Have You Ever Left A Gun At The Range?

[RonJ]

A couple of days ago I took several rifles out to the range to check zero and do a little playing. When I got home I discovered my Browning A-Bolt was missing. I high-tailed it back to the range at slightly illegal speeds; a 30 minute drive. When I pulled up behind the firing line an elderly gentleman picked up my cased rifle and started walking toward my car with a big smile on his face. "I decided to wait on ya. I knew you'd be back". Whew! A nice old guy. I made a new friend. Are there, as a rule, any people greater than gun people? I don't think so.
Guess I'm gonna have to start taking a check list with me.

 

[RonJ]

A couple of days ago I took several rifles out to the range to check zero and do a little playing. When I got home I discovered my Browning A-Bolt was missing. I high-tailed it back to the range at slightly illegal speeds; a 30 minute drive. When I pulled up behind the firing line an elderly gentleman picked up my cased rifle and started walking toward my car with a big smile on his face. "I decided to wait on ya. I knew you'd be back". Whew! A nice old guy. I made a new friend. Are there, as a rule, any people greater than gun people? I don't think so.
Guess I'm gonna have to start taking a check list with me.

 

[gunsmith11]

No but a texas department of public safety officer left his in a bag in a shopping cart today..kid at store turned it in too the manager, his badge was also in the bag

 

[84CJ]

I have stopped a couple times to make sure. Had that sudden feeling that I forgot some thing or didn't remember putting a particular gun in the truck. Gives you sweats and buterflies in the stomach.

 

[2Loud4You]

That's why they call it an "idiot check". As a musician you learn to do an idiot check.

 

[sparkgap]

In the last 30 years 2 guns were left at the 67 Gun Club. The first was turned into me by the Sheriff's son, who found it and it was returned to the owner.It was a mark II Ruger .22 pistol.

The second was a Savage bolt rifle, left hand, that again was kept by the finder, until identified by the owner.

We have a box full of stuff left at the range and reported in the newsletter, but never claimed.

Bob

 

[JD 500]

Received my local rifle club's newsletter today.
In it was a thank you from a member who had left his Henry .22 levergun at the range. Another member found it, took it to the clubhouse and turned it in.

Glad your situation worked out well.

 

[G-Mac]

Originally posted by 2Loud4You:
That's why they call it an "idiot check". As a musician you learn to do an idiot check.

You just reminded me of something....

I did lights and sound for a buddies band back in the 80's...they had a great lead guitarist, extremely intelligent, nice guy...but a total airhead.

We drove three hours to a bar where they had a gig that night...Mike realized, when we got there, that he forgot his guitar...a Les Paul. No way we could go back for it...he had to borrow one from a local.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

My range SOP is that when I finish a shooting
session the FIRST thing I do is clear, then case my guns. When I leave my lane/shooting position the FIRST thing I pickup are my guns.

 

[Mustang51]

A few weeks ago, a guy was shooting next to me at the club. When he finished, he left his wallet on the bench, and rode off on his motorcycle. About 20 minutes later, he pulled into the lot. You've never seen a happier guy than when we handed it to him. He told us that his wife lost her wallet a few weeks before, and that they had just gotten all of their credit cards reissued. He knew he'd never hear the end of it if he pulled the same stunt.

 

[feralmerril]

About 30 years ago I was going to set up at a large gunshow in california. My captain/friend wanted me to take a M 1 carbine to sell. It was boxed with all asessries etc. Of course he wanted double what I would have asked. After the show I thought I put everything in my truck. That was saturday, I wasnt planing on going sunday. I happened to have a sometimes girl friend that lived in the area. This was roughly a 100 miles from where I lived. I went and seen her then got home about dawn. Unloaded the truck and didnt have franks M1!
Called the promoter, he couldnt find it. I decided to drive back and look myself. My plan was to give frank the full pop and say I sold it if I couldnt find it. Got there and found the box under the table I had! How many thousand people walked past it, I can only guess!

 

[m657]

....Do you know the sound of one hand smacking the forehead?....


....yes.....

I once had to call my RO back and tell him the GOOD news after a frantic afternoon of look here/look there/repeat x 6....I finally found it at home....

He said, with the authenticity of one with a certain experience...."Yeah, it's like an extra little Christmas present isn't it?"....

 

[Frizzman]

I have never done that but I have reached the stage in life where I spend more time looking for misplaced stuff and having to go back into the house to get stuff I forgot. I am very concerned about forgetting things so when at the range I always put guns back in their cases and return them to the truck when done with them.

 

[SWID]

I like to get about 40 or so miles from my house and then try to remember if I made sure the safe was locked. I have gone off and left it wide open.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

No

 

[parallel]

Originally posted by 84CJ:
I have stopped a couple times to make sure. Had that sudden feeling that I forgot some thing or didn't remember putting a particular gun in the truck. Gives you sweats and buterflies in the stomach.

That happened just this afternoon. I went to the range with a friend and while we were dragging everything out of my safe I was doing a bit of a show and tell as I had bought some stuff that he hadn't seen yet. We drove all the way to the range (about 10 miles) and he realized that he had forgotten his ammo in his hummer. As I hadn't brought along enough ammo to share we had no choice but to return to get the ammo and the sunglasses that he had left on top of my safe. So we get back to the range and were about to begin shooting when we discover that I had forgotten to load up my Colt 6920. He was bummed because he really wanted to shoot that particular gun. No problem I tell him. I'll just call my wife and ask her to grab it when she gets home from work and bring it to the range. He thought I was bullshitting, until Mrs. Parallel came rolling into the range parking lot.

Anyway... after all of that chaos and then four hours of shooting, we were on our way back to my place and his wife (she is a young, hot subdivision princes pain in the butt) is calling him whining about how long he has been gone. About halfway home I get the aforementioned sweats and butterflies in the stomach. He is like, Dude, she is going to kill me if we have to turn around and go back! Turns out he was messing with me for leaving it at home. He had packed it up early and hid it in my SUV just to mess with me. The bastage!

 

[mtb1bkr]

I always shoot from my window, usually the drivers side, that way when I lay the gun down it's still in my car.

Bill

 

[animalmother]

Not yet. I almost always shoot with one of two good friends. We have a routine of checking and re-checking to make sure we leave with what we came with.

 

[mstuhr]

Howdy,
No, but I have gone to the range and left my gun at home after packing a range bag with everything but a gun.
It just keeps getting better as I get older too!
Thanks
Mike

 

[sonny]

I count the handguns that I am taking to the range. Three...okay.
I shoot. I'm done. I pack 'em into my bag. Three...okay.
I walk outside, open the trunk, put my bag in it, open the bag and count 1..2..3. Okay.
I go home happy.
I really only lose my guns at home. Then I tell my wife that someone stole it. I truly cannot find it. I looked everywhere three times. She looks and find it immediately and gives me that look!