I went to the range Friday to break in my new 10/22 build. I'm getting it sighted in and a guy sets up on the next lane. No biggie.
I get mine sighted in to suit me and go hang a new target when the range goes cold. Guy in the next lane was setting up a target at 25 yards. Maybe he's sighting in too, who knows.
We go hot and I'm setting my scope on the bullseye and WHAM!!!!! The dude next door shoots something with a muzzle break that sticks out far enough for me to get both the concussion AND the fireball. I managed to shoot one nice group while he tinkers with the scope, and WHAM!! again. And again. I finally gave up and packed up.
No fault of the guy in the next lane, it was crowded and that's where the RO stuck him. I just enjoy it more when there are less people.
At least I got sighted in and can see the potential.

That would be frustrating, to say the least.
I’m not in a situation like that, but I can’t help but wonder if ranges could do a little to mitigate that sort of thing, for example, having a section set aside for use normally by rimfire shooters.

If lanes are assigned I will typically tell them if I am shooting something obnoxious and to put me on the end or something. If not assigned I will typically try to give folks space.

We've all been there. I'm now fortunate enough to do most of my shooting solo on private land, however this situation arises to some level or another every time I train formally or compete.

Let us not forget the recurring threads where SF members boast about how loud their braked, comped, SBR, or whatever firearms are -- and then how they so successfully cleared out the shooting lanes around them with the noise and concussion.

My P250 will eject up and over the partition into the next lane. I have to wait to let her loose.

It's a shooting range. There will be noise. There will be smoke and dust. There will be concussion. There will be flying brass, and maybe even debris falling from the rafters. Just how it is. In the real world there will also be distractions...I just take it as an opportunity to prepare for those and carry on.

It can be aggravating, but the range is a part of life that I just accept the aggravation. I was at a range recently where a guy shooting a Mini 14 was at the far left table. Needless to say we were all dodging brass until he left.

I shoot at an outdoor range only. Most of the time I'm by myself or maybe only a couple of other people well away from me.

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:
I shoot at an outdoor range only. Most of the time I'm by myself or maybe only a couple of other people well away from me.

I shoot 90% of the time outdoors on weekdays at this point. The majority of the time I have the range to myself.

I’ve had more than one comment about the blast from my 14.5” barrel AR. I don’t do rapid fire and I use a brass catcher. Can’t help the blast unless I use the suppressor. Be glad it’s not the M1A. I did do a indoor rental of a very short barrel M16. Brutal. Seemed like everyone else took a break. I stopped at the one mag.

One of the great ironies of life: complaining about noise at a gun range. This isn't golf. I could bend a little on the side blast from a muzzle brake, if you're close enough to it.

At the one I've been going to, shooters do tell each other that they'll be firing a particularly loud gun, the most recent example being the guy with the muzzle-braked .28 Nosler. I tell them that unless they're shooting at me, nothing will bother me. Similarly, I've told people on my right that I'm shooting a 5.7-caliber Ruger LC Carbine that throws brass 15 feet. Another time I took up a handgun station next to a guy who, he said, was teaching his girl to shoot, my rapid gunfire was a distraction for her and would I mind moving down one. Since the other stations were empty and he was there first, although it was not my initial thought, I made a reasonable accommodation.

One thing that helps is muffs with as high a NRR (noise reduction rating) as possible, even on top of ear plugs if you like.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

I don’t complain too much, because it IS a shooting range. The only thing I had an issue with was he was standing up shooting a 308 AR with his muzzle past the concrete dividers.
I didn’t expect him to stop shooting, and if I were just plinking it wouldn’t have bothered me. I just gathered my stuff and went to the pistol range. No big deal.

our range has 20 benches .i was setting on the last one one one end .another guy was on the last on the far end , all other benches was empty .sssooooo what does this guy do? sit right next to me .his rifle had a can on it ..thats good .then he started complainging my rifle was too loud , a 30-06 NO muzzlebrake or anything,i just looked at him like dud , you saw how empty this place is and chose to sett right next to me ..i did not know him ,he had to have done that on purpose

I get it. It's a gun range. It will be loud.

But it doesn't mean that it can't be annoying as well. I don't like but accept that some people have large bore rifles and they need to sight in / practice / whatever.

But other people, like those with the AR "pistols" are loud and concussive and aren't trying to do anything but "look cool" - they have no skills and aren't trying to develop skills. I get that perhaps this may be fun for some people; but I find them at least annoying. And leaning toward idiotic. Yea, yea, free country, blah blah. But if you're making that much noise and distracting other people, at least keep your rounds on paper.

My two favorite ARs have muzzle brakes that would cause me to not shoot indoors or next to someone on a firing line. Luckily I belong to a great outdoor range so I rarely ever shoot indoors these days unless I’m shooting LR. Sorry, you had to deal with that, b/c that had to have sucked.