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Gear taken to the Range

ScottJ

Professional
Founding Member
How much gear do you normally take to the range? Is it a major effort just to get it all in your vehicle, or just a bag and a firearm? My load-out is fairly lean, and remains consistent. If my grandson goes we'll take his 10/22 and ammo, and if the wife goes, it will include her pistol and ammo. This is my normal haul: Saint Edge, XD Mod2 9, and XDS 9. The pistols in gun rugs ride in the tall green bag.
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For me it can be a lot. The range is about an hour away, so if I go I'm going to be shooting several guns. It ends up being a few bags once all is said and done. I'd like to say it's not worth the effort, but it really is :)
 
Outdoor range: At least 2 rifles, each 100-150 rounds, targets; sometimes additional hand guns my indoor range doesn't allow (454 Casull, DE 50AE), with 50-100 rounds, Carry pistol with additional rounds to shoot, bags and cases to accommodate these (including the Mags and additional boxes of ammo) and required essentials (ears &eyes, shooting gloves, assorted tools), binoculars, sporting scope w/tripod stand.
Indoor range: 1-3 pistols (each with 100+ rounds), carry pistol (50-100 rounds), targets, bags and cases to accommodate these (including the Mags and additional boxes of ammo) and required essentials (ears &eyes, shooting gloves, assorted tools)
 
Usually just the wheeled range bag ammo and all the necessities eyes, ears, targets first aid, mags and more stuff.
Family member goes then another rang bag on top and two canisters of ammo on top of that. So 75 to 300 pounds. Much lighter coming home.

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For some reason, I'm guessing it has all-terrain tires on it. 👍😎
Some times I wish it had tracks instead of wheels on it. But when you are taking hand cannons to the range and the smallest is the 7,5" Super Black Hawk and a couple hundred rounds of ammo for each it adds up quick. Once all the lead has been separated from the brass the load is considerably lighter on the return trip. 🍻
 
Last year I got tired of lugging things around in a duffel bag, and got a tactical range bag at Academy that has zippered holders for 3 pistols plus a mag holder that can hold 10 magazines. They all fit in the bottom of the backpack, and the top is open for ears and eyes, and ammo. Pouches, Velcro, loops all around make it a decent bag for $40-ish.

I have a Rifle and shotgun case of course, but don’t take those to the indoor range often. I used to have land available to shoot on at my bosses farm 2 miles away, and would take targets and such with me, but then I changed jobs, and didn’t feel right keeping the key to the padlock on his gate!
 
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OK, I'll get serious with this one, too. :)

What I take typically is based on what I plan to do.

I try to have a plan before I go, so that I don't waste time when I get there - the range isn't expensive ($10/person/hour), but what I don't want is to arrive without an agenda and just send lead downrange in a "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" kind of way......

I almost always take my steel -

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^ The WRX is the wifey's - she's got a dark gray '19, now, instead of the white '16 - my vehicle is a '19 Ascent: I wanted more ground clearance. :)

- along with a few wooden stakes and IDPA cardboards, but in terms of the gun and ammo, that really varies. I've found through the years that if I have an agenda for the day and am focused, I can really also parse down what I take with me so that I get the most out of the session.

It's really only once per season that things get a bit crowded when I need to zero more than a couple of guns, and I need to also pack in my spotting scope, tripods, and a mat to lay on. :)

The heaviest load-outs occur when I take my daughter to the range. At these times, I really don't shoot much - if at-all - as I serve as her RSO/coach since she's still very much a beginner shooter. Despite now having shot for going on 6 years, she only gets out to the range two to three times a year due to school and her own extracurricular activities. So when I take her, we build up the day by starting with .22LR rifles, then moving to .22LR pistols, then her full-caliber AR, and then finally a 9mm handgun. Taking a gun for each and a spare for each means that there's a lot of guns - and then there's the ammo, too.

Ammo usually just come with me in ammo boxes. I prep mags before each range/class day, and typically have no fewer than 5 fully stuffed handgun mags for each handgun, and anywhere between 10 to 20 fully stuffed mags for the carbines. The .22LRs are the exception - outside of the 15-22, which gets packed with 6 mags, the others only have one to three mags each.

Training classes are where I *really* over-pack.

In addition to the usual gun/backup, I have whatever gear I'm wearing, extra clean clothes to change in to in case of foul weather, and I also pack sustenance for both.....

- myself: a cooler full of water/Gatorade, plus meal(s) and snacks
- as well as for the guns: tools and spare parts

I'm not stupid enough to waste time trying to repair my gun during the teaching day - but I'll work on it at lunch-break or the like...I've yet to need to even go to my backup guns, but hey, it pays to be prepared! And besides, there's nothing that makes a friend of fellow classmates faster than being able to loan out everything from holsters to slings, and being able to at least offer tools to help someone fix their stuff. :)

Sometimes, I feel like --->

Anna in Bag.JPG


Yup, that LBT Large Wheeled Load Out Bag (https://lbtinc.com/collections/load-out-bags/products/2467a) really can sleep one, comfortably!

Wait 'till their yearly half-off sale. It's worth the buy. :)
 
Some times I wish it had tracks instead of wheels on it. But when you are taking hand cannons to the range and the smallest is the 7,5" Super Black Hawk and a couple hundred rounds of ammo for each it adds up quick. Once all the lead has been separated from the brass the load is considerably lighter on the return trip. 🍻
Larger diameter, pneumatic tires, on one of those folding/stowage utility carts/wagons might ease the load a bit.

We're able to pull up to/back right up to the covered structure at the range we use here. Sure makes it a lot easier and convenient on the guys that show up with a lot of gear in the multiple rubbermaid-style totes I've seen sometimes.
 
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Usually just the wheeled range bag ammo and all the necessities eyes, ears, targets first aid, mags and more stuff.
Family member goes then another rang bag on top and two canisters of ammo on top of that. So 75 to 300 pounds. Much lighter coming home.

View attachment 564
I really like that , i was also looking at Harbor Freight has a new rolling
APACHE
5800 Weatherproof Protective Rolling Carry-On Case - X-Large
99,00 with a 25% discount makes 75.00 /but think i am going to price out yours =cool
 

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I really like that , i was also looking at Harbor Freight has a new rolling
APACHE
5800 Weatherproof Protective Rolling Carry-On Case - X-Large
99,00 with a 25% discount makes 75.00 /but think i am going to price out yours =cool
Have a Harbor Freight close by and looked a that. I'll keep my range bag with the pockets for mags. Zip pockets all the way around. Inside lot of side slots for all the stuff like gloves, eyes, small targets. Center for ammo, guns, ears. One of the members at my club had one and I copied him.
 
My range is really a club. My annual retired military dues is $125. 4 guest passes per year.
Lanes are first come, first served. Unlimited time.
Ours is a membership range also. Self-serve, as there is no RO/SO there, and each member has the combination to the gate lock. Not any extra amenities to speak of. There's a covered shooting area for pistols &rifles, with 6-7 fixed shooting benches, and there's also the lower range strictly for pistols, which has a covered area to stand under, with basically two lanes. If you have to use the Head, there's a Porta-potty located near the upper range shelter. Range is open year-round, with some scheduled competitions on certain weekends for those wishing to compete. As I said not a lot of amenities, and annual membership fee is $45.00, which includes immediate family. Not to bad a distance for me, with it only being a 13 mile drive from my house. My time there never exceeds two hours, so I'll just have coffee in a Yeti tumbler, 2 bottled waters, and a couple of snacks.
 
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