So I got my CompM back from repairs, and I just got my TA11, so I went to the range to zero them in.  The range I went to was a hour drive, but it is the only free unsupervised range I know of around here.

First of all, some a-hole had smashed the 3 concrete shooting benches.  I wasn't prepared for this, so it put a wrench in my plans to zero the TA11.  Needless to say, I got the CompM on target, but the TA11 was so far off paper, and since I didn't have a bench to work from (it was a bit muddy, so I didn't want to get my pretty gun dirty [;)]), I gave up, to give some other people the change to shoot.  I'll have to do it next time.

Did I mention that the range was busy?  Yeah, and it must have been date day, since almost every guy there was trying to teach his lady friend to shoot today.  Nothing wrong with that, but sometime the combination of newbie girls, and guys trying to impress them can turn ugly.

The weird part, some guy was up on the hill (where the cars are parked) with binocs checking everyone out.  This made me a bit uncomfortable.  I don't like people watching me shoot, especially when I'm making a vain attempt to zero a scope offhand.  A couple of times I looked over, and he had his binocs centered right on me.  So I turned my spotting scope on him, and I think that stopped him.  I figured he was waiting to shoot, so I moved off the range (waiting for the 25yd row) but he never moved in to take my spot.  Eventually he just drove off.  He might have been a parks worker, but I doubt it, since he had no uniform and drove a unmarked Dodge Ram.  Probably not a LE, since he looked a bit too scruffy.  Creepy.....

As an additional benefit of unsupervised ranges, I got to witness one of the date guys taking a piss about ten feet off the firing line.  The same guy had previously walked out to check his targets (on the 100yd line) without calling a cease fire!!!  I was on the 25yd line, and didn't realize until I stopped to change mags!!!  Dumb bastard.

So I used to prefer unsupervised ranges, but after today, I might stop being cheap and get a membership somewhere...

Its a big mistake to assume that all LEO's are really obsessive about haircuts and over do it on the aftershave(although most do). Here in Phoenix I have the fortunate/unfortunate privelege of working on all the DEB cars at a local garage on 40th St. and McDowell. The guy who owns it is a total alcoholic and uses this connection to get his tickets fixed. He doesn't have a drivers license himself, but they look out for him. They carry all kinds of ID, the most conspicious is the kind you hang around your neck like airports use, but they identify them as working for some bogus company. I guess that plants their identity in your mind as soon as they meet you. They use a lot of chikees that you never would expect would be interested in that kind of work. pretty dangerous I would bet.


If someone is watching you at the range I would say its safe to assume its not a fur lover, or some other political group. Its someone who wants to make you nervous, or observe you.

That really sucks. Whomever wrecked the benches just screws it up for everyone else. The guy watching was just wishing he had an AR like yours!

Ya know, it really is sad when you have a free range to play on and some stupid, a-hole trashes the place for his or her personal pleaure.  It screws it for anyone else trying to use that facility.  It's a shame they don't pay someone to keep an eye on it and charge everyone who uses it a minimum feee just to pay the guy to watch it.   The only range in my area is a pistol range that will open for low velocity rifles one or two nights a week.  I have to drive 1.5 hours to a long range rifle range that you have to pay to use.  I've just resorted to using a frozen lake in the winter and an abandoned gravel site in the summer.  When I leave the site, my foot prints are all I leave behind.  Some people go there and leave their trash all over the place and targets left set in place, which I  have to clean up, and brass eveywhere, which I pick up and take with me.  Nothing will get a good spot blocked off for my use faster than trashing it up like that.  

But yeah, that's weird having a guy watch you through biocs from the parking area.  Maybe he thought it was like a lover's lane with firearms and wanted to watch the little guns in action.  Strange, to say the least.  

FREE?  UNSUPERVISED?  Tell me its on state land so I can crap myself!  Definately NOT NYS!  Imagine the liability with people running around shooting things without big brother there!  Someone would shoot their eye out!

... That sux.  Guess were pretty fortunate out west here.  Plenty of open range to go shooting.

Most Likely Explanation: Private dick, probably hired by the wife of one of the guys who took his "girlfriend" to the shooting range.

Next Most Likely Explanation:  They're shooting a new episode of "Cheaters".

Hkocker-  A long, long time ago, I took to wearing something on my hip whenever I partook in visiting one of the then-unsupervised public range here in OH. A couple of dirtbags I had seen cruising some of the public hunting areas were at the range one day, not shooting, just sitting in their POS Dodge Dart that looked like it was painted with a brush and roller. (Very distinctive and easy to remember.) I remember hauling some of my iron down to the firing line of the 100 yard range from my truck, and making a second trip back for my spotting scope, target stand, range bag, etc., when who should I see, suddenly looking at me from the parking lot and well away from the above-mentioned POS parked 60 yards away, observing me as if to see if I was marching down to the target area to post a target... I'm convinced this guy was looking to see where I was, and he turned and made a half-assed attempt at looking at something else on the ground in front of him once he saw me looking back at him, with a 657 Smith I used to have riding low on my belt. I can honestly say I wouldn't have shot AT them per se, but I would have certainly marked the car they were in, strictly for indentification purposes, of course. Could be that this jerkoff with his binoculars was looking to take up the shooting sports at a deep discount...

Stay aware. Condition Yellow means a long happy life for you and your loved ones. Best of luck,

Scruffy Freaks - I have for one reason or another come in contact with several DEA personel. If I had not met them in the context that I did I would have never known. And trust me, I have been around. Some persons working in an official capacity are pretty damm good.

Range incidents / theft - I alway carry a concealed side arm. I always sling my rifle to check my targets.

I have known those that have been present while a guy on a motorcycle (who had been scoping out which rifle he wanted to steal) swooped in and stole a rifle.

I have also known ROs that have ended up in an armed stand off.

Unfortunately there is no way to control who shows up at a public range. Watch your butt.

ps: I never remove my hearing protection. When someone does try to speak to me, I don't speak - it is only a nod (yes) or a shake (no). One or two attempts is about all it takes for anyone to get the idea.

My day at the range sucked also.  Mainly because I didn't get out of the driveway.  I packed up my jeep and was ready to go when the Mail arrives.  I see a package I was waiting for so I take out my Keys with my CRKT Peck on it to open the box.  I inspect what had arrived, was happy, so I go back outside and jump in my jeep.  Reaching into my pockets I find my earplugs and the loading spoon where I thought my keys would be.  You guessed it, left them on the table next to the opened package.  I waited 3 hours for my brother to come home with the keys.  If I had the shot gun I probably would have blown the door of the hindges after the first hour.

Man, maybe it's the area but I've never had to deal with anything like what you guys are talking about at my local range. And it is public
Department Of Conservation land. Maybe it's just too well travelled. It is by no means crowded, but there is almost always at least a couple of people there.

HkOcher, it may be worth travelling an extra hour to shoot here [:)]

Albeit I always watch what's going on, and who's there. But I've never really seen anybody do anything stupid there. Nor have I ever fealt threatened.

Double layer dude.  Shiny side facing both ways, that way the mind-fuck rays can't get in, and the mind-scan rays can't read your thoughts.

You ought to know this shit, sheesh.





HKocher:  A bad day at the range is better than a good day doing anything none gun or outdoor related.  The guy with the glass could have been a fellow shooter who wanted to find the guy (or gal) who screwed up the benches.

I thought the same thing.

Maybe an ANTI.

The guy actually looked like a typical shooter.  Middle aged, medium build, light beard, had a real blue collar look to him.  So if he was a federale he did a damn good job of blending in, except for the standing in plain view with binocs.  Besides, noone was doing anything wrong, and I had the only evil 'black' rifle on the range at the time.

As far as some of the other suggestions, I doubt he was a PI, because the guys with girls were all very young (teens and lower 20s), plus he made no effort to conceal himself.  And he was looking at me and my gear a fair part of the time, and I don't think anyone is watching me....  

I figure the benches were destroyed by drunk teens, as there aren't too many antis or treehugger types in Warren Co., MO.

In the end I don't figure him as a shooter or brass scavenger, as he made no effort to take the empty line, nor did walk down to the line to talk with anyone.  The range isn't big, and he could recognize anyone he knew from his distance without the glass.

The one thing I AM concerned about is he was staking out for a future gun theft, as some mentioned.  But I think I'm safe, since I live over an hour from the range, and there were at least 4 other cars in the lot, and he was not around when I arrived or when I left.  Still, I'll watch myself.

At unsupervised ranges, I always have a backup gun concealed.  I'll take my rifle out to the target slung unless I have buddies around at the bench.  It pays to be prepared.

Maybe just checking out his new glass, or got bored and came over from the campsite, or birdwatching [:D]...

Good points, I did get a bit of a tan when the sun finally came out...

Hey Hkocher, that was me looking at you I was just making sure you were gone from your house so i could bring my guns there and take pictures of them with your girlfriend. LOL!, jason

Some of the stories reminds me of a public range that I have been to in MO a few years ago.  I went on a weekday, about 10am in the morning, all by my lonesome.  I was shooting on the 25yd, plinking with a 22 and a 9mm.  A truck load of guys rolled into the parking lot in a 70s style dodge crewcab pickup.  There were 6 of them, the showed up with suitcases full of ARs, HKMP-5s, even a couple of Uzis!  You know those suit cases that are custom fit for each rifle including sights and scopes.  It just looked odd, to see 6 big guys show up in camoflage at the range in a beat up truck with thousands of dollars in high end machinery.   At first they stayed on the 50yd and and 100yd range, with in 20 minutes they were hiding behind bushes off the range, under the shooting benches, behind trees, then they started cross firing my line shooting at their 50yd line targets!  I was contemplating on leaving, as I had quite shooting just to watch the specticle.  One of the guy ran over and sat to my left on a two person bench, asked if he could "tweak" his sight on his HKMP-5, I barily said "go ahead" when brass started flying 3-4 inches in front of my nose, some of it hitting me, I didn't even have time to get up and move!  I cussed under my breath and left.  I speculated on who they were, KKK, mafia, Militia, maybe the local SWAT team?  

A PI would likely have been videoing. They are paid by tape quality in the personal injury/workers comp area, and in regular investigations they are supposed to provide tape if they do any following and see anything good.

I think that everything mentioned could be possible, but you even said yourself that you were the only person with a black rifle.   Maybe the guy was impressed with your equipment and was checking it out.  

Maybe he just thought that you had nice pants.[;)]

LOL!!!

I want my carpet back!!!

Maybe I'll start shooting without pants.[:D]

Now [i]THERE[/i] is a good idea!

What Range were you at?  

I never felt threatened at the range in Warrington, exept for the one time that I camped there.  Then we were glad to be locked and loaded.

Maybe the mystery man was trying to figure out who smashed the benches.

u mean youwear pants?

i

oh my god i have no pants!

The range out at Reef Snyder (sp?).  I've never had a bad feeling there (although the guy staring at me through glass bothered me), but you can never be to safe.

I used to live in CO, and I'd go out to BLM land in the mountains to shoot.  There were so many wackos and youngins out there, I always carried discreetly, so the habit has stuck with me.  Hell, out there I used to wear a IIA vest, but that was more as protection from stray buckshot than anything...

[b]KKK, mafia, Militia, maybe the local SWAT team[/b]

Is there and distinction between them?

Damn, I just had to go and brag about my range.

I was out there Sunday, and apperently not to long after I left some guy shot himself in the hand. Some dumbass with his very first handgun.

Jesus Christ people are stupid.

Yeh, the first three would know when to move in to a school to stop the shooters.....