When shooting at 100 yard plus ranges, does anyone else feel very uneasy leaving $2000-$10,000 sitting on the bench while setting up targets? I do 98% of my shooting on private land, but after a trip to a range, I was far more worried about getting ripped off than a negligent discharge.

The frown upon carry rifles with you. Lock them in the truck so at least they have to break your window before they steal your stuff?

I am fortunate to be a member of a private club with 500 yards and I have complete trust in the other members I only have inexpensive rifles, but yes, I would feel uncomfortable leaving them at the bench on a public range.

Never had a second thought about it, but I don’t have “expensive” firearms. Alpine always has RO’s looking on.

The public ranges I go to have ROs. They make sure NO one is touching firearms while people are down range.

Exactly

If no RO's, bring a friend, only one goes down range to change targets while the other watches the guns.

Same here , Quail Creek is my primary

I’ve never thought about theft in that situation but I won’t put my rifle in a rack with others I don’t trust. I’ve seen them knocked over. Glad I have a private club these days, maybe the same one Mark goes to.

Do tell about the Private shooting range to 500 yards

Ancient Chinese Secret

I believe we are closed to new members for the second year in a row. I’ll check.

The ROs where I go run a tight ship. I don't have anything that valuable, but usually have some manner irreplaceable 100+ year old rifle/pistol there. I get there early and leave before any riff raff are likely to show up anyway.

You might be close enough that Parker county sportsman’s club makes sense for you. 250 yard range, but incredible setup and year round access. Pistol and shotgun ranges as well as multiple rifle ranges.

We had a group of dirtbags who followed people away from ranges to burglarize their vehicles if they stopped somewhere before going home.

At the range I go to most often, I've never given theft a serious thought. But, though not private, it's relatively small, and the ROs run a tight ship there.

Heck, I once left my rifle, rest, and spotting scope on the bench while I drove to Walmart and back to replace a battery for my chronograph! I just asked the RO to keep an eye on it for me (I figured that was far less worrisome than loading everything into my car and then risking getting broken into while in the Walmart parking lot).

Private range member here, and no range officers. I am the poorest member so even if I left my whole collection sitting out none of the rich guys at the clubs would want any of it !!!!
lol.

I have in the past worried about my stuff sitting on the bench but the RO’s at the public places I been to won’t even let someone stand within 10’ of the benches. I walked off and forgot my cleaning rods once, a month later I went back to shoot and saw them leaning in the corner of the office. Pretty glad to see that.

Big Rock Gun Club. Just north of the Henderson/Van Zandt county line, near Purtis Creek State Park. Steel at 200, 300, 400 & 500.

Those that have been to my home range know the zero line is close to the county road, and is blocked by a 5 foot tall fence. When the weather is hot, and I'm getting DOPE on someone's rifle, I will leave the rifle and my Swarovski spotting scope at the zero line and drive back up to the shop. I will work on something else while letting the barrel cool. Also from the county road you can look all the way down the 800 yard range. I'm not worried about leaving equipment close to the road.

Damn. It's hard to battle against dirtbags that are smart and have a plan. I never stop and leave vehicle unattended when I'm loaded down. Even on the way to the lease I buy groceries ahead of time.

This thread did get me to thinking about Quail Creek. You are allowed to be at the staging tables behind the firing line and gather items and leave while the range is cold and shooters are down range. That would be an opportunity for someone to pick up your case and casually walk to the parking lot with their stuff and some of yours.

Fossil Pointe outside Decatur is great, long range all the way to 800.

Last few times I was there, there wasn't a whole lot of traffic on that road to worry about.

The largest traffic day was September 1.

And I'm sure to be ringing steel that day.

No dove hunters getting "lost" and ending up on my place for some reason.

Yep

scot, what public range do you go to that doesn't have an RO that ensures this? I wouldn't go there twice. I don't want to be shot in the back by some idiot.

I worried about this a lot. ROs at our local range are a joke. I could easily walk off with someone's gun and nobody would notice til that person got back from the targets.

Now I'm sure they have videos and could figure it out if I'd signed in. But you could definitely just walk up and take it without having a lane or them having your information and all they'd have to go off of is whatever video they had of the incident.

Now I have my own place with a gate. You'd be insane to try to come take my gun while I was down at the targets. I'm always armed there and the gate means slow to get in and out.

Public is a little different but my experience in a club type environment is most of the shooting community are by and large really good people. Example, periodically someone will forget a gun at the range and it's always turned in...I have never heard of someone stealing a gun at a range. Perfect scenario...guy on super bowl Sunday came and shot at the rifle range...left to go to the shotgun range and never came back. I was the last to leave that day and went looking for him. He was gone so I put his stuff in the club house, took pictures and sent it to the club pres and treasurer as to who I thought it was and where I left his stuff. That seems to be the norm rather than the abnormal at the places that I have frequented. Now, being one of those guys who is seen there a lot helps too.

Good luck, I have shot at Big Rock a few times with a buddy back when Steve ran it...great place to shoot. I don't know if it's the same place since Steve died, RIP, I just haven't been back...no reason just haven't been down there and I'm not a member.

I have never heard of any firearms being stolen from a public gun range. I have witnessed many times (public & private club ranges) people walking away and forgetting their firearms that where either left on the bench or the rack behind the bench.