Range Report
Honey Island Shooting Range
January 18, 2015
I know that there are some members, here, that are range officers or deal with the range, so I'm here to relay this information.
I asked some friends of mine, at the last minute, if they wanted to go shoot. Honey Island sounded just fine, since the weather was going to be nice. I asked if they would like to go around 8-9am and they insisted we go around noon. That was a train wreck waiting to happen.
We arrived shortly after noon and made our way up to the check in station. There was roughly 15 people ahead of us. We patiently waited our turn, pulled a number, guns checked clear, signed in, and paid our range fee. Then the RO told us to wait a moment and then announced that a group of ten were going to the pistol range (ten, not including our three). Of the ten included one man, multiple women, and young children. The RO then announced three shooters to the pistol range and we walked down to the range.
The lanes were filled to the brim and I kindly asked the nearest RO if there were any plate rack lanes open. He came back a few minutes later and said we could have the one "right there." Well "right there" turned out to be the only lane with a busted plate rack. Normally, I wouldn't complain, but I noticed an elderly fellow watching next to us wearing a hat that read "Range Officer" next to us, as well as three stalls (one with a functioning plate rack) full of gear and handguns. I kindly asked the assumed RO if he knew who owned the firearms, as they were partly in our lane. He informed us that they were his; So, my first flag went off. I thought, "Why is a range officer shooting on a crowded day?" He left his gear and began conversing with my friend, who is a beginner to the gun community and bought into his jargon. I overheard something about him being a range officer for another range; I was more concerned when he was going to move his junk.
The real RO's came on the mic and announced to "Range is now cold." Sounded good to me, since we just walked up.
Well the elderly gentleman, next to us, proceeds to place out three paper targets on three target stands, side by side, partly entering my line of fire into the far right plate. I asked if he could move it over and he pretended not to hear me. Before I could walk out and move it myself, the range was announced hot
Then the elderly man begins to "Test his fawty-five" by shooting at our plate rack, instead of his own. This is where my blood started to boil. My buddy told him something and he stopped, but it was useless as his three targets at a whopping 5 feet where placed in a manner that shooting through the far left would land directly at our plate rack
I decided I had enough and quit for the day. When I looked over to my right, past the cobra commando, I noticed a man firing a 12 gauge at the plate rack (I've been told that's not allowed) and the entire family of children sweeping each other with .22lr rifles while the women shot down range as if nothing was going on.
I had enough, I made it a point to tell the nearest RO of safety concerns, to which he replied and yelled towards them, "Step back behind the red line!"
Honey Island is too nice of a place to be infested with ignorant buffoons and RO's that could care less. Every time I've been in the AM, the range is quiet and full of 'Shooters'. Anything past 11:30 am and it's full of Fobus Holsters and Bubba'd AK's.
For a moment, I thought I was in the Sherburne WMA.
Honey Island Shooting Range
January 18, 2015
I know that there are some members, here, that are range officers or deal with the range, so I'm here to relay this information.
I asked some friends of mine, at the last minute, if they wanted to go shoot. Honey Island sounded just fine, since the weather was going to be nice. I asked if they would like to go around 8-9am and they insisted we go around noon. That was a train wreck waiting to happen.
We arrived shortly after noon and made our way up to the check in station. There was roughly 15 people ahead of us. We patiently waited our turn, pulled a number, guns checked clear, signed in, and paid our range fee. Then the RO told us to wait a moment and then announced that a group of ten were going to the pistol range (ten, not including our three). Of the ten included one man, multiple women, and young children. The RO then announced three shooters to the pistol range and we walked down to the range.
The lanes were filled to the brim and I kindly asked the nearest RO if there were any plate rack lanes open. He came back a few minutes later and said we could have the one "right there." Well "right there" turned out to be the only lane with a busted plate rack. Normally, I wouldn't complain, but I noticed an elderly fellow watching next to us wearing a hat that read "Range Officer" next to us, as well as three stalls (one with a functioning plate rack) full of gear and handguns. I kindly asked the assumed RO if he knew who owned the firearms, as they were partly in our lane. He informed us that they were his; So, my first flag went off. I thought, "Why is a range officer shooting on a crowded day?" He left his gear and began conversing with my friend, who is a beginner to the gun community and bought into his jargon. I overheard something about him being a range officer for another range; I was more concerned when he was going to move his junk.
The real RO's came on the mic and announced to "Range is now cold." Sounded good to me, since we just walked up.
Well the elderly gentleman, next to us, proceeds to place out three paper targets on three target stands, side by side, partly entering my line of fire into the far right plate. I asked if he could move it over and he pretended not to hear me. Before I could walk out and move it myself, the range was announced hot
Then the elderly man begins to "Test his fawty-five" by shooting at our plate rack, instead of his own. This is where my blood started to boil. My buddy told him something and he stopped, but it was useless as his three targets at a whopping 5 feet where placed in a manner that shooting through the far left would land directly at our plate rack
I decided I had enough and quit for the day. When I looked over to my right, past the cobra commando, I noticed a man firing a 12 gauge at the plate rack (I've been told that's not allowed) and the entire family of children sweeping each other with .22lr rifles while the women shot down range as if nothing was going on.
I had enough, I made it a point to tell the nearest RO of safety concerns, to which he replied and yelled towards them, "Step back behind the red line!"
Honey Island is too nice of a place to be infested with ignorant buffoons and RO's that could care less. Every time I've been in the AM, the range is quiet and full of 'Shooters'. Anything past 11:30 am and it's full of Fobus Holsters and Bubba'd AK's.
For a moment, I thought I was in the Sherburne WMA.