Shooting as a kid in the country Vs. as an adult in the DFW

[p99guy]

One of the things most cherished about my upbringing was living in the country on the big ranches(Hossle near Graford, The Burns, south of Henrietta) my stepfather worked on. I went hunting rabbits every day after school, I could shoot off the front porch if I wanted to (allways mindful of safety and backstop issues) You could go down to the trash dump and shoot inanimate objects till you were bored lol...deer season to me was going and buying a License....and walking 3-400 yards from the house,over near a creek.as far as shooting went it was total freedom.

Today, I cant find a place to shoot a ballistic gelitan block for serious testing, much less water filled milk jugs....real iffy on trying to take any velocity readings/set up sky screens either.
Im told how fast to shoot(even though Im a trained shot, 21year LEO)
to the point that I cant practice like I would really shoot in a confrontation.
Im limited to no FMJ rifle ammo most places...so the FAL, and M1 Garand
and the Milsurps I like to collect, dont see much daylight anymore, and I pay 25.00 for 50 shots of .223 remington just to punch a hole in a peice of paper and into a dirt berm.
I do remember when you could shoot FMJ at most ranges.
Lord help you if you have a SBR...though you have a tax stamp and it is a semi auto only..which makes it no different than any other gun on the line.....you are treated badly by supposedly pro gun folks (hense I have owned one for six months and never have shot it one single time, and may have to drive to Dallas county to ever try it)
I hate to say...Im really becoming frustrated. (where do you even go to pattern a shotgun?..I dont do trap or skeet)

And I have been a rangemaster, yes I have seen folks that were flat dangerous with a BB on up, I know that most rules in life are because somebody messed up..and we all pay the price. Im all for shooting no faster than you can actually hit the target ect.(all safety rules apply)
But its to the point that shooting is almost as much aggrevation as it is
entertainment (you can only load 3 rounds in your semi auto, and must shoot them a minute apart is what I picture if it gets any worse) My
post isnt so much a rant or rage, just an observation of how things are.
and a kind of sadness of what things have turned into....the only thing it lacks is somebody telling you to empty your pockets,take off your shoes, and hold out your arms to be wanded.

Does anyone else long for the way it used to be even at popular public ranges?

[seamusTX]

That's the price of living in a city of a million or so, combined with busybody governments and ignorant voters.

There is hope: There are private clubs where you can do much more than is typically allowed at a public range. They can be hard to find. Hopefully someone here can advise you. You might also search the archives of tx.guns and rec.guns, or ask there.

- Jim

[txinvestigator]

The government does not restrict those things, the ranges do, and with good reason. Replace several thousnd dollars worth of equipment because of careless shooters and you would likely have the same rules.

There are places that allow fast shooting, from a holster, moving, etc. They are few and hard to find though.

[seamusTX]

The government does not restrict those things, the ranges do, ...

I was talking of shooting on open land, or your own property.

- Jim

[KBCraig]

I'm sorry to hear it. Yet another reason (on the list of many) to never, ever, live in DFW or any other major metro area.

One comment, though:

Lord help you if you have a SBR...though you have a tax stamp and it is a semi auto only..which makes it no different than any other gun on the line.....

You might be more understanding if you were at an adjoining bench, trying to sight in a scope, while someone else shot that SBR right behind you. The muzzle blast is harsh on SBRs.

Kevin

[p99guy]

Not on the one I have...5.7x28 PS90, not a 5.56 or 7.62x39 or 51
Its rather quiet(pistol cartridge out of a 10 inch barrel). Though the same range dont allow you to use a
suppressor either....so I guess it dont make enough noise or it causes birth defects.While I can certainly see the valititity no full auto fire on a general gun range where people are sighting in ye old deer rifle and grandma is leaning to shoot....but no suppressors? all that is, is somebody going nobody should have something like that..and I dont care if you do have a tax stamp (Finestien, and Shumer would be proud of them, truly)....as as group we can be just as descrimanatory against each other as any outside group could do to us. ("yeah, I am progun and If you show up with a winchester 94 and a Colt SAA we will love you...show up with one o'those dad nabbed black guns and your Body stink factor will go off the scale.")

Between the $4000.00 O/U shotgun crowd, not caring what happens to the Rifle shooter, and the Rifle shooters at times not caring what happens to the pistol shooters, and everyone not carring about NFA folks (what does somebody need something like that for?...just because is enough reason, just like any other firearm we are allowed to own)
The United we stand, divided we fall factor is alive and well with our hobby. (Hey as long as they dont touch my Browning superimposed, and my engraved Weatherby...the rest of them could be piled up and burned"...after all, them pistols are only made to do one thing")

The owners of gunranges can be just as prone to this as anyone. They certainly are here. up by Texas Motor Speedway you get this:"Oh, ah ATF will only give us a class 01 gun range license...oh how we faught them on that to be licensed for suppressor use we would have to restrict the range to those over 21 years of age to qualify(a gun range license???? I cant say I've seen an application for that on the ATF website...or any of them thick books they send me every year)
at that point I realized I had forgot to bring hipwaders in my shooting bag. I would rather be told the truth even if its "because we said so"
rather than blame it on the boogy man and tell me a windy.
saaaad state of affairs.

I also miss the use of the LBJ grasslands...you used to be able to shoot there, and there was a valley we all used to go to.

I hope before I get old and feeble that I get to go shoot in a cowpasture a handfull more times.(its been 20 years)

[Greybeard]

Quote: "I also miss the use of the LBJ grasslands...you used to be able to shoot there "

Unfortunately, a few too many yahoos also spoiled that one for all.

Similarly, not that many years ago, there was some Corps of Engineers land (on creek that feeds Lake Lewisville) less than 3 miles north of us that was open for hunting on west side of Copper Canyon Road. But, no more. ' Got a lady friend (with two little girls) that lives on adjacent property. And she's quite willing to show those who like to complain about "closures" the bullet holes in two of her bedroom walls. They were "aquired" in her old farmhouse on separate days.

Best bet to "have it your way" again may be to buy or lease lots of acreage a loooooong way from the metro-mess(es).

[burrito]

I completely know how you feel, because I feel the exact same way. I didn't grow up quite as rural as you did, but I always had access to go shoot on family and friend's land. I just moved to DFW January 2006, and cannot get used to it. Too many people, too much government, too many opinions. I have only shot at a range up here 1 time since I moved, and I probably won't go to a range again, because it's just not as fun, and horribly expensive.

I usually just save my shooting urgencies for when I can go to my grandfathers land near Jacksonville. I can shoot at and blow up whatever the heck I want, except for his cows.

[Skiprr]

You might be more understanding if you were at an adjoining bench, trying to sight in a scope, while someone else shot that SBR right behind you. The muzzle blast is harsh on SBRs.

The Big K. is psychic, though it wasn't an SBR. I went out to the range yesterday to put some of the first break-in rounds through my new 1911 and, weather being warm, the benches were busy. I decided to go the 25-yard bays, and fired 30 or 40 rounds before the half-hour target change. At the change, I got a new neighbor. He popped open a large, multi-pistol case and in it, sitting mirror images of each other like dueling pistols in a case, were a matched set of S&W Model 500s with full-sized scopes on top. I didn't ask, but the barrels looked to be ten inches and compensated. Huntin' handguns.

He pulled out a benchrest, and started setting up. I go back to what I was doing. Now, I wear a pair of Howard Leight NRR 30 muffs, but I still should have expected what came next. He cranked the hand-cannon while I was at the last segment of "front sight, trigger overtravel, press." The good news is that my nice little groups weren't disturbed, because I don't think I even hit the cardboard backing. Lemme tell ya, even with the muffs if you're concentrating on being "surprised" when your trigger breaks, a .500 magnum going off four feet from you, separated only by a mesh screen, is bound to cause a little barrel travel.

The good news is his rounds cost enough that he wasn't throwing lead very fast. I learned to time my work in between his cannon-blast and pause to scope the results. He told me he was shooting a 400 grain Cor-Bon, and they cost $34 for a box of 12.

Back to your regularly-scheduled, on-topic programming...

[Ron C]

Daughter and I had the pleasure of being "snuck up on" in the next lane by a 454 casul. The guy had been shooting .45. The first shot was

My daughter dealt with it much better than I did. My groups went all over the place. Hers stayed much better.

Like you said though. He didn't shoot long at about $3 a shot.

[casselthief]

you should have to wave a flag first, or something.
"Hey everyone, I'm about to unload my "BoomStick," watch your targets!"

I had a big ol' shell hit in the head Saturday whilst shooting that caught me off guard. Thing was hot, too!

[KBCraig]

Not on the one I have...5.7x28 PS90, not a 5.56 or 7.62x39 or 51

Oh, okay. While technically that is an SBR per the law, in reality you have a shoulder-stocked pistol.

Kevin

[p99guy]

yep, thats about what it boils down to...a FN Five Seven pistol with five more inches of barrel, a 50 shot mag instead of a 20, and shoulder fired.
Much milder than most anything somebody would also be sighting in for deer season next to you.(picture Ruger 10/22 in .22 mag) and it ejects empy cases straight down...so it dont even plunk ya on the head and back with empties like most other semis do either (enviromentally friendly lol)

Its only knee high to a M1 carbine

[Rex B]

Last time I was at Bass Pro, the guy next to me was shooting a .45 acp of some sort. I'm OK with that, except for the hot brass that was coming over the partition and droping on my head, down my neck, etc. I chalked it up to practice "under fire".

THe OP must have read mey mind. I too grew up in a rural area where I could go home from school, get a dog and a .22 and go plinking until it got dark. Now I can legally shoot in my backyard, but I mostly don't.
But I keep seeing remote land for dirt cheap advertised. I figure if I can find 20 unimproved acres for a $1000/acre within 4 hours of Fort Worth, that would solve the problem. Or 2nd choice, knowing someone with such a property that doesn't mind allowing adult, safety conscious shooters there. And if there were some pesky wildlife (feral hogs?) that needed attention, so much the better.
So I'm looking.

[kauboy]

Um, p99guy, how did you come to own that version of the P90? I thought the shortened barrel was only legal for law enforcement and military?