Gun Show Lafayette 2/13,14

[Kirk Freeman]

The service, but they are in use at places like Eagle Creek Pistol Range. Very smart, but the crew there knows what they are doing despite the best efforts of the City of Indianapolis.

IMHO, if you have a rule like a cold range (as at Atterbury, MCF&G, or ECPR) then you need to have a safe place to load and unload. E.g. at Atterbury I was told to "just unload in the parking lot" with the firing line or the road into the range as my backstop. Atterbury needs a cinder block "L" with a barrel or pile of sand as a backstop.

Cold ranges are unsafe as you have unnecessary jacking with guns. As well, the parking lots at gun shows are extremely dangerous as guys point guns all over the place while jacking with them.

Call me a Nervous Nellie but after you've had a firearms discharge when you were no where near the trigger upon loading (and have witnesses) then you get a little nervous around people telling you "just unload in the parking lot."*





*Note these same people who tell you to "just unload in the parking lot" WILL NEVER let you unload with their vehicles as the backstop! There is a lesson there.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Here's a commerical grade clearning barrel, but you can do something similar with a 55 gallon drum set at an angle and a bunch of sand. (Ensure you have a proper backstop around it as some former service members here can tell you that some guys can miss the barrel!)

Clearing barrel in use by militree:
Doc H's International Adventure: The Danger of Safety

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozq18r_Lt-4"]YouTube - APC-100, bumm, bumm, bumm[/ame]

 

[indykid]

I've always used the ground as a backstop at shows that don't allow loaded firearms inside. Unloading is not the problem, as when you drop the mag, there is no risk to the firearm discharging, and pulling back the slid and ejecting a live round shouldn't cause it to go off. Not that I know at least.

Yes, when you reload there is a definate chance of a stuck firing pin causing a bang, but I always, repeat always point my weapon down when I chamber a live round. I never point the firearm in any direction except down towards the ground just in case.

Kirk, I don't know you and am not trying to flame you in any way because I agree with you that it would be nice to have a safe area to reload, but your suggestion of "Teal Road" or "Shellie's Cafe" or "fellow gun nuts" as a backstop tells me you don't point the weapon down when handling your firearms. I hope I know better and that you don't do that, but...

Oh, the parking lot at the Lafayette show is dirt, or grass, or sand so finding an area to "clear your weapon" away from people is very easy to do.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

indy, I don't mind at all. I think conversations like this are essential to ensure a safe gun culture and take absolute no, none, nada, nichevo offense.

Not saying I would ever do such a thing, talk about pouring all that gun skul instruction down a rat hole, but I'm speaking broadly. I think we've all been to enough gun shows to have that sinking feeling when we see our fellow gun owners pointing guns everywhere.

In my opinion, but you know how opinions are, it is unsafe to allow all this loading and unloading in unsafe areas, or perhaps a better term "undesignated areas". Give us sand barrels and/or fiddle tables and I'd feel a lot better.

The ground may work but it is less than optimal (that force field thing) but I think we all know that bullets ric especially on concrete, rocks, frozen ground, etc. We all know horrific tales of people being killed or seriously injured from rics.

Indeed did we not have an injury at the Indy 1500 where someone loaded a gun and it went bang wounding himself despite the gun being pointed "at the ground"?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Man drops slide on .32, discharging pistol down toward the ground, bullet hits girlfriend, but does not penetrate her (hits Blackberry).

Bullet-stopping BlackBerry saves woman at local Fricker’s

Every time, every single time, you load or unload the weapons can discharge. Muzzle up, muzzle down, the gun can fire and who knows where the bullet will go from there.

 

[IndyMonkey]

Man drops slide on .32, discharging pistol down toward the ground, bullet hits girlfriend, but does not penetrate her (hits Blackberry).

Bullet-stopping BlackBerry saves woman at local Fricker’s

Every time, every single time, you load or unload the weapons can discharge. Muzzle up, muzzle down, the gun can fire and who knows where the bullet will go from there.

Sounds like a case of the stupids and the gun wasnt in a holster.


So do you have one of these barrels in your house?

 

[n9znd]

I think Kirk is right and there should be a safe place to unload. But if you intend on selling a gun or posibly trade a gun why would it be loaded anyway? There was a guy right in front of me that had a revolver and he brought it for a trade and it was loaded. I took to guns to the show to trade or sell and I went ahead and put a zip tie through them myself to save time. The guy at the counter really thought that was cool. That brings me to my complaint. I bought a gun a few weeks ago and payed a certain amount for it and then try to sell or trade at the next gun show and they want to give 1/2 of what I paid. I know I did not pay to much for it because I looked all over the internet and did my research before I went. I understand a guy trying to make a buck but wow!!! Maybe they should inflate the prices a little that they give for the stuff they are buying to make up for the inflated prices for the new stuff and the used stuff they are trying to sell. You should never insult someone with a stupid low ball price. If you think you do not have a market for that certain item or it is something that you do not really want then just say that, because when you insult that person will never come back to your table.

Thanks to John Caffrey's Table I was able to make a deal and get what I wanted. Great guy to deal with and I will be back to his table. Jim

 

[Kirk Freeman]

So do you have one of these barrels in your house?

Yes, sand barrel in the basement armoury, stack of Indianapolis phone books upstairs.

It doesn't have to be elaborate. Just a frame with 2"x4"s a plastic 55 gallon barrel set at an angle and a bunch of play sand from Lowe's or Home Depot.