's only 30 miles to civilization but out there you might as well be on the moon. Ain't nobody coming to help, even if the phone works.
Last, I remember when shooting was walking distance from the house. Osceola county was ranches and groves 36 years ago when I got here. I invested a whole day for 1:45 of shooting. I hate all you guys who shoot off the back porch. Joe

[Bugkiller99]

Pharmer, I'm impressed you can find anywhere around you that is 30 miles from civilization.
Back to your day. A bad day at the range is better than a good day at work. However, a REAL bad day at the range..... well, you know.

[model70hunter]

I'm sorry you angst me. I now go to the farm and shoot from where my back porch will be on the new house, covered, ceiling fan, cold ones just inside the door. looking for a close spot to put in a deer plot.

Hope you have a better trip next time. It sounds like my 20 years of living in STL. Public ranges are the pits.

[Sevens]

Interesting tale, good thing.

No paragraphs or even simple line breaks, bad thing.

Still fun to hear about range days.

[pharmer]

Originally Posted by Sevens

Interesting tale, good thing. No paragraphs or even simple line breaks, bad thing.

And you sir are not the first to heap the scorch upon my "text wall" style of reportage. Joe

[alwslate]

Please don't hate me because I really do feel for you, but every time
I see one of these horror stories it reminds me to appreciate my own
shooting range, my back yard.

[rwsmith]

When I travel to the outdoor range I plan to make a day out of it for a few hours of shooting. The good part is that I lug out to the range tons of ammo and when I come back, even though I have no guns that are ravenous for ammo, everything is about 20 pounds lighter.

Up until now I have had problems at the range, but never a bad day at the range.

[Sevens]

Originally Posted by pharmer

And you sir are not the first to heap the scorch upon my "text wall" style of reportage. Joe

Well, we could argue the definitions of both "heap" and "scorch" but surely it must occur to you that we all enjoy this medium for the sharing of ideas and much like attempting to have a conversation with someone who yells or spits or slaps you on the back after every third sentence, it takes away from the conversation. You make allowances for someone with an affliction but if it seems they simply don't care about their presentation style, maybe you just avoid the conversation.

In this case, we're literally talking about tapping the "enter" key a couple times to break up a large dump of characters on the screen. If it seems silly to point it out or even sillier for you to do it, that's all well & good, but it's lazy and in the end, it doesn't promote the basic good will of the forum.

Not a single bit of what I've posted here was written with the intention of offending, so please accept that. It's simply the way I see it. It's really the folks posting that make or break a forum, and every post that gets submitted is a small part of the larger picture. It's kind of like an online version of holding the door open for someone or letting it slam in their face directly behind you for whatever reason you've chosen.

[Targets Guy]

I am still happy I found a heated and/or air conditioned indoor range less that 40 miles away. Can't get rid of the grin.

[pharmer]

Originally Posted by Sevens

Not a single bit of what I've posted here was written with the intention of offending, so please accept that.

No offense taken. I'm an Italian from New Jersey, short a bullet in the forehead I don't get offended. I been around here a long time, before Lee took over caustic insults peppered with expletives were routine and Nomex skivvies were required to opine. Joe

[Sevens]

Hahaha, that was awesome!