Favorite range bag items
By MARJ LAW
“So, Joe,” I ask, “Besides the must-haves “eyes,” “ears,” and targets, what’s your favorite item in your range bag?”
He thinks for a minute.
“Well, I like to protect my guns with silicone-impregnated bags. They’re like socks for your guns. The silicone keeps moisture away and the sock protects from scratches.”
He pulls out the sock covering his Colt Peacemaker. You know, the “gun that won the west?” That big ol’ .45-caliber revolver?
I kid you not. The Colt’s silicone sock is pink. Pink. Ahem. He sees me trying to suppress a smirk.
“Well, do you see any rust?” he may be a bit defensive. “Any scratches?” Of course, the Colt is in immaculate condition.
Silicone socks are cheap. Rust ruins the value of your gun, so OK. FYI: you can find them in black too. If you find one for a long gun, and you have two handguns, you can split the long piece in two, sew up the back edge and make two for the price of one.
My favorite extra tool is the Uplula. The Uplula is a gizmo that helps you load your magazines. If you have a mag that holds 15 rounds, by the time you’ve shoved in 4 or 5 rounds, your thumbs will complain big time. At least mine do. “Master Chief Gunner’s Mate Henry Bigthumbsby would have my head for using a cheater like an Uplula. I use my thumbs. What if you’re in a combat situation? Are you going to hunt around for an Uplula to load your magazines?”
Let’s see. When was the last time I was in combat? Like, never. If I’m carrying, my gun is loaded. Mr. Bad isn’t going to wait while for you to load your gun.
So, I have an Uplula for a single stack magazine and another Uplula for a double stack magazine. My unabused thumbs are grateful.
“What’s another favorite range bag item?” he asks me.
I dig around in the big black hole of my bag.
“Aha! This is it! I love my baby knocks!”
These are really cheap small binoculars. I bought them several years ago at the flea market in Tallahassee. I like them a lot because they bring the targets up close and personal. This is super good when you’ve made several shots and you want to know how well you are doing. Since the range is “hot,” you can’t walk up to look closely at the target so these little knocks bring the target right to you.
Which brings me to targets. I’m willing to buy the ones that change colors. They are so much easier on the eyes, so they would be next on my favorite items. Since Joe buys the cheap paper targets, he brings a good stapler. Seems like every time we visit the range, someone needs a stapler, so it’s good to have one in your bag. Sometimes he uses wide masking tape too, to put up his targets.
I keep extra sets of “ears” in their little bags. These are the tiny squish-in-your-ear plugs. Since many relatives have gone deaf early in life, I always use these ear pillows along with the big earmuff type hearing protection. If someone else wants to try them, I usually have 5-6 new sets available.
Since red dot sights are now so plentiful, and people are using them, it’s a good idea to keep their extra batteries around. Newer sights are on the market that come on when you move the gun and they turn off when the gun has not been moved for a period of time, so you are less likely to need batteries than in the past.
The same is true for your hearing protection. Many ear muffs need batteries. These muffs suppress the loud noise of the gun firing, and at the same time, they allow you to hear your neighbor talking to you. They only work well if you remember to turn them off when not in use. Newer ones, thank goodness, turn off by themselves. But if you have the older kind, and if you yourself are older, well, keep extra batteries.
Microfiber cloths are super useful. Cheap, too. You might want to use one to cover the shooting bench where you lay down your gun. You can use one to wipe off your sights. You can fold one over, stitch 2 sides and thus form a shooting glasses case. Those glasses get scratched much more quickly than you like, so a covering is practical. And you can wipe off the dirt and oils from your glasses with them as well.
You’ll thank yourself many times for keeping a small first aid kit in your bag. Even when you’re trying to be careful, you can get pinched by the metal in your gun. Pull back the slide and get part of a finger caught in the chamber. Pop in your magazine and get pinched between the mag and the frame. You’ll be surprised how much a small pinch hurts, so keep anti-bacterial cream and bandaids handy. Oh, and wipes. You need to clean your boo-boo before bandaging.
Last, I like to keep 5x7 notecards and a pen in my bag. There’s always someone new at the range who you may want to call again. They may have questions you want to research. Yes, we all seem to have cell phones, but I still want pen and paper. Finally, there’s one more practical item I’d like to share. This is a device that keeps humidity out of the place where you store your gun. I have one that is called a “large canister gel desiccant.” It’s a round metal jar that you place in the oven to dry for about 3 to 4 hours.
Silica beads inside are pink. They turn green when they are dried out. When you have your gun stored in a small space, placing this desiccant here will help to prevent any rust from forming on the metal. For instance, a friend of mine kept her gun in a bag on the floor of her closet.
Bad idea. The closet didn’t have sufficient ventilation, and her gun pitted with many tiny rust flowers. I’m surprised that this cannister works so well, and even use it in an antique china cabinet. Gets those musty smells right out.
When packing your range bag, always remember your ear and eye protection. You must have these when you visit the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range. The other objects suggested here make range life easier. Choose which fit your needs.
And color? There’s life beyond pink.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.