Shooting M&P Sport, did I make a mistake at the range

gpagpa

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I brought my M&P Sport out to shoot some Wolf ammo to make sure that it would cycle and it did without a problem, good now I can order another 1000 rounds. The range I shot at is a smaller range around 50 or 75 yards. I did not necessarily think twice about it after reading a sign that said "no high powered rifles shot on this range (which indicated certain .30 cal rifles, including AK-47 etc, but did not include .223 or AR15 style rifles) Is my mp sport considered a "high powered" rifle and did I make a mistake shooting at this particular range?
 
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I would say that they would consider your Sport a high powered rifle. The range is probably ok with rimfires but if no one said anything then you may be OK
 
I would ask a range officer. At my club you can shoot up to .50 cal but currently there is a big stink about bump firing.
 
Which BTW I agree with. I see bump firing as a dangerous practice at a range setting. Just my 2 cents...
 
My indoor range is OK with .223 as long as you don't use the green tipped "penetrator" ammo like the military uses. They say that is messes up their backstops. Maybe it's the same at your range.
 
Give them a call and ask. There's one by me that only allows frangible ammo, another is ok up to .50. Each range is different.
 
I forgot to include that this is an outside range. I looked in the by laws of the club and it did not address the ranges, only if you had an automatic weapon you needed to let them know. There is another range designated for rifles etc so I could just go over to that one if I'm in error.
 
I would say if there is a RO on the line and no one said anything you are probably OK but I would just give them a call and ask them.
 
I know at the range I used to work at, people would sneak in with .223 cal and shoot holes thru the plates on the pistol range. I would sure call it hi power.
Pete
 
Every range officer has his own version of what they consider "Go- No Go " I would ask the person who is overall in charge to clarify for you, that way if a RO does say no-go, you can tell him you thought so and so said it was ok.
 
At my club, there is no range officer on duty, but what got me thinking was when an older man asked me what caliber it was, I told him .223 and I noticed that he was looking at the sign regarding "high powered rifles" I called the president of the club and left a vm inquiring about what calibers were allowed at the smaller range, just to beat the old man to the punch since I assume he would report my shooting. I'm not looking to cause trouble but if the club goes to the trouble of putting up a sign an excluding .30 cal and AK-47's etc, why not just add AR-15's to the list?
 
You may have broken a rule, or you may have just run into an "older" gentleman who thinks the AR is a weapon for war and no good for anything else.

My father in law belongs to that group, but for good reason. He served in Vietnam, and I don't know what he has seen or has done, but he won't talk about it.

Sometimes ranges have funny rules and they don't always make sense. For example, my range currently does not allow .30 cal or larger. This is due to court order. Some folks built houses about a mile down range from the firing line and they claim rounds from the range are hitting their houses. I say impossible, due to the topography, and the shot needing to clear the berm, and clear the landfill that sits behind the range between it and the houses.

But anyway, with this rule, we can not shoot our old .38-55 Win. lever gun, but a 7mm Mag is ok and within the rules...:rolleyes:
 
With the popularity and abundance of the AR platform, I can not imagine it was an "oversight" that they forgot to list it as an "unwelcome high powered" rifle. Just my thought on that...
However, as had been said repeatedly, check with the powers that be at your range.
Happy shooting and stay safe.
 
I was watching Alaska State Troopers on TV the other night and they were pursuing a suspect. The announcer stated that, "Everyone in Alaska has guns. Many of them have high-powered rifles, such as the AR-15 like the troopers carry. This gun can drop a bear in its tracks."

Based on that statement, I would say it is a high-powered rifle!
 
I was watching Alaska State Troopers on TV the other night and they were pursuing a suspect. The announcer stated that, "Everyone in Alaska has guns. Many of them have high-powered rifles, such as the AR-15 like the troopers carry. This gun can drop a bear in its tracks."

Based on that statement, I would say it is a high-powered rifle!

Not sure if serious or joking....

If serious, you realize that a .22lr can drop a bear in its tracks, but only with the perfect shot placement. The show wouldn't be nearly as exciting if the announcer said "This gun can drop a poodle in its tracks".

The range could consider it a high power rifle, even though it truly is not classified as such. 7.62x39mm is also a intermediate round, but many will count it as high power since it is .30 caliber. Like I posted above, range rules don't always follow logic and make sense. Many times they are made by lawyers.
 
Not sure if serious or joking....

If serious, you realize that a .22lr can drop a bear in its tracks, but only with the perfect shot placement. The show wouldn't be nearly as exciting if the announcer said "This gun can drop a poodle in its tracks".

The range could consider it a high power rifle, even though it truly is not classified as such. 7.62x39mm is also a intermediate round, but many will count it as high power since it is .30 caliber. Like I posted above, range rules don't always follow logic and make sense. Many times they are made by lawyers.

I enjoy Alaska State Troopers but of course the troopers don't write the scripts; the producers' writers do that. I think in that episode the writers were trying to make the point that many people in Alaska are armed, and many carry rifles, many of which are hunting rifles for game that, at the top end, can realistically include bears; thus, "high powered" weapons are needed.

I have an AR15 in .223 and would never dream of using it to hunt bears, or deer either, for that matter. Yes, I could kill a bear with it -- not by perfect shot placement, but by the bear dying laughing at me.:D

I don't hunt any more, but personally the only rifle I ever used was a .22 for squirrels and such. If I hunted deer, it would have been with a shotgun. Just personal preference.

I use my AR to shoot "office supplies," like Tom Walker on "Homeland.":cool:

Just my take on the whole "high powered" question, and admittedly mostly off-topic.:)
 
I have an AR15 in .223 and would never dream of using it to hunt bears, or deer either, for that matter. Yes, I could kill a bear with it -- not by perfect shot placement, but by the bear dying laughing at me.:D

I know the .223 may not the "best" round for hunting compared to a dedicated hunting rifle, but other than perhaps preferring a larger round is there another reason why you wouldn't shoot a deer or even a black bear with it?

I wouldn't not use it to take down either a deer or even a black bear (not a brown bear though), but perhaps I'm out of the loop on why I shouldn't. Around here deer are so plentiful that you wouldn't need to shoot one at long range if you found a good spot.

Black bear too for that matter.
 
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