Firearm Etiquette

I love your friends , too dumb for hearing protection , yet cry about a gun being loud ....... You seem ok to me , but maybe just maybe you should think about some smarter shooting buddies . Sadly I find myself being the voice of reason way too often , I really dislike having to be " responsible " but the other options are even worse ie. Someone being hurt or killed .
 
DudeMan said:
Just want to clear up an altercation I had this past summer while out shooting with some friends.

I was visiting my friends acreage and we decided to go do some shooting nearby one afternoon. Everything was fine at first, some were shooting skeet, some targets, some just plinking at random objects.

I noticed nobody was using ear protection, which I mentioned, but everyone seemed to laugh it off. I even offered ear plugs, my truck is always full of disposables in case someone needs them, I usually use my Impact Sports ear muffs.

So at one point I stepped up beside my friend and fired a round from my SKS. He immediately freaked out, claiming I 'muzzle blasted' him or something. There was a girl next to him that was also very upset.

Kind of bewildered, I reminded him that he (and the girl) were not wearing ear protection and I had offered some earlier. He claimed that I was at fault because I did not stand ahead of them while firing.

I was parallel with them, like any shooting range would position you. This upset me and not wanting to hurt anymore unprotected ears I packed up my guns and stopped firing.

This has always bugged me since then, I consider myself a new shooter (got my PAL late, last year) and I find myself wondering if there is any merit to this 'muzzle blasting' or whatever he referred to it as since he has been a firearms owner much longer than I have.

So CGN, what is your take on this?
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Not wearing hearing protection is dumb. But touching off a round right beside someone who you KNOW isn't wearing hearing protection is a douche move.
 
They turned down hearing protection..but ultimately you are responsible for firing the gun around unprotected people...just as you are responsible for EVERYTHING to do with that firearm while it is in your hands. I don't think you are a douche..but you need to consider that. Someone needs to be in charge of safety and be firm about it..sounds here like a group of fairly new shooters none with a great understanding of how things should work.

Walking up to the skeet field with a squad its courtesy as the first shooter to take a quick look and see the group is ready and no one has forgotten..for example.

If they paid no attention to an established firing line and walked in front of it would you still shoot..as they had been giving fair warning..of course not. Its like driving..you are the captain and you are ultimately responsible for the outcome.
 
OP you did not state what caliber they were shooting. You do know how loud the SKS can be and I think a fair warning should have been given. Hearing damage is permanent and now they may attribute it to being muzzle blasted. Suggest extending a hand to sort it out with your friends.
 
No one comes shooting with me without ear protection, even if "they just want to see how loud it is." You offered them ear plugs, so they should be aware of how loud a gun can be - it is a controlled explosion after all!
A gun is a gun; it's going to be loud when you pull the trigger, even if it's a .22lr.
Your friends made a poor choice by not using protection. Have they ever wondered why most war veterans are deaf or nearly deaf? It might even be a reason why there is so much yelling in the military...

I wish I had worn ear protection while practicing with my band back in my teenage years, but I had to "hear my tone"...I lost a large portion of the high end frequencies in one ear because of this.
 
I double up as well.
My advice to the OP is stop shooting with dumb people to avoid #### like that.
But, shooting right next to him with a SKS knowing is a douche bag move.
 
I give people warning. If you don't listen then sorry. Buddy did that, kept taking off his defenders to chat with someone behind me, I shot and he cursed me out. Alot of it, was this guy kept on chatting as I was shooting, asking me questions.

So thats why I double up. At lease I got some protection.
 
'Dumb' is being polite. A single shot from even a .22 causes permanent, non-repairable hearing damage. If the guy also had a firearm, there's absolutely no way you or anybody else should be in front of him. Not your fault he's stupid enough to be shooting without hearing protection. No eye protection either?
 
Green Skull said:
Not wearing ear protection when around firearms is as dumb as starting smoking.
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Several of my friends randomly started smoking over time. It really baffles me when people in their 20s and 30s pick up the habbit. Like what in the f... hurts to see it, especially after just losing a very close friend to lung cancer. Dreadful stuff..
 
Claybuster said:
Not wearing hearing protection is dumb. But touching off a round right beside someone who you KNOW isn't wearing hearing protection is a douche move.
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This...

My gut tells me that the OP did it on purpose to teach his friends a "lesson".

I always wear hearing protection, if others don't want to then they'll have to live with the consequences. It's their choice to make, especially after being warned/educated.
 
9x19p said:
Was there an established firing line?
Were the two of them on the firing line?
Were they also shooting at the time, or other shooting going on?

If you've got an established firing line, and they were on it, and the range was hot, it's their problem. You offered ears and they declined.

If you don't run your bush range the same as an official range, you're asking for problems. If you answered no to any of the above Qs, maybe you share blame, if only by association.

I don't understand the mentality behind not wearing ears. My daughters boyfriend tried playing the tough guy, and declined ears. I thought fair enough, you're a grown man. Come stand beside me, pay close attention to that muzzle brake.... Yes, the ears are right over there, moron.
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Oh wow... You brought your daughter's boyfriend to the range. When my daughter competed for Miss Canada, everyone wanted to date or hang out with her but now that she had gotten into three gun competitions, guys can't even make eye contact with her. Lol. On our range, people are expected to look after their eyes and ears. No one is there to baby sit. If shooters feel that they don't need ear protection for .22s, well that is what the .22 section of the range is for. Both clubs that i belong to have extra ear protection lying around and when I take out the 50 BMG and they still don't want to wear any, its their problem.
 
As a new shooter I expect that you were probably looking to leadership from the more experienced shooters. Sounds to me like you chose the wrong people to shoot with. Knowing that you were a new shooter, I would have made sure that you were made aware and observed all safety procedures. This would have included eyes, ears, and establishing a firing line. If your friends didn't do this as experienced shooters, the outcome is completely their fault.

Sounds like you have the right focus on safety. Now you know to make sure that your muzzle is ahead of other shooters, and keep four to five feet between each other.
 
DudeMan said:
Just want to clear up an altercation I had this past summer while out shooting with some friends.

I was visiting my friends acreage and we decided to go do some shooting nearby one afternoon. Everything was fine at first, some were shooting skeet, some targets, some just plinking at random objects.

I noticed nobody was using ear protection, which I mentioned, but everyone seemed to laugh it off. I even offered ear plugs, my truck is always full of disposables in case someone needs them, I usually use my Impact Sports ear muffs.

So at one point I stepped up beside my friend and fired a round from my SKS. He immediately freaked out, claiming I 'muzzle blasted' him or something. There was a girl next to him that was also very upset.

Kind of bewildered, I reminded him that he (and the girl) were not wearing ear protection and I had offered some earlier. He claimed that I was at fault because I did not stand ahead of them while firing.

I was parallel with them, like any shooting range would position you. This upset me and not wanting to hurt anymore unprotected ears I packed up my guns and stopped firing.

This has always bugged me since then, I consider myself a new shooter (got my PAL late, last year) and I find myself wondering if there is any merit to this 'muzzle blasting' or whatever he referred to it as since he has been a firearms owner much longer than I have.

So CGN, what is your take on this?
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I run breaks on a few of my rifles. They are all extremely loud when you are standing forward of the trigger. I try to always be conscious of people standing around and always warn them of the loud blasts. However this is never an issue because I always tell folks that they NEED ear protection and not ask them if they wish to wear them. My thought is that your friends are a piece of work...if they were sport shooters they should have known better. If they weren't, good you can now enjoy your new pastime without them. Besides, a large caliber like a 45/70 or a .50 cal maybe but who freaks out over a blast from an SKS! For gods sake p
Your friends shod take a chill pull.
 
Cone_Skid_Cone said:
If you went to work and damaged your hearing from not wearing proper PPE, you'd be at fault. Why do people not use the same common sense when shooting? We don't have the courtesy of silencers in Canada, and your hearing is worth more than the $1 for a set of ear plugs.
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Your employer would also be at fault for not forcing you to wear proper PPE. Stupid world we live in.
 
While it is kind of a #### move to shoot an SKS close to someone that isn't wearing ear protection, it does prove the point nicely. I had a cousin that thought he was too tough to wear ear muffs while shooting my Black hawk in .357 mag. A bunch of people that hadn't shot a handgun before were there, so I was letting anyone that wanted to try a cylinder of 38 specials. My cousin was trying to be a tough guy to show off for a girl, so I dropped a 357 round in as a surprise for him. Yes it was a #### move, but he handed it back to me when he got to the magnum load (after a couple shots) and hasn't tried to shoot a gun without ear plugs since. I'm sure he's done way more damage than that from loud concerts and running chainsaws though. In the end we are all adults and have to be responsible for our own actions.
Kristian
 
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