Range etiquette for ammo usage

[Agnotology]

This is probably just me being over-sensitive, but I've noticed something and just want to play with the NES braintrust.

I have been to the range with 4 different friends.

Friend 1 spends more time shooting my guns than his own, and loads my ammo into my guns, burning through my not huge reserves of ammunition, to the point I have had on two trips this summer had to switch off my 9mm and into my .22LR pistol just to conserve. Sure, each mag is only about $2.50 but it adds up. Especially over 2 or 3 hours of shooting. I've stopped going to the range with him over this, but we occasionally socialize outside the range and I don't want to make drama within that circle of friends, so saying something wasn't in the cards.

Friend 2 is more my style. When we shoot each other's guns, we still load our own ammo, provided its a caliber we already have. This feels way more "give and take" and is what I thought is the norm for range etiquette.

Friend 3 insists I shoot his guns and ammo. And he has.... WAAAAY more guns than me. Lots of REALLY cool guns in calibers I don't have. Guns I enjoy shooting but feel bad once I go back and realize I'm throwing $6 a shot ammo down range (.458 Winmag). I am STILL waiting for targetsports to get the .460 ammo back in stock that he shoots so I can replace a box he let me shoot. I saw the LGS sticker on a box of 20 and nearly shit myself when I saw $60.

Friend 4 Doesn't like letting people shoot his guns. Which is fair. On the rare occasion I did shoot one of his, he stopped me when I started loading my New Republic into his mag, and had me load his "special" ammo. I understand why some people don't want to run steel-case or hand loads they didn't make themselves through their guns, but in terms of bulk target ammo, is there some concern for accelerated wear? Gun in question was a SW 5906 PPC (which I still want SO FRIGGIN BAD).


What is normal for you guys? I try to be really considerate when someone is kind enough to let me shoot their guns, offering one of mine up to them in return, and thought the norm was if someone is going to let you put wear and tear on a gun, you should at least not be spending their ammo too when possible.

 

[drgrant]

I bet #1 is a skinflint and this behavior likely isnt shocking to you.

The fact that he doesnt even offer you anything is telling.

 

[drgrant]

Friend 4 Doesn't like letting people shoot his guns. Which is fair. On the rare occasion I did shoot one of his, he stopped me when I started loading my New Republic into his mag, and had me load his "special" ammo. I understand why some people don't want to run steel-case or hand loads they didn't make themselves through their guns, but in terms of bulk target ammo, is there some concern for accelerated wear? Gun in question was a SW 5906 PPC (which I still want SO FRIGGIN BAD).

With this one... you're overthinking it. It doesn;'t matter what the rationale is here it's his gun and if he doesnt want you shooting weird off brand doodoo in it, or some brand that he doesn't like, the reason is 200% completely irrelevant.

It's just a respect thing, no different than having an asian friend who politely asks you to take off your shoes in their house.

 

[Agnotology]

With this one... you're overthinking it. It doesn;'t matter what the rationale is here it's his gun and if he doesnt want you shooting weird off brand doodoo in it, or some brand that he doesn't like, the reason is 200% completely irrelevant.

It's just a respect thing, no different than having an asian friend who politely asks you to take off your shoes in their house.

Absolutely. His gun his rules. I just wanted to understand if there is an objective "why" versus a subjective.

I bet #1 is a skinflint and this behavior likely isnt shocking to you.

The fact that he doesnt even offer you anything is telling.

Actually no. This is the only place he "skinflints". When I brought him to the Mill, not only did he flip me money for gas and tolls, he insisted on picking up the bill on the dinner we had on the way back. If it was skinflint being skinflint, it wouldn't be a question. I'd already know.

 

[greencobra]

anyone who goes to the range with me to shoot is a good friend and i'll generally let them shoot my guns and/or my ammo if they ask. they'll know when to stop burning through my ammo before it causes me duress. if i have to worry about a "friends" range etiquette, they won't be shooting with me. i'm usually at the range by myself anyway so i need not worry myself with this stuff.

 

[jkelly1229]

With this one... you're overthinking it. It doesn;'t matter what the rationale is here it's his gun and if he doesnt want you shooting weird off brand doodoo in it, or some brand that he doesn't like, the reason is 200% completely irrelevant.

It's just a respect thing, no different than having an asian friend who politely asks you to take off your shoes in their house.

You wear shoes in your house?

 

[jkelly1229]

Igaf we are there to have fun

If i was worried about money i would not be at a gun range

Stop over thinking it

 

[Reptile]

Friend 4 treats his gun like his women.

He does not share.

Very particular.

Probably own a Ruckus that only he gets to ride.

 

[Reptile]

Dupe. Oops.

 

[Agnotology]

anyone who goes to the range with me to shoot is a good friend and i'll generally let them shoot my guns and/or my ammo if they ask. they'll know when to stop burning through my ammo before it causes me duress. if i have to worry about a "friends" range etiquette, they won't be shooting with me. i'm usually at the range by myself anyway so i need not worry myself with this stuff.

What about a stranger you bump into at the range? I feel like the norm is friend 2.

Igaf we are there to have fun

If i was worried about money i would not be at a gun range

Stop over thinking it

I just have these 4 guys, my deceased cousin who I can't ask anymore, and NES. Everyone else in my life doesn't shoot. Although there's hope for my daughter. I don't know which of these 4 people is the norm. You'd probably get along with Friend 3 with that attitude.

 

[akma]

As you noticed everyone is different and has their own perception for their own stuff. That's OK.

Number 1 has poor manners because it happens all the time. Doesn't seem to bother him either.

 

[whacko]

This is probably just me being over-sensitive, but I've noticed something and just want to play with the NES braintrust.

I have been to the range with 4 different friends.

Friend 1 spends more time shooting my guns than his own, and loads my ammo into my guns, burning through my not huge reserves of ammunition, to the point I have had on two trips this summer had to switch off my 9mm and into my .22LR pistol just to conserve. Sure, each mag is only about $2.50 but it adds up. Especially over 2 or 3 hours of shooting. I've stopped going to the range with him over this, but we occasionally socialize outside the range and I don't want to make drama within that circle of friends, so saying something wasn't in the cards.

Friend 2 is more my style. When we shoot each other's guns, we still load our own ammo, provided its a caliber we already have. This feels way more "give and take" and is what I thought is the norm for range etiquette.

Friend 3 insists I shoot his guns and ammo. And he has.... WAAAAY more guns than me. Lots of REALLY cool guns in calibers I don't have. Guns I enjoy shooting but feel bad once I go back and realize I'm throwing $6 a shot ammo down range (.458 Winmag). I am STILL waiting for targetsports to get the .460 ammo back in stock that he shoots so I can replace a box he let me shoot after seeing the sticker, and that is the cheap stuff.

Friend 4 Doesn't like letting people shoot his guns. Which is fair. On the rare occasion I did shoot one of his, he stopped me when I started loading my New Republic into his mag, and had me load his "special" ammo. I understand why some people don't want to run steel-case or hand loads they didn't make themselves through their guns, but in terms of bulk target ammo, is there some concern for accelerated wear? Gun in question was a SW 5906 PPC (which I still want SO FRIGGIN BAD).


What is normal for you guys? I try to be really considerate when someone is kind enough to let me shoot their guns, offering one of mine up to them in return, and thought the norm was if someone is going to let you put wear and tear on a gun, you should at least not be spending their ammo too when possible.

"burning through my not huge reserves of ammunition"

I don't even know where to start......

I may be in the minority here but......

Why do you bring your "reserves" to the range? When i go to the club I bring alot of ammo.....I never expect to come home with any of that ammo. Sometimes I do bring some home but I don't ever expect to. The "not huge ammo reserves" you have is your problem. Build a stockpile you'll never touch.....that's your shtf reserves. Never bring ammo to the range that your not comfortable shooting. But.....Your friend #1 is in the wrong if he's loading your ammo when shooting......but i don't see any problem in you telling him "hey I need to make that last the whole time I'm here" or something like that. Every guy is different......I'm more like your friend #3 minus the $6 per round calibers........most of my guns are standard stuff but I reload my own. I brings a ton of ammo and let everyone else shoot my stuff and burn thru the ammo I brought......on the rare occasion I go with a group of friends I just enjoy letting them shoot my stuff and never bring ammo home. I shoot multiple times a week on my own or leagues and organized shoots so it's rare that I "go with friends" anyway maybe 3 times a year.

To sum it up......I don't know how people enjoy themselves at the range being worried about "using my not huge reserves of ammunition". Build up enough ammo so you can actually enjoy a range trip and not be stressed out so much about using it that you come to nes and rant about it.......that's my advice.

 

[T-Unit]

If #1 can't put anything forward then he's not one you go shooting with more than once a year and when you do you make sure you bring the cheapest, most questionable 9mm and .22 ammo with you. In fact, don't even bring any autos, bring single action revolvers and then he won't be able to shoot much of it before times up. Yeah, I think that's your solution with him.

#2 should be you go to range buddy. #3 just don't shoot more than 10 rounds with any of his uncommon and pricey calibers and you'll be all set. #4 it's his gun, his rules. They may be silly, but like if someone had a box of reloads using Lil' Gun as the powder and wanted to shoot them in my revolvers, that's a no go because that's known to damage forcing cones with enough shooting. That's an extreme and justifiable reason, but if he has concerns the cheap ammo is going to squib and cause issues with a prized gun he owns then that's his choice to make.

I haven't been able to bring along anyone to the range in a long time, but when I did I basically acted like #3 because my goal inviting people is to get them exposed to the uncommon stuff like .32's, Taurus revolvers, H&R revolvers, percussion revolvers, and/or my fancy reloads that use two round balls or a .45 Colt loaded to full power w/ 250gr pills and then followed by a cylinder of 200gr Trail Boss loads to show them what a difference recoil makes.

Yeah, I could throw the Glocks in their hands, but what's the fun in giving them the most common and boring thing?

 

[Agnotology]

"burning through my not huge reserves of ammunition"

I don't even know where to start......

I may be in the minority here but......

Why do you bring your "reserves" to the range? When i go to the club I bring alot of ammo.....I never expect to come home with any of that ammo. Sometimes I do bring some home but I don't ever expect to. The "not huge ammo reserves" you have is your problem. Build a stockpile you'll never touch.....that's your shtf reserves. Never bring ammo to the range that your not comfortable shooting. But.....Your friend #1 is in the wrong if he's loading your ammo when shooting......but i don't see any problem in you telling him "hey I need to make that last the whole time I'm here" or something like that. Every guy is different......I'm more like your friend #3 minus the $6 per round calibers........most of my guns are standard stuff but I reload my own. I brings a ton of ammo and let everyone else shoot my stuff and burn thru the ammo I brought......on the rare occasion I go with a group of friends I just enjoy letting them shoot my stuff and never bring ammo home. I shoot multiple times a week on my own or leagues and organized shoots so it's rare that I "go with friends" anyway maybe 3 times a year.

To sum it up......I don't know how people enjoy themselves at the range being worried about "using my not huge reserves of ammunition". Build up enough ammo so you can actually enjoy a range trip and not be stressed out so much about using it that you come to nes and rant about it.......that's my advice.

It's my way of saying I don't have tons of ammo or the ability to get it without trying to suck everyone's pity dick. Saying I'm poor around guys with thousands of dollars of disposable income monthly to spend on things I dream of sounds like me trying to fish for a handout, and I don't like it, because it reminds of when I was younger and did exactly that, and it disgusts me in hindsight. Same reason when I help run machine gun shoots I don't accept the greatly appreciated and very gracious offers to let me mag dump some 7.62x39 or 7.62x54r or 30-06 or various other expensive rounds.

If #1 can't put anything forward then he's not one you go shooting with more than once a year and when you do you make sure you bring the cheapest, most questionable 9mm and .22 ammo with you. In fact, don't even bring any autos, bring single action revolvers and then he won't be able to shoot much of it before times up. Yeah, I think that's your solution with him.

#2 should be you go to range buddy. #3 just don't shoot more than 10 rounds with any of his uncommon and pricey calibers and you'll be all set. #4 it's his gun, his rules. They may be silly, but like if someone had a box of reloads using Lil' Gun as the powder and wanted to shoot them in my revolvers, that's a no go because that's known to damage forcing cones with enough shooting. That's an extreme and justifiable reason, but if he has concerns the cheap ammo is going to squib and cause issues with a prized gun he owns then that's his choice to make.

I haven't been able to bring along anyone to the range in a long time, but when I did I basically acted like #3 because my goal inviting people is to get them exposed to the uncommon stuff like .32's, Taurus revolvers, H&R revolvers, percussion revolvers, and/or my fancy reloads that use two round balls or a .45 Colt loaded to full power w/ 250gr pills and then followed by a cylinder of 200gr Trail Boss loads to show them what a difference recoil makes.

Yeah, I could throw the Glocks in their hands, but what's the fun in giving them the most common and boring thing?

Ok, thanks. Squibs being more common in cheap ammo (although rare in general) isn't something I thought about. Makes sense that he doesn't know me well enough to trust that I'd recognize the possibility before trying to tap, rack, bang.

 

[T-Unit]

Ok, thanks. Squibs being more common in cheap ammo (although rare in general) isn't something I thought about. Makes sense that he doesn't know me well enough to trust that I'd recognize the possibility before trying to tap, rack, bang.

I've only ever had two squibs and they were both handloads, never had one with factory ammo. I'm not saying the cheapest factory ammo is going to have any higher chance of a squib, but I can understand why some have that perception and at the end of the day they do get to decide who shoots what in their gun.

There's other concerns #4 could have, he could be concerned about corrosive primers or powders being used in Eastern Euro ammo, steel obviously is harder on guns if fired in high enough quantity (talking thousands of rounds not a box or two) and then maybe he doesn't want to take a chance on something that shoots dirty and makes his cleaning more of a chore than it otherwise would be had his preferred ammo been shot instead.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

anyone who goes to the range with me to shoot is a good friend and i'll generally let them shoot my guns and/or my ammo if they ask. they'll know when to stop burning through my ammo before it causes me duress. if i have to worry about a "friends" range etiquette, they won't be shooting with me. i'm usually at the range by myself anyway so i need not worry myself with this stuff.

When I with friends or guests I consider any ammo I put on the table spent the minute it goes down. That does not go for the stuff I left in my trunk.

 

[Cphobes]

When I with friends or guests I consider any ammo I put on the table spent the minute it goes down. That does not go for the stuff I left in my trunk.

I’m with you and whacko on this, I prefer empty ammo cans on the ride home. Usually means a good range trip.

I’ve had many generous people provide me the opportunity to shoot firearms I don’t own and try things out (red dots!).

 

[whacko]

When I with friends or guests I consider any ammo I put on the table spent the minute it goes down. That does not go for the stuff I left in my trunk.

When i go with a group of friends or family i consider anything I brought in my range bag to be gone when I load it in my truck to head to the range.

For trips like this i usually spend a couple evenings prior at the reloading bench to make up a bunch to bring so that I don't dip into my stockpile......and my stockpile is generally a years worth of average range amd league use......plus shtf stuff I'll never use

It's alot lol.

 

[CMEBoston]

I bring the amount of ammo I want to say goodbye too.
If im going with friends it won’t high end or precise loads, as I won’t be doing any precision shooting in the presence of company anyway.

My little bro just got his first AR, he had no mags, no ammo, he’ll it didn’t even have a carry handle/rear sight lol.
So I hooked him up with a couple beater mags, sold him some brand new winchester ammo I just got, gave him a MS1 sling I had around and I gave him the carry handle from our late fathers colt.

Anyway he had no problem banging away my ammo the other day and honestly it brought me great joy seeing him sight in and get excited for his new rifle I didn’t even care.

I’m just glad he’s finally fulfilling his duty as a us citizen

If I have to give him 100 rds of 9mm to get him comfortable whatever handgun he buys so be it.

 

[Mountain]

Next trip with #1, bring a muzzle load rifle and cap and ball revolver.

 

[Cuz]

Wow, when I go to the range with someone, I normally bring twice as much ammo as I think we can shoot, just in case. Then, I throw a few more boxes in my car, just to be sure.

Heck, even when I go to a match, I bring double the ammo I expect to shoot, and then add in enough for another person to shoot the match on the off chance someone in my squad forgot to bring ammo, or has trouble with their ammo. It happened at our last action shotgun match, one guys ammo (Fiochhi) wouldn’t cycle in his shotgun. So I had him try my Federal and it worked fine, so I swapped him and will use his ammo for trap shooting. I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I didn’t have extra, and he would have had a crappy match experience. I’ve been on some extended range sessions with friends, and take pride in the fact that they usually get tired of shooting long before I run out of ammo.

But, I will add that I take friends shooting at most only a couple of times a year. Most of my friends shoot, so we tend to meet at the range, and they are mostly all like minded, so it’s never an issue. And when my kids want to go shooting, they never pay for ammo if they’re with me, and I hope they never have to.

 

[union]

This is really strange for me. Except for one person generally everyone I go to the range with doesnt own a gun. People shoot my stuff. Some have offered some money for ammo. I generally refuse. I did however shut one person off. A coworker that has been talking about getting a gun for years to the point he tells me about what he is going to buy and do to it. Still no license or plans to go take the class. I told him he is done until he at least takes 1 step to getting his ltc.

 

[rewster]

No problem here !! I always go alone in the early morning during the week ! I have a range friend who will show up once in a while but we only shoot the sheit !!!

 

[SJan]

If I take a friend to the range who is either new to guns or an infrequent shooter, I will supply the ammo, and the friend will buy lunch.

When I shoot with other frequent shooters it isn't often that we swap or share guns. We usually stick to training with our own gear.
When someone has something new and is showing it off, or letting others take it for a test drive, the one with the new toy will usually make the offer with the ammo to go with it.

 

[RDG]

The only people I generally shoot with at the range nowadays are my kids (14 and 11)
and those two little jerks always shoot all my ammo and never offer to pay for any or bring there own.

 

[Marty McFly]

Is friend 1 the ar malfunction guy?

Friend 2 is the norm for me.
I'm often friend 3 but I only shoot with people that are at least somewhat important to me. And I enjoy watching the excitement of shooting as much as actually shooting
Friend 4 is a common one. His tools his rules.

 

[LuvDog]

I prefer my ammo in my guns. So if I’m shooting with someone then I’ll load the mags with my ammo.

Why? Because I know my ammo and how it’s loaded. I don’t want someone’s +P stuff in some of my guns. I’d also prefer to not have a bunch of steel case ammo through some. Some of my plastic guns, I don’t care but it seems I rarely take those to the range anymore.

As for using up all my ammo. I take a lot to the range every time. I usually bring some back because I take too much to begin with. I’ve had people offer to pay or buy lunch. I thank them but pass. But I also haven’t had the issue of it being one person who takes advantage over and over again. If that were the case then I’d either say something to them or just stop going with them

 

[Sf Becket]

Friend 2 is probably most like myself. As far as the ammo thing I always plan ahead of time how much I will bring with me and plan on using all I bring

 

[p..]

When i go with a group of friends or family i consider anything I brought in my range bag to be gone when I load it in my truck to head to the range.

For trips like this i usually spend a couple evenings prior at the reloading bench to make up a bunch to bring so that I don't dip into my stockpile......and my stockpile is generally a years worth of average range amd league use......plus shtf stuff I'll never use

It's alot lol.

Most of the time when I bring someone to the range, they are not yet a gun owner and I'm focusing on making sure they have fun so I bring an assortment of toys and plenty of ammo and what they use they use. I don't expect payment and unless they specifically ask, I don't discuss how much ammo or components cost so that part of the equation isn't even in their head while they're learning. My hope is that they become interested enough to pursue getting licensed and get into the hobby.

When I go by myself, which is usually, if I'm just going to play I basically use portion control in that I bring what I'm okay using up on that trip. Unless I get cold or run out of daylight or run into some kind of mechanical/sighting issue, I'll shoot everything I brought so that's how I control my ammo use. If I'm going to a match, I'll bring enough for that and maybe a little to sight in or play with afterward. I rarely dip into my bulk factory ammo. My reloading stuff I generally load right before I'm going to use it because I'm always nerding around with different loads.

I rarely go shooting with other gun owners, other than the ones who happen to be at the range at the same time. When I do, if we trade off guns, we generally also use each other's ammo so it's basically a swap.

 

[kalash]

I bet #1 is a skinflint and this behavior likely isnt shocking to you.

The fact that he doesnt even offer you anything is telling.

This. I have a friend like that - wants to shoot my ammo, tries to convince me to buy guns and accessories that he likes hoping that I won't like them and I'll sell them to him for ten cents on the dollar, always wants to carpool, etc. I stopped going to the range with him, which is unfortunate because shooting with him used to be fun.