I received an email from a gentleman describing his frustration in finding a good place to shoot his LAR Grizzly WIn Mag. He had just moved to a new town and was searching for a shooting home. This story is hilarious and illustrates just how incredibly powerful these handguns really are. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did...
Cam
"I began looking for a range where I could shoot my magnums (both pistols and rifles). However, most of the outdoor ranges either do not permit firearms with compensators or muzzle porting (disturbs adjacent shooters) or do not have suitable target distances for this cartridge (either 21 feet or 100 yard ranges). I then tried indoor ranges, but many would not allow any magnums, and those that did quickly banned me from shooting my Grizzly there.
I vividly recall the events at one range in particular. Since I had already been banned at others, I specifically asked permission to shoot my L.A.R. Grizzly 45 Win Mag at their range. The range officer looked at me and laughingly said, "Hell, son, we let 'em shoot 44 Magnums in here all the time, so you go right ahead." When I entered the range, most of the lanes were filled with local police department personnel shooting what I guessed were 9mm rounds. I took my time to setup, run a target down range, load and insert my magazine, and then take aim at the target. Blocking out all the non-stop "pop" "pop" "pop" sounds from the 9mm gunfire around me, I gently squeezed the trigger. As you undoubtedly know, the ensuing pressure wave and brilliant muzzle flash were substantially greater than those of the more modest 9mm cartridges in the range. Suddenly, I realized there were no "pop" "pop" "pop" sounds and the range was eerily silent. I put my Grizzly on the bench and stepped back to look down the line and every one of the police officers was looking at me. I waved and smiled, then stepped back into the booth, picked up my Grizzly, and squeezed off another round. As the muzzle flash faded, I watched one of the eight-foot fluorescent light bulbs fall from the overhead fixture and shatter in my lane. Just then, I felt a strong tapping on my shoulder and looked back to see a man excitedly signaling me to stop. I unloaded the Grizzly and followed the man to the office, where he began cursing at me for bringing that @#$*% canon in his range. About then, an assistant entered the office to report one of the deflector plates in my lane had sustained damage. The excitable man then identified himself as the owner and stated I was liable for the replacement costs of the damaged deflector and the fluorescent light. However, I challenged the owner and explained that I had, in fact, specifically asked one of his employees if I could shoot my L.A.R. Grizzly 45 Win Mag in the range and the employee said, "Hell, son, we let 'em shoot 44 Magnums in here all the time, so you go right ahead." After confirming my story, the owner told me I would not be held liable for the damages, but I could NEVER bring that @#$*% canon back to his range."
