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Question of the Day: What Shouldn’t You Say at a Gun Range?

Robert Farago - comments No comments

(courtesy pksafety.com)

Over at satireworld.com the floridly named Bargis Tryhol offers The Top 20 Things A Guy Should Never Say at a Gun Range. Many of his suggestions seem a little  . . . homophobic. An impression that’s not contradicted by a pic of Richard Simmons in a tutu. Something to do with his last name? Anyway, let’s right set Mr Tryhol straight (so to speak). What shouldn’t you say at a gun range? I’m going with “Nice 1911. Too bad it’s not a GLOCK.”

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Robert Farago

Robert Farago is the former publisher of The Truth About Guns (TTAG). He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns.

0 thoughts on “Question of the Day: What Shouldn’t You Say at a Gun Range?”

  1. Sorry I’m late to the party, but I have to second the recommendation to retry the Hornady loads with a lighter choke–as well as any Federal FliteControl products whose caps you pop. I’ve patterned both their buck and duck offerings, and the wads frequently perform best with little to no choke, based on their closed font end and how they “rear-brake” in flight. Pushing them through a modified or full (and certainly a turkey) choke is guaranteed to defeat the technology you just paid a premium for.

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    • So where’s the “homophobia” in that video?

      I can’t find any place where anyone was either afraid of any form of ‘homo-anything’ (homosapien, homosexual, homodumbasswhotalksabouthomophobia) are mention ‘homo-whatever’.

      Maybe it was in the part that got edited out. Common liberal tactic. Invent something, then use it to label others in order to bully them into doing what you want them to do.

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    • …says a guy who probably hasn’t owned one for a decade.

      Brings up a good point… anyone caught disparaging other people’s guns based on brand at a gun range should be pilloried.

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      • What is it with Sig guys? They can’t bear the sight of a Beretta 92 without spouting off how much better they think their Sigs are than Berettas. I’ve just started conceding that since they cost 50% more they aught to be better or else they got ripped off. That usually shuts them up. You can argue the nuances of design all day long, but I’ve yet to come across a Sig guy who thinks they’re cheaper.

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      • I can go along with that, Hannibal. My whole thing at the range is, you do your thing, I’ll do mine. Where I do draw the lines are at safety, braggadocio and poserdom. If someone gets those right and adheres to the DBAD Rule, then pretty much everything else falls under the heading of live and let live.

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  2. “Hey man…I think I have a bullet jammed in my gun. The slide won’t open…Could you look down the barrel and tell me if you see anything?”

    -Actually had someone ask me this, while he was pointing it at me. Not a happy camper.

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  3. I have wanted a 308 bullpup ever since the RFB came on the market a couple years ago. Problem is, in all that time I have only seen ONE at a gunshow. And I hear they do not function very well. If Desert Tech can produce these in acceptable numbers, for a good price (under $2K) and they work, I will get one.

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  4. “American anti-gunners can, on occasion, if pushed, offer some semi-logical basis for their willingness to infringe on their fellow citizen’s natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms.”

    When they are really pushed, they generally end up with following statement: “Well, I just don’t like guns.”

    My reply: “I don’t like Brussels sprouts, but I’m not trying to make it illegal for someone else to eat them.” That generally ends the conversation.

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  5. I was at a range a year or so ago and there was a fella there who appeared to be renting a gun. He shot then racked the slide. Shot then racked the slide again. Each time he shot a round he dumped a live round on the ground. Let’s just say he probably watched too many action movies.

    Actions speak louder than words.

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  6. On a related note, anyone watching the Olympics right now? One of the American doubles skating teams did a James Bond inspired routine and Simon Shnapir was wearing a costume shoulder holster. Just having kids see that as normal helps.

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    • I’d watch figure skating if they combined it with shooting, like Biathlon! “Oh my GOD, Dick! They just did a double axel (?) and shot TWIN BULLSEYES! CUNNING STUNT!!!”

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  7. One of my buddies bought 200,000 rounds of 22 LR when the Clinton was elcted and assortment of 7.62 x39 almost 100,000 rounds and is selling them for 6 times more then he paid. Better then gold 🙂

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  8. Surprising…Sig isn’t giving away anymore more guns that use the hardest to find ammo. I guess they had some stock to clear out before paying tax on it -stock they couldn’t move because the ammo is hard to find. I bet this promotion will help that ammo availability.

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  9. “The bullet comes out where?”
    or
    “Can I borrow some of your bullets?” (happened)
    or
    “I usually just shoot them in the eyes but I am trying not to make my friend look bad”
    or
    “I’m a former Marine I know what I’m doing”

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    • I resent that remark. Some of us can actually shoot two pistols/revolvers at the same time (just look at the Gunslinger class of CASS if you need a more local example).

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  10. “I know you said no 50’s but I thought just one or two shots would be OK.”

    actually had that happenw hile I was shooting at an indoor range. Guy had one of those .500 mags with the short barrel and muzzle break. Even with my ears on that HURT and the range owner was pissed.

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  11. I resent the “hippie lawyer” comment. As a former ACLU member (thank God some group looks after our civil liberties), Greenpeace member (Save The Whales!), current NRA
    Life Member( “if your not a liberal when your young you have no heart–if your not a conservative when your old you have no brain”), ardent military firearms collector and life time hunter (oh yeah, and hated personal injury lawyer–until the insurance company screws you) I’ll happily sue anybody that behaves unreasonably and causes injury to someone else. (What a novel idea, the common man can take a corporation to court when it puts it’s profits above acting responsibly!) But I ain’t no hippy! I don’t think. Then again, I’m not quiet sure what a hippie is. I love the Hornady marketing on this and the fact that someone in a suit and tie has the cajones to do something that may tick off the political correctness zombies with the half formed brains. Anyone from either side who gets all twisted up about this needs to get a sense of humor and a life. (If case you don’t understand sarcasm the hippie comment really doesn’t bother me. As a member of three groups that it is politically correct to disparage (Christians, lawyers and white males) I’m kinda used to inane statements by the intellectually challenged. I’ve got some 9mm, 7.62×39, 223, and 12ga. zombie loads. If I just had some 7.5 French for my Mas 49/56 I’d be ready for the apocalypse. (Are you listening Hornady?) You never know.

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  12. This issue goes way beyond what appears at first glance. We have far too many citizens that believe the role of government is to restrict citizens. Prevent citizens from doing what our highest Law in this nation, the US Constitution, says is allowable. Before you simply say that nowhere in the Constitution does it say citizens can openly carry firearms in public, let’s look at what it prevents the government from doing.

    “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

    What does the vast majority of the Constitution do? It restricts what government can do to it’s citizens. After all, why do you think the original citizens had a revolution against England? Because they enjoyed all the God given rights to which they were entitled? No, it was because the British could do whatever they wanted to do without regard to the plight of their “subjects.”

    Precisely what the meaning of “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state” implies has been picked apart for well over one hundred years. What the authors and signatories to the Constitution meant my Militia was the people of the State. Notice it said State, not Nation. The remainder of the Second Amendment is so obvious that nobody can misinterpret it unless they have nefarious purposes.

    The message that has already been sent to our children, intentionally I may add, is that they cannot do anything unless it has been “granted” by the all controlling Federal Government. I live in Mississippi where open carry was clearly articulated by their new law. Basically saying it was allowed and that a holster does not “conceal” the fact that a firearm is in your possession.

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  13. Darn, I must be an idiot. Or maybe the “hippie lawyer” comment really does get to me! This is rich! I just see I already posted a response to this some months ago. I guess I just learned something about myself (“me thinks he protesteth to much”). At least I see my attitude about all this is consistent.

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  14. I think I’ve figured out part of the grabber mentality. Since an armed society is a polite society, by wanting everyone disarmed they expose their true agenda – they want carte blanche to be obnoxious assholes with total impunity.

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  15. I’m down with this as long as they cannot be turned off and the video is available for defense attorneys to use too. A little transparency in police work would be wonderful.

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  16. Look up the MAIG members list and see if they are in your city, county, state. And email them the original story line! Maybe it will convince a few more to drop off, just on this article along. And shake the belief foundation that other mayors may have.

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  17. While this isn’t quite on topic..

    A man shows up to the indoor range in all black, tacticool, 5.11 gear wearing Arnette tactical sunglasses and carrying a camouflaged duffle. He walks up to a lane, and puts the duffle down. He removes a B-27 police silhouette target, and attaches it to the clips. He brings it out to the 3 yard line. He unzips the duffle, removes a bright blue Nerf Alpha-Trooper. He inserts the translucent orange magazine, racks the pump, and grips the gun in a low-ready c-clamp.

    With a quick exhale and a scowl, he brings the gun up to bear, eyes unblinking. In a split second, he unloads a furious barrage of bright orange Nerf darts that harmlessly bounce off the paper target and plop on to the range floor. The sound of a dry fire alerts the mysterious operator that his weapon is empty. He brings the gun into a low ready, and does a quick search and assess; he checks his right, then his left, then his rear. After a brief pause, he silently places the Nerf Blaster back into his duffle bag and zips it closed. The eyes of all the stunned range patrons follow the figure carrying his duffle bag, as he moves towards the exit.

    He crosses the range parking lot, and walks into the sunset, never to be seen or heard from again.

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  18. RF, if you want constitutional carry you need to move to Arizona. I don’t see Texas doing it anytime soon. I was very surprised that the TTAG bloggers didn’t settle down in a constitutional carry state. I understand the desire to hunt on ranch land and that would be the biggest motivator to move to Texas…but I see no other reason.

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  19. Worst possible situation? Cop using this to help release the Chris Dorner in himself.

    However that’s quite possible now with current standard police equipment.

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  20. I know to many cops and related to a bunch and I’d never trust any of them with this stuff. This is getting Orwellian. Cops don’t need this stuff and if the bad guys were actually incarcerated for the length of time specified by law we wouldn’t have most of the crime we do.
    Besides how long will it be before this stuff is used to violate people privacy right, show dead, use your imagination. The NSA can’t seem to keep people out of their data so what makes the local yokels think their systems won’t be hacked.

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  21. Totally off topic but I am watching Olympic coverage on NBC and they are actually showing biathlon competition on network TV!!!! Shooting real guns on NBC!!!! I am surprised Bob Costas didn’t make himself a human shield in front of the targets as a protest. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!!!!

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  22. Admittedly pedantic pet peeve: “BOGO” makes no sense, at least in the intended way. Of *course* if you “buy one” you’re going to “get one.” What they intend to convey is BOGT: Buy One Get Two. Right?

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  23. “Thanks to the Gun Show loophole I picked up my first AR15 Assault Shotgun. It shoots .9mm Glock clips and has a Zombie Patrol sticker on the barrel.”

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  24. “I didn’t know there were different kinds of Enfields/Mausers/Mosins/FALs/AKs”

    if said to the right person, say goodbye to a half hour of shooting time as you receive an impromptu history lesson

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  25. “Heck at that price I’d rather give the bad guy my wallet rather than unload a magazine trying to keep it.” …..

    Smart thinking, because that ammo sucks so badly the bad guy would take your wallet after you went to slide lock anyways.

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  26. Are you sure the G2 R.I.P. isn’t produced by a Bloomberg subsidiary. They don’t have the Black Talon to scream about anymore. The G2 will be the new Black Talon.

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  27. Clever writing from a guy who probably knows better. Ignore a few key issues in order to challenge conventional wisdom. That so he can stir up interest and debate, get his article published, and paid as an author.

    No argument that compact lighter rifles are preferable to heavier ones (unless you need the weight to make the shooting platform more stable (e.g. 8kg in F Class sand shooting competitively off spongy grass).

    Velocity gets you range. .223 for example will only make 1,000 out of 30″ barrels, nothing less. Longer barrels allow for slower powders which give higher velocities.

    Velocity kills more efficiently when hunting. Slower rounds leave smaller temporary wound cavities. Bullets designed to open-up on impact will not do so below 1,800fps (with a few eccentric exceptions; e.g. Barnes Black-Tip for the Blackout, Glaser Safety Slugs. LeHigh subsonic ME and Controlled Expansion).

    Unfortunately shorter barrels do not give the velocity you might need in whatever scenario you might be. If you’re only going to shoot in one scenario then sure, choose the shortest barrel you can, especially if only punching paper. But most people need a rifle that will work in more scenarios than less.

    His other rifles are probably all longer barrels.

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  28. LOLOL: “at a ceremony at the Scottish Rite Temple”

    It’s the Free Masons! It’s the Free Masons! It’s always those motherfucking Masons!

    xD

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  29. Nice holsters! I could see some confusion with the Shebang holster, imagine you’ve made it passed 1st and 2nd base. Now your making your way to third when you encounter …. well you know.

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  30. If you see something,say something. Confront them (politely) and let them know that sh!t aint tolerated. More often than not, there is one asshole that is leading the crowd, a crowd that ordinarly wouldn’t entertain such nonsense

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  31. We trained to do this in the Army also to fall and draw/fire at the BG. as long as the ‘prisoner’ initiates the action there was a 95% success rate (0% when the captor pulled trigger first), it’s simple bio-mechanics.
    So why all the hate for this vid?
    Is the point of the editorial that POTGs should sheepishly accept their fate as the Collective will (s)?
    Is being faithful to one’s own survival such a sin?
    Or is it a ‘haters gotta hate’ situation?
    Sometimes I am confounded that the Content allowed on TTAG is more reminiscent of the unmoderated commentary found on Utube then the well considered prose it so proudly proclaims to separate it from the rest of the internet, because this example belies that claim.

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  32. The antis are going to have a bad time trying to avoid the realization that the word “regulated” as used in the constitution does not mean “restricted” and in fact means something closer to “optimized” or “not restricted.”

    In other words, to “regulate” firearms ownership as he misunderstands the constitution to mean, could actually be reasonably construed to mean government must give guns to citizens who cannot afford them or to provide ammunition to civilians.

    It certainly does not mean that the government gets to decide who can and cannot own firearms.

    Reply

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