Proper range attire?

[WayneConrad]

Mom would cuff my ears if I had the gall to laugh at someone just because of what they were wearing. It just ain't good manners. She does approve of regular bathing, however. Says that's good manners, too. Dad taught me that it's the man in the clothes that matters, and you won't get to know all the good men you'd like to know if you're put off by what someone is wearing.

 

[Manedwolf]

If it's indoor and not that cool inside, comfortable jeans, tshirt with a collar close enough to keep brass out, and a no-brass-on-head soft cotton cap with a Blue Sun logo on it. (Bonus points for getting the reference as to what that's from.)

I don't quite get the k-mart commando look.

Though when it was cool once outside I'd gone in in a grey turtleneck and slender-fitted Hugo Boss black leather short coat with dress gloves (a friend called it a German Assassin look)...and had a Kel-Tec carbine folded in an aluminum briefcase, too. That got some slightly-concerned looks, and quieter conversation...

 

[Eightball]

That doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me is the arrivcal of an attractive female in skimpy shorts and halter.Seems then I don't shoot as well !!!

But you simply have to observe and adjust, because there might be a really attractive female in skimpy shorts and halter around when you pull your gun for real......... .

I'm fine with re-enactors dressing up. I'm fine with business men suits, because businessmen shoot too. I've seen LEO's and MIL-members in their attire at the range, and that's fine. It just bugs me when all the slack-jawed yokels crawl out of the woodwork, team up with mall ninjas and hardcores, and try to look like Sam Fisher or just your generic BDU salesman. I guess for me it more boils down to the attitude the people have when they're shooting--ever try and correct one of the "operator suit" dudes? Try talking to someone who dresses like that, vs talking to someone in jeans or a vintage outfit w/vintage firearm or some such, and see who is more welcoming of conversation.

 

[possum]

What Not To Wear Range Addition!

This week on a one hour What Not To wear special.
Top 10 things to avoid wearing to your local range!

1. Ghillie suit.

2. Three-piece suit.

3. Birthday suit.

4. Deerskin and antlers.

5. T-shirts with large bullseyes on them.

6. Roller skates.

7. Stilts.

8. Suicide bomber vest.

9. Blindfold.

10. Ear trumpets.

Guncrazy45,
awesome list!

 

[Wedge]

Crew neck t-shirt, shorts, tennis shoes and a baseball hat (and ears and eye protection).

 

[Geronimo45]

Why eye protection? Ear I can understand. What's the point of 'shooting glasses'?

 

[sm]

I'm the 51 y/o white male, with dirty blond hair past shoulder length / ponytail, dirty blonde mustache , wearing long sleeved oxford shirt button down collar - year 'round.
Long sleeves rolled down in summer to keep sun and skeeters off here in da South.
Blue Jeans, tennis shoes.

Clear Bushnell Aviator Shooting glasses, and two pair of E-A-R foam ear plugs, tied together and around my neck (one pair as a spair, beats looking for lost plug, or bending over for one dropped).

Pretty good bet there will be a shotgun handy, do not be surprised if Red Ryder BB gun handy too, ping pong balls and perppermint begging dawgs near either.

If I am passing forward, well if the kids are doing .22 single shot rifles, I often sit with them and use theirs.

If shotgun stuff, my favorite training gun , if it makes it out, is a .410 single shot , in a '70s fashion YELLOW, and Tie Dyed ...not real sure what you call it, but I look good with this thing. Did I mention the thing was YELLOW?!?!!
The Green stuff is cool and under a blacklight, totally groovy dude...

Bone Stock Gov't Model of 1911 and K frame Revolver are some of favorite things. You bring certain shotguns out , I am prone to get plum birdy and if they be 28 gauges, you must be all right.

I like to walk these properties, totin' a shotgun, with a dawg. Been known to toss a Banana Moon Pie out yonder from a Trius Step One clay thrower without the dawg knowing it and just see if'n he picks up the scent of a treat.

I hope you like Bob Seger, Allman Bros, Pink Floyd...etc. Liable to be some tunes on these private spots I shoot. Cranked up too...

If you see me in the bed of a truck shooting stationary targets, and Moving Targets, that is typical of me, I don't stand on the squares or call for clay birds either.

I do stuff different, must be why some call me the names they do.

I am no big deal, I know that, and never will be a be big deal. I am an older returning student, "adopted uncle" to some, and the bestest friend to some dawgs.


Turn The Page by Seger dubbed my signature song back when some stuff was going on. I'm liable to drift off into another time and start making a fool of myself shooting a shotgun if that songs gets cranked...

Just some old Reprobate trying to improve and learn on this Juvenile Deliquent stuff and having a ball doing so.

 

[bumm]

Jeans and a sleeveless T most of the time. When it gets cooler, I gotta put on long sleeves and maybe a coat. I hate dressing up. The last time I HAD to, (taking pictures at a sister in law's wedding,) I forgot to take the price tag off my suit coat.
Marty

 

[Srigs]

Anything as long as you have a bullet proof vest under it! I'm not kidding!!! Poor gun handling skills abound.

 

[The_Shootist]

In Texas...

...when its 110 deg then its shorts and t-shirts at our open air range.

Trsut me - people dress for comfort, not style in a Texas summer for rangetime

 

[10-Ring]

The tacticool that show up can be a little strange but really where else can you wear your gear and not be scoffed at
Me I like having lots of pockets (bdu's or cargo pants), good shoes and at least a t-shirt (I don't like hot brass burning me when I least expect it).

 

[swingset]

I wear BDU pants often, but because they're comfortable, cheap, rugged, have pockets all over, and don't show dirt.

Know what my fellow range inhabitants think of my pants? Who cares, that's what they think.

I'm not sending a message, I'm just shooting.

 

[loki.fish]

I only read a page and a half of this garbage. It's like being in high school again. Who cares what anybody wears to a shooting range, the whole purpose of being there is to shoot guns. Not pick up women. After reading this, I think I'm gonna go buy a bunch of digital camo and tac vests, join my local gun club and gear up to go shoot every time just so I can bother you older people about my attire. I'd say, so long as you don't go nekkid, who cares what you wear.

 

[shooter503]

I object to Possum objecting to me wearing a three piece suit on the range. If the other guys want to look like Rambo then I can look like James Bond.

(Except that 5'6" with glasses doesn't really cut it).

I do have a PPK though. Does that count?

 

[Prince Yamato]

I've worn the 3 piece suit to the range too. Had a formal event earlier in the day. Said, "why the hell not?" I like to go to the range after work to unwind and sometimes go after church. I personally like shooting in a suit. I say, if you're going shooting, why not make an event of it? I understand that not all ranges are dress-clothes friendly, but I do think that a dress-code would be nice. I think that's what people are getting at. Most range operators go for khakis and a polo. I think that's a good idea. Remember why the NBA instituted the dress code for players on the side-lines? They weren't representing their sport in a respectful manner. They wanted to improve the image. I don't think we all need to wear suits to shoot, but (especially for indoor ranges) I think people could do with not dressing like they just stepped out of the trailer.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Range wear/clothes/CCW

I'd say you should wear whatever you want. Just remember to keep safety in mind. If you have a tank top or shorts you may get stung by hot brass, . That can hurt! I know, .

I'd also avoid wearing "kill em all" type hats and/or shirts in public if you are wearing a CCed weapon. Ayoob wrote a good article about this subject many years ago and he made a valid point. Would you want to use a weapon in a deadly force incident when you are wearing a "I like to kill people!" t-shirt?

I once dealt with an "undercover" Deputy US Marshal who had a "9-11 terrorist hunting permit" sticker on his windshield. If this federal officer had a use of force event could that sticker come up in the aftermath? I think so.

Rusty

 

[NineseveN]

It's amazing to me how some people will yell about individual rights and "freedom" when talking about firearms, but let some bum wear cammies to a fireamrs range and those same people start talking about mandating things like expected fashion ettiquette and "dress codes".

No, I don't wear any of my "gear" to the range...but starting tomorrow, I will be from now on. I might even impregnate your firing lines with my Tactical Tailor MAV and my rucksack on.

 

[sm]

What is the reason you are at the range?

Good posts and points above wearing clothing one wears in normal daily activities.

Sure we all like to be comfy and all - still...

I assist ladies for instance. Attire for work, school, and such may be anything from dresses, skirts and tops, causal pants and a blazer, business suit, or scrubs, even scrubs with only a drawstring bottom, pull over top and they have to hit the ED/ OR in 30 minutes in the wee hours.

Bedtime means a variety of sleepwear, and bathrobes.

So the ladies shoot at the private spots in all these types of clothing. What does a lady do at 2am when awakened, slip on a robe of somekind correct? Hey if a BG is stirring, and the lady is awakened, having an idea how that shotgun works, wearing a robe, while kneeling down behind cover and cell phone calling police, is a good idea...to me and them it does.

Evening wear, usually means uncomfortable shoes,and a smaller gun to fit in that smaller evening purse, why not get some practice in?

I am a guy. I have shot in coat and tie, handguns and shotguns, because I wanted to know and be familar with shooting in these clothes and leather soled shoes.

Range time encompasses a lot of reasons, public range might be LEOs in uniform, that person that rides a bike, biker may be a younger fella, or a 50-60 y/o male, female or couple and they want to know. Goth...hey 21 is legal for CCW, BGs attack Goth folks too. Overalls, farmers, ranchers wear these, and CCW.

Anyone ever practice shooting from a "bed"? I mean a lady especially finding someone standing over them and all...well...the ladies I have assisted with have.

Think out of the box...

 

[Stiletto Null]

I usually show up in cargo pants of some sort (long in cold weather, shorts the rest of the time), a shirt of some sort (T-shirt or dress shirt, depending on the state of my laundry pile), and birkenstocks.

If not for the guns, one would think I was just another yuppie college student.

 

[GrammatonCleric]

I usually my Punisher t-shirt, black jeans, combat boots, and drop holster. The Punisher being my favorite comic book hero, I like to dres like him when I'm puting rounds downrange. That also happens to be my standard weekend going places outfit. Otherwse, I dress up like Mal from Firefly and shoot, its fun to play dress-up. If I had a stormtrooper outfit, I'd wear that to the range as well.

 

[No_Brakes23]

I might wear my MarPat boonie cover just cause its functional, and weather permitting, I would wear a PMI jacket if I had one. For the most part, I try to wear everyday clothes at the range, but I might opt for long pants even in the heat if I'm going to shoot low kneeling or sitting.

I honestly don't think there is much that is inappropriate for the range. If some kids next to me are all decked out in NIN shirts and trenchcoats, and acting stupid, I might keep an eye on 'em, (But I'd keep an eye out for saggy shorts/gang apparel or dinnerplate belt buckle types acting stupid, just the same.) I suppose if someone showed up with all their Airsoft Mall-ninja gear I might be concerned, but if they weren't acting like total idiots, who cares. Sure, apparel can be a warning sign, but I have met plenty of people who dress like fools, and still act concientious and professional.

I'm former military but only wear cammo while hunting, not in public places even if it be the range.

Yeah, it still bothers me when I see guys wearing their cammies in public. It's completely irrational, (Not wearing utilities off base except for commuting is mainly a Marine thing,) for me to impose my ideas on other servicemembers, but I still do it. And most former military I know are reluctant to get all dressed up, (Outside of a single favorite item,) so when I see someone doing it outside of a military context, I immediately think "Wannabe". But once again, their behavior is far more important than their dress.

As others have pointed out, maybe they are training for their job, though most places/bases I have been, training like that is conducted on military/LEO exclusive ranges, or at least during military/LEO exclusive times, and always in groups, (AmShootCen in San Diego does LEO training in the morning before they open to the public, for example.)

I certainly have never been to a range that had any sort of noticeable or enforced dress code, but then again, I have only shot in CA, AZ, and Guam.

 

[Sleeping Dog]

The only "military" thing I wear at the range is a new army field jacket when it's cool out. My old army field jacket sort of fell apart, and it was only about 25 years old. The old jacket was free, issued by uncle sam. The new one has a built-in hood, but is still solid o.d., no camo.

I still have some army field pants that would be good to wear, but the waistband has done some serious shrinkage over the years.

For shooting in the snow, I have an insulated mechanics coverall suit. A camo pattern is caused by grease and oil splotches on the blue background. I will be invisible in the next junkyard war.

Regards.

 

[Dr. Dickie]

Since I hit the range on a Friday, and every Friday at work I wear a Hawaiian shirt, that is what i wear to the range.
I shoot mil-surp rifles. Maybe it is camo in Hawaii

 

[fineredmist]

I just love it when the ladies arrive in their camo short shorts and halter tops. That really is much more interesting than a bunch of men in camos, don't you think?

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Jeebus. What do we have here, the THR Fashion Police?

Who cares what someone else wears to the range as long as he minds his own business and is a safe shooter?