Okay, so here's what happened. I'm shooting a single shot, bolt action at a local range when a range officer walks over and removes the detachable magazine from my rifle that's sitting in the rack during a cease fire. Now I've always been one who feels you might as well touch a man's wife as to touch his firearm without permission. Granted, I see no issues in a policy that asks shooters to remove the magazine from semi's with a spring-loaded action, but see it as useless for a single-shot, bolt-action. Besides, bolt actions with an internal magazine might be holding several rounds while sitting on the rack with the bolt open. Should range officers check these as well? When I confronted him about it he claimed the rifle might fall over and fire, injuring someone. I told him it's far more likely that he might mishandle the rife and damage it than for the bolt to close and lock itself on a live round.

A single shot bolt action with a magazine?

Point well taken. Let's say a rifle with an action that must be worked manually to load and unload each round into/from the chamber.

Don t mess with other people's guns and if it's a safety problem the RO could have asked you to removee magazine . On the trap range guns can have release triggers and I would hate to put a scratch or dent into one of those high dollar guns. Old man at Barksdale gun club said here shoot this gun he had some kind of gizmo attached to the vent rib to aid in keeping your eye centered on rib. Don't drop it that's a ten grand shotgun.

Those were my thoughts exactly. If a RO has an issue with the magazine being in a rifle, or any other issue for that matter, he should ask the owner to address it.

I’m guessing the problem had already been addressed with signs at the range stating their safety policies.

With you.... Probably not if we are being honest individuals here.

No mention of the need to remove magazines seen in the rules posted on the range website, but it's easy to remember the large sign posted on the store's front door that all bolts are to be left open. And come to think of it, I've never been asked to remove the magazine from any bolt-action rifle when checking in and paying the range fee. If it was such an important requirement, you would think it would be enforced at the onset. I'll look for a rule specific to detachable rifle magazines the next time I visit the place.

Being one who suffers from a bad case of CRS, the main reason why I like to keep the magazine in my bolt-actions is so that I don't walk off and them leave them sitting on the bench.

you lost me here:

Okay, so here's what happened. I'm shooting a single shot, bolt action

That was a poor and most likely unnecessary attempt on my part to clarify the rifle cannot reload itself when mishandled like a semi. Having been later called out for it, I saw no need to modify my OP.

My opinion is that Range Officers need to call the owner, communicate with them and let the owner follow instructions under RO observation. The rifle/shotgun isn't going to take action by itself nor will it fall over by itself. The situation is not urgent. The RO and owner can address his concern when the line is clear and during the cease fire.

My shotgun cost $68,600 and is irreplaceable. It is a side by side, so in a gun rack it is closed. I don't want anyone to touch it, not even a fingerprint. A wedding ring could leave a mark. A wath or bracelet could leave a mark. I hunt with my gun and shoot clays. Any scars are my fault and I accept that. It better not come from someone else. If someone dinged your new car in the parking lot you could hold them accountable and they'd be liable for the damage. My gun cost more than most cars in the parking lot. When I put it in a rack, I have a stick that goes down the barrel with a sign that says, "DO NOT TOUCH", PROPERTY OF XXXXXX."

The value of your gun or mine doesn't matter. It is the bad precedence that the RO sets. Eventually he will cause a nick or ding to someone's firearm. Someone might not care but in other cases it is going to be a hard lesson learned.

As one who served as a RO
A). He should ASKED/TOLD you to stick to the rules and not touch it.
B). You subscribed to the rules by shooting at that range no matter how illogical or stupid the rule may seem to you.

I've worked at a large outdoor range in south texas as a RO/maintenance. Long guns should be set down on the table, magazine out, action open. IMO if the rules are that magazines must be out, then they must be out during a cease fire.

Dude you used poor judgement. Always practice the utmost safety, gun unloaded, pointed in a safe direction, magazine out, action open always.

Should he have touched your rifle. No, unless he thought letting you do it could be a danger to others. Would I have been pissed if I forgot to remove the magazine and the range officer removed it from my rifle on the rack. No I would not. A "single shot" magazine rifle is not that fragile and complicated, especially for a range officer who would be familiar to that type of rifle. I seriously doubt he would hurt my rifle doing so. It would take a whole lot more than that to hurt my pride. I most likely would have thanked him with a "my bad" comment or something. Or yea if I was having that rare bad day at the range I might have thought to myself "what an ah**e" right back at him. But either way right then and there I would have let that moment pass from my memory forever rather than brew over it or start a pissing match over it. Life is too short to get pissed at every little innocuous chain of events created by my or someone else's screwup.

Dan, I have one for you where i did get pissed. There was a range on 380 near Navo. when it first opened I wanted to check it out. I took a SMLE No1 Mk3. The .303 ammo I was using was Remington Cor Lokts. Had the ammo box on the bench with me. I turned around after taking a shot and saw the range officer with his hand in my range bag digging through it on my tailgate. I asked him what the hell he was doing. He said "looking for fmj ammo". There was a no fmj ammo rule and he assumed since I was shooting a mil surp rifle, I would also be shooting mis surp ammo or so he said. I showed him the box of ammo I was shooting and let him know he had no right to go through my bag and accused him of looking for something to steal. I honestly think he was using the fmj thing as an out in case he got caught. I went back inside, got my range fee back and never went there again.

I don't mind it when I am wrong and someone corrects me. Happens from time to time.

I had a similar situation at the old gun range on Lawson Rd. The adult son of the owner decided to handle my Browning BAR during a cease fire while I was down range. I did not open the magazine because it’s an absolute pain in the azz to get that spring back in. Instead, I made sure the gun was empty, and put in a bright orange chamber flag. He and I exchanged words because 1) I had no idea who he was 2) there were people down range while he was handling the rifle.

In my opinion, he was causing more danger than an empty rifle with a chamber flag.

He and I came got into a very loud argument and he thought it be a good idea to put hands on me after I ripped that rifle from his hands. That rifle is my most prized rifle that I own and it was inherited from my dad. Lot of memories with that gun.

Back to the point, NOBODY SHOULD HANDLE ANY WEAPON FOR ANY REASON DURING A CEASE FIRE. Ranges should have a policy in place for dealing with a situation like these that if they feel the patrons are in danger, they can cease the cease fire until the problem is corrected

ROs are often like HOA board members, they are just dying to exercise what little authority life has given them. He should never have touched your firearm.

So, if they prefer the magazine to be out during a cease fire, do they require the floorplate to be open on non-detachable mag rifles?

You messed up not following the rules

He messed up touching your gun with people down range

I agree on both points here.

Haven't shot at a public range in quite some time. Last I did i just take the bolt out and leave it on the table next to the rifle or stick it in my shirt pocket.

I dont see much to get upset about, but like someone said above seems like an HOA etc. just looking to be a D.

IMHO, RO's should have a zero tolerance policy.

Good grief I am so glad I haven’t shot at a range in over a decade. If I had to deal with “range officers” I probably would have shot someone by now. I am all about safety but after having been self employed for so long I don’t take well to people tell me what to do. I am not some kind of bad arse far from it I just am very independent. I had fired customers before because they rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t care.

1. You were wrong to not remove the detachable magazine from your shotgun during the cease fire. (Your post failed to mention if the bolt was open to the rear, so the RSO had every right to be concerned).

2. The RSO was wrong to put his paws on your shotgun without first verbally asking you to comply with the ranges safety rules.

Two wrongs do not make a right, however, you committed the first wrong and therefore bear responsibility for all actions thereafter.

BLUF: You should be pissed at yourself...but hopefully will learn a lesson from this encounter.

I have seen good RO’s and some real dirt bags.

One of the worst things I have seen was at Quail Creek.
A guy had his family, wife and two teen aged kids, with him. He had a couple of pistols and was just there for some family fun. I spoke to him a couple of times during cease fires. He was not super experienced but was being safe and teaching his family how to shoot safely.
All was good until the range nazi came over while the husband was showing his wife how to load and shoot. She was the typical nervous and new shooter. After she shot about 5 rounds, the RO came over, picked up a loaded magazine, loaded the gun and began telling her how to “properly” stand and steady her shots. He then shot the 5 rounds in the magazine to show her “How it’s done”. He didn’t ask if they needed help or pointers. He didn’t address any safety violations. He just took it upon himself to load and shoot the guys pistol.
The guy was pissed but, what you going to do?

I have not been back there in years.

When it's all said and done Your lucky he didn't throw it in the Trash.

I believe I covered that in the last sentence of my OP when I noted how the RO must have thought the bolt (that's not under spring tension) would somehow close and lock itself on a live round.

It's because I own rifles with an internal magazine and floor plate (Winchester Model 70 and Weatherby Vanguard) that I've always left my bolt-actions on the rack with the bolt open and the detachable magazine in the rifle. After all, a closed floor plate conceals any rounds that may have been left in an internal magazine, as would be the case with a detachable magazine left in the rifle. IMO, it's the bolt left resting fully open that makes the rifle safe, if left alone of course.

I always lock the bolt open and remove the magazine on semi-auto rifles due to the spring tension and self-locking mechanism of the bolt.

Go find someplace else to shoot

i's got a single shot 12ga pump...
shot me 16ga Rem. 1100 for years dove hunting.
Whin son wanted do some duck hunting. Bought the 12ga (price of 16ga shells way to expensive).
Took forever ta remember ta pump...

& now back to the story...
Take it away Dan...

RO has full authority on a range. You subscribed to the rules of the range when you decided to shoot there and gave the RO authority to handle issues on the range to stay within his interpretation of those rules (not yours). So no, you had no right to be pissed. You want nobody to touch your gun? Buy 100 acres and shoot on your own.

99 times out of 100, the question "so was I right to be pissed" can be answered with, "no, because being pissed only effects you and not anyone else. You may as well choose to be happy and deal with the situation with grace and kindness."

question - was the range already 'declared safe'? were there any people already downrange?

My take away. RO handled a potential loaded weapon behind firing line. If he truly suspect a dangerous situation, a cease fire should have been called, line cleared etc.