6 Things You Should Always Wear to the Gun Range

6 Things You Should Always Wear to the Gun Range

When you're on a mission to learn how to protect yourself, you might have lots of questions, and if you're planning on practicing your shooting, you'll want to know what you should wear to the gun range. Developing competence in your self defense skills does take effort, but it's an extremely rewarding endeavor. Just think about how empowered you'll feel when you're able to confidently draw your gun in seconds--and shoot--on target.

What To Wear To The Gun Range For Successful Shooting Practice

Knowing that you have the skill to protect not only yourself, but others, is part of tapping into your unlimited power. If you're going to the gun range for the first time, the first step is to close your eyes, and see yourself kicking major butt; to believe in your potential for greatness.

Step two? You'll just need to make sure that you dress properly for the range, so you can benefit from a productive, safe experience. Whether you're preparing to go to an outdoor or indoor shooting range, here are 6 essentials you should always wear for optimal success and safety, so you can get really darn good at shooting.

Hats

Wearing a hat while shooting offers protection from the sun as well as from hot brass, so it's a good idea to wear one while at indoor or outdoor ranges. As a bonus, in the hot weather, you'll thank your hat for keeping you cool.

Eye Protection

Eye protection is extremely important when you're shooting a gun. At a shooting range, your eyes are vulnerable to brass, and if you're outdoors, dust or debris can damage your eyes. It's also a best practice to wear eye protection while cleaning your gun in case cleaning chemicals spray out or springs come loose. Especially if you're new to owning a firearm, you don't want any surprises.

Some eye protective glasses can also help you with your aim, because they provide a greater color contrast between objects so you're able to see your target clearly. This is helpful for practice, but in a real self defense situation you'll have to rely on your standard vision to hit your target in the right spot. Diligent practice will give you the greatest advantage over your attacker.

Ear Protection

Have you ever been exposed to a sound so loud, your ears start ringing? That's what'll happen if you show up to a shooting range without hearing protection, only the damage will be more extensive than you realize. To give some perspective, 85 decibels is the normal, acceptable noise exposure. You could listen to 85 decibels all day, and be fine. The sound levels produced by a gunshot is between 140 and 165 decibels! Instant hearing damage occurs whenever you're subjected to noise levels of 140 dB or more, so shooting without ear protection does cause permanent and irreversible hearing damage. That's why it's so important to buy ear protection.

When you're shopping for ear protection, you have two options available: passive and active ear protection. Passive ear protection, such as mufflers or earplugs, aren't electronically powered, and they can each reduce noise by up to 40 decibels. If you're using passive ear protection, pair ear muffs and ear plugs with the highest Noise Reduction Rating you can possibly get. Active ear protection is electronically powered, and can reduce noise by over 40 decibels, so it's more effective. If you're able to purchase active ear protection, this is your best option for maximum protection.

Pants and Long Sleeve Shirts

It can be tempting to wear a tank top when it's hot outside, but covering your arms and legs is especially important at the shooting range. When your legs and arms are exposed, your skin can be badly burned if you're hit by brass. Also, at a shooting range, you're exposed to lead. This means that when you have more skin exposed you're at a higher risk of getting lead poisoning, which can lead to several unpleasant, sometimes fatal symptoms that you'll definitely want to avoid!

Don't know which clothes to wear? Not all material is created equal, and if you're in the hot sun, you'll want to wear range clothing that does a good job of keeping you cool. When you're picking out a long sleeve shirt, it's best to go with cotton. Cotton does a great job of soaking up your sweat and letting heat escape your body so you can stay cool. In need of comfortable, protective pants that can keep you cool? Tactica Defense Fashion offers concealed carry pants that perfectly accommodate your IWB or OWB holster, while keeping your temperature down in hot climates. Complete with roomy pockets that zip up, you can easily bring along your cell phone, sunscreen, or any other accessories you need while you shoot.

Sturdy Shoes

Flip flops are also nice for warm weather, but you should never go to the shooting range in open toed shoes. You want your feet to be comfortable and protected from brass burning and environmental influences. When it comes to picking out your shoes, you want to go with what's most comfortable for you and consider the climate you're shooting in. You don't have to buy a pair of heavy duty, steel-toed boots. If you're more comfortable in a pair of running shoes or Converse, wear sneakers. Boots can also be a great option. So if you're curious about what you should wear on a shooting range date, yes, heeled boots will work!

Your Favorite Holster

While bringing a holster to the shooting range isn't technically required, you'll want to practice drawing your gun from the holster you use most often for concealed carry. This means that if you use an ankle holster or a belly band holster quite frequently in your everyday life, you'll want to take both of them with you so you can boost your confidence like crazy in handling real life cases of self defense.

Ultimately, you should always try to dress as comfortably as possible, and be prepared to get a little dirty. The more comfortable you feel, the more energy you'll have to focus on unleashing your power and becoming unstoppable.