When heading for a shooting range, the last thing you want to experience is a wardrobe malfunction. A shooting attire is appropriate and always recommended for any shooting practice or competition. You need to stay comfortable and focused on your shooting.
Some shooting ranges have a dressing code. It is important to make a pre-visit and acquaint yourself with any dress requirements. As a general rule, you need to dress comfortably and conservatively keeping the range conditions and temperature in mind.
Whether heading for an indoor or outdoor shooting range practice, there is essential gear to consider. Below, we discuss some of the important wears to a shooting range.
Essentials wears to a shooting range
Pants and long sleeve shirts
At a shooting range, you need to have less skin exposed. In case of accidents, you can be hit by brass leading to bad injuries. However, such injuries can be avoided, or reduced with proper dressing. Start by choosing the best shooting shirts. Here, you can choose either short-sleeved or long-sleeved shirts. You can also have a shooting vest for added protection. The vest is usually worn over the shirts and provides added protection while giving convenient storage pockets. You can wear these vests even when the weather is hot since they feature a mesh fabric and are highly breathable.
Next, you need to select comfortable pants. The pants chosen must offer flexible movement to avoid any distraction when shooting. Some great choices are cargo shots that feature plenty of pockets for personal items like phones. If you have to practice drawing, consider tactical pants that easily pair with your holster.
Shooting gloves
Shooting gloves are not a necessity but come in handy when you need a firm grip on your rifle. The gloves are beneficial in so many ways. First, they can protect your hands during long hours of shooting practice. They can safeguard your hands from injuries from recoils and other unexpected events when handling a rifle.
Most of the gloves feature thick padding that helps absorb vibrations and shocks. This is a crucial feature that reduces fatigue especially when practicing repeatedly. The recoil from big calibers wears on the gloves. It is proven that wearing gloves makes one a better shooter. Be sure to carry them to your shooting range.
Eye protection
Protecting your eyes is extremely important whenever taking a shot. Whenever shooting outdoors, the eyes are always at risk to brass. We also have debris and dust that can enter the eyes and cause distractions. Wearing eye protection is highly recommended when shooting and cleaning your gun. Sometimes you have to pause halfway through a shooting practice to clean your gun. Loose springs and chemical sprays can easily enter your eyes causing harm.
Eye protection is pretty simple in the form of protective glasses. Eyeglasses are also beneficial providing greater contrast between targets. You get to see targets more clearly enhancing your shooting accuracy. Eyeglasses are important in practice but not very important in real-life situations where you must depend on your standard vision.
Ear protection
Loud sounds from big rifle calibers can have your ears ringing. This is why it is important to have a pair of ear protection to any shooting range. Remember they will be more shooters there with different weapon choices. Going to a shooting range without ear protection will cause ear damage and might lead to hearing problems.
The acceptable ear noise exposure is 85 decibels. People can listen to music or any other noise at 85 decibels without any issues. However, anything above 85 decibels leads to ear damage. Most rifles can produce loud noise up to 140 decibels which can be damaging to the ears. Shooting at such noise levels can lead to permanent and irreversible ear damage. Consider getting the best earmuffs and earplugs whenever heading to a shooting range.
Sturdy shoes
Most people are tempted to wear flip-flops in sunny weather. You need to consider sturdy closed shoes for any shooting range. The ideal shoes need to be comfortable and sturdy. This way, they can offer the feet protection from brass burning. Sturdy shoes do not translate to heavy-duty and steel-protected toe shoes. You just need a pair of comfortable closed shoes. Boots are a great option but they must be comfortable.
Hats
You’ve probably seen most shooters wearing hats when out in the field. The hat offers excellent protection from the harsh rays of the sun. It also offers protection from hot brass. You can keep your head cool especially when shooting for long hours on a hot sunny day.
A favorite holster
Lastly, you can consider a favorite holster. This is crucial when you need to practice gun drawing. What concealed holster do you use regularly? You need to carry such a holster and practice quick and safe drawing.
Final verdict
In conclusion, proper dressing makes you comfortable and helps you focus on your shooting. Make sure you prepare early enough and have all the wear essentials ready.