Idiots at the range

[vector16]

I went to the range today to exercise my 1911, it has not been out for a while so I thought I would just go for a half hour or so. I walked out to the firing line, on my way to my lane I witnessed a guy about to shoot his Desert Eagle .44. He grip was as follows, his grip was standard as far as the index finger thru his little finger were around the grip and he had his thumb perched over the back of the slide as if he was going to cock a hammer. Before I could say anything he pulled the trigger. I saw this guys thumb fold back so far his finger nail was pressed up against his arm right above the wrist. I have never heard someone scream as loud as to drown out all the other gun fire and to silence the range. He was in pain. The range master came out thinking someone had been shot. Well The range got closed for the rest of the day and I did not get to play with my old gun. Has anyone ever seen someone do this or even heard of something like this? I would think if you have a gun of that sort you would be experienced in how to operate it. This was almost as good as when I saw a Glock go boom and take the guys hand with it.

 

[straightshooter1]

I taught CWP classes for about 20 years. I finally quit doing them since I hadn't been shot nor had anyone else.

I'd always tell the students about that thumb, but some had to learn the hard way.

As much as we sometimes chide LEOs for their lack of interest in shooting and/or their familiarity with firearms, I never saw a LEO do anything similar.

Bob

 

[TAROMAN]

Bet he doesn't do it again!

 

[straightshooter1]

I expect you are correct, krehmkej, kind of like the infamous M1 Thumb-it's not something that's not often repeated.

Bob

 

[Bruce51]

So he suffered a serious slide thumb injury.
Hopefully he learned a painful lesson on proper gun handling.
I don't understand why this would shut down an entire range.

Now on the other hand someone shot a power box on the 100 yard line at the P2K range a while back.
Now everyone has to prove that their gun is on target on the twenty five yard range and keep the proof target.
Then they can shoot on the 100 yard range.

I also note that sometimes benches are perforated and bullets richochet off the ceiling and metal posts.

I constantly watch the other shooters just in case.

Bruce

 

[beach elvis]

Handgun version of putting one's eye up against the scope in preparation for his first shot with a .300 Win Mag.

Kaibob Eye, meet Kaibob Thumb.

BarbC., ya put it best, darlin'. Stupid SHOULD hurt.

 

[Alk8944]

Sounds like he wasn't the only idiot! So some dipwad breaks his thumb doing something anyone with a nickles worth of brains wouldn't have done, so what! Pack him off to the hospital and get on with things. What conceivable reason/excuse did they give for closing the range???????????

Sure bet that smarted! Yeah, pun intended!!!!

 

[sjmjax]

Generally my local gun club does a good job with range safety. Seldom see anything really egregious.

But a few weeks ago one "day shooter" [non-club member] did something I hadn't seen before.

Started walking down range to put up his target during a "hot" range and while live fire going on all around him.

 

[medalguy]

Bet HE doesn't do that again either!

 

[true_shooter]

Generally my local gun club does a good job with range safety. Seldom see anything really egregious.

But a few weeks ago one "day shooter" [non-club member] did something I hadn't seen before.

Started walking down range to put up his target during a "hot" range and while live fire going on all around him.

shouldn't have stopped him, gotta thin out the herd, hopefully he doesn't breed

 

[LennyLames]

Just before I purchased my S&W 460 XVR, I rented one at a gun range to see if I would like the gun and be able to handle the recoil. The man at the counter warned me about keeping my left hand away from the cylinder area. He said that someone (probably a first time revolver user) had rented a 460 previously and had used his left hand to grasp around the cylinder area to try to steady his aim.

I could just imagine the damage caused by 65,000 PSI blast coming out of the barrel cylinder area. I didn't see any bloodstains on the gun, so the incident probably occurred with a different unit.

 

[chud333]

These examples are exactly why i shoot at my buddies range in the country. I know who is gonna be shooting with me and he's safe, we've shot and hunted together for over 25 years. Everyone is not this fortunate and must use what range is close/available to them. That must have been a sight to see with the dudes thumb.

 

[Beemerguy53]

...I also note that sometimes benches are perforated and bullets richochet off the ceiling and metal posts.

I constantly watch the other shooters just in case.

Bruce

This happened about 20 years ago, on a Saturday morning in the winter...

I am at my local range, with my nephew, on a winter morning. We are wearing our jackets at the firing line because the range just ain't that warm.

Three yahoos come in with a 1911 and a box of ammo, take the shooting position next to ours, and proceed to see how fast they can empty the magazine. Accuracy ain't exactly foremost on their minds. On about their second attempt at this, a 230 grain FMJ bullet richocets off something, comes right back at us, and strikes me on the left forearm. My heavy down jacket cushioned the blow, but it still left me with a nice little welt.

I took the bullet over to the rangemaster, who promptly threw the goofs out.

Idiots and gunpowder is a bad combination...

 

[quneur]

My first thought was: I would have walk over and asked if he was willing to sell the gun cheap.

Second thought was: Isn't this how Cajunlawyer gets his work?

 

[Hondo44]

"Life is hard, it's harder if you're stupid." John Wayne

 

[Moonman]

While teaching I've had to grab my share of hands/arms, we use mostly .22 Ruger Mark III's semi-autos.

 

[Hondo44]

Just before I purchased my S&W 460 XVR, I rented one at a gun range to see if I would like the gun and be able to handle the recoil. The man at the counter warned me about keeping my left hand away from the cylinder area. He said that someone (probably a first time revolver user) had rented a 460 previously and had used his left hand to grasp around the cylinder area to try to steady his aim.

I could just imagine the damage caused by 65,000 PSI blast coming out of the barrel cylinder area. I didn't see any bloodstains on the gun, so the incident probably occurred with a different unit.

I have the picture of what was left of the guys thumb along with his "confession" and the anticipated surgery if you would like it.

 

[Dadsnugun]

Makes me glad I've got a public range a few miles one direction...or a piece of bare ground with great backstop hills the other direction, for those "antisocial" days or the times the idiots over-run the range.

Benches, shelter from the sun, and known ranges are cool, but sometimes, nothing beats plunking down a box of cartridges on the hood of the ol' pickup and plinking away at found targets against a hillside 15 yards away. Sure helps the ol' relaxation.

 

[steamloco76]

We have a 50 foot indoor range at my favorite Gun Club. The areas to hang targets are 3 1/2 ft wide by 4 ft tall wood framed holes with mine belt for target backing.

Normally you see a few holes punched in the wood framework near the belts. Lately, some seriously stupid person has been shooting a .45. There are holes at floor level, holes at ceiling level, holes in the suspended ceiling, holes in the 2 foot borders on both sides of the target holes and chips in the floor where the idiot has shot low! They also didn't dry mop the floor and clean -up the target area, just picked up their brass leaving the mess for the next guy-me.

I have to go to our next club meeting and hope the surveillance
cameras got this guy in action so we can get ride of him/her.

 

[Nacho Man]

yeah i love it when some guys in the next lane too me are talking about the win lever 44 and sweeping me with the muzzle at the same time. in addition to the time when i was shooting/testing a new pistol and some jerk in the next lane over keeps consistently hitting the metal hanger instead of the target, im like how can you miss at this distance. ting ting ting ting, im like woah. good thing i was about out of ammo & range time was about to finish. i got the hell outta there.

 

[beach elvis]

Last year, I joined a beautiful club range near my house. EXTREMELY well-manicured, with lanes out to 200 yds. It's seld policing but the benches are usually clean (I bring a pushbroom with me, just in case.) It's a beautiful range and inexpensive. I'm very grateful. Obviously, the people in charge are not messin' around. Love it.

HOWEVER, the only sanitary facilities are a porta-john. Not an issue at all except for the first time I ever visited it, I noticed about a 4-inch group of 7 .44-or-so caliber bullet holes in the door.

What's up with people???????????????????????

 

[John Ross]

Just before I purchased my S&W 460 XVR, I rented one at a gun range to see if I would like the gun and be able to handle the recoil. The man at the counter warned me about keeping my left hand away from the cylinder area. He said that someone (probably a first time revolver user) had rented a 460 previously and had used his left hand to grasp around the cylinder area to try to steady his aim.

That is exactly what happened to the fellow in the below picture. Scoped, heavy barrel .460 that got heavy after two cylinders so he supported it under the trigger guard with his left palm, left thumb tip right by the b/c gap.

 

[GatorFarmer]

Most shooting ranges that I've been to have bullet holes in the ceiling, floors, the tables, partitions...

Ever since the time I was down range setting up a target and my friends started shooting again - I crouched down behind the dirt mound and had a smoke listening to the rounds impact... well ever since then I generally don't go shooting without wearing body armor. At one range I used to go to, circa the turn of the century, I even took to wearing a helmet when I'd shoot. It kept the barrages of hot steel cased AK casings from nearby lanes at bay.

 

[Jc85]

oh wow.. Yuck!

 

[venomballistics]

in my CCW class the instructor told us of a little old lady who did this with a 9MM.
she was quite bull headed about getting a thumb behind the slide and about the time the instructor figured he had her trained not to she fired a few shots properly then reverted.
another one in the class was a doctor .. the gun laid her open the doc stitched her up in the parking lot and she came back in to qualify. No ... she didnt do it again.

since teaching my wife to shoot, I understand the roots of this problem ... where we fire and recover from muzzle flip, this part of the recoil cycle drives em nuts and they try to find ways of holding the muzzle down, usually with the thumb.
Its a rather comfortable place to park the thumb too .. that is until the slide comes back, and it would probably offer some extra control too .. if the slide movement was optional.
in fact there is a grip for the 1911 called the gas peddle which capitalizes on this by offering a thumb rest pad alongside the slide

 

[novalty]

You mess with the Eagle you get the claws.

 

[CelticSire]

That's what my old Platoon Sergeant would call a self-correcting problem.

 

[arjay]

I've always gone to the mountains or way out on the prairie with a friend,a son or alone.The few times I've been to a range it seems there is at least one knothead who shouldn't be near a gun.I've even been swept by the owner of a local gun store.That kind of stuff just makes my blood boil.

 

[H Richard]

I have had a couple opportunities to stop people from doing it, and one of the reasons I seldom teach a class any more. The last one was a very unexpected one, a guy I have shot trap, skeet & sporting clays with for several years. He decides to try some pistol shooting and comes to our little indoor .22RF range to try some bullseye. Has his nice new S&W Mod 41, and put his thumb just up the back side of the frame. I very quietly reached up and pushed his thumb off the back and told him to think about how the gun operates. He frowned, then said "Oh Sh##", that would really hurt. That was a couple years ago, and he hasn't done it since.

 

[Dr.-d]

That's what I call "The Classic". Most likely it was someone who goes out and buys the biggest gun they could find. Probably based on what they saw in the movies. Doesn't get any training or instruction because what their buddies or Hollywood says is gospel and there you go, that's what happens.