doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Shot in back at skeet range

Safety is job one no matter how informal the shooting day is.

I agree Jim, however what is most concerning within what Jerry described is, "called him aside and corrected him which was not taken kindly at all" Far to many people today are unwilling to listen to good advice no matter how courteous it presented or how badly it's needed.

Not being willing to watch unsafe practices go without challenge, I have approached lots of people in my 72 years, maybe numbering in the hundreds. The ones who got surly about it have been a very small number, quite the opposite of your "far too many people". That's not a good reason to let it slide. When done quietly and privately, not by screaming at the person from the next field or otherwise embarrassing him/her, it's taken well by the vast majority of people. That's been my experience. If they don't like it, too damn bad! They're in the wrong and they need to be stopped before they cause another tragedy. In almost every case, what they are doing wrong is clearly stated on range signs about safety. If not, it darn well should be.

JIM- I'm going to take your post here- and add it to the Framed poem- from an earlier Ruger ad- sort of a Frederick Remington bronze of a Father passing down a firearm to his Youngster- "If a Sportsman true you would be-listen carefully My Son, to me- NEVER EVER let your gun, pointed be at anyone- Though it may unloaded be, matters NOT the least to me=-Olde English phrasing-but the message from a by gone era rings true today, and tomorrow, and for as long as Fathers and Sons and Grandsons sshare their love for shooting and hunting-The make or action type of any firearm is not the issue here-if a gent were behind me on a clays field with a broken open Perrazi- or an Iver Johnson Skeeter-and had it pointed at my old semi-over the hill carcass, I would politely tell him that pointed down at the ground is the safe manner- if he refused, or took offense, I would leave the stand and let the scorer or other club members handle it- and keep my hot Irish temper in check-I recall that Harlo Curtis- a VP of GM back in the "Ike" era- blew the head off his duck blind partner in Nov. over on Walpole Island- The last line of that Olde English poem addresses this tragic event-"You may kill or you may miss, but at all times remember this- all the pheasants ever bred, won't repay for one man dead" Thanks for your input here Jim-right on the money- Gun Safety is a 24/7/365 code of conduct-RWTF!!

We had a friend one time at the range always shot with us and we always jumped him about pointing his gun safely. One day we got our heads together and when the oleboy made the mistake we all knew he would, he found himslf with about ten guns pointed at him and words to the effect to drop his weapon. He missed the next half dozen outing but when he came back his gun was always in the correct place and pointing where it should be.Small town small range good friends but he knows now it ain't a joke.

Amigo, what the hell is that, in teaching someone with bad conduct, you lowered yourself to bad conduct? I know what you were trying to get at, but YOU broke the cardinal sin doing so. I would NOT recomend that tactic.

Well it worked just fine in small town Alaska where two or three years of nagging didn't kick it.No teaching involved as he knew the rules just needed stiffer reinforcement. I assure you if it was the lower 48 the range master would of handled it and we would have missed all the good years of shooting together.

Anybody Read the account of how ***** Arnold got his Brains blown out on a duck hunt with Hemmingway..Up in Idaho I belive.Rumors were that it was an Accident...But Gary cooper had his "doubts"!One of them was Changing Positions in the boat when it happened..I think I was told it was one of EHs. Winchester 21s....cc/dt

CC: I have researched Hemingway (only one m- like Remington) until Hell wouldn't have it- that story is a new one to me-can you supply a few more details? RWTF

RWTF...Memory "pharte'...Sept/Oct. 1939, Duck Hunting / Canoe/Sunday Morning"Gene Van Guilder was instantly killed by a blast from a shotgun carelessly handled by one of his companions." Whilst visiting Sun Valley around 1980, I raised the "Incident" with a couple of "Locals" at the Breakfast Shoppe'....In a most polite manner I was told"Mind your own bussiness"....The Incident was laid to Rest!! Ref: Carlos Baker, Hemmingway, Scribner's 1969..Page 342.(Sun Valley) cc/dt