Via Insty, I saw this article (What to Bring to the Gun Range) and was immediately drawn to read it because guns.
Sheesh. What a disappointment. Hearing protection, eye protection and a couple other okay but sometimes silly suggestions. In other words, duh.
So as it was time to tidy out my own range bag, I thought I’d share what it carries, more or less permanently (with some other stuff that I’ll get into in a moment).
Here’s the bag:
Alert Readers will spot that it’s not yer typical 5.11 tacticool range bag, but a humble tool bag available from any hardware store. Reasons: I want tough, and tool bags are tougher than they need to be; and cheap: this one cost about $15, compared to the typical range bag’s $50 (or more). You can use a cheaper tote bag (I have), but they wear out pretty quickly. Also, the Husky bags come in all sizes. This one is a medium — I could have gone smaller, but I’ll give the reasons for that decision anon. Also, note that little outside pocket, because its contents come next.
Now for the permanent contents. In that outside pocket:
1 – Band-Aids, 2 – blood coagulant, 3 – eye drops, 4 – lens wipes, 5 – spare batteries for scopes, 6 – pen and marker, 7 – ear plugs, 8 – aspirin (for minor pains or those sudden heart issues), and 9 – Swiss Army Champ.
It’s by no means a comprehensive collection, but anything requiring more than that means a different set of circumstances. (The coagulant, by the way, is for minor scrapes and scratches, because nothing screws up good bluing like blood. Ask me how I know this.)
Now for the main body of the bag — and let me remind you that these are just the permanent contents:
1 – tape (for targets); 2 – Wheeler gunsmith’s screwdrivers, 3 – ratcheting screwdriver set, 4 – borelight tube, 5 – Loc-Tite, 6 – adhesive targets (familiar to those who’ve seen my ammo/accuracy tests), 7 – spare .45 ACP ammo, 8 – eye pro which fits over my glasses, 9 – hearing pro with volume control, 10 – cleaning rags, 11 – shooting gloves.
Okay, a few explanations: the .45 ammo is in case the other guns I’m taking that day have a problem, in which case I can always just pull out the 1911 (which as you all know never leaves my side). I generally don’t use the shooting gloves unless I’m doing shotguns and need a little heat insulation. Finally, I don’t take any cleaning gear to the range because I do my cleaning at home.
All that, however, could fit into a smaller range bag. Now here’s the reason why I got the bigger one: regardless of what guns I’ll be shooting that day, I like to take a .22 (pistol or revolver) plus a bag of ammo with me every time I go, so I’ll just drop those in the bag. That’s just in case I have something go badly wrong with the other guns, I’ll always have something else to shoot. Obviously, those other guns will have their own case, and if for example I’m playing with the Frankenpoodleshooter, I’ll drop the spare mags into the Husky. Also, I always add a can of Ballistol to the bag (it wasn’t pictured because I’d just finished cleaning my guns when I wrote this).
By the time I get to the range, that Husky is plenty full, as you can imagine.
Anyway, that’s my range bag. Feel free to comment and add criticism or suggestions, as always.
One suggested addition to the outside pocket: New Skin or another liquid bandage pocket. Very handy for cuts across a knuckle, on the edge of a nail, or other places where skin is constantly flexing and is hard to get to stop bleeding.
Product, not pocket. Argh. Anyway, comes in handy for certain types of wounds.
I have 2, a big one (like the pik) and a smaller one. The smaller is what I usually take any more. I just don’t need all the stuff in the big one.
Other than sight/scope adjustment, I don’t do any gun repairs at the range. If the gun has a problem I case it then move to the next gun. I’ll fix it when I get home and can put it on the bench surrounded with everything I might need.
A couple years ago I switched soft ear plugs and will most likely never use the others again. I bought about 50 pairs on amazon.
I’m old and don’t like to carry a lot of “just in case” stuff.
I had the same thought when I saw the two different screwdriver kits. Other than something very simple that I can correct with a multitool, if there’s a problem the gun gets unloaded and put back in the truck. I’m not doing gun surgery at the range. In fact, they specifically ask you don’t do any disassembly at the line and have a special station for that, but I’d rather just take it home.
That’s a very good set up. The boo boo kit is a good addition. you don’t need it until you do.
I bring a couple of rags in my bag as well. I don’t like putting a firearm on the bench or nearby table because I don’t want my firearms to get scratched.
I’d add a gallon zip lock back for collecting brass. I have a press so it’s only a matter of time before I reload that caliber. At indoor ranges it’s harder to reclaim my brass though.
Instead of stickers and tape, I use a stapler and have a separate bag for targets. I usually use 4×6 index cards. The size mimics a thoracic cavity rather well and I can tear them in half for smaller targets. the 4×6 is also smaller than IPSC or IDPA A zones. index cards are really cheap. It’s usually a couple bucks or so for a stack of 100 or so. A pack of 3×5 index cards next to me is $2 for 240.
Another fun target to use is playing cards. You can buy a large package of playing cards rather cheaply. I think each deck of 54 or 55 cards runs about $2 or so when bought in bulk. Get your wild west on with playing cards.
I also have a 6″ metal ruler in my bag for measuring groups.
A timer can also be handy for some drills. In my target bag I have a three ring binder filled with pistol drills I have gathered from the internet. Some drills require special targets so I have a few of them in there. This helps me practice prudently rather than just turn money into noise.
A guy I shot IDPA with used a tool box for his gun bag. He bought a tool box and lined it with closed cell foam. He had a nosey neighbor. When he headed out to matches and the range, the neighbor would notice so the guy said he was off to his daughter’s house to unclog a drain, change her oil etc.
As a reloader, and as someone who only uses outdoor ranges, I always have a spare container for empty brass. And, more importantly, I recently started taking a note book to record relevant info. It’s a lot easier when you’re only a few steps away from your truck no matter which firing line you are on.
Love the bag! I use a smaller one-compartment backpack, also inexpensive, but I don’t put the guns in it, only the permanent gear. I splurged on one of those hard boxes with compartments for four pistols and lots of mags. Only about $50 at Amazon.
I have less tools, but the rest looks a lot like yours. I have a full blowout kit in a separate pouch mole-strapped to the side of the bag. Overkill, but rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I’m not worried about shooting myself, but the stupidity I’ve seen at ranges make me want to have a full blowout kit for the other knuckleheads. I don’t buy the ridiculously priced FAIK available from prepper places. You can put one together yourself with individual purchases on amazon for about 20% or so of the ready-made kits. You don’t need everything in those kits, I’m not medic qualified, of course. But if you’re going to put together a good kit, you need a quick tourniquet, some clotting agent and bandage material, and chest seals. Mine is in an Orca Tactical first aid mole pouch, bright red. About $20. It is fairly compact. If your range offers it, a Stop The Bleed course is not a bad idea. It’s a very good idea.
Your list is a good one, although I have far less tools. I have most gunsmithing needs at home, that’s where anything needing attention gets it. The only two Ideas I have for you are these.
1. I agree, no cleaning gear, that gets done at home. But I do have a small ziplock with a couple of folded blue shop paper towels and a needle bottle with oil in it. Not cleaner or CLP, just gun oil, but CLP would also be fine if that’s how you roll. Never know when you or your shooting buddy might need a drop of lube. They are cheap, and that would fit in our outer pocket. See here:
https://www.amazon.com/Hicet-Bottles-Stainless-Needle-Novinex/dp/B076YZY5ZK/ref=sr_1_6?crid=ITEONY9FMGB3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2OAeNX-Z-3iWgm5hDs6pD7ASowQc7K8trdvDnNxHEJ3fr3TqIHq8YYyzSAXK_q_2syRIa3PICMa07kzLtHYOzgOP9qXoF1AcnsN9q5GsOxy8TLXEMrj6AG157eElTBuBIgEoM4iMNHMskNlL6i3gbMxyhkc1BPKsZxQ-uqrv7z6Y4ftnbzRWZPse5L7AP6LCe00cv_TAk1yP6Vp6rN4g0jxNKrAZTscb1sWoWdOZxNCoWv5rLP560gySYUrfE2luvy8qTCAbsygjvVTZMVVaUkoQ024ocLo3vNqRjJci3dA.uUFk3v3dmlWT1B6BEj3UGUYgx3twweMlkbaex2kpuxc&dib_tag=se&keywords=needle+oiler+for+guns&qid=1774874234&sprefix=Needle+oiler%2Caps%2C314&sr=8-6
2. In addition to the tape I have a small, light duty staple gun. In the car I keep rolls of brown wrapping paper. If I want to play with an IDPA type target, I just tear off a sheet and staple it to the target stands at my club. I can mark targets on it, use stickers like yours, or draw a torso outline with the marker. Lot’s cheaper than actual targets. If you are at a range with the electric target trollies this idea doesn’t make sense, but my club uses wood target frames with cardboard backers. A clean sheet of brown wrapping paper also covers up the hundreds of holes in the backer from prior shooters, so you can put your stickers on it, use the marker, or playing cards (great idea, that one, gonna try it!) but you have a clean surface to shoot on cheap.
Nice post, made me thing a bit
The one piece of cleaning gear that’s always in my range bag is an el-cheapo aluminum (not steel) segmented cleaning rod. Adds almost no weight, and in three segments takes up almost no space.
But if you’ve ever had a squib round (with primer but no powder) in a pistol that puts the bullet halfway down the barrel it will be impossible to get out without a rod. If it’s a cheap aluminum rod you can find a rock and beat on the handle segment to drive the bullet out of the barrel without worrying about destroying the threaded end of the rod.
1: Quick Clot. Hope you never have to use it but just in case. This is good stuff.
Tourniquets cut off blood supply. That’s how they work.
Pressure works until there is some massive wound.
Quick clot is a chemical that stops bleeding and you can pack wounds with it.
2 : extra safety goggles and extra ear protection. You never know when yours might break or you have someone that came with you and they of course forgot their gear.
3 : ramrod – cleaning rod long enough for the barrel of the gun / guns taken to the range that day. – keep your guns clean and in case of a squib load
4 : oil. Clp. Hoppes. Whatever cleaning stuff you like. Remember. It doesn’t have to be soaked but “everything is better wet” and “if you love it, lube it”. – also some plastic cleaning pics and a brush.
5 : don’t need a pretty bag but need a functional durable bag. Kim’s bag is nice. I got a generic gun bag from the Wally World mart.
6 : bring some small tools for scopes / red dots etc if you have them on your gun. No a key is not the way to adjust the clicks on your red dot.
7 : Massachusetts (And CT and CA and other commie states) – make sure you got gun locks and or a locked case for those evil guns
8 : a small inexpensive sandbag rest for the guns. Better one if your a dedicated rifle shooter for accuracy in egg shoots or other competitions.
9: more ammo than you think you will need.
Remember – you never know if you will need ammo on the trip there or back.
Have fun
I really like that separate outside pouch. My stuff of that nature is in a Ziplok bag, and it tends to get lost in the clutter of my one big compartment tool bag. I reload, so I also carry a couple of empty 1 gal Ziplok bags to pick up brass or whatever. I also like the Wheeler screwdrivers, but whittle my range set down to the sizes needed for the occasional external loose screw and sight adjustment. No repairs at the range. These are also in a Ziplok bag. I notice you bag has a shoulder strap – that alone is going to make me shop for a new bag.
Bluf — I settled on this one–
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O49WP88?th=1
Happy to report it is still the same price I paid back in 2019. I like it. I like the design features and the size. Large enough to support multiple guns, but not to the point where you wish it had wheels. Besides guns and ammo, my load out is pretty simple.
Minimal tools for sight adjustment.
Eye and ear protection.
Targets, stapler, tape. Targets are white paper plates with bright Post-it notes for center.
Magazines as needed.
Shop rags.
Guns are already cleaned and lubed. Anything that goes down at the range comes home to the man cave work bench (as Kim can attest).
This range bag is my first. We lived in Chico, CA for 30+ years. Our go to outdoor range was the Clay Pit in Oroville. You can google it. Odd as this may sound, it is free and unsupervised. Target changes and safety are a group effort. Firing points are concrete picnic tables. We would just back my pickup up to the firing point, drop the tailgate to unload, and have at it.
It depends on the gun. My primary range gun is a Colt 1911 Govt with a metal cleaning rod with a brass brush and a nylon brush. I also have a Gerber multi-tool, spare batteries for the Red Dot and the tools for the red dot. Frog tape, sharpie, cleaning towel, and Hoppes #9. My 10-mag carrier loaded with range ammo.
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I keep a First Aid kit in my truck that is extensive. I may carry extra ammo or another range bag with a different gun and set-up.
I used to pack a minimal kit, in a couple of mid-size plastic paint buckets with swing handles. Like, a bucket for target-marking and PPE, one for ammo and whatever. It was less than ideal for getting on and off the range, and not easy to keep organized. I liked the way it looked in the cargo area of a hatchback: like nothing.
My range bag is an old grip, retired from my days of labor. There is no organization, it’s just full to overflowing with handfuls of PPE, spent brass, perforated targets, and unknown tools. I do have a trauma kit and a spotting scope. It might be time to upend the thing and sort it out.
Here is what the pros have:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIwFnkbwEjE&t=4s