PA Public Range Stories...

[RocketFoot]

A few years ago, me and a shooting buddy decided to get up early Sunday morning and go to the Blairsville Game Lands Public Range. So we met up and arrived before the crack of dawn. This was the first trip ever to a public range for both of us so we used a mag light to look for the range rules. The rules board was vandalized and the rule sheet and range hours were gone, so we were unsure of what time to start shooting. So we proceeded to set up some targets and prepare our shooting bench. We had all our guns laid out and ready to go...S&W .44 mag, Colt .44 mag, Ruger P89, BHP, Remy 870, Mossy 590 and a (legally owned) Sten MkII 9mm SMG.

At the first light we opened up with a barrage of .44 magnum rounds! In between each reload we kept hearing someone yelling in the distance. At first, we didn't think anything of it. A few more times and we could start making out the voices..."A$$holes!!" We were puzzled. Keep in mind, this is taking place at approximately 6am on a Sunday Morning. Just about then a Dodge pickup pulled in and a Game Warden stepped out and walked over to us. As he noticed the impressive array of small arms on the bench, he asked if we were law enforcement. We replied with hesitant no, and he preceded to tell us that the range opens at noon on Sundays and that there are a few new houses below the left side of the range and the homeowners were freaking out! "Kinda like building a house next to an airport and then complaining about the noise." he explained.

We talked for a few more minutes but we were expecting the worse. The range rule sheet was missing, but I know we were breaking at least 5 outta 10 common public range rules...we had pistols, shotguns and SMG's at a rifle range not to mention more than 3 rounds in a mag at any given time plus firing before the range was open! We were going downtown!! To our surprise, he told us to go get some breakfast and come back. He didn't want to discourage safe shooting and apologized for the inconvenience. We thanked him, gathered our arsenal and moved quietly along. We never did return to that range, but it was a day I'll never forget. We ended up joining a private club for our shooting needs.

Lets hear some of your stories about public ranges, the wardens and some of the crazy people you met along the way! I know everybody has at least one public range story!

[ChamberedRound]

Moved this here because although it's about free ranges, we're essentially talking about reviews of the different public ranges and whether or not to go there.

[PA Rifleman]

Posted my story here:

http://www.pafoa.org/forum/general-2...html#post17003

Originally Posted by PA Rifleman

Dislike-heavy handed Game Wardens hassling shooters at the state ranges.

I stopped going a few years ago when it started getting outrageous. Last time I went, an unsuspecting shooter had an SKS. He was very careful to follow all the posted rules (3 round mag limit/no rapid fire/etc), and two GCOs were looking him over. I knew it was a matter of time before they "found" something, real or imagined.

He had driven a cement mixer to the range, so they cited him for driving vehicle in excess of the weight limit on the range lot. Interesting, since I thought weight limits had to be posted before they could be enforced. Anyway, I was afraid my luck would run out, so I joined a private club and never returned.

I first noticed things going downhill at the state ranges around 1990-91. Anyone else have experiences with excessive, heavy-handed or unruly enforcement? Is there anything in the works to address this? Any web sites focused on this topic?

[PisnNapalm]

I've gone to a public range once on a weekend. It was my last as well. #43 Game Lands range

I was setup on the 4th bench from the right. It's for shooting at 100 yards. I had my rifle and gear setup. Waited for the clear and we all marched down to setup targets etc... No problems.

Everyone gets back and the range goes hot. A few minutes later someone arrives and takes the bench to my left.

The first 2 benches on the right are for 25 yards. Most people use then for pistol shooting. Plus there is an area you can stand and shoot from as well that is in a direct line with the 25 yard range.

The guy to my left pulls out a Glock and proceeds to start blasting away across 4 shooting lanes. Not only that but the sum bitch was shooting at the target uprights!

I immediately packed my gear and got the hell outta there.

[Steve in PA]

So, you knew you were breaking 5-10 of the rules & regs of the range, but what....didn't care?? I would define that as "crazy people".

And then people wonder why these ranges are in danger of being closed down.

The rules & regs for the ranges are also posted on the PGC web site.

[ursavus.elemensis]

This one time, I went to one of the ranges with some pals. It was one of those in a sort of rural area of the state, but not too far from the less rural areas. You know the one. We had all sorts of guns and what not what, a keg of Bud Light, a Bar-b-que grill and lots of hot dogs, and a portable stereo thing that kind of looked like a nuclear power plant, and sounded like one too, hehehehe. Well, we fired up the grill, tapped the keg, and put on some sounds. Got a real good groove going, then loaded up the guns and opened fire. Well, don't you know it, about five minutes into the hail of gunfire, along comes the local WCO. He no sooner gets out of the truck then we run out of ammo in our guns, and someone on the line calls for a "clear to go up and check targets after refilling beer cups." So, we all head over to the keg and fill our cups. Then we turn the hot dogs so they don't get all burnt on one side, and we head down range to check the targets. Don't you know it, but when we get back to the firing line, the WCO is over "inspecting the keg" and he yells to us that this keg is "just no good for this kind of activity..." We're thinking, "Oh, we've got a live one here," and we go on over to the keg to "talk this out as men". The WCO looks us straight in the eyes, and says, "You can't drink crap like this at this range. This is a firing range. You can't have Bud Lite kegs here. That stuff tastes like rat liquid waste." He points to the gun I'm holding and says, "that's a Sig. People who shoot Sigs don't drink Bud Light. They drink Michelob." And with that, he walks over to the back of his pickup and then he says, "are you guys going to stand there like a bunch of kids at the cafeteria at school waiting to be served by the adults, or are you going to come over here and help me get this half keg of Mich out of the back of my truck???" We moved the keg over to our ice tub, ditched the Bud Light keg downrange between the target uprights (to be shot at later), and then he joined us for a round of beers and shooting at the firing line. After that, he walks back over to the food area we had set up near the Bar-b-que and he looks that over real good. He finally looks up, and says, "you can't have bar-b-qued hot dogs at a shooting range without mustard. Got any Grey Poupon?" Well, we were thinking, "gee this is not France and no we do not have any Grey Poupon," but nobody dared to say that to his face. He just gives us all a disgusted look and he goes over to the cab of his pickup, opens the door and reaches in. He pulls out a small cooler and opens it up. Out comes a jar of Grey Poupon, (Country Dijon mustard), and he hands it to me and says, "don't get mustard on the guns. It would be a waste of good mustard." With that, he hops up into the cab of the pickup and fires up the engine. We had another drink and then ate some hot dogs. Man, that Grey Poupon is good stuff.

[RocketFoot]

Originally Posted by Steve in PA

So, you knew you were breaking 5-10 of the rules & regs of the range, but what....didn't care?? I would define that as "crazy people".

And then people wonder why these ranges are in danger of being closed down.

The rules & regs for the ranges are also posted on the PGC web site.

No sir...as stated, this was my first trip to a public range. The warden politely explained what we were doing wrong and now I know the rules.

[PA Rifleman]

Originally Posted by ursavus.elemensis

.... And with that, he walks over to the back of his pickup and then he says, "are you guys going to stand there like a bunch of kids at the cafeteria at school waiting to be served by the adults, or are you going to come over here and help me get this half keg of Mich out of the back of my truck???" ...

This should get a few responses.

Ref:
http://www.pafoa.org/forum/concealed...-drinking.html

[jtkratzer]

Some interesting stories here. First thing, I don't think any range, public or private club allows shooting before 8 or 9 am...Sundays are almost uniformly only open at 10 am or later.

I would think that shooting any day of the week at 6 am is just a common sense no no.

Also, I would think that the drinking and shooting combination is not a good idea. You won't find me drinking and shooting or shooting at ranges where there are people doing it.


My only experience with a public range was also the SGL 43 range...I went, wasn't pleased to find a 3 round rule, only 25 yards on the pistol range, nor the wanna be gang bangers that were crawling all over the place. I found the clowns firing their subcompacts at 100 yards hilarious. I also thought the ring leader, who couldn't even hit within 5 feet of the target at 100 yards was good too.

I fired 20 rounds and I left. Won't be going back.

[Steve in PA]

Originally Posted by RocketFoot

The range rule sheet was missing, but I know we were breaking at least 5 outta 10 common public range rules...we had pistols, shotguns and SMG's at a rifle range not to mention more than 3 rounds in a mag at any given time plus firing before the range was open! We were going downtown!!!

So when you said you knew you were breaking several rules.......this knowledge came to you before or after the WCO showed up?