Range Report: A Little Practice at Fletcher, 3/8/23

[BassCliff]

Hi guys and gals,

I made a quick trip to the range a little earlier this week before the snow got here. Shoveling the driveway cuts into my range time. I was happy to get lane #10 because that's my favorite lane.

I brought a small selection of ammo. I've made it a mission to use up all my WWB in practice because it's been giving me a few issues lately.

I brought out only my XD9, Garrison, and Heritage .22.

I started off easy with my little .22 cowboy gun. I tried to hit head shots on the 4" reactive circle with a few cylinders. This single action revolver has such a hair trigger that when I'm not paying attention it will send one when I'm not quite aligned. But it shoots well when I do everything right. I shot from 10 yards for the whole session.

Then I pasted on an 8" reactive circle and went through a few magazines with the .45. True to form, I started a little low/left but gradually brought it up enough to make a couple of ragged holes nearing the bullseye.

It's not as low/left as it used to be. Perhaps I'm beginning to get over my flinch and use better trigger finger. One can hope.

Then it was time for a new target. I put another 8" reactive bullseye in the upper thoracic area and put 50 rounds into it with my XD9. Drat, I let a few get low just off the target. They still would've done some damage in an emergency situation.

Then I cooled off with a couple more cylinders out of the Heritage. I think I'm going to paint a white dot on the top of the front sight so I can see it better. Maybe that will help.

And this is my collection of FTEs with the WWB. That's right, I had three failure to ejects out of fifty rounds today.

I also had one dud. I stuck that cartridge back in the magazine and it shot fine the second time. This WWB is some of the oldest ammo I have in my stash but, at most, I bought it two and a half years ago. It's a good thing I just practice with it. I'll use something different when I go to class. That way this WWB won't embarrass me in front of everyone.

Once again, thanks for putting up with me. I felt like this was a fruitful session and I'm starting to get my groove back. Next week will be even better!


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[SimonRL]

That’s pretty decent looking results, Cliff. I think those few low left with the Garrison was a difference in triggers. I will often do that with my Prodigy. I’ll shoot a target with one gun and then switch to my Prodigy and sure enough, the first shot will be two inches low and left and then I’ll think about what I’m doing and get back on target. That is particularly the case when I start out with .22. Glad you got some range time before having to shovel the snow. It is already full-on pollen season here where the trees are bursting out in leaves!

 

[somorris]

Looks like another fun range trip!

I onetime had the guy in the lane next to me come over and tell me I had shot him in the arm. I apologized, and told him it must have been a ricochet somehow. He came over two or three more times and told me. Subsequently, I read that ricochets sometimes happen. I quit indoor ranges after that. I still feel bad whenever I think about that incident. Have you ever had anything like that happen?

 

[SimonRL]

Looks like another fun range trip!

I onetime had the guy in the lane next to me come over and tell me I had shot him in the arm. I apologized, and told him it must have been a ricochet somehow. He came over two or three more times and told me. Subsequently, I read that ricochets sometimes happen. I quit indoor ranges after that. I still feel bad whenever I think about that incident. Have you ever had anything like that happen?

I have fortunately, never encountered that. I suspect it may have been your ammo breaking up rather than actual ricochet, but totally understand how that can freak you out.

 

[Old_Me]

Looks like another fun range trip!

I onetime had the guy in the lane next to me come over and tell me I had shot him in the arm. I apologized, and told him it must have been a ricochet somehow. He came over two or three more times and told me. Subsequently, I read that ricochets sometimes happen. I quit indoor ranges after that. I still feel bad whenever I think about that incident. Have you ever had anything like that happen?

what i have happened to me, at the club, was some shrapnel will come back to me from that back wall. it landed about 2 feet in front of the shooting port. and it's too damaged from hitting the back wall to do any real injury

the club range is not too deep, i'd say about 40 feet? (that's just a guess), cuz we have to shoot at the 25 foot distance, then that back wall ain't too much further away.

and the shots go thru a "ballistic curtain"first, then hitting the metal back wall, and many times comes back thru the holes in that ballistic curtain, and land god knows all over the place. many times the shrapnel falls into the trough at the bottom.

seeing it had come back very close to where i was standing, astounded me..

i do not shoot hot loads, just my "starting charge" reloads, and factory ammo, and it don't matter, once those bullets hit that back wall, i never know how much sweeping i am doing.

but there isn't any ricocheting that i am aware of, unless one considers what i have said above, as "ricocheting"...

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

That’s pretty decent looking results, Cliff. I think those few low left with the Garrison was a difference in triggers. I will often do that with my Prodigy. I’ll shoot a target with one gun and then switch to my Prodigy and sure enough, the first shot will be two inches low and left and then I’ll think about what I’m doing and get back on target. That is particularly the case when I start out with .22. Glad you got some range time before having to shovel the snow. It is already full-on pollen season here where the trees are bursting out in leaves!

Meh, just "pretty decent". Thank you. I try to stay practiced with all my firearms but it's still a bit tricky going from one to the other, I guess. I always want to put too much booger hook on the bang switch. Especially with the Garrison. It works much better when I remember to squeeze using that portion of my finger between the tip and the middle of the pad.

I didn't have to do any shoveling today. It was a warm snow and didn't stick to the driveway. Yay me! We're expecting a little more tonight and tomorrow but it won't be bad.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Looks like another fun range trip!

Yes, it was quite fun and a bit productive.

I onetime had the guy in the lane next to me come over and tell me I had shot him in the arm. I apologized, and told him it must have been a ricochet somehow. He came over two or three more times and told me. Subsequently, I read that ricochets sometimes happen. I quit indoor ranges after that. I still feel bad whenever I think about that incident. Have you ever had anything like that happen?

That sounds quite odd. I thought all ranges had ballistic level walls between shooting lanes. A ricochet off the back wall? That doesn't sound right either.

I often have hot brass casings flying over the wall and hit me. Or the shooter is leaning way out into the lane and his ejections fly into my lane. I've also had revolvers spew out hot gas, unspent powder, or tiny little pieces of brass or copper, from in between the cylinder and rear of the barrel, that gap at the "forcing cone". That will sting if you get hit with it.

I'm not sure that guy in the next lane knew what he was talking about. Were you shooting a revolver? Or did debris from your muzzle flash hit him on the arm?

Yes, there are lots of precautions to take at an indoor range and untrained/careless people to look out for. It's the same at an outdoor range.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

what i have happened to me, at the club, was some shrapnel will come back to me from that back wall. it landed about 2 feet in front of the shooting port. and it's too damaged from hitting the back wall to do any real injury

the club range is not too deep, i'd say about 40 feet? (that's just a guess), cuz we have to shoot at the 25 foot distance, then that back wall ain't too much further away.

and the shots go thru a "ballistic curtain"first, then hitting the metal back wall, and many times comes back thru the holes in that ballistic curtain, and land god knows all over the place. many times the shrapnel falls into the trough at the bottom.

seeing it had come back very close to where i was standing, astounded me..

i do not shoot hot loads, just my "starting charge" reloads, and factory ammo, and it don't matter, once those bullets hit that back wall, i never know how much sweeping i am doing.

but there isn't any ricocheting that i am aware of, unless one considers what i have said above, as "ricocheting"...

Wow. Thanks for sharing that. One of my ranges has a "short" range and a "long" range. On the long range you have to distance your target to at least 10 yards an can go out to 25 yards.

The short range is only 17 feet long! It has six lanes. I've taken classes in there with all the lanes full and have never experienced an issue such as you describe. I suppose ranges set up their back stops differently, and use different materials. Like this: https://crs-ballistic.com/2019/06/22/types-of-shooting-range-backstop-and-traps/

I suppose some back stops are better than others at catching everything coming back at you. I've never had an issue with any of the indoor ranges I've visited. But what do I know? I'm just the bass player.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[SimonRL]

Wow. Thanks for sharing that. One of my ranges has a "short" range and a "long" range. On the long range you have to distance your target to at least 10 yards a can go out to 25 yards.

@KillerFord1977 used to have to shoot on the short lanes, but I vouched for him, told range management that he was a big boy and now he shoots with the grown ups.

 

[KillerFord1977]

@KillerFord1977 used to have to shoot on the short lanes, but I vouched for him, told range management that he was a big boy and now he shoots with the grown ups.

View attachment 37644

@SimonRL brings me along so the range will let him shoot after they realize he’s British.
They keep taking away his truncheon

 

[SimonRL]

I keep telling them - That’s not a truncheon!

 

[Old_Me]

what i have happened to me, at the club, was some shrapnel will come back to me from that back wall. it landed about 2 feet in front of the shooting port. and it's too damaged from hitting the back wall to do any real injury

the club range is not too deep, i'd say about 40 feet? (that's just a guess), cuz we have to shoot at the 25 foot distance, then that back wall ain't too much further away.

and the shots go thru a "ballistic curtain"first, then hitting the metal back wall, and many times comes back thru the holes in that ballistic curtain, and land god knows all over the place. many times the shrapnel falls into the trough at the bottom.

seeing it had come back very close to where i was standing, astounded me..

i do not shoot hot loads, just my "starting charge" reloads, and factory ammo, and it don't matter, once those bullets hit that back wall, i never know how much sweeping i am doing.

but there isn't any ricocheting that i am aware of, unless one considers what i have said above, as "ricocheting"...

a follow up to my posting.

i went to the club earlier today, here are a couple of pics...(maybe, if they show up here)

at the far left, is my target, at the 25 foot point, then you can see the remainder of the range, maybe about an extra 30 feet? till the ballistic curtains/back wall

there are 6 lanes total. in the "old days" like back in 1903, there was only a clubhouse, they used to shoot outdoors, into the hillside...of course, "urban sprawl" stopped that, years later.

and here, is straight on from the shooting port, with the target at the 25 foot point.

 

[somorris]

Based on what I researched back when I had the incident, it was likely caused by failure of the range owner to properly maintain the backstop.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Based on what I researched back when I had the incident, it was likely caused by failure of the range owner to properly maintain the backstop.

That sounds very possible. I would think something that takes a lot of bullet hits would require regular maintenance and repair. I know I would.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff