Taking a gun from the rack without permission

Help Support :

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Not always in fairness. If you count scorers as supervisors, then summer evening shooting is £28 per 100 and the registered shoots are £34.50. There is also a Monday morning no booking thing for £40 caddied! But yes, a usual caddied round to a non member is £50 or so, but hey, you get what you pay for, a professional environment and personal service.
I’m not saying it’s bad value.  I quite like the idea personally.  But the pricing means there will be many who regard it as unaffordable.

 
16 quid a hundred at my club, Happy to keep it that way and I'll put my gun in the car thanks.
Definitely don't want our local cubs following the above prices. Even Bywell at £6.50 per 25 is a steal. I was paying £5 for a round of skeet or ABT and £7 for 40 sporting at Derwent Grange over the summer.

 
It would seem trivial for grounds with a no guns in the clubhouse policy to have a simple token based trigger lock on the racks outside the clubhouse. Insulated cable through the trigger guard. lock gun to rack, take out the key. Go for a cuppa, return, replace key, take away gun. Like the lockers at a swimming pool for your shoes and underwear, which may more deadly than your shotgun!
just take fore end off an take it in with you

 
The person in charge of the group should be more aware of what the group are doing, but at the end of the day it is your responsibility to look after your guns. Thankfully it wasn't some chancer that was mooching around and disappeared with the guns altogether, otherwise some one would be in deep doodah now. Be vigilant as these people do walk among us.

 
I’ve never been to a club where having a slipped gun over my shoulder in the clubhouse is a problem, why might this be frowned upon?
It is NOT the slipped gun that causes a problem, more those who get to the ground, remove gun from slip, place slip in car and then proceed to smack as many heads as possible on their way around the ground  !  I say this as only 4 weeks ago whilst trying to pay for my round,  I was the subject of just such a person. We used to allow guns in the clubhouse but after a 'snap cap' went off injuring 2 staff members, it was stopped.

I love this "holier than you" attitude on this subject. Glad so many are perfect.

I do, of course, expect any gun owner to look after their equipment, but i really think some comments/attitudes are a bit condescending to say the least.
Maybe it is due to the 'holier than thou' attitude, that so few incidents do actually take place over the large number of shooting grounds up and down the Country.  If I see something occurring that I feel is in any way unsafe, I will do something about it and not just mutter about it later. Those that have shot with me will vouch for that.   

 
It is NOT the slipped gun that causes a problem, more those who get to the ground, remove gun from slip, place slip in car and then proceed to smack as many heads as possible on their way around the ground  !  I say this as only 4 weeks ago whilst trying to pay for my round,  I was the subject of just such a person. We used to allow guns in the clubhouse but after a 'snap cap' went off injuring 2 staff members, it was stopped.
I see, makes complete sense.. I always slipp my gun between stands and in the club house, it take ⅔ second for me to do this, I really understand why people don’t. I assume showing off expensive guns?  The first big comp I shot at a couple of years ago I saw a Lady stumble and drop a very pretty gun into the shale clippings on the pathway completely trashing the woodwork, that was enough for me to keep my gun in a slip when it’s not being used.

 
I’ve never been to a club where having a slipped gun over my shoulder in the clubhouse is a problem, why might this be frowned upon?
Nobody uses a gunslip down here... unless it is raining and even at that no guns would be taken into the club house.

 The gun being in a slip, in my opinion, makes taking it into a club house even more undesirable... we only have the trust that the gun is A empty and B the safety is on the only way to know a gun is truly safe is when it is broken and seen to be empty... the way a good tarpie does over the shoulder! :)  

 
Last edited by a moderator:
This is a fascinating thread - I have never shot anywhere that folk left guns unattended that were not secured in some way - as noted earlier Churchill’s have a locking system as do a few other grounds - from the posts it’s clear a lot of clay grounds do provide the means to leave guns on racks unsecured and folk feel ok about trusting others to leave them alone - it’s hard to rationalise this with other aspects of the 21st century U.K. attitude to gun ownership - surely if the worst happened the implications for both the gun owner and the ground that condoned the practice would be very serious 

in a world in which the shotgun has regrettably become the weapon of choice for gang members with the consequent number of thefts of guns from country premises  rising its probably best not to publicise the location of the grounds at which this practice is condoned 

 
I find it incredible that some shoots don't allow guns in the club house ! It's all very well saying lock them up in the car but some cars offer little security.

 
I find it incredible that some shoots don't allow guns in the club house ! It's all very well saying lock them up in the car but some cars offer little security.
Very true that Hammy... but guns in the clubhouse? Of course it is down to safety. Now nearly all the shooting down where I shoot is trap so using a gun slip is not something that is done. Most shooters put their gun in the boot of their car between rounds and to be fair most of the people at the ground are we aquatinted with each other so theft is unlikely. I did hear of guns being stolen at Lonato this year though but that is just scallies on the nick. However how do you actually feel about someone taking a gun in a slip into a clubhouse? Have you the faith they are sensible and have made it safe. If people cannot trust their own car as safety they should be given he option of an armoury to store their gun for however short a time. 

 
Very true that Hammy... but guns in the clubhouse? Of course it is down to safety. Now nearly all the shooting down where I shoot is trap so using a gun slip is not something that is done. Most shooters put their gun in the boot of their car between rounds and to be fair most of the people at the ground are we aquatinted with each other so theft is unlikely. I did hear of guns being stolen at Lonato this year though but that is just scallies on the nick. However how do you actually feel about someone taking a gun in a slip into a clubhouse? Have you the faith they are sensible and have made it safe. If people cannot trust their own car as safety they should be given he option of an armoury to store their gun for however short a time. 
I can no more know they're safe (or not) whether the gun is in or outside the club house once it's in a sleeve, in practice of course the vast majority will be perfectly safe. I just think clubs should cater for guns being brought in sleeved or not, I would much rather place my gun on a rack close by while having coffee or something than lock it up in an ancient hatch back. 

 
With regards to the safety, or NOT,  of using a gunslip, I use my gunslip constantly. I do this for several reasons. It keeps my guns looking like they are 'just out of the box', I have seen some severe damage to guns that have been unslipped and struck by bits of clay, or have dropped out of the gunrack at a stand, also the attempted mating of two guns slung over the shoulders of their respective handlers, one ending up with a dented rib !  As my gun is ALWAYS put into the slip broken and then closed, prior to fastening the slip, I KNOW that it was empty as it entered the slip. It then does not leave my possession until I put it back into a vehicle. I think we would all agree that a loaded gun in a gunrack is perfectly SAFE. It only becomes dangerous WHEN SOMEONE PICKS IT UP  !  Therefore a slipped gun should be safe until it is removed from the slip.  If that is done correctly, and the gun opened (or the breech on an auto is open and a safety plug is in place) BEFORE it's removal,  it should be seen to be safe  ?  The unslipped gun on a gunrack,  or a gun taken from a slip incorrectly,   and then waved about in all directions before being opened, to me, is FAR more dangerous. The problem being,  I witness this EVERY time I go shooting,  at whatever ground.  We all witness it, it just seems that very few of us will step forward and do something about it.

 
could have had a few licences removed had the local police group been shooting,you are responsible for your gun and I believe if a group of knobends does this sort of thing they should be banned from the ground forever I would also  circulate their details and offence to as many local shoots as possible, because if you think this through both the shoot owner or the person in charge of the group could be in trouble

don't think we need these people to join the shooting communityl

 
Last edited by a moderator:
If it's wet or raining I use a slip otherwise I carry mine around and have yet to damage anyones property, mainly to do with the fact I have had a poor innings with gun cases in general, the dozens or so I have owned over the years have almost always disintegrated either the zip goes or handles rip out or both. I also hate the fluff you end up plucking out of the end of the gun, yes I know you can buy slips without fluffy innards and that many are available with a roll over strap but you know perfectly well what I mean.

A friend has just gifted me a brand new Hamilton of which I have always been critical for many reasons but I shall be giving it a go strapped to a golf trolly. 

 
I prefer my gun in a slip as little as possible particularly in warm weather hot guns and gun slips are not a good mix. Also I am less nervous seeing an open unloaded gun than looking at the pointed end of a gun slip laid across a table looking at me. Does anybody really asume a gun in a slip is safe

 
I prefer my gun in a slip as little as possible particularly in warm weather hot guns and gun slips are not a good mix. Also I am less nervous seeing an open unloaded gun than looking at the pointed end of a gun slip laid across a table looking at me. Does anybody really asume a gun in a slip is safe
WHEN  have you ever seen a gun in a gunslip, laid upon a table,  go off  ?  Perhaps it was one of those remote control things recently pictured on here  ? I have only ever seen negligent discharges AFTER the gun was picked up and NOT in a slip.  I am more concerned about the clowns that remove a gun from a slip or gunrack and promptly wave it around before opening the damned thing.   I have heard all of the rubbish reasons for not using a slip many , many times. I have in over 50 years only seen one mishap with a gunslip that caused damage to the gun inside and IF that had been carried the right way up, it would not have occurred. I keep my decent quality gunslips clean and the leather suitably treated, I avoid the wool lined things and thus avoid the 'half a sheep on the front bead'  situation.  But each to their own and I know which I prefer AND which I am more wary of.

 
I guess I come at this from a slightly different perspective - for me as a game and clay shot concerned by the threats to all forms of firearm based sport by those that perhaps are hard wired to oppose all weapons based “sport” I am troubled by any practices that increase the risk that weapons can be stolen and that laxitude used to close down or at least limit the sport 

sorry to be a shade darker in my view but I live in the metropolitan bubble that perhaps regrettably impacts all our lives to a materially greater degree 

 
Back
Top