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g31357 wrote:I always unload it and put it in my bag, not worth getting into it with the range.

I agree, why not just ask them how they want to handle it? Then you won't have to "get into it".

fulano wrote: Has the Bullet Trap changed hands?

I was there right before Thanksgiving and practiced with my carry weapon then re-holstered without a problem. Its been over a year since I asked if I could infact carry inside, practice and reholster and was told that was fine. Hope things don't change.

I like the Bullet Trap. I have noticed lots more email from them starting in the late summer; almost like an effort to "market direct to the members". They hadn't really done that since I joined a few years back.

Yep! Fall of 2010, I believe. Though the transition may have been over a few months.

Keith B wrote:

jpfrog wrote:

baldeagle wrote:Ask the range what their policy is. Garland Shooting Range allows it. The Bullet Trap in Plano has a sign in the window stating that all firearms must be unloaded before entering. Having said that, it's not illegal to carry concealed into/onto a gun range. The worst that could happen is that they ask you not to return, which might be a tipoff that they shouldn't get your business anyway.

+1...also, the sign that Bullet Trap has is not a 30.06 sign. Just like when entering a Cabela's/Bass Pro...same "firearms must be unloaded..." sign there too. I asked if this applied to Concealed Carry persons at Cabelas and they said no, CHL persons are permitted as long as it stays concealed. I think I got a similar response at BT, but I'd ask them first. That said, if you're carrying concealed CORRECTLY, how would they know?

Bullet Trap will allow you to unconceal at the line, shoot your CC weapon, then load and re-holster before leaving the line. Just no drawing from the holster.

Keith -- I've stated that before, too. However, that range changed hands a while back. I don't know whether the same rules apply anymore. Anybody asked them since the ownership change?
They haven't given me any grief about it, but I'm not sure they noticed, either.

03Lightningrocks wrote:

sjfcontrol wrote:

03Lightningrocks wrote:They aren't 100 years old but I have been going in there for about 30 years... give or take. The visual of standing on one side and saying, "OK, Now Shoot It", cracks me up.

They've been there since 1989, so you started shooting 8 years before they got there!

LOL... the older I get, the worse I get at estimating my past. I was there for the grand opening... so yep... 22... 25... 30... whatever.

Yeah, I tell people you know when you're getting old, because you start measuring time in decades! (e.g. "I've lived here for a decade!", or "I've been doing this activity for 3 decades!")

03Lightningrocks wrote:They aren't 100 years old but I have been going in there for about 30 years... give or take. The visual of standing on one side and saying, "OK, Now Shoot It", cracks me up.

They've been there since 1989, so you started shooting 8 years before they got there!

OK -- the guy at BT wasn't real familiar with the construction of the booths, but did say they contained some kind of material to slow down a round. However, he stated they were built so long ago that he wasn't sure how effective they would be with modern ammo -- and thus their emphasis on safety. (For crying out loud, they aren't 100 years old!). Anyway, he said he wouldn't want to be on one side of the barrier and tell somebody on the other side "OK -- Now shoot it!"

I do point out that I said it was bullet resistant, not bullet proof!

(I need to turn banghead around so he's shooting the guy thru the brick wall! )

By the way, the damage to the ceiling is most like done by flying brass. Some of which is still stuck in the acoustic tile. Though I have seen holes in the plastic tables, and today a BIG hole in the movable divider.

03Lightningrocks wrote: You think or you know? I have never asked them if they were filled with "bullet resistant" material. Now you have my curiosity going.

Well, I have no specific knowledge regarding the construction of the Bullet Trap's shooting booths, however, I have investigated range construction, and the vendors I talked to all had some form of "bullet resistant" material between the booths. I can also tell you that there is a thing called a "safety seal" (don't know why), which is basically a sheet of ballistic steel wrapped with plywood (and an airgap between them). This is placed directly above the shooter. If the shooter shoots straight up, the round penetrates the plywood, and richoches off the steel and is captured between the steel and plywood. Most booth walls either have steel on the inside, or outside, and fill the gaps with some material to slow/capture the round.

I will be going to the Bullet trap probably tomorrow. If I can remember, I'll ask.

03Lightningrocks wrote:

fulano wrote:Gun ranges are just risky. Period.

A large portion of the daily shooters are members or regulars but there are always the walk ins who are unknown.

Last week I watched a guy with a new gun who couldn't get the gun to cycle. I watched him while my wife shot. He just couldn't figure the gun out. Is that not scary? I thought the RO might help out but the guy packed it in after a while.

You just never know who is next to you.

I would agree with you. I try to keep an eye out for dangerous situations. The Bullet Trap has plastic dividers between lanes that make it hard to see if your in the cross hairs. A bullet would go right through the divider. The single biggest mistake I see is folks pointing their guns to the side as they lay them down. I am not the least bit shy about telling them to lay the gun down so the muzzle is pointing down range. The second issue I witness is folks pointing their guns to the side as they slap a magazine into it.

I think you'll find those partitions are filled with pea gravel, or some other ballistic material to make the partitions bullet resistant.

AndyC wrote:2. Very few ranges are "hot" ranges where weapons are allowed to be loaded all the time - so the firearm should already be cleared before you even get to the firing-line. It's a safety-issue (as well as a courtesy to the other shooters there who have been following the rules), because once you're on the range, the only place that's considered a safe direction is the backstop. It's a stricter place than when you're on the street (where a safe direction doesn't really exist) - the rules are to keep everyone safe, not "infringe on your rights".

Apparently you do your shooting outdoors, where there are no target retrieval systems. My experience is that "most" (indoor) ranges, as well as some outdoor ranges, ARE "hot" all the time, and if you're downrange for ANY reason, you're going to cause a panic!

AndyC wrote: 3. Drawing a (loaded or unloaded) firearm from a concealed holster on arrival at the bench without sweeping someone with the muzzle seems to be next-to-impossible for most. It's the most amateurish thing which I've seen time and again, and it disturbs me on a number of levels.

Are all these shooters using weak-side holsters? I don't see how a strong-side holster could be drawn from and sweep anybody without some very clumsy handling (or at least not facing downrange to do it). Cross-draw is different, and can result in sweeping motions if not properly performed. The trick is to keep the muzzle pointed down after drawing, until the firearm can be raised while pointing downrange.

AndyC wrote: Obviously it's primarily from a safety aspect - but also for the fact that a CHL-holder should *know* better. Either they don't (so he's incompetent and therefore a very real danger to himself and others) - or they do know but because "I gots me a CHL", they're somehow elite and special and don't have to follow anybody else's rules; those are the ones who make my fingers clench.

AndyC wrote: Bottom line - if you have a CHL and get to the range, unload it and put it in a small gun-rug, range-bag or whatever before you get to the firing-line. It's safe, shows courtesy to the range rules and the other shooters - and it's professional. Don't be an amateur - don't be a dork.

If that's the way your range wants to handle the issue, I have no problem. The Bullet Trap, however, has stated that it is OK to unholster a concealed firearm at the shooting line, unload HP ammo, reload and shoot. When finished, you can reload the HP ammo, and reholster. They do NOT want you drawing and shooting. I have done this (drawing, unloading, reloading, shooting) many times and have never had a problem from either the RSOs, or the other shooters.

Yeah. That's already been said at least once in this thread, by somebody, I forget who...

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baldeagle wrote:Ask the range what their policy is. Garland Shooting Range allows it. The Bullet Trap in Plano has a sign in the window stating that all firearms must be unloaded before entering. Having said that, it's not illegal to carry concealed into/onto a gun range. The worst that could happen is that they ask you not to return, which might be a tipoff that they shouldn't get your business anyway.

As noted, the sign at Bullet Trap is not 30.06, and they don't expect it to apply to CHL holders. They have stated that if you want to shoot your carry gun, you may unholster at the firing line, change ammo, and shoot. When done, reload with HP ammo and re-conceal at the line. I have done this multiple times without issue. They probably wouldn't appreciate drawing and shooting, however...

Ask the range how they want you to handle that. They should be happy to explain it to you.