First Range Visit - What do I need to know?

[dms1]

First Range Visit - What do I need to know?

I am planning on going out to Lytle Creek this weekend and wanted to know if you guys have any tips you could give me on what I should bring or what I need to know to have a good time out there?

I am planning on bringing the following:

Guns, Ammo, Headphones, Safety Glasses, Paper Targets, Chairs, Food and Drinks

Do they rent target stands?
Do they have shooting tables or do I need to bring my own?

Anyhing else I should bring?

TIA

Dave S

[leelaw]

Been here four years, just taking your first range trip.

Little over due, don't you think?

[dms1]

I normally shoot out in the desert, but I want to setup a scope on a rifle I just bought and don't want to spend all day or drive all the way out to the desert, so i thought I would try visiting a local range.

The last time I was at a shooting range was in the 80s.

[Divernhunter]

Staple gun and/or tape for the targets. Sharpie pen to mark targets. Spotting scope if you have one. Polite attitude when others bug you un-needed. Rest for rifle. Even just wood blocks and a couple of old towels for padding. Coin or screwdriver to adjust scope.

[2Bear]

Surprised Lytle doesn't post regulations online, these are for Chabot:

You will be called out on the loudspeaker for:

http://www.chabotgunclub.com/

[77bawls]

It was nice shooting at Sac Valley with just two of us there. The weather was CRAPY and nobody wanted to come out and play. We shot, and went to check/change our target as we needed. Best range experience ever.

[Beemerguy]

They do sell target stands there. Bring a hammer to drive it into place.

[Lumpia is sarap!®]

Read their range rules and you should be good to go.

[DaveFJ80]

Surprised Lytle doesn't post regulations online, these are for Chabot:

You will be called out on the loudspeaker for:

9. Carrying a camera or taking pictures without permission of the range office.

I'm a little surprised to see this one. Especially since a lot of us (not the noobs you see at the range on date night) may want to get some pictures or vids of themslves shooting, in order to use it for comparing different things, training & practice (stance, etc), advertising, or what ever.

[Merc1138]

I'm a little surprised to see this one. Especially since a lot of us (not the noobs you see at the range on date night) may want to get some pictures or vids of themslves shooting, in order to use it for comparing different things, training & practice (stance, etc), advertising, or what ever.

That's why you ask for permission from the office. What they don't want at the range is jackwads running around recording video or taking pictures of people who don't want pictures of themselves or their gear taken.

Chabot is full of... "special" people. Pretty much every time I'm there some idiot is getting yelled at over the PA every 5-10 minutes. I've seen people argue with the safety officer that they shouldn't have to wear eye protection, watched people sweep their own children with a muzzle, idiots trying to walk down range during a shooting period and then arguing that if everyone else is shooting straight it's perfectly safe(yes, I'm serious), idiots loading guns at the benches while people are down range changing targets, etc.

The thing is, that Chabot's rules also don't necessarily apply to other ranges. I've never seen another range with a rule about the SKS like Chabot, and I've also seen other local ranges allow smoking on the line.

If you're new to a range, here is what to do:

Call the range and ask if your guns/ammo are ok to shoot there, show up with your guns, ammo, eye and ear protection, tape, markers, maybe a staple gun. Read the list of range rules they have printed somewhere and follow them. Most of it is going to be common sense, sometimes there are restrictions for where firearms can be un-cased, whether they consider up or down to be the safe direction to carry guns around, stuff like that. Beemerguy mentioned taking a hammer to this specific range, so take a hammer(5 bucks at a hardware store if you don't already have one).

[radioburning]

Bring lube for the "initiation".

[JDPhx501]

I brought a garden shovel last time to dig holes and move dirt/rocks for my target stand. Worked well.