J. Valentine
In a perfect world a safe experienced and patient mentor in a one on one enviroment would be best. Next best would be the same instructor in a small class.
To all:
Have you volunteered to be a mentor? Does your club put on classes in firearms safety, basic reloading, advanced reloading, load development, benchrest shooting or even basic target shooting?
This is the time of year that we all rehash the horror stories. Like some of you, I've been a range safety officer at our club during the "sight-in" days for the deer hunters (this year 52 days and 2900 of them). I have enough horror stories to do a book. Instead I and the other volunteers do boresighting, minor repairs, assist when asked and patch a lot of "scope-eye" cuts.
In the winter we also put on basic and advanced reloading classes for small groups and some individual mentoring. In the spring and summer I and a few others do individual mentoring in firearms safety, target/bench techniques and other topics requested.
My mentors gave a lot to me in my 57 years of shooting enjoyment - I'm just trying to pass on what I've learned to the next generations of shooters.
I agree completely , that a small class situation with a good teacher would be excellent also.
I spend 20 % of my range time helping , advising , cocking bolts , uncocking bolts, unjambing rifles , advising reloaders , stopping unsafe gun handling .
However my range treats me like sh*t and they would rather make some pimply faced kid a range officer , because he is some range officers son , than me.
One time I had to walk half the length of the range past 20 odd shooters and stop the range captain from opening the range .
He was rude and tried to push me away . Eventually I said dont open the range there is a guy still out on the range at 200.
Only a fraction of a second before he said commence fire.
He nearly sh*t his pants when he turned around and saw a guy still at 200.
I never even got a thankyou.
One time a range officer told me that it was not my job to be advising other shooters and fixing guns. That only the range officers are allowed to do that.
So I said fine ! Every time someone asks me for help I will refer them to you and point out that it is your job to help them even if you are shooting at the time and I will bring them to you .
He walked away but then stopped walked back and said , "forget what I said you are doing a good job" , see he was a competition shooter .
This is the kind of crap I put up with just because I help people.
The fact is that now I dont go to the range as much as I once did.
The last vist I saw a middle aged woman wearing a range officers jacket that I have never seen her before and have never seen her fire a shot or even touch a gun.
Turns out it is a new range officers wife.
Must be a package deal .
Become a range officer and get another one free.
If you have a good progressive range run by fair and sensible open minded people . You should count yourself very lucky.
No , my range only gives instruction and help to competition shooters .
They have a video library of information but no non competition shooter can get near it, and they actually wonder why their competition numbers are not very big.
