At the range question

[DennisCA]

I own most C&R guns, nothing extraordinary or rare but a nice collection (IMHO) never-the-less. Once and a while when I am at a (outdoor) range, someone (usually someone next to me) ask if can shoot one of my C&R rifles (that I am shooting or ones I have with me). In most cases I have said yes, although I'll load it for them and then give them a short instruction on the rifle before handing it to them.
To me it's a great way to introduce someone who doesn't own a C&R rifle or has seen a particular rifle that may out on the range that day!
Short Story:
On one particular trip I was shooting my Steyr M95 (A.K.A. The A * * Kicker) and there were some young guys next to me shooting .223's. On one of the breaks we were talking about the guns each of us brought. One of the guy asked if he could shoot the Steyr and of course I said yes. After one clip (5 rounds) he looked at me and said "I'm done". When he got up he was moving his right shoulder a bit. I'm assuming the recoil was a bit more than he was used to.

So do you let strangers shoot your guns at the range???

[CSACANNONEER]

I enjoy sharing my firearms with others.

[Condorguns]

I think letting others shoot your guns and educating them is a time honored gun tradition. It's one of the things that put firearm collectors above other collectors.

[Capybara]

I've let people shoot my Mosins and my M1 Garand. I usually don't let them shoot the AOW because there is too much risk of them getting hit in the face if they don't hold it correctly. I must say though, these days, when someone rips through a clip of 8 rounds of HXP, that's like $5.00, so I limit them to 2-3 shots, it gets too expensive. And I don't let other people shoot my reloads.

[bender152]

Yup. If someone asks about a gun I'm shooting, my first response is "It's a (insert gun name). Do you want to shoot it?"

[Chapped Hide]

Yup. If someone asks about a gun I'm shooting, my first response is "It's a (insert gun name). Do you want to shoot it?"

^^^^Always. The last time I was at the range the guy in the stall next to me asked about my 1911. He was shooting a Glock 23 and said he'd never shot a 1911 so I let him run through a mag.

[NorCalFocus]

Had a CalGuns BLM cleanup earlier this year. We were shooting after, and one young guy had never shot a big bore bolt action. I let him put like 6 rounds through my .308 700. Pretty sure he wanted a bolt action after that.

Then my normal group of friends and I were at Sac Valley and one friend had just got his Vper. We all were shooting the crap out of it. A 12yo kid and his dad came down to see what was making the big boom. We let the kid shot a mag through it. I don't think I've ever seen a kid grin so big lol.

[navin r]

Yeah I've let people shoot my rifles, spread the cheer.

[TheExiled]

So do let strangers shoot your guns at the range???

Anytime someone is curious or asks, it seems decent to offer or at least swap round for round with them if they have something fun. Its a great way to get people more interested in the world of being a gun-nut

[Marquand]

Honestly, this is one of the reasons I love shooting - the fellowship of other gun owners. I offer up any firearm I bring to the range to anyone who shows interest and respect. I've also been blessed to have many folks return the favor and in doing so, their generosity has introduced me to firearms I might otherwise have never tried, considered, and subsequently purchased.

To all of the posters above, thank you for taking the time and expense to share our hobby with others.

[nullix34]

Wow. I still rent guns and haven't bought yet. I strike up conversations with people next to me usually because they're going BOOM! while I just go boom (9mm or .22).

Never thought to ask, can I shoot your gun. I guess it seemed too forward.

[CSACANNONEER]

Had a CalGuns BLM cleanup earlier this year. We were shooting after, and one young guy had never shot a big bore bolt action. I let him put like 6 rounds through my .308 700. Pretty sure he wanted a bolt action after that.

Then my normal group of friends and I were at Sac Valley and one friend had just got his Vper. We all were shooting the crap out of it. A 12yo kid and his dad came down to see what was making the big boom. We let the kid shot a mag through it. I don't think I've ever seen a kid grin so big lol.

.308 a "BIG BORE"? LOL.

[bigbearbear]

On one particular trip I was shooting my Steyr M95 (A.K.A. The A * * Kicker) and there were some young guys next to me shooting .223's. On one of the breaks we talking about the guns each of us brought. One of the guy asked if he could shoot the Steyr and of course I said yes. After one clip (5 rounds) he looked at me and said "I'm done". When he got up he was moving his right shoulder a bit. I'm assuming the recoil was a bit more than he was used to.

So do let strangers shoot your guns at the range???

Shooters who are used to shooting only .223/5.56mm out of a semi-auto like AR-15 can pick up some bad habits, such as not mounting the gun correctly. The round has so little recoil that it doesn't really matter if you don't mount the gun correctly. So, when you put something larger (eg. 12 gauge) in their hands, they tend to get a smack on their face and hurt their shoulder.

And yes, I usually let people at the range try my guns. My Benelli Supersport usually gets a lot of attention and I've had a number of people tried it. When I was shooting trap at Sunnyvale once, I saw this guy looking at the Supersport so I offered to let him use it for 1 round of trap shooting, which he did.

Likewise, I've had people offer me their guns to shoot at range and I've tried it a few times. It is a nice thing to do.

[71MUSTY]

I suspect most of us would love to brag on/ show off/share our toys.

If you don't look like a bloomin idiot I'd probably let you shoot mine.


But Ammo is expensive. So keep that in mind. Anything over a couple shots starts costing me real money. At least offer to buy/ reimburse me for the ammo.

Depending on the day I might even say don't worry about it, but at least you asked.

[BigL]

I dont. Your still liable for your own gun even if they do something stupid with it.