Remember, and it doesn't matter if you're on an indoor range or an outdoor range, you want to make sure that you're shooting your target that's in your lane.
Hey guys, Ken with Smith and Wesson, and today we're going to talk about proper range etiquette and what you should expect your first time at the range. One of the first things that you want to make sure that you do before you get to the range is you want to make sure that your firearm is unloaded and it's inside of a case like this with a flag in the chamber. The chamber flag will let everybody know that your gun is unloaded. Now, the majority of the information that we're going to talk about today is going to be applicable for indoor ranges. Indoor ranges are by far going to be the most common range that you're going to find. It's important that you put on your eye and ear protection before you go out on the range. I'm going to put my eyes on and then I'm going to put on my hearing protection.
So I'm going to walk out onto the range and when I get to the range, you're going to notice that there's most likely going to be a table right in front of you. You want to make sure that you take your unloaded firearm, that's still in the case and you want to lay it on that table, but you want to still make sure that the gun is pointed down range. So it's going to be important that you understand the orientation of the gun while it's inside this case. Now you're inside of your stall. It's time to hang your target. Now, if you're on an indoor range, most of the target systems are going to be automated, meaning once you hang your target, you set the distance that you want your target to be at and it'll automatically take it out there for you. If you're on an outdoor range like the one we're at today, it's a little bit different.
You want to make sure first off that we're safe. So if you're going to go and replace your target or do anything, it's going to require you to walk beyond that firing line. One thing you want to make sure that you do, and this is the most important, is call a cease fire. You want to make sure with 100% certainty that everybody's gun is down on the table and it's unloaded and nobody's touching it. Now I'm going to hang my target. We're here on an outdoor range, so I'm going to call a ceasefire. Ceasefire, ceasefire. Now I'm going to check make sure everybody's gun is down and there's no guns in anybody's hand. Now remember, I'm down here stapling my target, but I want to make sure that I keep an eye on what's going on behind me. Safety is always the number one priority.
Alright, so now we've walked back from hanging our target. We want to make sure that everybody's back and it's okay to verbalize this. Is everybody back? Is everybody back? Once you've confirmed that everybody is back and on this side of the firing line, it's okay to call a hot range, hot range, hot range. Now we can start to fire. Alright, now, so we're about to fire the gun, but before we do that, let's go over the four safety rules just to make sure we understand them. The first one is always point the gun in a safe direction. Second one, always treat the gun as if it is loaded, even if it's unloaded, we still don't want to point it at anybody. Number three, keep your finger off the trigger until the gun is up on target and you're ready to fire. Number four, know your target and what's behind it. So now we're going to take our gun out of the case. When I take it out of the case, I'm going to set it down in the same orientation that it was in. Remember, we always want to make sure the gun is pointed down range. I'm going to take my magazine out, I'm going to set the case to the side. After that, I'm going to start to put rounds into my magazine. Now I'm going to take the chamber flag out of my pistol.
After I do, I'm going to set it down on the table and now I'm ready to fire. So again, if you notice my finger, my trigger finger is not on the trigger. We want to make sure that we keep our finger off the trigger until we're up on the target. The sites are aligned and we're ready to fire. It's extremely important. The next thing we want to make sure that we're doing the entire time is keeping this pistol pointed down. Range safety is number one. I'm going to take my magazine, I'm going to insert it into the pistol. I'm going to let the slide go forward. Now I'm ready to fire. Remember, and it doesn't matter if you're on an indoor range or an outdoor range, you want to make sure that you're shooting your target that's in your lane. Very important. Alright, my sights are aligned. Now I can put my finger on the trigger and fire.
Now, after you're done firing, you want to make sure you take your empty magazine out. You want to make sure that your slide is locked to the rear because I want to reinsert that chamber flag. Remember, this is what tells everyone around us that this firearm is unloaded. Next, I'm going to put it back in the case just like it was when we got here, and again, we want to make sure that the gun is pointing down range. I'm going to insert my magazine, I'm going to zip this up, and that's pretty much it. Remember, the number one priority is to be safe. It's also very important that you understand those four safety rules. I hope you guys enjoyed this video and for more information, check the description below.
YouTube Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zxTBEu1v-E
Credit: Smith & Wesson