What do you all take to the range?

Other than the obvious firearms, what do you all typically carry to the range? What I mean by this, the night before, you pack up everything you need for a day at the range, take us into your routine and let us all in on the items you pack and carry and use....

Do you only take what you can carry in one trip? Do you pack your vehicle till the tail pipe drags the ground?

If you want to, you can break it down into parts. If you go to the range just to site in, does your gear change than if you go to the range to plink?

OR, do you plan on doing both when you go to the range?

Do you reload at the range? What reloading equipment do you take along?

lol what a loaded question.
A few years ago when I went to the range I used to shoot at the Bench-rest Rifle club in Warrenton Mo.
when I went there i took a few guns to plink and to do some serious shooting. I always took ample ammo for what ever it was I was taking.
I also put together what the boys and I called our shooting box all it really was was an el-cheapo plastic tool box. in it i put our stapler for hanging targets, a wide assortment of gunsmithing tools to handle almost any problem that may come up, cleaning kit, cleaning supplies,
usually we took a cooler with some soda and lunch. I never reloaded there it wasn't convenient. Now that i mostly shoot at my farm its all there but I have to say that I was much more organized going to the range.

My trip to the range is always the same. Carry firearm of interest, ammo, targets and earplugs to the bench in the back yard, set up and start shooting. When working up a load, I include the chrony. If I need to do any realoading or adjustments, I just walk back across the yard to the shop. I have to use moderation though, sometimes the neighbors get restless if I shoot too much.

I have a master list that I look through before I go to the range. I do not take everything on the list but I go through it and decide what to take.

If I am taking someone to the range that has never shot before I usually take 4 or 5 handguns and no rifles. And if I am taking a new shooter I always bring plenty of the sticky Shoot-N-See.

A lot of the stuff in the list is kept full-time in my range bag so no packing is required.

Here is the list:

1. Ear plugs, in your shirt pocket ready to put in first thing.
2. Ear Muffs, baseball cap.
3. Guns. At least one gun interesting enough to share like Glock, Judge.
4. Ammo. Reloaded ammo with notes and some factory ammo.
5. Magazines.
6. Targets.8.5 x 11 and Shoot-n-See, dirty bird. A big target to put others on.
7. Shooting log.
8. Scotch tape for targets.
9. Mag loader.
10. Gun oil.
11. Rags.
12. Barrel light.
13. Ramrod to clear barrel obstructions.
14. Pen and blank paper.
15. Cup of drinking water. Jug of water frozen solid.
16. Eye protection.
17. Hex Wrench to tighten scope rings.
18. Bag to put empty brass in.
19. Check book - If going to the 59 Gun Range. It does not take plastic.
20. Ruler to measure groups.
21. Breath mints. Gotta get close due to earplugs!
22. Camera
23. Extra batteries for camera and ear muffs.
24. Brass catcher.
25. Binoculars.
26. Spotting scope with tripod.
27. Chrony and tripod. Extra 9V batteries. 4 extra AA batteris for Chrony printer. Extra paper for printer.
28. Swiss army knife and leatherman tool for scope mount tightening.
29. Front Rifle rest. Rear rifle rest.
30. Empty case holder.
31. Pocket protector to protect cell phone from sweat.

by eagle60 on Fri Aug 12, 2011 7:37 pm

My trip to the range is always the same. Carry firearm of interest, ammo, targets and earplugs to the bench in the back yard, set up and start shooting. When working up a load, I include the chrony. If I need to do any realoading or adjustments, I just walk back across the yard to the shop. I have to use moderation though, sometimes the neighbors get restless if I shoot too much.


This is almost exactly what I do.

Besides the obvious guns and ammo.

Plastic ammo box filled with: staple gun, staples, pen, notebook, screw driver, hex wrenches, torx wrench, earplugs, safety glasses, brass catcher, stick on target dots, three sandbags, gun cleaning stuff, a cold drink for when it is 107 deg outside.

Of course the guns+enough ammo, mind you.... you can never have enough

I use a big toolbox that i put in a phew small sand bags for my rifle, masking tape, a small compact universal cleaning kit (if i need to clean on the range, otherwise i clean at home), a couple of targets, pen, notebook, earplugs, screw driver with all the needed bits, a vise grip and a wooden dowel (if i were to ever have a bullet stuck in my barrel.... hope not...).

I take 4 guns, shoot & see targets, staple gun, lead sled and ammo

My range bag is always ready to go.
All I need to remember is the weapon(s) of choice for the day and corresponding ammo and targets.

Contents of range bag:
- Staple gun and staples
- extra magazines for most firearms I own
- jar of earplugs
- 5 or 6 sets of eye protection
- extra bipod
- empty bags for trash and spent brass
- two-way radio's
- usually enough extra room for a few handguns and a small amount of ammo.

hawcer wrote:- two-way radio's

That sounds interesting. I have never taken those along. Tell us more. How are they used?

Heres What I take.
1) Range bag. Actually it a converted craftsman tool bag but works great as a range bag. It has a convenient compartment underneath for storing ammo. In the top I always have 2 pair of electronic ear muffs and a bag full of little foam plugs. I also have a screwdriver with extra bits in the handle. A roll of masking tape is mandatory for taping previous shots and sometimes hanging targets.


2) Pellican Case. This is where I sore all of my electrical/delicate stuff. Chronograph and tripod that collapses very nicely and fits in box. The small spotting scope I have fits nicely in here too. The Galaxy Tab is an awesome range tool. It has some really awesome apps like a range finder and shot timer.

Not sure about Hawcer, however, my neighbor and I have talked about taking radios as well. We figure while one stay back at the bench watching the guns, the other would be out setting up targets and can communicate with each other. Kinda hard doing arm signals and shouting. Sometimes it gets so frustrating, one of us usually end up not likeing the hand gesture we get LOL...

EdgarEg wrote:

hawcer wrote:- two-way radio's

That sounds interesting. I have never taken those along. Tell us more. How are they used?

We use them for communicating between the firing line and the target pits.....200 and 300 yards can be a long way to yell. I rarely get to the 300 yard range, but when I do, they come in handy.

My UK range bag is not so different however it is fine tuned to what I am shooting at the time. If it is F Class then typically at the firing point:

Front rest
Rear bag and packers
Shooting mat
Ammunition - loaded and labelled in sequence to be shot + spares.
Electronic cans (MSR Sordins) handy as I can turn them up and listen to the chat or turn them off.
Cleaning kit
Cleaning rod
Tool and spares kit
Waterproof trousers
Yellow and black tinted range glasses
Range finder if I have not shot at the location before.
Two large towels, I run a tight neck and water in the chamber can really mess things up so if it rains I drape the towel over the action/scope/ammunition box so nothing including my right hand gets wet.
A flask of black tea or bottles of cold water.
Beanie hat
Baseball cap
First aid kit
Chart folder containing pencils, drops, log sheets, FAC, SCC, squadding and all the other bits I need to record what I am doing.

Tactical type competitions are a bit different as everything sits in the drag bag.

Waterproof trousers (It is England after all!)
Small towel
Small cleaning and spares kit.
Rangefinders
Spare magazines
Bolt bag
Ammunition in 22 round sealed waterproof boxes.
MSR's again
Beanie hat.
Small squeeze bag
First aid kit

We are off next week shooting in Denmark so all of the above plus three PMR's for comms from the firing point to butts (One is the spare radio) Plus an assortment of targets.

EDIT - forgot to add I also take the wife, she is either sitting in the car with binoculars watching the wind or shooting along side me.

Depend on what I wann shot at the range I use to take:

-guns
- a lot of ammo
- eye protection
- ear protection
- cleaning kit (bore snakes)
- camcorder with bipod (not every shooting day)
- holster
- belt
- spare magazine (5-6 pc)
- mag pouches
- timer
- android phone with calculator (only at long range)
- anemometer (only at long range)
- spotting scope

wiederladertv wrote:- holster

Does your gun range allow you to draw from a holster? Where I go, in general, that is not allowed. You have to be part of an IPSC match or some such to draw from a holster.

Yes it's allowed to use the holster. I shoot at the BDMP (military and police shooters most). At some discipline you have to use a holster.

Its good to be back I have missed this forum.

My range bag is from Tactical Tailor and I keep it stuffed to the brim with all the possibilities: cleaning, safety (enough to share if need be) gear, and tools to do various repairs and adjustments.

Lots of sticky targets from whoever has them the cheapest. I have been shooting a lot of Rad Zombie full size tagets. They are some super heavy paper and take abuse from all but shotguns well.

Indoor range is damned picky on ammo and the range officer checks all ammo for no AP, steel core, Wolf ammo (forbidden for some reason even the non-steel core non-steel cased), and no tracers, icendiaries, fragmenting, WP, etc.

Outdoor range is less picky about ammo but no exposed lead now. It all has to have a jacket. No lead in contact with the rifling except for .22 LR.

Indoor range unless you are one of the local Fuzz, no shooting or drawing from holster. I have to go to the outdoor range where they do not care if you try to recreate the Wild West in order to practice holster draw.

Seen too many ADs at the outdoor range so if anyone else is there of a notion to be crazy, I leave. One guy was practicing diving out of his truck, rolling on the ground, and come up blasting. I did a quick U-turn and left.

I also keep a full first aid kit in the Jeep (I am certified EMT 3), as well as shooting mat, water, change of clothes, and my wife says everything but the kitchen sink, but I might toss that in there too, you never know.

I like to be prepared for any occasion. While scouting for elk in 2004 during the bow season, a youg man was cleaning a nice 3 point bull he dropped.

Reaching into the chest cavity from the stomach to pull the internals out he did not realize that sometime in the past someone had stuck a broadhead in this elk but the elk survived and carried that head for a while (tough critters). When he shoved his arms in he sliced his left arm open from the elbow to the wrist just missing both the radial and brachial arteries.

I heard him yelling and came upon him with his left arm filleted open. Not having much but superglue and parachute cord, I did the best I could to close his arm. Glueing and wrapping the cord to hold the flapping meat together. We jumped in my Heep and I drove him to the emergency room in Elbe.

After that I swore to get better trained in First Aid, always have First Aid supplies with me, and try to be better prepared to help in case of an emergency.