The Unconventional Shooter Essentials
Hey there Casual Preppers! Our good friends over at Tac Pack have graced us with a fantastic article for every shooter out there. If you listen to the podcast, you know these guys. You know that they have the BEST tactical subscription box with useful, professional grade gear. If you follow them on Facebook or Instagram, you know they live the Pew Pew life to the fullest. So, sit back, grab your favorite drink and take in the awesomeness that is The Unconventional Essentials.
The Unconventional Essentials! We are Gun Junkies that enjoy all types of shooting in diverse scenarios whether it's a long range competition, carbine/pistol training, or just a day at the range. We'd always rather shoot outdoors if we have the chance. And we have created a list of unconventional essentials that we recommend every shooter keep in their kit. Ours mainly focuses on the outdoor shooter. So, our checklist will be a good guide for the outdoor shooter who already knows to pack guns, mags, and a load of ammo.
#1 - Range Checklist - Nothing can be worse than packing your vehicle, driving an hour (or more), and realizing that you forgot essential gear! Make a checklist! Yes, it's dorky and we know it. But, nothing is worse that taking out your just-received machine gun after a nine month wait and forgetting the proprietary magazine/s that can ruin the experience.... Ask us how we know!
#2 - Lubricant - This is key if you are going to have a long range day with rifles. Look, we don't always a clean our guns after pumping hundreds of rounds through them so often-times our guns go back in the safe nice and dirty. Sometimes your gun "dries up" due to carbon buildup and when you go out to shoot you can find yourself in a frustrating situation. We always carry lubricant. And, another tip... carry some old rags (hand towels) in case you have to pull a bolt out, wipe it down, lube it up, and get back to work.
#3 - Staple Gun - And more importantly an extra rack of staples! You can save headaches and even be a hero to others. A lot of times when going out to the range you will probably want to sight in that snazzy new boomstick of yours. So, be prepared to setup your zero by banging up a target on whatever you can find. Pallets, cardboard backers, boxes, stands... you name it, it can be stapled! We encourage everyone to get outside and shoot, but not without your stapler.
#4 - Hammer and/or Rope - You are now starting to see a theme regarding "setting up". We chose two items for this one because each plays a part in setup! If you are a paper puncher or someone who likes to get out and ring some steel these two items are the perfect duo. If you look in the back of my range-truck you will see a large Plano case where I keep things like a hammer and rope. I don't know how many times my target stand wouldn't just work it's way into the ground. I've have to beat the thing half to death just to sink it 8 inches. And, for the rope... The rope provides a great steel hanger in the event that a steel hook goes down as long as you orient it correctly. We recommend
#5 - Cleaning Rod - You never know who is going to get a stuck case and it sure can ruin a range day. Some times it's best suited as the cleaning rod in a military field cleaning kit. You'll need something you can carefully ram down your rifling (kidding, be careful) to push out a stuck case from the chamber. Or, you can just always bring an AK with the under-barrel cleaning rod. I have probably experienced a dozen stock cases in the past 3-4 years and a cleaning rod has always saved the day.
#6 - Tool Kit - Go to a hardware store and buy a decent cheap plastic tool box, get both standard/metric Allen-wrench sets, a wrench set, a breaker bar, and all those other essential tools. Also, pick up a few small glad/Tupperware containers to sort out small gun parts and extra little leftover parts from gun-builds. You should always carry a tool kit in your range vehicle with anything and everything you might possibly need. You will be the range-hero time and time again.
We hope this gives you a good starting point for maximizing your gun range experience. Get out, sight in, shoot steel. Life is all about getting out and doing things!
Bob @ TacPack
