Wexford range rules-whats really done

[mikemmm999]

I am a newbie who purchased a S&W featherweight 38 snubnose for protection while at my camp in the boondocks. I am scheduling NRA training and had a friend train me at private range and teach me gun safety. In meantime, I am trying to hone my skills at wexford range until I can get to gun course.

In a nutshell as I understand it, when you want to put up targets, you look at the other shooters and when it looks like a good time shout "OK to clear?" Each person then clears their gun and sets it down. You put up targets (putting up like 3-4) walk back and when everyone looks like they have changed targets you shout "range is hot OK?" When everyone looks up and nods or says yes, you fire. I will shoot one, check my target with binoculars, then shoot more, sometimes 5 at a time. I do it from target to target until I can't tell where I hit easily. If I am done shooting and others are still shooting I leave the targets up when I leave so I don't have to do a clear and interupt them. If not, I clean up the paper. I try and go when its likely not busy as I feel less intimidated.

I don't want to be unsafe (most important) or look like an idiot so let me know if I got it wrong or can do something to be more courtious.

[P-11 shooter]

Basically yes.

When there's not a range officer you have to be observant of other people and everyone needs to work together. If you're shooting with respectful people there everyone will try to call clears often especially when new shooters arrive.

The thing I'm not crazy about there is they don't usually say "range gong hot" They use clear for both.

When were you planning on going? Shoot me a PM and we can do some shooting. I can grab my brothers snubby and some of his .38 reloads.

You should come to the group shoot. It's great to shoot with experienced shooters and have a good time. You might also want to look into joining the club as it's much nicer than the public range and safer.
http://forum.pafoa.org/shoots-range-...hoot-25-a.html

PM me if you want to go shooting. I'm off Friday-Sundays

[LittleRedToyota]

sounds good to me.

the one thing i noticed when i used to shoot at that range though was that people seemed to call "clear" both to make the range cold to check targets (as in "clear to check targets") and to make the range hot to fire ("clear to fire")...but, instead of saying "clear to check targets" or "clear to fire", people would just call "clear" for both. pretty stupid, imho, but that at least used to be the SOP out there.

oh, the other thing i noticed was a lot of people who did not have as good of an understanding of range ettiquette as you seem to.

welcome to PAFOA!

[Frenchy]

If I am done shooting and others are still shooting I WAIT so I can pickup my targets when I leave so I don't have to do a clear and interupt them. If not, I clean up the paper. I try and go when its likely not busy as I feel less intimidated.

I don't want to be unsafe (most important) or look like an idiot so let me know if I got it wrong or can do something to be more courtious.

Pretty good, but I fixed one of your lines, You will find that holding off a few minutes and picking up your papers and brass goes a long way to keeping a public range respectably clean.

[mikemmm999]

Ok thanks Frenchy I stand corrected...I will wait and pick up the paper targets. I had wanted the target anyway as I had actually put 3 of the 5 shots in the little black center area of the target and was proud of that

[khellandros66]

You will find that on a gun range their is typically a higher set of standards amongst people, and their maturity.

With that being said, I don't think thats an excuse to become complacent, rather, just stating dealing with people on the range is easier then most expect.

[Kaos]

Be careful at the wexford range though.

I had a gun pointed at me one too many times there and won't go back.

[PeaceAndLove]

Be careful at the wexford range though.

I had a gun pointed at me one too many times there and won't go back.

Was it on purpose (like a robbery) or just negligence?

[LittleRedToyota]

Was it on purpose (like a robbery) or just negligence?

i have had guns pointed at me out of negligence at that range. lots of people handling firearms while others are downrange.

the scariest thing i ever saw out there was a bunch of ghetto lookin' guys came...1 handgun between five of them...they all took turns shooting at the 10 yard range.

they all held the gun sideways and had no concept of muzzle discipline at all.

the best part though, was that most of them were hitting the ground at about 8 yards while shooting at a 10 yard target that was 5 feet off the ground. yep, shooting about, oh, 8 feet or so low at 10 yards...

well, actually, in a way, that part was kinda reassuring...made me think that if i ever get shot at by a bunch of pittsburgh gangbanger wannabees, i don't really have to worry about them actually hitting me.

or maybe the best part was when one of them got on his cell phone and was yelling (to be heard over the gunfire) to whoever was on the other end that he was "out at the range killin' fools".

of course, there was also the time that a couple of police officers showed up to get ready for qualification the next day and were having trouble hitting a man-sized target at 25 yards.

i think a shootout between them and the gangbanger wannabees would be pretty funny.

anyway, thankfully, i no longer need to go out there. i only shot there for several months after GPGC closed and before i found PMSC. there are a lot of good shooters who follow proper gun safety protocols out at that range...but there are a few guys that make it scary as heck. and it can get very crowded on weekends.

[XDNine]

I assume by Wexford you are talking about the range at the Game Lands?

+1 to what Kaos said. Be very very careful.

I won't be going back there anytime soon.