What Do you Keep in Your Range Bag?

[King]

Santa brought me a new and much needed range bag for Christmas. What do you keep in yours (or should keep )?

I keep ear protection, goggles, field glasses, the guns I plan to practice with, ammo, masking tape and old t-shirt to clean my guns off.

What am I missing?

 

[Schuey2002]

Non perishable food.

Junk food... "It does a body good."

 

[Sleeping Dog]

A small bottle of windshield washer fluid, for cleanup after corrosive ammo.

Screwdriver, channel-locks, locktite, allen wrenches, patches, AK front sight adjuster, M1 SLED, pen, Mossberg M44 magazine, cleaning rod, jags.

Regards.

 

[Sisco]

Pretty much the same stuff you've got. Add a stapler for putting up targets, spare magazines so I don't leave 'em at home,
a multi-tool just 'cause if you need one, you need one, a three-piece cleaning rod 'cause once again if you need it you really need it.

 

[Monkeyleg]

Aw, you're forgetting the really useful stuff. Brass for calibers you don't own anymore. Foam ear plugs that turned to concrete a decade ago. Empty staple boxes. Reloads that some guy you'd never met before gave you, and you swear someday you're going to pull apart and reload yourself.

 

[mikemck]

I use a small "mechanics toolbag" for a range bag, and it keeps me from stuffing everything but the kitchen sink in it just to go shooting.

I generally pack 2 guns & mags, ammo, shooting glasses, a rag, and ear protection.

It's small & economical, compact, and it's easy to tote around.

I used to have a huge "range bag", that was chock full of pretty much anything I or someone else might need, but it was just a pain to lug around...

 

[El Tejon]

[running down to armoury, running back]

Moist towlets (handiwipes, whatever) for cleaning hands,
tape for paper targets,
trash bags for collecting trash,
eyes, clear and tinted,
ears, extra set in case anyone forgets,
ear plugs,
gunsmithing tools (hammer, bigger hammer),
cleaning and lubing stuff (patches, rod, q-tips, bushing wrench),
marker for marking targets,
training mags,
list of drills in outside pocket,
pocket change,
Kotex and tape.

Oh, yeah, I wrote my name, address, phone number on the outside of the bag. Handy if you fly with it.

Oh, oh, yeah, in the summer I keep sunscreen (Bullfrog so I don't sweat it off) and bug stuff. None of those are a concern for me at present.

 

[spacemanspiff]

targets
tape
stapler
pen/notepad (gotta keep track of what kinds of malfunctions, if any, and how many rounds into the session it occured)
cleaning kit
large towel to drape over the bench (keeps things cleaner and lessens the chance of getting splinters off that dang old bench)
eye/ear protection
buttload of ammo
every mag i can find
oh yeah, and the guns.


but a range session wouldnt be complete if i didnt forget at least one item.

 

[King]

Sounds like I need to add a few small tools and some cleaning rods and paraphenalia for "just in case".

I do keep some extra ear plugs (to go with my headset type ear protection) as well. They come in handy when the range guy puts me too close to someone with a cannon. I also keep a writing pen in my bag because I tend to write on my targets (circle all the holes so I can see what new holes I'm making, date the target, etc).

Any other magic items to make my bag complete?

 

[rock jock]

Stapler with spare staples, Sharpie pen, can of white spray paint for swing targets, one or two of most magazines. Actually, the only thing I do NOT carry in my range bag is guns.

 

[JPM70535]

What do you keep in your range bag

Pretty much anything i might ever need or think someone else might ever need.

I started out with a plastic cleaning supply tray that with ammo, eyes and ears, and a few essentials, ( sharpie, targets, tape) Now I have a range bag big enough to qualify as checked baggage, and which would certainly be assesed a fee for being overweight.

Gotta lighten up

 

[Frohickey]

Gun
Ammo
Magazines
Birchwood/Casey Shoot-n-See targets
Masking tape for targets
Stapler and box of staples for targets
Candybar wrapped inside of towel, inside of plastic bag
Extra plastic bags or ziplocks to take empty brass home with
Leatherman tool
Foam ear plugs, and non-foam ear plugs
Shooting glasses/goggles
Pen and some paper for writing stuff with
Binocs and rangefinder
A couple small boxes of 22LR ammo

In another small mechanics bag, I have all of my cleaning gear, that fits inside of the range bag, complete with solvent, patches, rags, scissors, cleaning rod, brushes, jags, lube, rubber mallet and matches.

 

[Sisco]

Kotex and tape.

And you would bring these along because....

 

[45R]

I keep a range bottle of FP-10, qtips, toothpicks, eye and ear protection, ammo, knive/s, penlight, money, masking tape, targets, shoot and sees, my guns, a small rag, various colored pens, and screw driver.

 

[Jorah]

Good lord. Glad to see I'm not alone

Ammo (some for every gun I own, even though I usually only bring one or two at a time to the range.)

• Targets
• Staple gun
• Staples
• Paper towels
• Hand wipes (diaper-wipe type thingies)
• Screwdrivers
• pen
• paper
• Duct tape
• Ears
• Foam plugs
• Magazines
• Clips
• Goggles
• First aid kit
• Paper plates (for when I forget my targets)
• Paper clamps (for when I run out of staples)
• Sharpie

I usually forget something, even so. Once I went with no guns but what I happened to have on my belt. I was not pleased.

-Jorah (aka The Airhead)

 

[Jeff OTMG]

Screwdrivers, for sight adjustments. Allen wrenches for scope mounts, comps, grip screws. Cleaning rod, knife, and any other tools you might need.

 

[Navy joe]

And you would bring these along because....

Because they are excellent materials for patching bullet holes in people. I keep guaze, battle dressings and ace bandage for the same reasons. Everything else varies with the intent of the range visit. Spare anything I might need in short.

 

[El Tejon]

SK, you stuff the Kotex into any new holes and tape over until you can get to the horsepistol.

Saith the wise man in Tejas, "no one thinks about bleeding until they are." Further, to paraphrase Roosevelt I, make plans for trouble and you won't have any.

Part of being around guns is accepting the fact that firearms are dangerous and are used to make holes in people. We follow the 4 Rules as they are life, but sometimes others around us who are too cool to train do not follow these 4 Rules (they have their own adopted from gun rags). When people fail to adhere to our precious 4 Rules, they can make those around them bleed. We stop the bleeding and we hope save their life.

Like our firearms, we hope never to use the Kotex or our medical training, but it is there just in case.

 

[Sleeping Dog]

Then there's the detritis.

Bunches of stripper clips from 8mm ammo, and a few cotton bandoliers for the same. Empty brass that I WILL get around to cleaning and sizing, SOON. A broken Tasco scope (no reticle) that I use when I forget the spotting scope or just cant be bothered with it. A stripper clip full of 7.62x39 that seems to just sit there. Two keys, but can't remember what they fit.

Someone mentioned a stapler. Good addition to the pile.

Regards.

 

[ExpatGator]

Range BAG?

I wish it was just A bag. When the "Gang of Five" goes to the range it is with BAGS!!! Four of them.

1 bag with rifle ammo (at least 6 different calibers), magazines, cleaning rod and gear.

1 bag with shotgun ammo (.410, 20 and 12 ga.), cleaning rod and gear, and sundries such as different choke tubes and wrench.

1 bag (now a nice box after I got one for Christmas) for pistol ammo (.22, 9mm, .357sig and .40), cleaning rod and gear.

The last bag is full of safety gear, stapler and staples, targets, binos for spotting, camcorder, etc.

I am in the process of converting a closet into the designated storage area for all of this stuff. Can't wait to have it all in one spot!

Our club range is just a couple of miles down the road and is almost always deserted. It's great to get everyone set up at a station and just go at it. When my wife and I get a place further up state we are going to build an all-weather shooting station onto the back of the house so we don't have to load anything but our magazines!

 

[762x51]

Haven't seen this one yet.....scope cleaning pen. Great to have.

 

[eap]

you guys carry too much junk!

gun
ammo
spare mags
eyes x 2
ears x 2
staple gun/staples
shooting/batters gloves
plastic container with spare parts
T-handle punch, the only tool you need for a glock.

 

[JackShandy]

Originally posted by El Tejon
[running down to armoury, running back]

gunsmithing tools (hammer, bigger hammer),

Reminds me of the adage..."Use the right tool for the job."
Which brings me to...
JackShandys addendum..."The right tool is whatever you have handy."

Seriously, what specific bags do you guys have. What brand/model would you recommend for, say, two handguns (one revolver & one auto) w/ ammo?

 

[Sisco]

El Tejon, makes perfect sense.

 

[Sisco]

I'm going to clarify a little:
My range bag contains the items I listed plus up to five handguns.

In a medium sized Rubbermaid box is everything else: targets, the stapler & staples, ear muffs & glasses (enough for 4 extra persons, sons friends like to go), a large plastic soft drink cup with a lid to put empty casings into, sandbags and anything else I might need at the range.

If the kids go there's a couple boxes of empty bottles, milk jugs to be filled with water and any non-functional electronic device they can get their hands on. Great having a trash pit at the range!

I got tired of getting to the range and finding I had forgotten something, putting the stuff in the Rubbermaid ensures that if I need it it'll be there.