Do you offer advice at the range?

[MA Duce]

As this is information that was passed on to me and it was from a concealed carry class my take on it is as follows: in a self defense shooting situation you need to stop the threat as quickly as possible. If you shoot too fast accuracy will be lacking and you may be wasting time and ammo. If your group is small - say 2.5-3" you may be taking too much time and increasing the odds of injury/death for you/intended victim. If your group is about the size of your open hand and placed in the right area it should stop the threat. Shoot at the speed that will stop the threat fastest.
Or - Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

OK.... but if you can lay five shots in a 2 inch group in four seconds.....should you slow down???

 

[buick455]

I usually won't give advice to a stranger with a few exeptions if I see them tea cupping it I'll show them a proper grip and if I see them leaning away from the gun I'll show them a more agressive stance and most of the time they'll ask a few questions if they want more help.

 

[trainsktg]

I'm with others here...unless there is a flagrant safety violation in progress (or possibly an easy malfunction that they can't seem to resolve), I leave well enough alone.

Keith

 

[ejmpnu92]

Yeah, in agreement with others here, unless an issue with safety, leave well enough alone. I only offer advice if asked. I was sighting a rifle at a range and after 5 minutes of hearing about how crappy my rifle was, I just wanted him to leave. I was doing decent shooting for me, I am not the best, nor would I ever admit to being so. I just wanted to put a few rounds down range to get a feel for the rifle and this idiot just totally ruined my day. BTW I was shooting a Winchester 70 xtr in .338, almost new.

 

[rodell]

If they look at me and say "damn!", I may something. Otherwise, they are on their own.

If I see a safety problem, I'll say something right then, or, point it out to a RM if it is a public range.

 

[Swedish K]

OK.... but if you can lay five shots in a 2 inch group in four seconds.....should you slow down???

In that situation they would most likely tell you that you are taking too much time and should speed up as you could theoretically stop the threat faster.

I was merely posting info that had been relayed to me by some trusted friends after they had been down to Front Sight. In my personal opinion if you are shooting groups as described I would say that you are doing fine and must be getting some decent range time in.

 

[teflon6string]

That's a thought-provoking question and really subjective, at both ends.

It's a d*mn shame to waste a journey to the range, trigger time and ammo on reinforcing bad shooting habits. And it's also hard to watch someone struggle when a simple tip might fix a fundamental problem.

Experience and expertise are relative. Personal arsenals vary, and most/all of us have probably fired dozens if not hundreds of weapons while chatting and comparing notes with complete strangers. Full-autos, derringers, 50 cal, a truck mounted belt-fed gun, a civil war long rifle, a cannon and a small trebuchet are just a few of the weird things I've run across in west coast quarries (some not too far from Hollywood in the mid 70-90's.) My modest collection is considerably less exotic.

Point is, friendly conversations happen, and THAT is when advice is most welcome.

No one, and I mean no one, wants some arrogant pantload (just looking for a trainee) to walk over and tell them what they're doing wrong. Even if he's right, many of us might wish a nosy blowhard would take his blabbering face back over where it came from. If that makes any of us here feel a stab of guilt, so be it.

On the other hand, I can't count the times that somebody's helpful tip turned into detailed instruction for me because I welcomed it and realized there is always more to learn.

So it all comes down to the equation. How/when advice is presented, and the attitude (skin thickness) of the recipient. Beyond mere marksmanship, one's ability to evaluate personal interaction has more than a little to do with responsible gun ownership.

 

[tac]

If asked.

tac

 

[Glock32]

I dont offer advice to anyone I dont know. If I see someone shooting well I will watch them and try and learn from it though.

 

[mjbskwim]

I was at a an indoor range in North Seattle years ago.
The couple next to me was shooting a 1911.
She got done shooting,dropped her hand to her side( my side),with the hammer back and her finger on the trigger pointing at my foot.

I stepped back,behind her,grabber her elbow and raised her hand and gun to point it down range.
Then looked at both and said to keep the gun pointed down range and keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.

The guy was WAY embarrassed.He reiterated everything I said.


Other than my safety,I let them do what they do.

 

[kenjo]

Well, I'm one of those guys who will sometimes offer advice to other shooters when I see them doing something that impedes their ability to shoot better. For instance, at the range the other day a man and his dad were shooting Glocks, and the dad was having failure to feed issues. I observed him using a loose grip, basically one hand grip with support hand cupping the grip underneath. I asked if he minded a suggestion, and he said he didn't, so I showed him how to grip the pistol with both hands, and emphasized the need for a strong grip to allow the pistol to properly cycle. After that, no more malfunctions until he admittedly loosened up his grip. I noticed the son was having problems grouping (at about 7 yards) with hits ranging all over the paper. It was easy to see he was jerking the trigger, so I again asked if he minded a suggestion. I then loaded a couple of dummy rounds in his magazine and told him to shoot a few rounds. When he came to the first dummy round, the significant muzzle movement when he pulled the trigger was a revelation to him. I suggested he do some dry-firing to improve his trigger finger muscle memory and overcome the flinching problem. They thanked me for the pointers. After all, better shooters have helped me improve my skill, so I like to help others if they want it. I don't claim to be an expert, but I've had a lot of training and done a lot of shooting so I'm just passing on knowledge I've learned from credible instructors and my own experience.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Do you ever offer advice at the range? Maybe a better question would be do you ever want advice at the range?

I offer advice at the range all the time. It is usually of the "You are way too stupid and/or ugly to ever have kids so I would try not to reproduce if I was you" variety.

 

[kenjo]

I offer advice at the range all the time. It is usually of the "You are way too stupid and/or ugly to ever have kids so I would try not to reproduce if I was you" variety.

Ha! Joke's on you--I've already had my kid and now have grand kids.

 

[spider]

I heard some guys talking about how 1911s are extremely over priced and that Taurus and RIA 1911s shoot better and are cheaper, then there's me with 3 Kimbers doing at it, duel wielding and such, so as I play dumb to there rambling, I watch each fire there 1911s and they both hit the bottom edge of the paper targets that are 50 feet away. Then I popped off a couple, made head shots the whole time, they then said "gosh those Kimbers shoot really nice" I couldn't take it anymore, so I showed them my method of holding a 1911 then fired there guns, I hit the heart area, then they fired my weapons and they hit crotch area of the targets, I just said work on your grip and trigger control. I could tell, they could care less about what a young man says compared to what they'be seen on tv/movies but I did right, didn't uptalk my techniques or Kimbers. When it comes down to it, its body,mind and firearm. Have you watched any magpul videos of mall ninjas completely missing a target 9 feet in front of them while they're handling a $3900 nighthawk custom?

 

[MA Duce]

I heard some guys talking about how 1911s are extremely over priced and that Taurus and RIA 1911s shoot better and are cheaper, then there's me with 3 Kimbers doing at it, duel wielding and such, so as I play dumb to there rambling, I watch each fire there 1911s and they both hit the bottom edge of the paper targets that are 50 feet away. Then I popped off a couple, made head shots the whole time, they then said "gosh those Kimbers shoot really nice" I couldn't take it anymore, so I showed them my method of holding a 1911 then fired there guns, I hit the heart area, then they fired my weapons and they hit crotch area of the targets, I just said work on your grip and trigger control. I could tell, they could care less about what a young man says compared to what they'be seen on tv/movies but I did right, didn't uptalk my techniques or Kimbers. When it comes down to it, its body,mind and firearm. Have you watched any magpul videos of mall ninjas completely missing a target 9 feet in front of them while they're handling a $3900 nighthawk custom?

It is always amazing to me that there are those who think they can "buy" accuracy. I once won a very nice dinner from a teammate on the military pistol team I was on by taking an issue weapon, (which I had checked tolerances and tuned slightly), and matching him shot for shot against our Gold Cups. You made a great point. Technique beats dollars every time.

 

[Wheeler44]

Most often, when I'm at a range lately I'm instructing at an Appleseed clinic...So yes I do give advice. But KimberCuston knows that...If I'm not at an Appleseed, I'm with my son...I take his advice when he offers it.....

 

[Red Ryder]

I find that if I go to a public range, I could spend my whole time offering advice, so I don't unless it's necessary for safety.

There was this one time I went to check out a new pistol I had bought. I like to be on one side of the range so I'm not surrounded by inexperienced shooters. This younger couple comes in. The boyfriend puts himself on the far right lane and his girlfriend next to me on the left hand side. If it was me, and I brought my cute girlfriend to the range, I'd be right there with her. He seemed to be in a sour mood. He plunked down a rental gun and some ammo in front of her and left for the other side.

She figured out how to load the gun and proceeded to shoot. I couldn't help but notice that she was hitting way low on the target. I stepped back to watch. She was holding the gun pretty loosely. Every time she yanked the trigger the gun would go bang, the recoil would move the gun around and she would just laugh because she seemed to be having a lot of fun. She was the worst case of recoil anticipation I had seen.

I decided to show her how to properly grip the gun and shoot it. I asked her if I could offer some pointers and she said yes. As I showed her how to grip the gun and position her arms, I noticed the BO smell. Whew! I'm thinking great, I forgot to put my deodorant on. I kept my arms tucked down to reduce the odor. She didn't seem to notice. She went back to shooting. A little later I showed her how to press the trigger. Odor was still there and I still had to keep my arms down. Safety was my greater concern. The advice helped her considerably. There was still some flinch but she was much safer. Considering the little time I spent with her she was much improved. Still needed further help though.

She finished up her session about the same time I did. Outside in the lobby I chatted with her briefly while her boyfriend was still shooting. That's when I noticed she had ever so slight an accent. Her English was quite good. I asked her where she was from. She said Sweden. That's when it hit me. That wasn't my armpits I was smelling.

 

[mjbskwim]

Nice,Smell like lukfist? What ever that stuff is?

Some people will tell you it's better to have someone else teach your girl to shoot.
Maybe he recognized you and put her there so you could give her pointers.

Shoulda charged him.

 

[jyerxa]

I've been shooting at this particular range for 30 years. There are those you can tell you can talk too and tips and tricks naturally come out. And then there are those who seem like they are there to learn just what it is they got. And I let them be. You need to KNOW your weapon of choice intimately. So fumbling around a LITTLE is okay as long as all are safe. That range now has had a range officer for a few years now. And He is very good. He knows firearms very well and was offering tips to my son who was shooting next to me before I realized anything was going on. This gun was new to him too. So pick a good range if you would like advise and happy shooting.

 

[Crispy]

If I don't know who you are, no.

Reason being, I've seen WAY too many dumba**ses on the range that shoot their mouths off to anyone within earshot about things they obviously don't have a clue about.

If there's a better way to accomplish something I'm doing, I'll let the instructor of my next class tell me that.

+1 on all of that! I work with one of those dumb**ses