[mm6mm6]

My good friend from back in high school met me at Bass Pro Shops this afternoon. We haven't seen each other in quite awhile (due to the distance between where we live) so we figured a day at the firing range would be fun.

He brought his Interarms PPK/S and I brought my Interarms PPK (and my EAA Witness .38 Super).

There was a gentleman there with his wife and he had two brand new, unfired S&W/Walther's...a blued PPK (beautiful!) and a stainless PPK/S.

We all went out on the range and my buddy and I began shooting. I showed the other guy and his wife how to operate the target holder. A few minutes later he came over and asked me for help with his gun. He had a class three malfunction, a loaded round in the chamber and another round coming up from the magazine, jammed against the back of the first round. That's a pretty tough jam to clear, specially on a gun without a lever to hold and lock the slide back. I showed him what was going on and how to clear it. Other than that, he didn't have any problems I was aware of with his two new Walthers.

My gun ran flawlessly but my friend's would sometimes (about 8 times out of 50 rounds I'd say) not feed a loaded round all the way into the chamber. The slide would be back just about 1/4 inch and the round would be horizontal, into the chamber but not all the way. A little help at the back of the slide would get it in all the way.

He's going to try gently burnishing the chamber area to be sure there are not burrs (we super cleaned the gun when we got home and he's going to try shooting it again soon to see if that helped).

I noticed a little red cut on my shooting hand from the customary Walther bite. I couldn't feel any pain, but there it was. It's still there as I'm typing this but there's no soreness or anything. Doesn't bother me at all.

I tried my friend's gun and it shot almost like mine, but the PPK/S overall grip feel and weight is alot more in my hands. Despite my large hands, the PPK fits me much better.

Here's a pic of our guns at home before we cleaned them:

 

[153]

I really enjoy looking at that PPk of yours mm6mm6. Next to it that PPK/S looks a thad naked!

Your friend should think about engraving his PPK/S.

Hope the chamber polishing works!

 

[mm6mm6]

Thanks 153! Bass Pro Shops has a really goofy set of rules for shooting at their range, inspired by a crazed lawyer I'm sure!

When I arrive at the entrance, I have to remove the guns from my case and the person at the entrance counter has to clear the guns and put trigger locks on them. This person is usually either an 18 year old girl or a 70+ man and none of them has any idea how to handle a firearm. They issue a "receipt" for the gun, any ammo, targets, and eye/ear protection that I bring along.

Then I get to walk through the store and take the elevator up to the range.

At the range, the guy at the counter then takes the trigger locks off my guns and checks to be sure I didn't steal any ammo, targets, or eye/ear protection when I walked through the store. Yeesh!

After shooting, the process is done in reverse.

It's a wonderful range and it's not that expensive but this process is ridiculous. Any trained range officer or any knowledgable shooter knows that the more "gun handling" there is that is not "down range in a safe direction" allows a higher chance of their being "an accident."

I see these people at the front desk opening semi-auto actions to "clear" them with the guns pointing every direction with customers all over the place. It's crazy.

So the guy at the range desk dropped my engraved PPK when he took the trigger lock off my gun. It only fell from his chest area to the desk, but it still made my heart jump! The gun was fine, stainless on formica and the stainless wins thankfully.

I hate even having these people handle my guns. I keep telling myself that their rings won't scratch my gun's surface. They act like they know what they're doing, but they can never figure out how to release the slide on my High Standard target .22 - the release is on the right side of the frame. They have no clue how to check the cylinder on single action revolvers.

I think it would be 100% safer to just let a shooter walk through the store with their case, pay for their range time, and then open their case and get their guns out on the firing line.

I don't know what they're lawyers are thinking. I guess they want to safe guard against someone getting halfway through the store and then opening fire? Of course, if someone wanted to do that, they could just have the loaded gun in the back of their jeans waistband with a shirt over it.

What a crazy, convoluted system!

-Steve

 

[gokyo]

I can not even imagine what incpired that stupid policy.

I would shop and shoot someplace else.

 

[PanaDP]

That's retarded. Especially in a store with guns for sale that you KNOW has a great security CCTV system.

 

[mm6mm6]

I know exactly what you guys mean. The sad part is that in the Communist Republik of Illinois, there are hardly any other choices for where to shoot. The Bass Pro range is clean, well maintained, safe, brightly lit and the target holders/electronic return systems work really well. But, obviously, I'm quite unhappy with their goofy trigger lock system.

 

[Ogie]

I know exactly what you guys mean. The sad part is that in the Communist Republik of Illinois, there are hardly any other choices for where to shoot. The Bass Pro range is clean, well maintained, safe, brightly lit and the target holders/electronic return systems work really well. But, obviously, I'm quite unhappy with their goofy trigger lock system.

That's too bad! I don't like anyone handling my firearms unless I give them permission to do so. I would try going somewhere else. Are you in the northern part of the state, or the southern part?

 

[mm6mm6]

I'm up north. For indoor ranges, I have Maxxon's and GAT. Both are rather dark and dingy ranges. And expensive. Bass Pro is really nice.

I usually shoot outdoors at the Conservation Club of Kenosha County (Bristol, Wisconsin). It's a wonderful place and I've been a member there forever. I have a Cowboy Action Shoot there on Sunday. I shot trap there last week and sighted in my new Henry GoldenBoy .17 HMR lever action rifle there a month ago.

 

[photohause]

I'm with Ogie.... I don't want anybody handling my firearms....if there would be a problem with one and I'm the only person who touches it, thats one story. If there were a problem, after it were to be eturned to me, and it was in someone else's hands, one more link added. I'm real funny about that.

Always love looking at your guns mm6!

 

[mm6mm6]

Photo, I have some guns I would NEVER even think about shooting at Bass Pro. I wouldn't let their people handle certain guns in a million years.

Did I mention that the key to unlock the trigger locks is on a ring of about 25 other keys, all of them flopping around trying to scratch the gun?

Yikes!

 

[SELFDEFENSE]

Never heard of such and dangerous and goofy system

 

[Deputy]

mm6: I used to live in northern ILL. Two other places you might try are Bell's Guns on Mannheim Road in Franklin Park (3315 N. Manheim Rd., Franklin Park, IL 60131) , and Gun World in Bensenville on Irving Park (421 Irving Park Road, Bensenville, IL 60106) just southwest of O'Hare airport. They are pretty cose to each other and don't have those nutball rules like Bass Pro Shops.

Dep

 

[Thiokol]

If I'm not mistaken, Bell's is long gone. I seem to remember that they got into some sort of legal jam a few years ago.

Two other places you might try are Bell's Guns on Mannheim Road in Franklin Park 3315 N. Manheim Rd., Franklin Park, IL 60131, and Gun World in Bensenville on Irving Park 421 Irving Park Road, Bensenville, IL 60106.

 

[Deputy]

If I'm not mistaken, Bell's is long gone. I seem to remember that they got into some sort of legal jam a few years ago.

Maybe. They were there when I moved in January 2006. Their e-mail is [email protected] and their phone number is 847-678-1900. Give them a call tomorrow and find out