I can probably guess what’s in your live fire bag when you head to the range…
✅ Gun?
✅ Ammo?
✅ Targets?
✅ Ear plugs?
✅ Eye protection?
… aaaaaaaand that pretty much sums it up.
I’m a big believer in maximizing my range time and getting the biggest impact as possible from my training.
Which Is Why, If You Follow My Advice, I Can Promise Your Live-Fire Training Will Be More Effective And More Fun When You…
Add These 10 “Kinda Odd” Items To Your Gun Bag For Your Next Trip To The Shooting Range
1. A Documented Plan
Don’t just head to the range to blow off some rounds.
Every range visit should have a purpose.
Whether it’s for personal defense or competition, these objectives require different mindsets and practice routines.
Fumbling around and popping off rounds willy-nilly isn’t efficient.
Actually, this “item” is something you need to choose BEFORE you hit the range.
Once you determine the skills you need to work on, first practice them at home with dry-fire training, as experts say 80% of firearms training should involve-dry fire.
Then, treat your range day like a scientific experiment to “test” your at-home training and confirm you can perform the same skills under live-fire conditions.
For instance, here are a few “science experiments” from my last few trips to the range:
- “Spot shooting” combined with thumb placement on the slide
- A universal finger placement on the trigger that minimizes sway whether shooting one-handed or two-handed
- The difference in recoil management based on strong-side elbow placement – locked vs. bent
And now, let’s talk about “where” to document your plan…
2. A Training Journal
Documenting your plan and your training has tremendous benefits!
First, it’s great for goal-setting.
I mean, if you don’t have a destination, how will you know how to get there, right?
Setting a training goal is going to allow you to “backwards plan” and focus in on all the individual factors you need to work on to achieve that goal.
THESE are the components you build into your dry-fire and live-fire plans.
But your documentation is also a powerful tool for legal reasons.
If you’re ever forced to defend your actions in court, a hungry prosecutor may try to paint you as someone who was careless, and over-reacted to the threat.
A training journal can help you show documentation that supports how seriously you take your responsibility in being skilled enough to own or carry a gun…
…while also helping you articulate to a judge and jury that you PRACTICED in a way that was responsible, developing the skills you needed to be able to make a rational, practical decision to limit the risks of an innocent being harmed.
Going one step further, be sure to bring your journal to any firearms classes you take as well – online or offline.
Document everything – including dates and locations – and consider this your portfolio for a potential courtroom showdown that clearly shows what a responsible gun-owner you are.
3. Chocolate
Yes, chocolate!
Compounds in chocolate increase blood flow to the brain, enhance neuroplasticity, reduce reaction time, and boost memory.
In other word, this sweet little “nootropic supplement” can actually make you smarter and reinforce your learning.
But this isn’t about grabbing a Snickers; aim for real cocoa.
Dark chocolate (consisting of at least 70% cocoa) is best since it maximizes these benefits.
4. A Tripod For Your Smartphone
A tripod that’s either designed to hold a smartphone, or is equipped with a smartphone holder adaptor, is a great tool for giving you the benefit of record your practice sessions.
If you really want to blow yourself away with the “things you didn’t know” about how you shoot, then start recording your practice sessions.
When you watch them back, analyze your form and performance.
Shooting from different angles – and especially when played back in slow-motion – will really help you spot those minor mistakes you might not notice otherwise and can provide new observations critical for improvement.
5. Dog Sh*t Ammo
The biggest “in the fight” mistake I see my students and other shooters at the range make is in responding to their handgun jamming on them during a shoot.
Almost 100% of the time when I see a trainee pull the trigger – expecting a *BANG* but getting a *click* – I see them stop everything and stare at their weapon, wondering what to do.
Guns jam – for a lot of different reasons, and when you least expect it…
…which is why you should train for jams when you least expect to experience one.
And while “snap caps” (dummy rounds intended to simulate a “failure to fire”) are a great tool to develop your skill in this area, it still sets you up to “expect” your weapon to not fire at some point.
But when you hit the live-fire range, loading your weapon with the WORST performing ammunition will really help you “test your truth” because a jam could happen at any moment – or not at all.
One of the best sources of “worst” ammunition – infamously known by seasoned shooters – is Winchester’s “white box” target/practice ammo… or you can purchase
6. The RIGHT Target
For the love of God, please STOP using basic silhouette targets!
Visually these train you for shooting at a “basic form of a human” instead of someone who actually LOOKS like a human and can instill “training scars” that can play out on the streets.
Instead, bring some life-sized photo-realistic targets of a “bad guy” holding a weapon.
This will add more realism to your training and activate more of your brain’s neural network to better retain the skills you’re practicing.
7. “Twister” Spinner App
At the range, you’re typically deciding when to shoot based upon when you’re simply feeling “ready”.
More advanced trainers may use an audible “shot timer” whose *beep* offers a slight surprise moment to when they have to draw/shoot.
In real life however, you’re not shooting in response to a “sound”, but rather to the threat you see.
But a “Twister” spinner app on your smartphone can give you a visual signal with additional parameters.
You can start out with just color coded actions like “shoot 1 round any time GREEN is shown on the screen”.
Then ramp things up by adding in combinations such as “shoot from high-ready whenever yellow or red + a FOOT are shown”.
8. Lead-Removal Detox System
Lead exposure from firing rounds poses significant health risks – from kidney damage to cognitive decline.
To mitigate this, bring an extra set of clothes and different shoes for the range, and change out of your “shooting clothes” immediately after your training session to avoid dragging dangerous residue into your home for your entire family to suffer from.
While you’re changing, use lead removal soap or wipes on your hands, face, and other exposed body parts.
9. Wrap-Around Sunglasses
A criminal’s primary goal when targeting you for his next victim ISN’T your wallet, watch, body, or whatever “prize” you may offer them.
Their primary goal is to not get caught… which is why most attacks happen under low-light conditions when they have less risk of being noticed before their attack, and identified by any witnesses after their attack.
Outdoor live-fire ranges don’t typically operate at night and most indoor shooting ranges aren’t going to let you lower the lights.
So, to train for the reality of “low-light” shooting scenarios, you’ll have to improvise.
I always have my regular sunglasses with me (or my spare pair in my range bag)… but adding a pair of “wrap-around” sunglasses over top of your normal sunglasses (if your range allows it) will better simulate a darker environment for your shooting practice.
10. “Bionic Ears”
Only newbs and the ill-prepared rely on foam earplugs for their live-fire hearing protection.
I shoot with a bunch of spec-ops guys – as well as attend classes from world-class instructors – and I can say that almost every single one of them uses the same “headset” style protectors – electronic with “smart noise-cancellation”.
These things are amazing and completely changed my range time because, while you’re wearing them over your ears, they actually amplify the natural sounds around you (like an instructor’s guidance), but will instantly switch over to “noise-cancellation” mode when you or someone near you fires their weapon.
Warrior, these are an absolute must for the live-fire range – and not just because it’s what all the cool kids are wearing these days.
I’ve even talked to guys who keep a pair near their nightstand so, in the case of a nighttime home invasion, they can put the headset on and hear far better what’s going on inside their home to decide if there’s an intruder… and then also protect their hearing if they do have to fire their weapon in self-defense.
"There's Simply NO Other Hearing Protection That Even Comes Close!"
Wearing Anything Else Just Screams "NEWB!" To The Other Shooters Down At The Live-Fire Range!
Seriously, these are the ONLY hearing protectors my "spec-ops" shooting buddies and I wear at the range.
Super comfortable all day long... great looking slim contour... adjustable universal fit... and maximum hearing protection!
- Amplifies low-level background noises by 8x!
- Simple, easy-to-reach dial for adjustable sound sensitivity (especially critical for hearing impairment devices)!
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- Muffles loud sounds all the way down to a "whisper quiet" NRR-rated 23db!
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Have Any Other “Odd” Items You Throw In Your Range Bag?
Go Ahead And Share Your Best Gizmo And Gadget Advice For Your Fellow Warriors To Bring To Their Next Range Day…
Blow out trauma kit for gunshot wounds including North American Rescue Combat Application Tourniquet; Z-fold Quickclot bandage pack; OLEAS Modular Pressure Bandage; Hyfin Vented Chest Seal; SWAT pressure bandage, Ziploc bag with 4×4 gauze pads; Mylar space blanket.
Extra ear pro even if they are the plugs Iv forgotten earpro many times or had people join I didnt expect. Plastic trash bags for your junk and sadly at a lot of public ranges people leave a HUGE mess and I take as much out as I can. A little extra ammo sometimes Iv was figuring out xyz and a little extra ammo has helped. I could go on but the most important thing I can say is THINK before you go and get your gear as ready the day before you go.
A few of my rifle stocks don’t like me wearing my over the ear models, they just don’t let me get a good cheek weld, so the in-the-ear ones go a long way to helping.
How about adding movement through the range (if allowable) firing from various positions and at different targets at different distances. Why not include some rolling and shooting.
A few tools capable of quickly un-jamming your firearm if it gets more than just a typical f-t-fire or f-t-eject. I have had an occasional “squib” when using frangible or reloads, similar to your “white box” ammo issues. If I couldn’t clear those out, I’d have had to swap over to another firearm for the rest of the day, instead of splitting my time among the several I had planned on.