Gun range prep stereotype

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  • sucker76

    Don't let the username fool you
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    6   0   0
    Nov 15, 2015
    1,084
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    Lake Jackson
    For me, local range trips are most often for meditation. That'll be one pistol (lately, it's consistently been my M18 S&W revolver) and one box of ammo in one small bag with my ears hanging on the side. 50 rounds, slow fire, concentrating, will clear the mind of all the noise that builds up in there. It's amazing how much more refreshed I feel leaving the range than when I arrived.

    I do that but with rifles. One of the perks of working shift work is I can go in the middle of the week and mostly have the range to myself. It's very relaxing.
    Target Sports
     

    rmantoo

    Cranky old fart: Pull my finger
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    1   0   0
    Jan 9, 2013
    814
    76
    San Angelo
    I hit the range about every other or every 3rd day when I'm home. Sometimes several days in a row. I work in the oilfield, and stay gone from anywhere from 2 weeks to 2-3 months, so when I'm home I like to get my shooting time in.

    I like shooting USPSA and 3 gun. Heck, I like shooting, in general, lol.

    I like to start by stepping out of the truck, walking towards the firing line, draw my edc piece and dump a mag on target, reload and dump another. That's at least 25 rounds.

    I then set up and run pistol drills, no matter what. That's 60 or so rounds, minimum, most of the time it's closer to 150.

    Most days I'll run carbine drills- mostly now it's PCC, 9mm. There's another 150 or so, normally.

    After that, I set up the chronograph and run my test/development loads for whatever I'm working on. Normally 30-50 rounds.

    About 1/3 to 1/2 the time, I take a relative or friend (ok, acquaintance...don't have many actual tight friends). That will normally double or even triple the round count.


    I guess I'm a cross between the ammo guy, and the 'extraneaous' equipment guy... gun bags, ammo cans, chronograph, tripod, belt and holsters, box of targets... but I use all that stuff, so I dont' think they're really 'extra.' And it normally takes me less than 5 minutes to be completely loaded, ready to go: It's just another day at the range, it shouldn't take much time to get ready.

    Yes, getting ready the night before an away match I'll spend 15-30 minutes, making sure I have everything and then double check it, but normal range days? Nah. It's about a 10-15 minute drive- plus drive through time at the chick filet on the way :)
     

    Dancing Heretik

    Active Member
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    3   0   0
    Aug 8, 2018
    640
    76
    San Antonio, TX
    I burn 300-500 rounds of 9mm/.45 ACP per range trip. Casting my own bullets and reloading means I'm shooting those for less than what CCI MiniMags run at Walmart.
    I've thought about that. But, between the cost of getting started and the space required, I'm going to wait for now.

    If I live long enough to retire and still have the energy, I might give it a try. Especially since I'll have a lot more range time by then.
     

    Dancing Heretik

    Active Member
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    3   0   0
    Aug 8, 2018
    640
    76
    San Antonio, TX
    I hit the range about every other or every 3rd day when I'm home. Sometimes several days in a row. I work in the oilfield, and stay gone from anywhere from 2 weeks to 2-3 months, so when I'm home I like to get my shooting time in.

    I like shooting USPSA and 3 gun. Heck, I like shooting, in general, lol.

    I like to start by stepping out of the truck, walking towards the firing line, draw my edc piece and dump a mag on target, reload and dump another. That's at least 25 rounds.

    I then set up and run pistol drills, no matter what. That's 60 or so rounds, minimum, most of the time it's closer to 150.

    Most days I'll run carbine drills- mostly now it's PCC, 9mm. There's another 150 or so, normally.

    After that, I set up the chronograph and run my test/development loads for whatever I'm working on. Normally 30-50 rounds.

    About 1/3 to 1/2 the time, I take a relative or friend (ok, acquaintance...don't have many actual tight friends). That will normally double or even triple the round count.


    I guess I'm a cross between the ammo guy, and the 'extraneaous' equipment guy... gun bags, ammo cans, chronograph, tripod, belt and holsters, box of targets... but I use all that stuff, so I dont' think they're really 'extra.' And it normally takes me less than 5 minutes to be completely loaded, ready to go: It's just another day at the range, it shouldn't take much time to get ready.

    Yes, getting ready the night before an away match I'll spend 15-30 minutes, making sure I have everything and then double check it, but normal range days? Nah. It's about a 10-15 minute drive- plus drive through time at the chick filet on the way :)
    OMG, that sounds exhausting!
     

    rmantoo

    Cranky old fart: Pull my finger
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jan 9, 2013
    814
    76
    San Angelo
    OMG, that sounds exhausting!

    ?? Not really. It's a lot like working out: The more you do it, the easier, kinda, it gets. I figure since most matches run at least 5 hours +per day - although not shooting anywhere near the entire time- The way to keep my stamina and focus up is to spend a lot of time shooting/training on normal range days.... and, again, I like shooting, so...

    I used to compete in hare scrambles and moto-cross, and this is a lot less intense, both physically and mentally, than that, but still keeps me fairly active.
     

    Dancing Heretik

    Active Member
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    3   0   0
    Aug 8, 2018
    640
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    San Antonio, TX
    For me, local range trips are most often for meditation. That'll be one pistol (lately, it's consistently been my M18 S&W revolver) and one box of ammo in one small bag with my ears hanging on the side. 50 rounds, slow fire, concentrating, will clear the mind of all the noise that builds up in there. It's amazing how much more refreshed I feel leaving the range than when I arrived.
    That does sound refreshing. I tend to overtire myself. It's like I don't want to waste the trip.
     

    robertc1024

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    20   0   0
    Jan 22, 2013
    20,780
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    San Marcos
    That does sound refreshing. I tend to overtire myself. It's like I don't want to waste the trip.
    Been there, done that. It's easy to get into the habit of just blasting away. There might be some value to that, but to get better, like any practice, you have to be intentional.
     

    Moonpie

    Omnipotent Potentate for hire.
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    Oct 4, 2013
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    Gunz are icky.
    Back when I could only shoot at the outdoor range I was the guy who had boxes upon boxes of gear stacked in the truck on range day. Since the range is always closed on Monday and I avoided Saturday and Sunday out there like the plague that left four days to go shoot. So when I could get out there I took everything but the kitchen sink. I think in those boxes were parts to repair everything from a Brown Bess to a 40wt Plasma rifle. That got old.
    Couple of years ago an indoor range opened much closer.
    Now it is toss a couple of guns in the backpack and about 200rds per and its range time! If something truly needs repair I can run back to the house in less than five minutes.
     

    TundraWookiee

    Scruffy Nerf Herder
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    2   0   0
    Jan 9, 2012
    2,699
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    Cedar Park
    Back when I could only shoot at the outdoor range I was the guy who had boxes upon boxes of gear stacked in the truck on range day. Since the range is always closed on Monday and I avoided Saturday and Sunday out there like the plague that left four days to go shoot. So when I could get out there I took everything but the kitchen sink. I think in those boxes were parts to repair everything from a Brown Bess to a 40wt Plasma rifle. That got old.
    Couple of years ago an indoor range opened much closer.
    Now it is toss a couple of guns in the backpack and about 200rds per and its range time! If something truly needs repair I can run back to the house in less than five minutes.
    Yeah I just heard about the new range the other day. Sure wish it had been there when I was living down there.

    I used to bring 10-15 guns every trip. Now I bring 2 or 3 unless I'm meeting people that want to shoot specific ones.

    Sent from one of those newfangled pocket computers using Tapatalk
     

    Dancing Heretik

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    Aug 8, 2018
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    San Antonio, TX
    Been there, done that. It's easy to get into the habit of just blasting away. There might be some value to that, but to get better, like any practice, you have to be intentional.
    I pushed it at first because I had only gone to the range 3 times in the 2 years since I bought my first gun. I was making up for lost time. I had thought I should only go with someone more experienced in order to have someone to correct me when I did something wrong.

    Don't get me wrong. Having someone there to help is a good thing. But, you learn different things when you go alone. And, it's certainly better than not going at all.

    Nowadays, I never have to go too long without finding someone to go with. Finally!
     

    robertc1024

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    Jan 22, 2013
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    I pushed it at first because I had only gone to the range 3 times in the 2 years since I bought my first gun. I was making up for lost time. I had thought I should only go with someone more experienced in order to have someone to correct me when I did something wrong.

    Don't get me wrong. Having someone there to help is a good thing. But, you learn different things when you go alone. And, it's certainly better than not going at all.

    Nowadays, I never have to go too long without finding someone to go with. Finally!
    Well, you know where we are. LOL. It's easy to get intimidated when you go shooting with new people too, and you're inexperienced. I found TGT looking for gun laws prior to taking the LTC stuff. I was so excited to go to the range with some TGT peeps, careful, but very inexperienced. I was nervous as heck. After a few times, I got a lot more relaxed - so I think this fits in with the thread - get gun range prepped mentally too.
     

    jeepinbanditrider

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    Jun 2, 2011
    842
    46
    Dallas
    I used to take a lot of stuff out there with me but cut it down when I started shooting once a week or so to loading mags before I left with 150 rounds of pistol ammo and rifle mags with 120 rounds of ammo and then going out and doing drills or working on fundamentals until I ran out of ammo then head back home. Cut way down on my wasted ammo just going out and blowing rounds down range for the hell of it and allowed me to focus on my "primary" rifle and pistol.

    Every couple of months I'll pull something else out like the SKS or any number of other guns I like to shoot and go do basically the same thing.
     

    rmantoo

    Cranky old fart: Pull my finger
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    1   0   0
    Jan 9, 2013
    814
    76
    San Angelo
    This is a pretty typical range day loadout for me: Tan bag is a 1911 and G34 w/mags and a few 100 rounds per, the black bag is stapler, tools, soap, cleaning stuff mostly, dubble bubble buckets are for dirty brass, blue bin is 5 ziplocs w/6.5g test loads, box of targets, couple IPSC cardboard targets, and my howa 1500 6.5g, and behind it all is a bag w/my 9mm PCC.

    Takes me maybe 5 minutes from the time I unlock the gun room, make 4-5 trips to the truck and back to load and be ready to go.

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