Shooting at Indoor Ranges — Proper Range Procedures

August is National Shooting Sports Month. Many indoor ranges are offering promotional specials this month. Range sessions may be reduced in price (or free) and you’ll find discounts on guns, ammo, and accessories. Shooting indoors is fun, and at many indoor ranges you can shoot in the evening after work. But when shooting indoors you should always be extra careful. Follow all key gun safety practices and adhere to proper range “Etiquette”. We also recommend double hearing protection — plugs under muffs.

The NSSF (NSSF) offers a useful Range Safety and Etiquette video. This 8.5-minute video explains safe practices, especially at indoor ranges. In the video, the moderator list the basic rules of gun safety, before covering key range etiquette topics such as range officer commands, how to uncase your firearm on the range when you first arrive, and what to do if a firearm is accidentally dropped. There are also safety tips specific to handling both semi-automatic handguns and revolvers.

BAD RANGE BEHAVIOR — Five Things NOT to Do at the Range

Here are the five worst behaviors we’ve seen at indoor ranges. These behaviors are both dangerous and inconsiderate. Any one of these behaviors can get you permanently banned from an indoor range.

1. Sweeping other individuals after loading a weapon behind the firing line is very bad. All your weapons should be empty until you reach your shooting station.

2. Turning the handgun sideways while trying to clear a malfunction or insert/remove a magazine. This will point the muzzle at a fellow shooter. Or, after shooting a gun, the shooter fails to clear the weapon and then places the gun somewhere near the shooting station with the muzzle in an unsafe position.

3. Reacting unpredictably when firing a high recoil handgun. We’ve seen people take a second shot by accident with the muzzle way off target.

4. Not obeying range commands — in particular continuing to shoot during called cease-fires.

5. Poorly aimed shooting that hits target frames or carriers, causing ricochets.

Seven Types of People at the Gun Range — HUMOR

This video is satire, but with lots of truth in the characterizations. Laughter guaranteed.

Double-Up on Hearing Protection When Shooting Indoors

When shooting rifles and pistols indoors we recommend quality muffs with earplugs underneath, offering double protection. When inside an enclosed range, with other shooters blasting away right next to you, you really need effective hearing protection. But you also need to hear range commands and be able to communicate with your fellow shooters. That’s why we recommend electronic muffs with plugs underneath.