And if that happens with hot brass, could quickly lead to an unsafe situation depending on how the shooter reacts. Good point, RJ.
It’s good to hear you’re aware of the others on the firing line with you. I think it’s a good thing to check, to see if others are being safe.
Glad to hear you had a good day!
Yeppers. I like mock turtlenecks.
Ejected hot brass is often neglected. The original M-16s would eject right into the faces of left handed shooters. That was corrected with the M-16A1s, along with some other issues.
Make sure you get a really good pair of earmuffs - ideally electronic ones with the microphones in them, so you can still hear people talking to you (or the range officer issuing range commands).
You only get one set of ears and while handguns aren’t particularly loud outdoors, they can still damage your hearing and the noise is amplified at an indoor range.
We’re not counting axes, bubba…
Another bleeding-heart liberal gun enthusiast checking in. Welcome to the club.
Thanks, covered! The ranges we go to, eyes and ears are mandatory. So much so they will toss covers at you if you’re without. It’s so loud, you’d have to be already deaf to even consider a single second uncovered. Just the ventilation alone is barely tolerable without ears on. Friend and I started out with the provided ones, but when browsing the store a couple months ago while waiting for a lane, another customer chatted with us and recommend his. They’re the electronic ones, and not crazy expensive. She got teal, and I got purple. It’s very nice not to yell at each other, and to hear what everyone else is up to!
I also got a purple range bag, pink speed loader, and pink ammo boxes. I figure, if nothing else, my stuff will always be easy to find and harder to steal!
Changed the fiber optic front sight to green last night. It was easy, and wow do I like it better than red. Springfield provided enough to change back and forth probably three to four times. Also, it takes about 30 seconds to field strip and reassemble. I’m sure someone actually trying to do it quickly could halve that easily. Stupid easy.
I put one of those front sights on mine and had the choice of either red or hi-viz green. I chose green and am very happy with it, in all lighting conditions so far tested. The new front sight is a great upgrade from the stock black metal sight. Much much easier to quickly acquire.
Actually, I’m a right-leaning gun owner, and mine are in the safe for the same exact reason, so don’t feel bad about it! I have every intention of teaching my sons to be responsible shooters, but at 4 and 2, they’re not ready yet. So the guns all stay in the safe.
I’ll second Ranger Jeff’s suggestion. I’d even advocate wearing a t-shirt; it doesn’t have to be low-cut, just open at the neck to catch a hot shell casing. (saw this happen to a woman once at the range- it was funny, once she quit waving the pistol around)
It is indeed easy to do, but it has one characteristic that drives me crazy, also in common with Glocks: to field strip it you have to pull the trigger. That violates Rule 3: Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target. Whatever you do, MAKE SURE you do not have a round in the chamber when you disassemble it.
That’s not enough to stop me from owning it, or two Glocks, but it’s something that has bothered me for a long time.
I’d expect that they will continue to make this assumption, until somebody tells them differently.
Yes, I finally understand the whole “fired while cleaning” thing. Not that it’s an excuse. I’ve watched so many (good) training videos, it’s already second nature to check, double check and I haven’t had it for 24 hours yet.
I was deciding between this model and the Sig Sauer p320. The Sig does not require a trigger pull to disassemble. It also has zero other safeties. The mod.2 requires the trigger pull, but I really like the grip safety, can take or leave the trigger safety, has a cocking indicator (visual and tactile) plus a loaded chamber indicator (visual and tactile). My preference for the rest overrode the disassembly trigger pull problem.
Keeping pointed in a safe direction is less intuitive in my apartment. Since I’m on the top floor, pointing to the floor is not safe, the ceiling is a better choice. Pretty much counter to habits I need to keep everywhere else.
I guess I’m more like a classical liberal these days - sort of libertarian but I think that Ayn Rand is a dead hack writer and not someone to invoke in every conversation. And I think Obama is incredibly disingenious on gun control but the language one should be using is on his record, not insinuating that he’s a secret Muslim like in some other forums.
One thing I learned from being on more conservative gun forums: Trump has a few fans, but on the whole people really dislike him.
I remember some Republican debate a few years ago (I think not the Presidential?) where the candidates were asked about their firearms and tried to out 2A each other. And I realized that I own more guns than several proud conservatives combined. Even in the current election, aside from maybe Cruz the other candidates current and former own 1-3 apiece IIRC.
Not sure which one you went with, but the UpLula is wonderful. Boresnakes (Hoppes or other) are a good, cheap idea as well.
Federal is my favorite brand for the cheap stuff (Remington is crappy), but be happy she can find any .22 at all. I can only rarely find 50 packs for too much money or bulk ones of some fancy ammo that’s like $60.
They’re useful if you load them randomly with live ammo and take to the range (have a friend do it so you’re completely blind) to notice when you flinch. The general rule though is that centerfire it’s not necessary but they are in rimfire. Despite that, Ruger says they’re not needed in the 10/22. .22 snap caps are also just chunks of plastic from what I’ve seen while other calibers are fancier with springs and such.
I think there’s some kind of law that .22s and shotguns have to be cleaned rarely. Everything else gets cleaned quicker, and corrosive ammo gets cleaned ASAP.
I’m not sure why you’d even bother cleaning a modern shotgun barrel at all, to be honest. Make sure you keep the mechanism properly maintained, though (obviously).
Also, another recommendation for bore snakes. They’ll cut your cleaning time from potentially half an hour to half a minute.
Well the last time I did so I thought it necessary as it was after I carried it through rain, snow, painful hail, sleet (the wet kind), and sleet (the Dippin’ Dots kind). All in a 1 hour period. In the desert.
++
I usually refrain from discussing my ownership of firearms because I don’t want people assuming Wayne LaPierre speaks for me.
I know what you mean but with me its just that one; it is a pain to get apart and back together. My .22 revolver and rifles get cleaned every trip.
Force of habit due to old age and partly to inspect the firearm on a regular basis. Some of my choke tubes have a habit of working a little loose now and then and cleaning sort of reinforces the “check this” tab in my brain.
This, for me too. But also, when shooting or taking a firearms class, I ignore the political jabs against this or that administration. The comments tend to happen in the classroom, but can be heard when shooting too, during breaks. People assume I share the same beliefs just because I have a firearm.
Yes, picked one up at Cabelas on Sunday.
Putting my range bag together. I don’t need to carry the cleaning kit, right? As long as it’s cleaned regularly, I should just need the bore snake for just in case, and a towel, right?
Correct. Although you may want to carry some CLP with you, for lubing on the go if needed.