The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

This may be a stupid question but is it acceptable to point out another shooter's seemingly unsafe practices on the range? I don't yet have my FAC, having only just become a full member of my club, but the other day at Bisley some shooters from a different club in the next lane were going against everything I've been taught over the last six months - closing the bolt on a live round with rifle held at about 30 degrees above horizontal, working the action immediately after a misfire, firing again on a second misfire then immediately opening the bolt to peer inside, standing up after shooting, bolt closed, sweeping us all with the muzzle. I know the response would likely be "well i know it's safe 'cos i just fired the last round and i know what i'm doing", but had assumed all FAC holders also went through the same safety procedures at their rifle clubs and had at some point had to prove they were safe and competent in the handling of firearms before being allowed out alone on the range.

Call attention to it... the RCO should have noticed these things, and if they didn't theyre not doing thier job either!
Don't feel bad for looking after everyone on the ranges safety...

Dombo63 wrote:This may be a stupid question but is it acceptable to point out another shooter's seemingly unsafe practices on the range?

It is your duty to do so. If they dispute the issue, or fail to modify their behaviour immediately, then call out a member of staff from the range office immediately. Some of the infractions you describe are serious enough that they should be removed from the range immediately and further action taken, and in that case I would contact the range office regardless.

..

Dombo63 wrote:standing up after shooting, bolt closed, sweeping us all with the muzzle.

'Pointing it out' would be them getting off lightly, in a previous life I saw someone knocked on their a*se by a (military) RO for that.

I'm with the others on this, those are some seriously bloody dangerous things to do. Speak to them immediately and if they don't get the message call the range office on the radio.

Gaz

The OP raises an issue I have been witness to many times and what I have come to realise is this:

What we learn and how we behave at our local club is not always the same as what happens at Bisley.

No one is allowed to be unsafe in either venue however if I walked around with my rifle at my local club as I see shooters do at Bisley I would have been kicked out many moons ago.

Dombo63 wrote:...........but had assumed all FAC holders also went through the same safety procedures at their rifle clubs and had at some point had to prove they were safe and competent in the handling of firearms before being allowed out alone on the range.

Not all all. New to shooting club member such as yourself will probably have gone through a series of lectures and/or 1:1's and possibly even a written exam on range safety, best practice on the range, different types of firearms and a myriad of other things.

Those who have been shooting for many years may not have been exposed to such and will have picked up what they assume to be correct along the way, bad habits included. You may even find they were issued their SCC by virtue of their name being known to the Chairman who may not even shoot on the same ranges or by the club secretary who assumes they are a good chap as they have been a member of the club for many years an advises the Chairman accordingly.

Personally I believe all shooters should be assessed formally on a yearly or bi-yearly basis regardless of how safe they feel they are. I will call occasional STOP, STOP, STOP's at the firing point to make sure people do not become complacent and my fellow club members always respond impeccably, it would be interesting to see what happened if you did the same at the 100x point on Short Siberia one Saturday morning. My guess is 75% would respond correctly a few would be slow to react and someone would ask you WTF you were playing at.

Its not just the RO's job to ensure safety-its everyones. Its impossible for an RO to be looking everywhere all of the time so if you see something which isnt right then tell him/her.

Absolutely Steve, we are all responsible for range safety regardless of the range we are shooting at.

If people are being stupid like that, by all means have a word with the RCO in charge of them, and if that doesn't get anywhere, radio the range office and describe exactly what you're seeing. I've done both before and the range office are, in my experience, only too glad to come and have "words of advice" with idiots. The misfire thing described is plain dangerous, and I'd be shouting stop if I saw that going on.

That said, I am guilty of letting things slide at Bisley because virtually everyone there seems to close bolts on live rounds with the muzzle pointing at the moon. Seems to mainly be the older crowd, especially SR shooters. My club did call "stop stop stop" once after a cadet wandered across the range at 300 ... bearing in mind we were about to start firing from 600 ...

Safety is everyone's responsibility. At the end of the day, I'd rather p*** off some old fart who acts dangerously "because I've done it that way since 19-koff-koff" than see someone killed or injured.