Range Safety Sandwich

[SevenSixTwo]

My club shoots on a typical MoD range but it puts two (and sometimes three) shooters in a single lane and expects us to double/triple-up on a single fig.11 target.

Now, the target thing doesn't bother me so much because, in the main, we're all good shots but the lane thing does. Massively so.

Shooters firing full-bore rifles within three feet or less of each other (with the attendant, if slight, risk of "KABOOM") is an accident waiting to happen in my book.

Should I mention and challenge it? It seems that they've being doing it this way for ever and I don't want to rock the boat.

[judders]

Can you elaborate on what you think the risk is exactly? I've shot 2 or 3 on a single target many many times and I've never been concerned as the folk I shoot with are sensible safe shooters.

But then perhaps I've been missing something and should be concerned?...

[Dannywayoflife]

Never concerned me either

[dodgyrog]

My club shoots on a typical MoD range but it puts two (and sometimes three) shooters in a single lane and expects us to double/triple-up on a single fig.11 target.

Now, the target thing doesn't bother me so much because, in the main, we're all good shots but the lane thing does. Massively so.

Shooters firing full-bore rifles within three feet or less of each other (with the attendant, if slight, risk of "KABOOM") is an accident waiting to happen in my book.

Should I mention and challenge it? It seems that they've being doing it this way for ever and I don't want to rock the boat.

I just don't see any problem myself. It's all about the RCO maintaining a good range discipline.

[John MH]

TR standard practice. If you want more room shoot with another club.

[20series]

Yep I've shot with two and three people to a firing point on a few occasions and never felt at risk, that said if someone was hammering their bolt open coz they're running hot loads I think I'd be having words with the shooter and the RO.

Alan

[billgatese30]

Common practice in our club.

Two to a lane in the first half of the morning, swap to butt duty half way through, with two of you to mark and haul rusty old target frames about, then same thing in the afternoon. Means we can shoot 24 people to a 6 lane booking which keeps costs down and we can get more bookings as we don't need both sides of the range (A and B range both with 6 target frames on the MOD range we use). We have had other clubs and cadets on the opposite range when I have been there, if we required all 12 lanes then we would be restricted further on days we could shoot. If we have more than 24 or if we have target frames out of commission then we have been known to triple up. No concerns, especially at 300 yards as we tend to have two stood in the pit with one prone along side. 500.600 yards then we have 3 prone next to each other without issue.

[SevenSixTwo]

Fair enough. If it's standard practice on civilian-run ranges then I'll live with it. I've just never seen it in the military.

I'm just not sure I'd like the rifle next door embedded in my skull at some point! Quite why the man to my right complains of hot .308 hitting him I don't know either.

If a club books a range, surely they have exclusive use of it - does the MoD charge per lane? FFS...

[John MH]

MoD (Landmarc) charges per lane, that has always been the case even before Landmarc took over.

[billgatese30]

As far as I understand it, we book either A or B. We could book both, but would require RCO's etc for both. We stick to one side as a) its cheaper to book one rather than two (as I understand they charge per 6-lange "range" for the one we use). b) we only need half as many RCO's/radio's etc. c)most of our members are 55/60+ years old. Moving stiff target frames gives me a good workout on my own (27 year old) and because we split shooting/marking 50/50 then having two per lane shooting = two per lane marking so lifting target frames is easy for two 60 year old blokes to manage without giving them back trouble for a month following. If we have an odd number I always offer to be the single marker and radio back to the point to warn them that I'm marking solo so may be a bit slower than if it were a pair.