I probably need to explain the title of this post to my Murkin Readers, because in the non-Murkin Anglosphere, the word “nous” is not pronounced like the French “noo”, nor does it mean “we”.
In the English sense, “nous” is pronounced like “house”, and it means common sense, or knowledge of the way things are — as in “show some nous” when someone is acting inappropriately, or “a little bit of nous would have gone a long way in preventing that unpleasantness”.
So having condescended, let me now explain what “range nous” means.
There are some gun ranges where you are pretty much allowed to spend all the time you want in your lane — most notably in outdoor ranges run by good ol’ boys, or ranges dedicated to time-swallowing activities such as sighting in a new scope, testing various kinds of ammo, or breaking in a new rifle. These ranges are to be treasured for what they are: a rare and vanishing resource for us gun-lovers.
Most ranges — and I speak specifically of urban or suburban indoor ranges — have set time limits for a range session, such as 30 or 45 minutes. If you are going to shoot off a reasonable number of rounds or shoot a couple-three different guns, therefore, time is at a premium.
Which is why I get mildly irritated — and it happens often — when some young guy — it’s always a young guy — arrives at his lane, puts up his target, and then sets about filling the twenty or so 17-round mags for his Glock — it’s almost always a Glock or similar — and then gets surprised when his range time expires before he’s had a chance to shoot off all those mags. It also happens, although less frequently, with guys clutching their AR-15 poodleshooters and thirty-round magazines.
FFS, guys: load up your mags at home before you get to the range and aren’t in essence paying for time that should be spent shooting instead of maintenance.
Me, I put up my target, pop the safety and start shooting, mere seconds after the target has stopped shaking. If I’m going to be paying someone for me to shoot my guns, I’m damn well going to be shooting. Before I even walk out the door, the spare mags / speedloaders are full and ready for action.
It’s called “nous”, and while it is regrettably missing in so many parts of my life, at the range I haz it (as the kids say nowadays.
I joined a local club where once you pay your fee the range time is only limited to 930am to sunset. Shoot as much as you like. this can be a great cost savings even with a yearly fee in the hundreds of dollars.
The local indoor ranges you pay by the hour as you described.
You’re right, load up your gear before you go if you’re paying on the clock. I guess I can load my mags before I go to the club too.
When the cost of ammunition started climbing I printed out a bunch of pistol drills and put them in a three ring binder. I take that to the range with me and practice what I can so that I get more bang for my buck. If I just want to mess around for fun, the 22lr comes out. Anything centerfire I try to restrict to developing and maintaining skills. I find most of the people at the indoor range just like making noise
I can hardly believe this is a thing.
How is it that people even have unloaded magazines?
I have at least 40 mags of various calibers loaded and ready right now and at all times, and probably at least 100 more ready to be fed. But that’s just me.
My most used range is out in the country across the road from our house and 200 yards up a logging road. It’s an open field with a hillside behind at 120 yards, 2 kitchen tables, some old garden chairs and a garbage can. All supplied by us and various neighbours.
No rush, no hurry, lots of kibitzing an yacking.
We do have to walk up to our targets, pinned to various shot up bits of scrap plywood, replaced by users when they become totally wrecked.
Does anyone know how well the various brands and types of target camera work? SME, Longshot and Caldwell are what a quick search found, plus some build it yourself ideas that seem like a lot of work.
I don’t mind walking up to the pistol targets, but the 100 yard one is a pain. I can use binoculars or a spotting scope but a camera linking to my laptop would be nice.
Most of my local (Northern Virginia) ranges, at least the ones close to me, are booked solid with LEOs of all types and “instructors” who jam a 2-hour training session into 30-45 minutes and who are always 10-15 minutes late to leave. I let my membership lapse last year and thought I was done, until one of my wife’s patients invited me to shoot at his “lot” just across the WV line. His “lot” is 56 acres on the side of a foothill. He has a 400-yard long gun range and a 4-station 50-yard covered pistol range about a 1-minute walk from his back door. I have a bit of a problem with an eye issue in my shooting eye (PVD), but it’s less bothersome on pistol than it is on rifle.
I got off nearly 900 rounds in April, got to shoot two guns I’d never shot before, and he got all the smoke he wanted out of my .450 Ruger Bushmaster AR556. I made a good first impression and got invited back with the coveted “you can come anytime you want, just let me know when you’ll be there.”
Still not changing my moving plans (NC in 2028!), but this will give me something to look forward to on the weekends.
As always, be safe and never, ever, sell your last AK-47.
This mental defect is widespread. The number of times I have stood in a supermarket queue watching women (and it’s always women) stand there, watch a whole trolley of groceries getting scanned and then, after the last item has been scanned start to rummage in their bag for their purse, so they can hunt through that for their credit card.
Or they call the flight, we cattle line up to scan in. Someone gets to the scanner and then starts looking for their boarding pass. Same idiots get to their seats and then starts looking rummaging through their backpack to fine their book or their glasses holding up the entire plane.
Likewise, people who either get to the bar and then starts to think about what they want to drink or wait till the server arrives before they start even looking at the menu.
Give me strength……
Oh yeah, BTDT too many times. If it’s a young woman, in addition to what you said, she’ll be clutching her Emotional Support Phone in one hand as she uses only one hand instead of two to dig through her purse for payment.
About a year ago, I stood second in line behind one such young woman with seven people queued behind me, and after she not only dug with just one hand, but tried to count out cash the same way, I asked her “If you put the phone down or in a pocket in order to use two hands to pay, would you lose your balance and tip over?” I’m still bleeding from the daggers she shot at me, but the folks behind me had good laugh at her expense.
Even when I go to a range with no time limits my magazines are loaded beforehand. I have between 6 and 10 magazines for most of my handguns. It’s unusual for me to need to reload mags, I often get tired before I empty my magazines these days, gettin’ old aint for sissies.