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My experience at the range this weekend...
Navybat
Member Posts: 6,849 ✭✭✭
I went to the public outdoor range this weekend. When I showed up there was a man with a beautiful Beretta 92FS, nickel with walnut grips. His wife was standing near him holding the leash to two HUGE german shepherds.
I set up my targets and started firing my 1911, and had my Beretta 92F (black bruniton finish) on the counter. I was using 6" targets and doing pretty good. The man obviously didn't know range safety and I had to keep calling "cold range", "hot range" when he walked out in front of me to set up his own targets.
The man had 12" targets up and was hitting MAYBE the bottom edge of the paper. Very low. He was obviously getting frustrated, and he saw me sniping into the bullseyes on my much smaller targets and got even more frustrated.
After a reloading break, I was about to fire again when he approached me. "Can you help me, please?" I said sure, what's the problem? He asked how to adjust the rear sight left or right. I pointed out the little pin, and told him unless he had the right tools to take it to a gunsmith, easy and no worries. But I asked what the bullets were doing. He said they were going low.
At that point, I figured he was probably a novice, but didn't assume so. I asked him if he had had much experience, and he confirmed no. I suggested he brace his gun on the bench and squeeze off a few shots to get a good group, and see where the bullets went, figuring he might have just been jerking the trigger. He tried it, and got a pretty good group dead center below the bullseye about 5 inches low.
I showed him my gun for comparison, and told him his sight picture seemed off. His pistol has the three red dot sights, and I asked him if he was lining the dots up. He said no, he was just putting the front sight barely visible below the other two dots. No wonder he was hitting low!
I told him that Beretta was pretty good with the settings on their factory sights, and suggested he line the three dots up straight across, and he proceeded to get groups about 2" low freehand. I then told him play with the dot alignment and you'll be in there--no adjustment to the sights was necessary. He was very happy and I felt good that I could help.
All this time his wife waited patiently a few feet off to the side, and his dogs didn't flinch from the noise or smoke. A couple of things I took away as I was driving home:
1) I think it took a lot of guts for the man to come up and ask for help. I've seen many folks at the range spraying all over the place, or berating their wives when they couldn't hit dead center. That always bothered me, especially if the people seemed unsafe. I usually just leave in that case. This man seemed sincere and really wanted to learn his gun--but didn't know where to start.
2) Why didn't he read the owner's manual, or get a safety course before he went to the range? He didn't even know that the rear sight adjusting left/right was for WINDAGE, not elevation. That is sad and surprising.
3) Almost anyone can buy a gun, but I think everyone should know a little bit about guns before they actually shoot--and BEFORE they buy. Also some range etiquette.
4) Who brings dogs to a shooting range? Again, the dogs were well behaved, but it just seems strange. It didn't appear they were being walked, they were just there as the man shot. And the guy had a LOT of rounds to shoot off.
5) I'm not an expert by any means, but I think the man saw my Beretta and figured I'd know a bit about them--and I think I gave him enough info to keep him interested. I know when you get frustrated it can be a damper on the whole sport. I hope he gets good groups and keeps at it--and teaches his wife, too.
6) Speaking of his wife, she seemed VERY supportive. She kept her mouth shut, and let him play, off to the side. What a great gal.
I set up my targets and started firing my 1911, and had my Beretta 92F (black bruniton finish) on the counter. I was using 6" targets and doing pretty good. The man obviously didn't know range safety and I had to keep calling "cold range", "hot range" when he walked out in front of me to set up his own targets.
The man had 12" targets up and was hitting MAYBE the bottom edge of the paper. Very low. He was obviously getting frustrated, and he saw me sniping into the bullseyes on my much smaller targets and got even more frustrated.
After a reloading break, I was about to fire again when he approached me. "Can you help me, please?" I said sure, what's the problem? He asked how to adjust the rear sight left or right. I pointed out the little pin, and told him unless he had the right tools to take it to a gunsmith, easy and no worries. But I asked what the bullets were doing. He said they were going low.
At that point, I figured he was probably a novice, but didn't assume so. I asked him if he had had much experience, and he confirmed no. I suggested he brace his gun on the bench and squeeze off a few shots to get a good group, and see where the bullets went, figuring he might have just been jerking the trigger. He tried it, and got a pretty good group dead center below the bullseye about 5 inches low.
I showed him my gun for comparison, and told him his sight picture seemed off. His pistol has the three red dot sights, and I asked him if he was lining the dots up. He said no, he was just putting the front sight barely visible below the other two dots. No wonder he was hitting low!
I told him that Beretta was pretty good with the settings on their factory sights, and suggested he line the three dots up straight across, and he proceeded to get groups about 2" low freehand. I then told him play with the dot alignment and you'll be in there--no adjustment to the sights was necessary. He was very happy and I felt good that I could help.
All this time his wife waited patiently a few feet off to the side, and his dogs didn't flinch from the noise or smoke. A couple of things I took away as I was driving home:
1) I think it took a lot of guts for the man to come up and ask for help. I've seen many folks at the range spraying all over the place, or berating their wives when they couldn't hit dead center. That always bothered me, especially if the people seemed unsafe. I usually just leave in that case. This man seemed sincere and really wanted to learn his gun--but didn't know where to start.
2) Why didn't he read the owner's manual, or get a safety course before he went to the range? He didn't even know that the rear sight adjusting left/right was for WINDAGE, not elevation. That is sad and surprising.
3) Almost anyone can buy a gun, but I think everyone should know a little bit about guns before they actually shoot--and BEFORE they buy. Also some range etiquette.
4) Who brings dogs to a shooting range? Again, the dogs were well behaved, but it just seems strange. It didn't appear they were being walked, they were just there as the man shot. And the guy had a LOT of rounds to shoot off.
5) I'm not an expert by any means, but I think the man saw my Beretta and figured I'd know a bit about them--and I think I gave him enough info to keep him interested. I know when you get frustrated it can be a damper on the whole sport. I hope he gets good groups and keeps at it--and teaches his wife, too.
6) Speaking of his wife, she seemed VERY supportive. She kept her mouth shut, and let him play, off to the side. What a great gal.
Comments
I have a friend that has shot his house 2 times while cleaning his gun and he was in the Army 4 years. He does not understand why i will not go hunting with him. If he will shoot his house i know he will shoot me. All help is appreciated.
At our range when we see somone we dont recognize we ask if they have shot there before, if not they get a quick tour of the rules and safety proceedures..
Be carefull of suggesting that someone be trained when purchaseing a firearm, cant infringe on their Constitutional right!!!!!![;)][:o)]
Coundn't figure why someone would spend that much money on a pet and let it be in danger of getting shot [xx(]
Did you look to see if they were seeing eye dogs? Don
Good one! [:D]
Kills me how men without gun experience will start with an auto pistol. Maybe it's a TV thing.
I think ya done good, Navybat, but I would have been hard pressed not point out that he was wearing ear protection and his dogs weren't, and they at least used to have more sensitive ears that did he.
Brad Steele
Good hearing about your day, h, what you noted and how you helped the guy out some.
Takes some swallowing of pride to come over and requst some help from you.
Takes a good sportsperson to lend a good hand to someone wanting info, suggestions or help.
Could see a person getting a new firearm (to them at least) and being so excited or tickled or what not that they did not cover all the bases by asking and reading and researching. Could be where he was at?
Sounds like a full and darn good day for you in many ways. Good going. [^]
You took the time with him that his father evidently never did.
As for the dogs, I see nothing wrong there. The military takes dogs to the range all the time to get them familiar with the sounds of gun fire. I have friends who have taken their bird dogs to trap & skeet ranges for the same reasons. This only works well if the dogs are good on voice commands. I once had a Lab I couldn't take to a trap range. Every time he heard a shot he wanted to go fetch something, and he was seeing the clay birds flying & he wanted to go get them.[8D]
I also have a horse which I have shot a lot around, and for the same reasons, so he won't become gun shy.
Trinity +++
Good for you Navybat! It takes a lot of guts to admit to shooting a 92 fs on this forum![;)]
Yeah! I mean...yeah, the OTHER guy had an FS. I was shooting a .45 1911 with a 92F as a secondary gun. I mean...um.
GO 1911!! [:D]