I’ve been trying to work on my fundamentals, so I’ve been spending more time at the range. But I’m finding that after 20-30 minutes I’m on overload due the noise and stress.

Went to Red’s indoor range in Austin today. While I’m trying to focus the guy in the lane next to me is blasting away. Spent casings are flying out of his lane into mine, often landing on me.

10 lanes firing away is a lot of noise. Even with custom plugs underneath electronic muffs.

I’m trying super hard to focus on my sight picture and smoothly pull the trigger, and BAM BAM, but it’s not my bam bam, it’s one to either side. It’s kind of like bowling when the guy in the lane next to you takes off right before you’re about to. Different convention, obviously, but I feel distracted and unsure about when my trigger is going to break with all the guns gong off around me.

Not complaining, just wondering if anybody experienced this and might have some tips? It’s not always an option to go at off peak hours.

Seems to be getting worse as I get older. This didn’t bother me at all 10 years ago.

Do you have the option to get a membership at a private range?

I have found that if I make time during the week to take a long lunch once or twice, I can get a nice 30-45 minutes of good practice with the range all to myself.

I agree it's hard to concentrate when you have a dudebro spraying and praying next door, then again, occasionally it's useful to challenge yourself under non-ideal conditions.

Good luck! I think trying to practice regularly, even for short sessions, goes a long way towards staying sharp.

Get you something in 44 Magnum and shoot a few rds when you arrive.

The 44 will clear the range out for a bit and give you time to practice.

Or;

Look at the noise as a training aid in that when what your training for goes down things won't be perfect then either.

quote:

Originally posted by Mustang-PaPa:
Get you something in 44 Magnum and shoot a few rds when you arrive.

The 44 will clear the range out for a bit and give you time to practice.

Or;


Look at the noise as a training aid in that when what your training for goes down things won't be perfect then either.

50ae Desert Eagle. Will have them running for cover every time.

There are three indoor ranges within a 30 minute drive from my house . I avoid all of them . I drive an hour to an outdoor range where it's free and when I go early on a weekday I usually have the place to myself .

Not really. I don't particularly enjoy indoor ranges as many are poorly ventilated. I much prefer the fresh air of an outdoor range.

I’m with Edmond. I avoid indoor ranges just because of elevated lead - I will now only shoot outdoors

I hate shooting at public indoor ranges. I've found shooting steel challenge matches at a local private outdoor pistol range to be very satisfying. It's $20 and the safety is far better than public ranges.

But aren't you an LEO?

I like indoor ranges better than outdoors. I can understand if there's someone shooting a loud cartridge like a 44 mag. That happened to me an outdoor range and the guy was in the next stall. That's when I also thought of getting my own 44 mag just for "pay back" if every someone does that to me again.

My outdoor club range has an overhang to keep the weather out. Often, I will be plinking away when someone arrives with a belted magnum rifle and a muzzle brake. The noise and concussion from it dislodges all kind of dirt and fun spiders, wasps and other bugs from the overhang which fall on me. I usually just call it a day at that point.

Noise and recoil has never bothered me indoors. I'm the asshole at the end shooting a .454 snub nose.

I still prefer my outdoor range because I'm just not a fan of being around a lot of people.

quote:

Originally posted by fwbulldog:
Went to Red’s indoor range in Austin today.

Have you tried Range USA in Round Rock ?

I found it better ventilated than Reds , and generally cleaner a d better managed when I visited.

I think the partitions were better so less chance of stray casings.

quote:

Originally posted by fwbulldog:
I’m trying super hard to focus on my sight picture and smoothly pull the trigger, and BAM BAM, but it’s not my bam bam, it’s one to either side.

Consider it a training opportunity. While understandable that you're trying to work-out some specifics in your shooting, the real world reality is shootings are never in perfect settings and environments, thus you'll need to be more adaptable and flexible. Or, join a private club/range where close proximity and number of users is at a more manageable level.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
I’m with Edmond. I avoid indoor ranges just because of elevated lead - I will now only shoot outdoors

That's the bigger issue with indoor ranges, especially if you're a frequent user.

Shooting at indoor ranges can be challenging, depending on how busy it is and what people are shooting.

I've complained on this forum about people shooting 5.56 at the small indoor range I go to, and the muzzle blast that results. Very uncomfortable, especially if you're close. Ear plugs along with muffs help, but still, hard not to flinch with that going on.

I have to drive a long way to shoot outdoors, and in the winter it's especially difficult due to rain and snow. So it's either an indoor range or nothing.

ETA: Yes, the constant gunfire adds to the stress and fatigue, limiting the amount of time I spend there.

Yeah, I do when it's busy.

I really try to hit my local indoor range at 10am when they open. They have 12 lanes and typically I'm on the range by myself at that time of day. I'm fortunate that I have a job that I set my own schedule and can do stuff at this time of day.

On the rare occasion I hit the range during peak hours, I'm in and out very quick, like less than 10 minutes. Typically just function firing something new to me.

That’s why I chose the open bays at my club vs the line with a covering and someone with a rifle next to pistol shooters.

I found that busting out the Brown Bess usually makes them move. Four or five rounds of 110 grains of black powder usually gives me some onlookers and some that go.

Do you do dry fire practice? You can work on a lot of fundamentals without burning rounds. Arguably it’s more effective than live fire, as you can tell a lot more about your fundamentals without the distraction of the bang. You certainly can work on your draw and that all important first trigger press. Of course it’s somewhat of a pain with an auto to have to reset the trigger. You can’t work on multiple shots without stopping to reset your trigger. Unless you get one of those practice gizmos that use CO2 to cycle your slide. I’ve never tried one of those, but I’m actually interested.

Dry fire is not a total substitute for live fire, so you still need to go to the range some time. But you can get a lot of great work in at home for free, with no distractions.

Like the OP, indoor ranges bother me a great deal. I belong to a very good private indoor range (Poway Weapins & Gear), wheee I get free time in the 25 yard range. But it’s so crowded usually that I pay to shoot on the 50-yard range.
I belong to an outdoor range (South Bay), but it’s an hour drive. And there is a good chance that when you get there there won’t be an RO for the pistol range.
Looking forward to shooting at outdoor ranges in Sacto area when spending more time there.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:

quote:

Originally posted by fwbulldog:
I’m trying super hard to focus on my sight picture and smoothly pull the trigger, and BAM BAM, but it’s not my bam bam, it’s one to either side.

Consider it a training opportunity. While understandable that you're trying to work-out some specifics in your shooting, the real world reality is shootings are never in perfect settings and environments, thus you'll need to be more adaptable and flexible. Or, join a private club/range where close proximity and number of users is at a more manageable level.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
I’m with Edmond. I avoid indoor ranges just because of elevated lead - I will now only shoot outdoors

That's the bigger issue with indoor ranges, especially if you're a frequent user.

Most commercial ranges have to follow some EPA standards regarding ventilation, so lead issues are not bad these days compared to those squalid basement ranges dating to before World War Two in some cases that I used decades ago.

If you are truly focused on what you are doing, a stray case bouncing off& you shouldn’t even be noticed. You definitely need to work on not being so easily distracted.

I prefer outdoor but can shoot indoor.

Indoor, I don't like shotguns, AR pistols, or Dessert Eagles near me. I don't like them outdoor either but especially indoor. They don't distract me but I can feel the concussion and I'm concerned for my hearing even with double ear pro and mouth closed. So I usually just wrap up quickly.

Spent casings don't bother me much anymore, especially after having gone through the glock brass to face issue. Hot cases going down the shirt don't distract me. I get a lot of cases coming at me during training classes when we're all standing on a line next to each and no separation barriers. Doesn't bother me anymore.

Outside ain't perfect either though. Wind is a problem when it's strong enough to move your body and/or move your target stand / knock it over. That sucks because then you need to wait 15 minutes for the next cease fire to put your target back up.